Vengeful review from guest

[Gent117]

Hello community. I wanted to ask you about the reviews made by guests. How can Airbnb leave a 1-star review posted by a customer who has only had one trip and his profile was opened 2 weeks before I came to the apartment. Among all the 5-star reviews, the 1-star review is negatively affecting the average as well as future bookings. Is there any new way to evaluate the situation since it happened to me and I made three requests to remove the review and Airbnb protected the customer review. How can you help me in this situation?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Gent117 sadly if the guest stayed with you I don't think there is anything you can do. Its a long shot but you could message the guest and ask him to request that Airbnb remove his review. Under EU law the guest can do this and he might if you appeal to his better nature explaining how damaging his review is to you.

[Gent117]

Thank you for the suggestion. I’ve considered it, but based on the guest’s behavior during the case, I don’t believe they would agree to remove the review themselves. I’ve submitted clear evidence showing that their claims were false and I’m continuing to pursue the matter through official Airbnb channels. I really appreciate your support

[Joan2709]

@Gent117 

Why did this guest post a retaliatory review?

Since Airbnb is not removing retaliatory reviews, I suggest you turn off Instant Book and start asking ALOT of questions of any potential guest; especially one new to Airbnb with no reviews.

[Gent117]

Thank you for the advice. The guest left a retaliatory review after his refund request was rightfully denied by Airbnb, as his claims were proven to be false. I’ve taken your suggestion into consideration and will turn off Instant Book and be more cautious with new guests who have no prior reviews. I appreciate your support!

[Daniel-Jude0]

you can keep instant book but select the option that requires prior reviews and/or good reviews

[Joan2709]

@Daniel-Jude0 

Ahh...but here is the problem with the "optional settings". Airbnb says a guest can IB even if his overall rating is 4.0, as that is not considered "negative" by Airbnb  (not a good guest candidate with a 4.0 in my opinon). Guests with a 4.0 are too risky and hosting them can lead to a negative review and Airbnb is not removing retaliatory reviews these days. Guests can also IB if they have trips, but no reviews...another loophole.

Additionally, Hosts have mentioned numerous times that new guests have been able to book even though they have the optional settings ON. They also report the optional settings slider has been turned OFF mysteriously (not by the Host). This seems to coincide with software updates that involve changes to the calendar - but not always.

I do not recommend to my Host clients that they use IB. This is especially true for new listings that cannot afford a negative review from the outset.

[Daniel-Jude0]

not in my experience, not sure why yours works different. I get accept/decline for every guest that has no reviews or oven one bad review. I had two this week, one guest with 3 visits and no reviews who couldn't instant book and another guest with a 4.8 rating. Both had to be pre-approved. 

[Joan2709]

@Daniel-Jude0 

Glad it's working for you...😊

I  can only tell you our past experiences and it has not always worked as it should over the 4+yrs I have been Co Hosting.

Just try a search in the CC about Instant Book and you'll see what I mean.

[Daniel-Jude0]

Yeah, I have been co-hosting for 8 years. it worked like this for a number of years, then a couple of years ago it seemed to stop and the last year it seems to be working again...

[Joan2709]

@Daniel-Jude0 

As you say...it sometimes doesn't work like it should 😒

[Elaine701]

@Joan2709 

Having IB turned on supposedly increases your search ranking. You would probably know that better than I. 

My understanding about that IB filter option is that a guest that has no negative reviews can instant book. That includes a newbie that just signed up with no reviews.

I have IB turned on, with all the filter options checked. I've been lucky and haven't had a bad IB guest yet, but I've always said that the day this happens, I'll shut it off. 

Still, the vast majority of our bookings are not IB. Maybe 2 or 3 per year. If that. 

(?)

[Joan2709]

@Elaine701 

Ahh...yes...

