The guests asked Airbnb to delete their review on our place

[Bo24]

Hello everyone, 

As airbnb host, we just had this strange incident:

Our guests left us a really good review with comments and 5 star ratings and we reviewed them too. But several days after, I got this email from a case manager saying that she was requested by the guests to remove the review from my account becasue the guest thought the reviews are private and not public. The case manager deleted the review and then let me know.

I understand the guests are not aware that the review is public to everyone, but can the case manager really just go ahead and delete the review even the review is fully complied with the content policy? 

Airbnb hosts are evaulated and measured by the reviews and we constantly try to get guests to review us after their stay, so we can keep up with the requirement,  but the case manager just deleted the review and also the rating, that guests gave us. 

Do any of you have experince in how to handle this?

Cheers, 

Bo

[Sarah977]

@Bo24  This is outrageous. A host can't get a review that is obviously full of lies removed, but a guest can get their review removed simply by asking? Because they didn't know it was going to be public?  It's very clear that reviews are public- there's even a part that says the guest can leave private feedback for a host, so of course any halfway intelligent person would realize the rest is public. And why would they want to remove a good review, unless you left them a bad one, which I doubt?

Honestly, the things I read on this forum get more unbelievable every day.

[Bo24]

hey Sarah, I left them a good review and it's still public on the guest's profile. It's only their review on me and 5 star rating for me are being removed from my profile.  

[Wendy345]

Maybe you need to ask them to remove your review too. Put them back to zero reviews. 

[Linda1213]

well, guest is busted anyway...if there is still mention of a stay on their review. But most def inconsistent and one sided on Airbnb's part.....

[Bo24]

@Lawrene0 @Obinna0 @Sarah977 @Cormac0 

Thank you all for your reply. 

I just heard back from the case manager, just copy and paste without adding or removing a word from her. So bascilly according her, we can all call airbnb and ask for getting the reviews made by us to be removed.

I am not happy with her answer, so I questioned her if I can get all my previous reviews on others removed and asked her to point me out which lines from the content policy say they can do that. 

Waiting for more ridiculous answer from her. 

Mercy E, Apr 23, 08:28 PDT:

Hi Bo,

Thank you for your response. I completely understand your concerns. I know that having more positive reviews helps you as a host.

Please know that if the review author contacted us and requested to remove the review, we need to remove it as per request. Please note that this does not apply if the customer contacts Airbnb to request only the removal of a review left by other party. In this case, we need to follow our content policy here: airbnb.com/help/article/546.

I hope this helps, let me know if you need further assistance.

Kind Regards,

Mercy

[Andres356]

this is confidentiality breach as this email was only meant for you and not the whole world to see. 

[Alon1]

@Andres356 

Please note my contribution to Bo's post (currently last on p.3) I posted a few hours before you.

        For ease of reference, copy here directly in response to you:

I find Bo's case & some of the responses observing privacy, very strange, because in principle we are entitled to Review every member of a booking.

Indeed, following all bookings of more than one person,automated request is to Review's 'X's Group'.

Consequently, I don't feel remotely restricted or inhibited to name, refer to or comment on anyone part of the booking. Nor have I ever received a complaint.

---------

Finally, if you try to have Bo's comment deleted from CC I doubt it will work, because he did not name you.

You've just done it for yourself. Congratulations.

[Obinna0]

See, I knew this is fake news lol. Otherwise, the only way a host can remove revenge/unwarranted reviews from guests is for the said (bad)guest, call airbnb CS and ask that the review be removed. Ha! What guest would do that especially after a resolution was filed against them

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Bo24 

She lied to you. There are posts here on CC where the host left a good review and got a bad review from the guest and then the host asked Airbnb CS to remove his (host's) review and Airbnb denied.

I agree with @Sarah977 , exactly my thoughts

[Sarah977]

@Bo24  So I guess all hosts can now contact Airbnb and ask for all the nice reviews they've left for nasty guests who stabbed them in the back with a complaining, lying review to be removed and they'll hop right on that? Your post of the CS response should be saved by all hosts to use as precedent for removing those "too quick to praise a guest" reviews they've written.

[Bo24]

@Sarah977 I will definately go ahead to ask her to remove my good reviews on the nasty guests once she writes back that I can request to do so.

Once it's true, as you suggest, this needs to be spread out to the host community. 

[Cathie19]

Hello @Bo24. This makes no sense and holds no consistent logic. I agree with @Branka-and-Silvia0 , @Sarah977 & @Wendy345  that you should have any nice reviews you have written for below average guests, removed. Does Airbnb have any idea that their left hand is working against the right hand with this CS response? Maybe there is something in @Gillian210‘s response. Something you are not being told.

But it just feels like it was an incorrect decision and they (CS)  have now dug their heels in..... so so wieird. There are too many threads on the forum where reviews can’t be removed.........

Please let us know @Bo24  how things conclude. Airbnb need to update us all on this bizarre action.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Bo24 @Lawrene0 @Obinna0 @Sarah977 @Cormac0 

Mercy E, Apr 23, 08:28 PDT:

Please know that if the review author contacted us and requested to remove the review, we need to remove it as per request. Please note that this does not apply if the customer contacts Airbnb to request only the removal of a review left by other party. In this case, we need to follow our content policy here: airbnb.com/help/article/546.

I read the policy at the link, the Extortion policy it links to and the Time Constraint policy linked to after that.

None of those links provide any reason to remove a review which has been referenced here, even the personal reason forwarded by @Gillian210 wouldn't be justified as a removal reason by the policy.

This post copied and saved for future reference. (and can't find it on the mobile app anywhere already).

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Oh yes @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  I bookmarked it too 🙂

[Ute42]

.

Hi @Bo24 ,

airbnb customer service wrote to You:

• Please know that if the review author contacted us and requested
  to remove the review, we need to remove it as per request.

So if we get a bad review, then contact the guest privately and offer him or her to pay $100 into their bankaccount, the guest can then advise airbnb to delete the review?

That's interesting

cc: @Branka-and-Silvia0 , @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 , @Cathie19