My name is Kris I have a very popular vacation home. Someone staying at my place who, was breaking my house rules, filed a complaint of privacy issues. With no contact from Airbnb

[Kris3563]

My question is. What is the protocol and is it legal for Airbnb to give me no reason and no notification of why my listing has been suspended.. And with my four phone calls to customer support. And six emails to the safety department I was still left completely in the dark as to who was complaining which one of my guests was it .how can I defend myself. I only know there were recent recent guests at my place, who I informed them they were breaking my house rules. I have to assume it was one of those guests who made the complaint. What is the protocol is  it legal for Airbnb to put me through this, with no explanation as to what is happening. Finally after two weeks someone from the safety department wrote me a email saying they had a complaint of undisclosed cameras on the property. I've replied I am following all the rules about that, everything is disclosed .add the guests know that. So why am I still suspended. I still do not have contact from the person who says he is working on the case. we talked on the phone three days ago I emailed him yesterday asking him what is going on and still no response. as seems to be the case whenever I email people working for Airbnb on different cases i have had in the past. But suspending my listing is not allowing me to defend myself against what I know is simply a disgruntled guest trying to lash out at my business  or get back in someway for me busting them for breaking my house rules. as this has happened twice now. If  all a guest has to do is make a complaint against a property they are staying at, and then that listing gets suspended with no notification as to why , and no department that I can contact to ask why. That is dysfunctional in the extreme. this cannot be legal.

[Christine2855]

Yes, AIRBNB can do this to you. Just as other tech companies can suspend or shadow band individuals that have a huge following. I think this is an interesting lesson. This is probably all laid out in their mediation clause. However, I wouldn’t waste any time on this. It’s time that you create your own website or Facebook page or whatever it is that people might use. if AIRBNB is your bread and butter, you might think about canceling all your licenses and starting from scratch.

[Kris3563]

Thanks I just noticed you wrote back. I didn't know how to get into this form, it's all new. I am gonna continue to sound dim here but. what do you mean by canceling all your licenses. I have already posted my ad on VRBO but two weeks into it, and not one bite. They don't get much attention. My rental house could book every day of the year ,it's just that stunning of a view, but  Airbnb  gets all the attention. So I feel stuck to work with them. 

[Sarah977]

@Kris3563  I think she meant to say "listings", not "licenses".

[Emilie]

Hi @Kris3563, 

I'm really sorry to hear you've felt unsupported throughout this process! I've checked with the team and they've confirmed someone is working on it and will get back to you as soon as possible to follow-up on what happened. 

I hope this helps, 

Emilie 

[Mark116]

@Kris3563   Did you leave this guest a review or are you prevented from doing so because your listing is suspended?  You should also write a short, professional response to the guest's review of you that states that your exterior cameras are there for guest and host safety and were fully disclosed in the listing [assuming that is true].

From what I see on this forum, it usually takes a few days to a couple of weeks for Airbnb to unsuspend listings when they get false complaints about cameras.

[Kris3563]

They left a review. And I told them I wouldn't leave one .when we talked on the phone because this person was threatening my business if I left a bad review. And as I didn't know if they were the ones that complained about the camera and I couldn't read their horrible review for two weeks. And airbnb safety team wouldn't tell me who was complaining. I really couldn't defend myself. But I'm in the process of having their six page essay review removed .I hope I can get this awful thing removed . At least I know now from their awful review that it was them that started this horrible complaint that got me suspended.

[Mark116]

@Kris3563  What you should have done, if the guest threatened you, was to document that on the Airbnb platform and then reported him for attempted blackmail.  Negotiating with unhinged jerks never works, as you see, he left his review and reported you anyway.  But, I would have thought even w/out the review it would have been pretty obvious that it was this person complaining about cameras.  In any case, it's a long shot getting the review removed and if it is not removed you should definitely leave a short, unemotional response.