Airbnb says IB increases search rank, just like they say a flexible cancellation policy increases search rank. It has more to do with the the search filters guests use (Instant Book/Free Cancellation - I think) and not overall algorithm search rank. Most of the clients I work with do not use IB, but some do on smaller properties. There is an issue that Airbnb is aware of (I haven't checked lately). It actually prevents the supposed benefits of using Instant Book and has to do with the optional settings turned on for IB and not appearing in search results if the Instant Book search filter is used by the guest. There have been issues on and off with this for years and Airbnb is aware:

Here are two threads (there are others):

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Host-circle/Instant-Book-Filter-Guest-Search-Bug/m-p/1865726#M45...

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Ask-about-your-listing/Instant-Book-Problem/m-p/1865601#M45105

Instant Book Search Filter Issue

Here is the issue...others have posted about it here and we have seen it also. This has to do with search filters. Let's say you have Instant Book turned on because you want that so-called "boost" in search rank that Airbnb says you'll get. You turn on the optional settings of good track record and/or use the pre-booking message. Now, if a guest does a search and uses the instant book filter, you would think your listing would appear in search results right? As long as you have the optional settings slider ON and the guest uses the IB search filter, guess what? You listing doesn't appear in search results! Some of this depends on whether the guest is logged in or not when searching. Like I said, haven't tested this since 2023.

So the boost in search results rank that Airbnb says will happen for Hosts doesn't appear to always work the way it should when a guest uses the Instant Book Filter when searching. It appears to also depend on whether they are logged into their Airbnb account when searching and whether the optional settings are turned on or not. So all the additional risks associated with Instant Book (loopholes) don't really outweigh the benefits that Airbnb says you're getting in search rank (IMHO).

You can test this yourself by doing A/B testing using incognito searches logged in and using the IB filter and then not using it. You could also try turning off the optional settings (wouldn't recommend unless your calendar is blocked) and test it again. I was able to confirm this issue in 2023 and notified Airbnb about it, but I see it is still an issue? I haven't tested it recently, as all the Hosts I am currently working with don't use Instant Book.

Airbnb knows that having IB turned on reduces barriers to booking and results in more revenue for them and the Host, but there is definitely more risk for the Host. Additionally, the so-called "boost" in search rank doesn't always work. The "protections" they say the optional settings provide don't really do that (loopholes - 4.0 overall guest is not considered negative and guest with trips but no reviews can still IB). The IB search filter issue seem to actually reduce the chances of your listing being seen in search results. To me, the so-called benefits Airbnb says will happen don't really pan out with these platform functionality issues. 

Now...if Airbnb said the guest would need a 4.8 rating or better and added guests with trips but no reviews couldn't IB, then maybe it might be more appealing to Hosts. They do need to fix the Instant Book Search Filter issue though.

Let us know if you are able to confirm the issues mentioned with the Instant Book search filter. I can't really test it currently, as none of the Hosts I am working with at the moment use IB.

[Shelley159]

@Joan2709 one can never see listings that require a good track record when viewing in private mode if you turn on the Instant Book filter.

That's because when you view in private mode, you don't meet the requirements for a good track record.

(If you turn the Instant Book filter off, you can see Instant Book listings in private mode, because you can still book them without a good track record, just not instantly. 
I just tested this again - I can make my listings appear and disappear by toggling the Instant Book filter)

[Joan2709]

@Shelley159 

Yes...this is true.

As you said if the guest is not logged in and searches using the Instant Book filter (with good track record selected) your listing will not appear. I think that is correct 🤔. So having Instant Book in that case doesn't really give hosts a "boost" in search rank as the listing will not even appear in search results. 

Can you test something? Log-in as yourself and then try booking another property you know has Instant Book? Of course, you won't know if the optional settings are on or not, but most Hosts use them. Try searching with no dates but the Instant Book filter selected. Perhaps the previous issue has been corrected? Last time I tested is was 2023.

I'm assuming you have trips on Airbnb and a good track record 😊. What I am really wondering is if you ARE logged in and search as a guest, and the listing has the optional IB settings ON and you use the IB filter will the listing still appear in search results?