Why you should ALWAYS review guests 5-stars (Because the system is flawed)

[Wesley58]

Here's the dilemma, 

You run an AirBnB in a city that is either small or might see some of the same travelers. A guest arrives at your property, leaves the room a mess or steals a towel and you rate them 3 stars, while the guest rates you 5-stars. Later on the guest returns, but this time knowing that you gave him 3 stars in the past, decides to slam you with a 1 star review. What's worse is that in almost all circumstances you won't be able to get Airbnb to overturn that review (because they never do).

When I sit down and think of the reasons to give guests anything less than 5-stars, the only thing that I come up with is: "It's good for the community"

But here's what I think might happen if I do that:

-Retaliatory action
-Harassment
-Claims/Calls from AirBnB from the Guest

-Having them book with me in the future only to slam me with a negative review (this has happened)

I personally feel as though the system for reviews only works ideally in a world where we will never see each other again, but many of my guests come from the same city that I host in! 

Here's a real-world example: I have a guest who is staying with me over-and-over again over a one month period. They book several one-night stays (5-10 of them). During one of their stays they got drunk and starting harassing my other guests, as well as left their room a mess on check-out. I rated them 3 stars for the poor behavior. This guest, having seen the 3 star review, suddenly changes their tone and begins rating me low for every single future stay that they have with me. I couldn't cancel the reservations at risk of a "host cancellation" and immediate revocation of Superhost status. In this case, I'm stuck with this guests retaliation, simply because I wanted to help the community.

Sometimes this makes me feel pretty powerless to help the community. It's as though I have the incentive to never give less than 5-star reviews. Thoughts?

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I Co-Host in New York and New Jersey (and trying to grow to other states)
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[Sarah977]

@Wesley58  Gee, Wesley, thanks a lot for rating bad guests 5*s- really helps out out other hosts who will read the "great" reviews you left for guests no one wants.

It's simple, Wesley- why would you allow a bad guest to book your place again? You don't accept their repeat reservation. You block them from contacting you. And if you rate them 3*s, they won't be able to Instant Book, so you won't get IBs you have to cancel.

[Francisca16]

Exactly what I wanted to say. Once you give a guest a 3 star, he/she won't be ableto instant book you. When he makes inquiry you can deny him/her. Period!

[Peter75]

Hello Francisca,

Are you aware if this applies to a Superhost ?.

I have had a problem with a no show. His battery ran out on his phone the night he booked with me. Next day he requested a refund which I declined as his booking blocked someone else from booking. He has now contacted Airbnb and still wants a refund.

I feel like submitting a poor review advising people of what he has done. Can I refuse any new booking from him - I am instant book so maybe need to change that to request.

Your views would be of interest.

Best

Peter

[Hollie6]

I did not know that if you rated a guest 3 star or less they can no longer instant book. Is that after only one 3 star review? That seems pretty harsh for the guests. Seems like they should get more than one chance. The system is really terrible for both guest and host.

[Veronica227]

i did not know this....great info. to know

[Zappa0]

@Sarah0 the voice of reason. 

Can we vote him off the island?

[Linda-And-Richard0]

If I have a problem with a guest, I will not accept another booking request from them.   Be honest with your reviews of guests.  

[Abigail102]

What do you tell them when you decline? Anything? I have a problem guest that I won’t accept a future booking from. She loved her stay. I didn’t. She has referred a friend now who I believe will also be trouble. I changed my settings to only allow travelers with a host recommendation to instant book. Just not sure what to say when I decline an inquiry from a traveler with no reviews or recs. 

[MaryAnne40]

I do not allow instant booking. I feel a lot of pressure from airbnb to instant book . I prefer my own judgement and also prefer to feel very good about each person that comes.  And that happens because I take the time to check them (their purpose of stay for e.g.) and check with myself (that I didn't forget to update my calendar), and also --LAST YEAR-- I could read the reviews and be more informed.  

   Sadly, this year, I cannot read the reviews unless I instant book.  I also prefer to read actual words instead of no. of stars.  A number system does not replace words. 

