Unexplainable 4 star review?

[Jess4223]

I'm baffled.  I recently had a guest stay in my house, who has just left me a review.  I'm a bit upset, if I'm honest.  I try not to take things to heart, but I've been an Airbnb host and guest multiple times and always go the extra mile to either make guests feel welcome, or to leave their house spotless.  As a result, I've only ever received 5 star reviews. 

Anyway, this guest just wrote a review with no sign of there being any problems - he said the house was lovely, in a great location.  Yet he marked me 4 star for ALL aspects of the stay, with no explanation on any of them. 

During his stay, there were no issues, check in was simple as possible via my key box, he said everything was great and he had a great stay.  During his stay, my communication was exemplary - I responded to his messages very quickly, I messaged him a few times to check everything was ok / wishing him a lovely stay etc., I specifically told him not to hesitate to contact if he needed anything.  So I'm baffled why my communication was 4 star?  What more could I have done?! 

What I'm most upset about is the 4 star for check-in.   

The guest asked for a very early check-in - from 9am instead of 3pm.  Me being nice, I rearranged my cleaner's day to accommodate the guest.  My cleaner kindly agreed to come in the day before instead of the day of, so that the guest could check in 6 hours early.  In the end he didn't even check in till the evening, but still - I went the extra mile to ensure he had the option.  Check in itself is beyond simple - there's a key box for which he had the code, and therefore the freedom to arrive whenever.

I also got 4 stars for cleanliness, location and value... Equally baffling.  I have a brilliant and lovely cleaner, who had just been through the whole house (maybe she missed something, but the guest did not mention).   And re. vale - for 4/5 guests I think it's about right; it's a very unusual, big and quirky house that's probably near-on half the price of opting for 2 hotel rooms.

I put out numerous treats for my guests - wine, fancy teas in a cute tin for them to keep, free Espresso coffee capsules, nice bathroom products, write little notes, I even give them use of my local family attractions discount membership.  Most people appreciate all the extra touches.  I guess this time not so much - although I just wish I knew why. 

[Huma0]

@Robbie54 

Wow. The mattress protector? Really? That's a new one on me. I've got them on all the beds and never had any guest find it annoying or ever mention it. People can be so weird. 

I did have a guest once who complained that I did not have a stove top espresso maker like she used at home. None of the thee coffee making options I offered her was good enough and the cafitiere/French press was apparently a 'dangerous' contraption. She said that it was 'ridiculous' that I didn't have a waste disposal unit in the sink (hardly anyone has those in the UK). After finishing an entire bag of white sugar in three or four days, expected me to run out after 10pm to buy more because, "sugar should be white not brown" and then didn't even thank me when I did. She said that the light switches for the hallways should be in her bedroom, and on and on and on.

At least in this case, I knew a bad review was coming!

[Jenny838]

I had a guest rate us 4 stars for accuracy. I was baffled and asked her if she could let me know why so that I could potentially change my listing to inform future guests. She said that I stated that I offered extra blankets on the site, but it wasn’t a big deal as she had brought an extra blanket. I responded and said I wished she would have reached out during her stay and I would have told her the extra blankets were in the chest in the living room (this was also stated in the house manual). She responded and said, “Yes, I saw them there.” I thanked her for her time and let it go.  I guess she wanted a different type of blanket… unfortunately, not every guest leaves a rational review. 

[Anonymous]

@Jenny838   And then there are the guests who leave lower Accuracy ratings because they think the home is better than described or pictured.

[Huma0]

@Anonymous 

I had one couple who left me 4* for accuracy, their feedback being "The listing was very detailed and accurate, but only if you read it."

[Anonymous]

@Huma0  The mind boggles at this logic!

[Ekra2]

Hello 

just take as a waking call. People are different,  this guest is one of them.

remember the cheap guest is more demanding. always accommodate only one or  two hour earlier check in.