[Kris3563]

I hear you. But talking to this person on the phone. I knew if I wrote a bad review he would have plenty of time to make more and more complaints . That's why I waited it out. And yes he turned out to be one heck of a jerk. I learned a lot. and Airbnb is training me very well to be submissive non-confrontational. In general they' training me to be a kiss ass to my guests. In every situation I have had ,and there's been a few in this last 12 months .I realize Airbnb has a bully tactic system. In which they manipulate the host to run the business the way they think it should be  run. With penalties towards us. for example perfect, example and this was the first time I noticed it. try running your business without auto booking. The first thing they tell you is you will be penalized , this way and that. And boy do they mean it. because I only use make a request booking   that's why I have conflict after conflict, but otherwise I get people staying here with no IDs. or people show up unaware that you're not allowed to bring the dog. so many things that Instant booking will let them do. real catch 22. Sorry went off on a tangent there. thanks for taking an interest

[Sarah977]

@Kris3563  "because I only use make a request booking   that's why I have conflict after conflict,"

???  You think that these ongoing conflicts are some inevitable result of using request to book?

That could not be further from the truth. The majority of hosts who require requests do so because it gives them more control over avoiding conflicts. The whole point of requiring requests is that you have an opportunity to communicate with guests and read their reviews before deciding whether to accept or not.

I have always required guests to send requests and I have never had any conflicts with my guests not ever gotten a bad guest.

[Kris3563]

Looks to me like you're in a Airbnb employee . I did mention catch 22. I don't have to justify or explain why my rental place attracts people.  My place is so attractive to people that with my make a request to stay policy. I get people asking if I can break my rules ,  and let them stay hey anyway .every third request is like that. can't I please just come with my two-year-old kid .can't I please just come with my 3 Dogs. Your place looks so amazing. There must be a very big difference between the type of people that you are getting .  a large portion of people that request to stay at my place are Californians, that can't take no for an answer. And that's the conflict. I sometimes use a little humor, I'll try this with you. You dangle an ice cream in front of a child and tell him he doesn't have enough money, he's going to stop his feet and make a fuss. That's how we train people here in California. disgusting I now

[Sarah977]

@Kris3563  An Airbnb employee? That's pretty funny. If you spend more time on this forum you would be aware that I am extremely critical of Airbnb's treatment of hosts.

I'm a little confused by what you wrote. Are you saying you accept bookings from guests who ask to break your rules and act entitled, or that it's a hassle for you to have to deal with these requests? 

Yes, for sure there are locations where hosts seem to get a lot of demanding, entitled, complaining guests, and locations that don't. Also has to do with the nature of the listing itself, what type of guests it attracts. I wouldn't deny that some hosts have it easier than others as far as the entitlement level of the guests and requests they get.

As your listings aren't currently viewable, it's impossible to know, but sometimes a host can make some changes to their listing presentation and description that wards off the type of guests that make your life miserable, and attract the type of guests you want. Other hosts here can be helpful with that, as sometimes it takes an objective reading to point out things in a listing description the listing host might not have considered.

[Kris3563]

Thanks for clearing that up I'm starting to feel a little bullied by a couple of responses. From people here saying , I should have. or I shouldn't have ,blah blah blah.    What I was saying is I have to say no to people a lot . Another words I declined thier stay.and they stomp their feet. I have asked Airbnb to not  let these requests come through, when I clearly state on the very first paragraph of my listing the no's, the major cannot,s. The Requirements to even book the place. . And they say there is no program that can keep people  from requesting to stay even when they know, the guest they're going to be asking me to change my policies.  If I were using instant booking. They may show up with the dog or an underage kid and I wouldn't be able to have asked them if this was going to happen. Again, catch 22.  Thanks for asking again . But you didn't mention  if you want to get on the bandwagon. I find a way to change some very bad policies. or am I already on the bandwagon. 

[Sarah977]

@Kris3563 I have sent plenty of feedback to Airbnb about their host-unfriendly policies and platform over the years as well as adding my voice here.

There is a thread on the terrible review policies in "Airbnb updates", buried somewhere on page 50 or something now, where Airbnb posted the wonderful changes they were making to help hosts, because they supposedly "heard" us, that received pages and pages full of pushback from hosts, as those changes didn't address the most important things that hosts have issue with. 

I was one of the first hosts to respond there and my response garnered over 2000 thumbs up, if you can believe that. Yet Airbnb took no notice of that and years later, has still failed to address the host concerns voiced in that thread.

[Kris3563]

Hi Sarah. What benefits are there to being such a popular voice on this format. Level 10. I assume is the highest level.  if you don't mind. and I am so very curious. Does that give you any privileges other than gratitude from all of us.. Also banding together to change policies this wouldn't be done from within. As you say it has not worked much for all your hard work.