Revenge 1 star Reviews?

[Kristina764]

Can Airbnb remove a review if a guest left me a 1-star rating? Here's what happened: I had a last-minute cancellation and lowered my price significantly to fill the dates. Unfortunately, I ended up with an entitled guest who made demands and complaints throughout her stay, which I quickly addressed.

After she left, I discovered the apartment was in a filthy state—there was hair everywhere, even under the mattress cover, INSIDE the dishwasher!!! and dryer. The bathtub was clogged, and the plumber pulled out a massive clump of hair (as if 10 people lived there for a year!). 

I sent her a request for reimbursement, including photos and an invoice for the plumber. She was furious and, in retaliation, wrote a review saying in the lines how dare I send her this invoice. That’s the only reason she gave me 1 star—there were no other complaints about her stay.

Can Airbnb remove this review since it’s clearly retaliatory?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Kristina764 Can they? Yes. Will they? No. This type of review is unlikely to be classified as retaliatory.

[Elaine701]

@Kristina764 

We aren't a discount retail store. We're in the hospitality business. And that involves a mutual trust agreement. You agree to provide a comfortable accommodation, and the guest agrees not to trash it.

When you drop your prices out of desperation, it's a flag to the irresponsible guest profile to take advantage of. They look for that.

Very sorry this happened to you, but chalk it up to experience and realize that nobody is going to support you. You lose, they win. Pay attention. 

About the only cure is to screen your guests before they book. Ask a few friendly questions. Their answers (or lack of them) can reveal a lot. Experiment with this and you'll start to see patterns.

And write a factual, impersonal review of the guest. Just as you would have benefitted from before they booked it 

Sorry.. but in the real world, you're on your own. Find ways to protect your interests. Nobody else will help you. And keep Airbnb out of it wherever possible. 

Good luck and happy hosting. 

[Kristina764 · Accepted solution]

Elaine, we’re in the business of making money, and sometimes we need to adapt to make things work during a tough month.

An update: Airbnb actually sided with me and removed the review. They determined the review violated platform policies, didn’t reflect the actual experience, and were deemed retaliatory, which is unfair and unjust.

While I’ve had frustrations with Airbnb support, this experience shows they can be helpful when it matters. Also, the guest changed her reviews after I sent her a plumber fee request, further proving her review wasn’t fair.

Fellow hosts, remember: one bad guest shouldn’t ruin your hard work. Stand your ground, stay professional, and document everything.