Ekra 

[Anika13]

@Jess4223 I have had the same experience recently.  The guest never indicated they had any issues during their stay.  I went out of my way in some instances  for them and apparently it was not deserving of a 5*.  Guests perceptions vary and their responses are sometimes baffling.   I've learned that I cannot always get 5* but I won't accept any less than 4*.  You are still super  👍🏿

[John6573]

Don't take it personal-I'm sure that there is a certain percentage of people who are just crazy

[Rosita55]

Oh wow! I had exactly the same experience. You described the 5*  service provided to the guests just like I do, my past guests raved about my place. A few days ago, an older couple stayed for 2 nights. They came earlier than check in time, no communication whatsoever, no response to my messages. When they arrived, they were surprised that they had to share the bathroom and living room with other guests occupying the other bedroom and that I live in other part of the house. I told them it was on my listing and they admitted they didn't read the listing. They left a short review "it was great" and left a private note to say the place was clean, and that I was friendly and helpful. Imagine my disappointment when they also gave 4 star review on every single aspect. It is hard not to be upset as I always make sure the guests have great experience.  Did you reply to their review? 

[Robin4 · Accepted solution]

@Rosita55 @Jess4223  @Anonymous  @Anika13 

This used to worry me, about every 25 guests one will give me a wonderful review that comes with 4 stars overall and 4 in every category. My thoughts were.....if I am that good why am I not worth 5 stars?

But over the years I have come to realise that the Airbnb review system is a punishment system, not a reward system! There is no reward category for an Airbnb review! 5 stars is a default review rating and means that the stay met the guests expectations.....a 4 star means that, while great in every way, nothing to fault, it was not perfect and certain aspects need to be mythically improved.

Don't stress about it, virtually all Airbnb users, be they hosts or guests, know how c*cked  up the review system is and take far more notice of the actual written review than any star rating that may be attached to it!

Cheers........Rob

[Rosita55]

Here is another one. The guest put 3* for value while saying in the review that they had the opportunities to stay at my place due to lower price as the prices are high everywhere else at this time of the year. They also gave location 4*. I had quite a few of 4* for location and 4* for value which bothers me because I put on the listing about close proximity to the mall, hospital and for value, with the amenities I provided compared to others and low price per night, I think they received good bargain.  I know, I am sure I won't care about the rating anymore after a few years of hosting. I am a new host, just opened the AirBnB in July 2022. I did block the guests who gave me 4* rating, no thank you. i⁸

[Cheryl892]

I was on VRBO for 12+ years exclusively and i never had the level of shenanigans that this review system does. Especially when there is ZERO contact from the guest when it is explicitly stated to contact us immediately if there are any issues or concerns. I recently had an overall 4 star review from someone who I think probably does it to everyone and we did a walk through the day before so we know exactly how and where everything was. I contacted him to ask for specifics but of course, read and no reply. Honestly, I'm re-thinking this forum as truly my rental is nicer and cleaner than even my own home. I redesigned and remodeled everything myself 3 years ago as that's what I do for a living.. 

How can we identify these people who may also be owners in the same market and trying to bring us down? 

[Deirdre161]

Hi Robin,

I am just wondering if you ever reply in the space under a guest's written review?  I got an undeserved 4 for cleanliness (suite is spotless and they even said everything was perfect when they arrived) and then they wrote a review that started positive but ended leaving a very negative impression and said things that weren't really true either.  I don't know whether or not to write and set the record straight or to let the insinuations lie.

d

[Kerri317]

Thank you for this! We recently started hosting, our place is brand new so everything is still near perfect. We had someone leave a 4 star review with great comments. When I reached out to the guest just to ask for recommendations on what we could approve upon his response was “ I loved the stay, however 5 stars is perfect and nothing is perfect. I'd recommend anyone going to he area to stay there. I've never rated anything 5 out of 5 stars... keep doing what you guys are doing, the place is great!“

I gave him 5 because he was a good guest but now I kinda wanna warn others!!! I don’t want anyone else affected by this “negative by Airbnb standards” review! I did not respond to his review publicly but kinda wanted to put my private message and his response as the public response for others to see. 
i feel like I would have been less upset if there was something wrong that I could fix!!! Anyways, thanks for letting me know that some ppl are just like this and there is nothing I can do!!!

[Zheng49]

The problem is not with his way of thinking. I used to be like this, and considered 80% or 4/5 to be very high marks. This was in my university days, and indeed 80% is A- which I regard as very high.

The problem is the Airbnb review standard which some guests are not used to! It's not their fault, honestly.