Let's talk about fake reviews!!

[Daniela241]

Hello, 

My name is Daniela and I've been on Airbnb for almost 3 years. I run 4 anouncments and after all this time I can say I have a lot of experience dealing with all type of situations and guests. Three of my airbnbs are located in the same city and recently I started running one in Mexico City, and oh god! it's has been a nightmare. 99% of our guests have been people from other countries, and it's imposible to please them. The apartment is located in one of the most privileged areas of the city, were rents of apartments with two bedrooms go up to 1500 USD per month (in Mexico that's excesive). Guest just complain about the most ridiculous stuff, like for example: the lights are very bright, the shower head is fixed ¿?, the stools are too high (they are adjustable btw) they even complain about having a doorman 24/7 to their service, because they'll rather have their own set of keys, two sets if possible. 

Reading through the community I've seen that there's a lot of anger regarding the reviews, because let's be honest they are UNFAIR. My last guest left me a two star review complaining about stuff that is in the pictures and specified in my announcment (for example not having furniture in the terrace, we don't have any due to the wind and horrible polution of the city). The worst part is that he didn't complain about anything during his TWO week stay, he only asked for a juice blender and it was given to him inmediately.  This comes just after my previous guest, practicaly stayed for one extra day because she felt bad, broke my sofa cama and of course left me a terrible review because I charged her $60 usd.  Now airbnb penalized me taking the anouncment down,  and they won't delete the last review . I'm just so frustrated right now, I have the lowest rating I've ever had in one of my announcments (4 stars) and I don't know what to do. The owner of the apartment (I'm just the host) want's to take it down and honestly I don't feel like dealing with these people anymore. They pay half or even more less than they will do in a hotel and they complain because you don't have every single thing they expect. I've stayed in airbnbs in a lot of places and they are all different and most of them are not fully equiped, but when using airbnb you stay at somebody elses house so you must adapt. 

I'm sorry for all my complainings I'm really frustrated. Do you have any advice on how can I boost my reviews? Of course I'll do some improvements like leave amenities and stuff like that but I feel like nobody will book an apartment with 4 stars. 

Thanks in advance,

A very frustrated host. 

[Ann72]

@Daniela241 God, that's frustrating.  Sometimes you really just want to strangle people.  🙂

Your listing is so nice!  Only 7 reviews, so more good reviews will bring the star number up.  The guy who complained about the lighting - if I were coming as a guest, I would ignore his review because he was there for 8 weeks (is that correct?).  And wouldn't most people just be coming for a few days or a week at most?

The two things I would do to get better guests is to raise the price (you could go to $85 I think) and reduce the length of stays to two weeks maximum, or maybe even just one week.  After a week people really settle in and start noticing all the things they wish they had.  Shorter stays make it easier to adapt, as you say, to another person's home.

Hang in there!

[Daniela241]

I haven't thought about that!! thanks a lot

[Lennetta0]

I would address the bad reviews in my House Rules section in a way that dispels the negative reviews. And, do what the other lady said, shorten the length of time and increase price so that not just anyone can stay there.

[Daniela241]

Thanks! that's a great idea!!! Mexico City has a lot of airbnbs so they suggest very low prices, but you're totally right. The higher the price, the better the guests!

[Kath9]

@Daniela241, on behalf of hosts around the world, we feel your pain. I have been hosting for two and a half years and Airbnb has changed radically in that short time. A couple of years ago, people still used Airbnb has a way of connecting with locals and staying in their homes for a good price. Now,  expectations have become ridiculous. People expect to pay a pittance and get the Ritz. They also don't read the listings or house rules and then leave unfair reviews.

I got an unfair review myself recently - everything she marked me down on (no TV, no access to lounge, etc.) was clearly stated in the listing. Honestly, they paid $25/night each (less than what they'd pay for a bed in a DORM at the backpackers) and they thought they should have the whole house to themselves and that I should just go, I don't know, somewhere else. Maybe I should just go hang out in the laundry for the evening.

One thing I do when guests book or send me a request is message them with the following:

Hi XXX and thank you so much for booking - I look forward to welcoming you into my home! You are welcome to check in anytime from 3pm to 7pm but please do let me know what time you expect to arrive so I can plan my day and make sure I am home to greet you.

To ensure you are fully satisfied with your stay, please spend a moment reading the listing details and house rules carefully - if you feel they might not be a good fit for you, I do have a flexible cancellation policy. Otherwise, I'll be in touch closer to the date with arrival details. Please let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.

Best wishes, Kath

Hopefully, this prompts people to actually read what they're booking so they don't get any surprises.

[Daniela241]

The message is a great idea, bc people just wont read through the whole anouncment. 

