What to do when a guest breaking the house rules gives an unfair reviews and potentially destroy 5 star rating?

[Bernhard6]

WARNING TO ALL HOSTS, if you ever get a guest from Airbnb who offends against the rules. I had the issue that one guest shows up as two people while booked only for one during Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany in 2018. 

Airbnb did not check the situation and tried to judge without asking me as the host.

We have a review from a guest. If this gets accepted I could lose my incredible 5.0 host review forever. (Once you get a review below 5.0 you will never get 5.0 back.)

I feel treated in a very unfair and inequitable way. Airbnb did not follow my request to remove the review function on this cancelled booking. Airbnb explains this from the point of the guest’s given review only. Contrarily, he was the one who broke the clearly stated house rules. Airbnb did not speak to me in order to give me the chance for my point of view. Airbnb simply made the decision to keep the guest's review because his review would be not against the rules.

The solution approach is completely not satisfying.

I question the value of reviews for this booking. The guest never completed the check-in and hence never used our Airbnb. He was pushy and tried to force us to accommodate a second guest, who was not registered. My track record as a superhost shows that I hosted many satisfied guests of all walks of live and that I respect the Airbnb community. It would be in the best interest of Airbnb, the guest as well as the host community to bury the hatchet and not allow reviews from this booking. What would be the value anyways, when two negative reviews are written about a never completed booking?

I think Airbnb would lose confidence in such a case. With all due respect I can conclude as a superhost that this guest is not suited for the Airbnb community and maybe should consider using traditional hotels that can accommodate his changes of plans better.

[Victoria567]

Hello @Bernhart

Guten morgen.

Use your right to reply as a host if this guest reviews you.

Hello XYZ

Thanks for reaching out and cancelling the booking you made for one guest at the last minute, after appearing at my home with another guest that you declined to pay for.

I love feedback whether it’s, positive or negative, so others can see the entitled guests that I sometimes have to deal with.

There is a large element of of trust in being an air bnb host, but this trust has been broken by guests such as yourself, when they act like this.

I accepted your booking and payment in good faith for ONE guest,but TWO guests in total showed up, which is totally unacceptable when you expect to pay for ONE.

I lost the sum of a total of Euro xyz as a result of your doorstep cancellation.

You can write whatever review you like and I wont  lose one seconds sleep over it.

Unfortunately what I have lost, is respect for entitled guests such as yourselves,who are increasingly using the air bnb platform for a cheap deal, including bringing more guests than paid for at the time of booking.

Good day to you.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday in Germany.

[Victoria567]

Hello again @Bernhard26

On second thoughts the guest may not even review you.

Therefore I would write my suggested reply, but use it as your host review for the guest before your time expires.

As a host please review this entitled Asshat.

The behaviour is really not on and not leaving this guest a review allows him to bounce along the air bnb platform from unsuspecting host to host.

Humour is really the best policy as Ive discovered  and now please tighten up your houserukes as I have done on my listings stating maximum number of guests etc and include this under your listing photos to help the mathematical Dumkopffs.

[Daljit0]

If damages occur and a host claims for them....then you can pretty mush gurantee you're going to get a bad review from a guest !! Its human nature. AirBNB should prevent a review from a Guest when a claim for damage has been accepted by AirBNB and resolved. If the claim hasnt been accepted by AirBNB the review should be allowed.

[Alice487]

Yes!!!

[Susan1028]

Great idea @Daljit0 but it would require another layer of vigilance by ABB admin. How many reasonable requests do we need to make for something to become policy with ABB?

[Rebecca181]

This is one of the biggest topics here on the CC. We hosts have made it clear that allowing a retaliatory review to stand is unacceptable. Some hosts have gotten retaliatory reviews removed (I was one such host); other hosts report that a retaliatory review was allowed to stand and their Super Host status was lost as a result. 

While not all policies and procedures will strike all host and guests as 'fair', Airbnb Corporate should ensure that they are, at the very least, consistent.

[Barbara666]

How did you get the retalitory review removed.

[Alice595 · Accepted solution]

@Barbara666  You may read the post in the link below which I had stated my experience dealing with the removal of a 1 star retaliatory review. Hope that can help

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Airbnb-CS-does-not-want-to-remove-1-star-retaliatory-review...

[Bernhard6]

Finally after 6 days Airbnb Germany solved the problem. They interviewed me and then they removed the retaliatory review. Therefore my 5.0 star stays untouched. I am glad they did it as this means a limitation of damage. Thanks to Airbnb Germany and thanks to all (super-)hosts viewing and commenting this threat.

Let's keep on doing great work for this wonderful sharing community.

[Susan1028]

Congratulations!  Thank you for persisting and fir sharing here.

[Helen-And-Mario0]

Bernhard, 

Based on my personal experiences, and after hosting over 1000 guests, to let go of maintaining 5 stars is the way to continue hosting. I have people giving me 1 star, only because they broke the house rules and caught lying about it, or they failed to defend themselves ruining my furnitures...But 99% (so only 10 bad cases in my 1000+ hosting) of the guests are awesome and respectful. 

[Helen-And-Mario0]

On another note, I have suggested Airbnb drop the 5% of the Highest and Lowest reviews/stars to alleviate the retaliation reviews from bad guests, I think that's fairer on both sides. 

[Debbie96]

Great idea.

[JiLiang0]

Do you think they will take your advise?

I don't think so.

I have many bad experiences with bad guest, gave bad review because of their fault, but Airbnb do nothing.

I send feedback, talk to supervisor, if the host and guest has the conflict, the review most likely is not fair to one or both.

so if the trip is cancelled, or shortened, or in the chatting system, has the conflict, the review should be cancelled for many times, but they still let the review there.

the bad word from guest, host has chance response, but the most hurt is the review star points, which now, if one all 6 - 1 star review, you need around 50 all 5-star review to balance it, if you still need get superhost, which need to get 4.8 point overall.

Too bad for superhost.

and I guess Airbnb just don't want do this, because if superhost like keep superhost, have lost from pocket, and thun Airbnb get less job to do for the customer services !