When guests lie and Review Guidelines

[Dan132]

I've been a host for about a year now and love Airbnb. I really like being a guest but hosting is another matter. I've had some strange reviews from guests who didn't respect the guidelines of the house and clearly didn't read the profile. They didn't have the experience they wanted to left reviews with outright lies in them. 

The last review was the worst I've gotten. I contacted customer service and they said that the review didn't violate the review guidelines so they would not remove it. I asked if lying was acceptable and they avoided the question....repeatedly! I asked how far within the guidelines a guest could lie and, again, the avoided the question. I gave a hypothetical scenario....a guest claims there is no Airbnb at all and had to pitch a tent! Again, customer service refused to answer the question. 

I can understand why they don't want to mediate reviews, but when someone leaves a review that's totally inaccurate and downright false I find it troubling that Airbnb is not more supportive. Again, I can understand why they don't want to get involved or hear from hosts who can take honest constructive feedback....if your place is a mess then it needs to be cleaned, etc. 

In the recent survey they sent out I addressed this issue. As of today, I am really distressed to find such a large loophole in their review policy. For example, I have two brand new air conditioners in the house that have worked fine for everyone, but the last guest claims they "did nothing." We had record hot temps, he had done a long-distance six hour bicycle ride in that heat, and he was clearly not doing well after the ride. I also checked in with him to see if everything was okay, which is my routine, and he said nothing about the house not being cool enough....frustrating because I have a third unit in my studio that I could have provided.

I wonder if Airbnb is addressing this issue. A lot of hosts find this frustrating! I've invested a lot into this space and more improvements are forthcoming, and yesterday I pulled my business permit as the county is now requiring it. It's frustrating to think we have no recourse to guests who lie!

Dan

[Sherryl1]

Hello Airbnb Community of Hosts,
I too am a Host and have been renting my vacation rental home to Guests since 2010. Our casa is located in the historic area of a coastal beach town and I have seen the quiet little town blossom over the years. In the beginning, even before Airbnb was incorporated, it was like a brand new idea. Everyone arrived so happy. The casa has had many remodels, even before us. As many of you know, it is a labor of love to create a beautiful space and invite strangers whom you hope will love the warm and welcoming home as much as you do. 
It is a gut punch when you find that someone who is struggling with mental issues has you in a vulnerable position. I have a team of employees who work with me to greet our guests, but there have been some very scary situations as well. The worst one was a Russian fellow who demanded I go to the casa so that he could harm my person. His father vetoed the exit and they stayed through to the end of the stay, but it was awkward. The fellow threatened me personally. The fact is the young man wanted his father to spend more money with a house that had a pool and the father didn't allow the change. The most recent Guest that lied in a review lied within the communications online within the Airbnb platform that he had found a cockroach. I sent my fumigation service over right away. He used the word "infestation". The fumigation service denied that status. Then the Guest lied to me saying he was a "mold expert" and he said there was mold in the house. Anyone who stays for any length of time in the summer in Mexico has seen the hot moist climate create discoloration on the walls due to the salt content in the sand that they use for construction. It is not mold, it is salt. Then he disparaged my character, called me a name and warned in all CAPS others away from my beautiful home saying that neither I should be a Super Host nor my casa be a house on Airbnb. The vehemence in the review was such that it felt very personal and mentally unhinged. As it is, it is under review by Airbnb. I see here that it will likely be allowed to stay. The Guests aren't allowed to extort the Hosts, but that's exactly what they do as they have learned how to game the system. Airbnb imposes service fees, platform fees, withholds taxes but then not the full amount and then the Guests come and use leverage to claw back the funds they feel they overpaid for their vacation. I'm not sure how this business model will survive the upcoming decentralized world view as our banking develops into decentralized finance, tokenized real estate and P2P earthquake changes before us. It may be us who has the last laugh after all, my lovelies, my compatriots, my fellow Super Hosts. The world is about to change. Make sure you are positioned to benefit most from it. Cheers.

[Sonia1915]

I have same problem but mine its worse! The guest after I told him I wont refund because he said the apartment its too small  then he started making  a full a lies OMG  and Airbnb going to delete my PROFILE after 7 years as a host and having many good reviews:( I am frustrated !!

[Marjonneke0]

Hi Dan. A few months ago I had a guest outright lie on his review and I asked Airbnb to remove it. This is what they wrote me.

"If abuse, extreme hatred, discrimination on the grounds of sex, caste, creed, religion etc. or your financial or personal information was leaked on a public platform, which is visible to everyone, then we would have removed it. Or something inappropriate for the young audience, then we would have removed it."

These policies align with most country's legal rights. As I understand it, AIrBnb doesn't go any further than that. They don't have a policy that covers lies - even if you can prove it. I expect its too much bother for them, which is unfortunate.

They did ask if I had proof, which I provided and yet they still ruled not to remove the review. I have 146 5 star reviews and this guy's 1 one star review. I can live with it but hey - I feel betrayed by my business partner. They don't have my back. This guest caused me a LOT of grief. It helps me understand who my partner is ... moving on I guess.