Thanks 

[Susan17]

I could talk for a month - with evidence - about fake reviews on Airbnb, but my comments would be deleted anyway, so I'll save it for a rainy day 😉

[Karla128]

I am the same, same experience, after 6 years still could not get back to supper host. Lol .
So,  I just decode to not care of that title.  But focusing on selecting guest before they book with me. Even so, still.  Few people just not going to give you 5  stars review , no matter how much they said “they are happy and appreciated “ before they leave. Or while they are living long turns here. 
It is human, we are dealing with. They have their own opinions on what they think. Without comparing your location and areas. Without appreciate you welling to open your home to supply a  cheaper and better 2ed home for them. Most people think : with Airbnb, they can get better deals, better things then hotel. With out paying $ 300 /night. If not, they want you to know from their reviews. 
so, if there is a better way to have a fair trade rain it, with win win statement site out there. I am sure good honest host will sign in that right away. 
 Time to tell. I see Airbnb rating already going down to 2 starts themself. So, do you think good gust is still booking here?
Airbnb has lost their original missing statement became a money maker from host. That is sad statement. 

[Ellen1267]

I too know for a fact that reviews can be faked on AirBNB, because I was a renter at the same time there were reviews of many, many guests having stayed in my home as AirBNB renters. I think I would have known if someone was staying in the house with me!!! 

[Sam397]

@Daniela241  it does suck for you to be having this issue. I don't have an answer to what you can do to get your rating back up but I can tell you this. Prepare yourself for a long fight. I received a 3-star rating and a 4-star rating out of my first 4 reviews, over a year later I have received over 140 5 star reviews and three 4 star reviews and my rating is still below a five. I know at one point I had over 20 straight 5 star reviews before my rating went up a point then received a 4-star rating and had it go down two points. I know how many reviews you have makes a difference in figuring your rating, but my point is it takes a lot to raise it but not much for it to go down.   

[Daniel3086]

Just be completely honest in your description of the property.  That means describing not only the good but the bad.  You may not get as many bookings but you'll get more stars.  ie. no furniture on the patio due to wind and pollution in the city.    

You're welcome

[Jordi151]

Guys! It just happened to me and it’s so frustrating to see how Airbnb is not able to provide protection to hosts against racketeers. 

in my case, the guest left one star.. he came to my house. Broke things, left a mess In the kitchen and the listed room and when i told him to behave demanded me all the money back otherwise  he would let a review that would make me lose future bookings. 

Told to Airbnb.. they just sent a template message saying “reviews help to generate an honest portrayal of the variety of experiences that our hosts and guests have with each other”

They don’t mind if it’s fake, a revenge... i’m so disappointed with Airbnb to allow a racketeer get his purpose. 😞

I suggest they improve how they treat hosts that have already proven their honesty and our extra mile commitment to make travelers feel at home.

i also suggested and think who reads that if agrees could send also a feedback so that they could add the possibility that earning the superhost badge and keeping it , would be rewarded with the possibility of removing one review at a time.   

[Michelle3068]

It's interesting that everyone here is a host when I'm a guest.

I had one hotel give me a nasty review b/c I needed help (I was brand new to Mexico) getting food (I almost starved that night and the girl didn't care) and then help figuring out how to get a bus to another city.

They did try to help & I was very grateful, but they made a huge mistake & the bus trip was booked for the wrong direction.

I had to then try to correct it by phone & stress about it until the next day by going in very very early to the bus station.

I tipped everyone & tried to tip the second girl who helped me from the front desk, but she didn't want the money.

My rule is I never review a place where there were issues (there were issues with this hotel) if the host is nice. I just won't do that to them, so I never reviewed them.

Months later I see how they said I DEMANDED things from them. 

Total lie. Was I stressed & asked if they could help & they could feel my stress sometimes & I was anxious? Yes, but that's not demanding. 

A  hotel (I don't care if it's small) should help their guests & not omplain about it in a review. In fact, I would have recommended them to others, but now I never will.

I later gave them a nasty review on Trip Advisor, but no one on Airbnb usually goes there to see what others say about the hotel. I read other negative reviews about them.

The point was I couldn't defend myself.

I felt bad for taking up so much of their time & because she didn't do things properly, it took a whole day (more than 8 hours) just for me to get the bus arranged. I couldn't even relax (I wasn't on vacation, but still).

I don't read Spanish & this is why this all happened, plus again, I was brand new to Mexico.

Most hosts don't seem to review at all, so any of the other places I stayed in didn't review me (one hotel in Tepic gave me a nice review) & vice versa until I got to Colima where this host who was nasty right from the beginning refused to take cash from me. I always pay cash to a host after I've stayed there a night & they can see me & see I'm not a bad person.

I got his number from someone else, not through Airbnb.

Anyway, he complained about that the first time he reviewed me (as if that's a SIN) & he also complained b/c I asked him where there are restaurants around the area since there are NONE within walking distance. Wow, who complains about that??? He said I should have looked them up online. WOW.  No other host has ever complained about me asking where there are restaurants & one host even had a map to all of the places.

I left, then came back & ended up booking his place again for a lot longer & asked if he could lower some of the fees so I could stay longer. He told me that if I book for a week it's less. I did that.

Then there was no hot water (luke warm) and no water pressure. He accused me of lying about it. I never did get hot water. 

Then he wanted to overcharge me for cleaning the place trying to sell me on it & wouldn't give me any more toilet paper (his cleaning lady mother finally did). 

Were the floors dirty when I left?

Yes, his 3 workers who came in, plus almost 3 weeks of me being there made them dirty. Plus his nice mother (she probably wasn't all that nice in the end) also came into the house a few times to water the plants.

Did I leave dirty dishes in the sink this time? Yes, if I'm going to pay a huge price for cleaning, why is it my responsibility to clean the whole house for them?

I was going to get my own cleaning lady, but when he raised the price of the place to a much high price, I just left.

Again he trashes me in the review lying & said I tried to get him to take cash (I hadn't the second time around) & then had to mention how dirty the place was. And then another lie about how he had to wait around for me or something. I didn't understand the translation other than he's LYING!!! No such incident happened.

I never reviewed him the first time around because I didn't want to burn bridges. The second time I did review him & I told them everything wrong with the place including the beds were terrible where I could feel the springs.

Another Airbnb I went to right after him were never around to help me when the lamp didn't work & I needed it to see after dark. Also, they left a starving cat hungry so I told them about that. She/he was crying outside my door the whole day & night. I didn't have any food to give it & it wouldn't eat the ceviche. Someone finally came over to feed them (I never saw the 2nd one).

Then the 2nd day their stove didn't work & I went hungry until I finally ate COLD FOOD. I went hungry later on because all I had left were eggs. I didn't want to eat them raw.

Anyway, this time I complained to Airbnb. Why should I pay for the 2nd day (even the first day with the lamp issues that put me out.) 

Because they contacted him he put down that I have unreasonable expectations or I can't do things on my own.

When I arrived the fridge wasn't plugged in & I had food. The stove didn't work so I messaged them.

It turns out it wasn't plugged in & I finally saw the electrical cord hanging, so it worked the first day after I plugged it in. 

Oh, & this guy was a very mean host. He threatens in all of his auto messages (I've never seen them before) & in his house manual. Everything is a charge. If you have a person come over, I should clean the place for them (so why am I paying a cleaning fee????) If the white towel in the bathroom is used to clean (that's just stupid, who would do that & why use a white towel if this is such a concern?) 

He will track you down if you break something & don't tell them. Ok, I get it, you want it paid for, but "track you down???" I was literally scared of this guy that he was part of the cartel or something.

So now I look like an unreasonable person because of these lies & I'm NOT. 

I need what I need & I always ask questions before I book. That is NOT A CRIME.

If something isn't working, depending on how pressing a need it is I don't even tell the host. Like the first lying host his internet had issues. The firs time I was there I didn't complain.

The second time I did. He apologized & had the ISP reboot it. That helped for the day, but then it continued to go in & out.

I didn't tell him again because I didn't want to fight with this guy again (remember the hot water & pressure issues.)

Now I'm scared to say ANYTHING about ANYTHING for fear they will lie in the review to make me out to be the bad guy because they think I will give them a bad review so they want to get me FIRST.

And I'm sick of Mexicans thinking that it's ONLY foreigners who leave bad reviews, I've seen bad reviews from Mexicans too. That's just racist.

I came on here looking for evidence that the reviews from guests are FAKE. 

I've seen too many glowing reviews that don't line up with what I've experienced. 

Then I found this thread & felt the need to put in my two sense about  how I feel as a guest.

I'm a nice person, I keep to myself, I do my work and don't make noise. I don't trash a person's place & I try to leave it pretty much the way I found it except I'm NOT going to clean your place for you. 

If you don't charge me a huge cleaning fee, ok. Once a host asked me to clean up because of that & I cleaned all of the dishes. No problem. But if I have to pay an overpriced cleaning fee, of course I'm going to get you guys to clean the place. Most times I wash the dishes, but with that guy I cleaned up a bit, but I was still upset that he tried to scam me out of the expensive cleaning fee and that he never did get me my hot water.

So you can talk about retaliation from guests, but what about the retaliation from hosts?

End of rant.

[Gil2041]

Bad reviews are a 2 way street and unfortunately often used as payback other than honest reviews.

I was a guest at a house that was posted as a beach house - despite the premium charge I paid, it was quite far from the beach. The property, while maintained clean, was small and old and the owner provided only basic stuff and of the lowest quality. The aging bathroom hot/cold water diverter was not functioning reliably. The mattresses were old and heavily used. Of course the owner posted a draconian set of rules (but not before you reached the property...) including a request to run a laundry cycle for his items. When charged as a premium hotel, I expect better than that. I described the property in a short review as a walk from the beach, well maintained but not new. I didn't mention the problems we encountered and instead sent a private message to the owner, that he should fix the diverter in the shower and get new mattresses. I guess he got upset because the next thing I see is that he posted a negative review on me, completely false, as if I left his property dirty and did not follow the house rules. The truth is that my wife and I took care of cleaning the dishes, taking the trash out on the times he specified, the only thing we refused to do is to wash the towels - the guy had a cleaning service specifically for that. 
  This experience left me with a bitter taste and total lack of trust in renting mixed with social media. I now prefer to go the old fashioned way and use other venues to book vacation rentals.