   Lastly, my best advice to anyone who is renting, either their home or a dedicated rental property is this: be prepared to accept periods of vacancy if you want to keep your sanity.  It goes with the territory that there will be people you will want to turn down, and also remember, that keeps you open to the best ones for you.

 If you know how I can read the reivews before approving or pre-approving a booking (which is essentially the same thing), then please let me know. 

[Sarah977]

@MaryAnne40  I've also never used IB and never will. I brush off Airbnb's pressure to use it like I'd brush a piece of lint off my jacket. 

I have the same attitude as you- I'm much less concerned with the quantity of guests I get than the quality. I use 1 day prep time so I don't feel pressured to prepare the room if I have other things going on, 3 day advance notice (no last minute guests for me, or nasty surprises like their payment didn't go through after they already spent the night). It is not my primary source of income and I think hosts who use Airbnb and other booking platforms as their sole source of income can get stressed trying to fill every night, keep reservations straight, rush to clean, and feel pressured to accept bookings so they'll be able to pay the mortgage. A guest cancelling becomes much more aggravating and they're left feeling shafted if they can't manage to rebook the dates. 

Reviews- unless something's changed since I got my last booking 2 weeks ago, click on the circle with the letter in it to the left of your message stream with the guest (which used to be their profile photo). That should bring up their profile. You won't see an actual face photo until a booking is confirmed, but you should see anything they've written in their profile info and scrolling down, you'll see their reviews. That's assuming they actually have any reviews under their belts or have written anything about themselves.

[MaryAnne40]

Sarah! Thank you so much!!!

   I very much appreciate your response. I used to brush that off (as well as other annoyances clearly aimed to increase airbnb revenue vs quality of experience) until I found it conditional to reading reveiws.  I've made three phone conversations about it, and each time I've been told the same, except that the last time was very curt such as "if you don't like it, don't use it." One of the case managers (out of three) agreed with me and sent me a form to fill out, which I fnally did.  

   I hope I've been wrong all along, and maybe these last guests had no reviews written about them. Recently (about a month ago) airbnb read me the reviews I could not see and would not say any more than "pretty good."  "Pretty good" (?? what does that mean??) is not good enough for me.  And why would I have a guest who has reviews hidden from me?

  I'm very happy to have your affirmation and encouragement!

    I hope I'm wrong and that I'll be able to read the reviews of the next inquiry.

    I wish airbnb would differentiate between airbnb (which implies a host is available) vs online hotel bookings (which implies a more private and impersonal business exchange)--two very different experiences.

[Sarah977]

@MaryAnne40  Also download Air Review extension, that might help. I'm pretty much a techno-idiot, just Google it. And you can always ask a guest if they, in fact, have stayed at an Airbnb before and if they have any reviews, as you can't see them. Then you'd know if they just don't have any, or whether they're being hidden from you. Like I said, I've been able to see them up til now, I'll have to see if that's still true when I get my next Inquiry or Request, which might be quite awhile, as I'm rarely booked in the summer here.

[Billy106]

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@MaryAnne40 wrote:

I do not allow instant booking. I feel a lot of pressure from airbnb to instant book . I prefer my own judgement and also prefer to feel very good about each person that comes.  And that happens because I take the time to check them (their purpose of stay for e.g.) and check with myself (that I didn't forget to update my calendar), and also --LAST YEAR-- I could read the reviews and be more informed.  

   Sadly, this year, I cannot read the reviews unless I instant book.  I also prefer to read actual words instead of no. of stars.  A number system does not replace words. 

   Lastly, my best advice to anyone who is renting, either their home or a dedicated rental property is this: be prepared to accept periods of vacancy if you want to keep your sanity.  It goes with the territory that there will be people you will want to turn down, and also remember, that keeps you open to the best ones for you.

 If you know how I can read the reivews before approving or pre-approving a booking (which is essentially the same thing), then please let me know. 

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I'm not sure if you know this, but you can cancel instant book, without penalty, if you're uncomfortable with a reservation. Airbnb lists some reasons for canceling as: 

• The guest has several unfavorable reviews that concern the host
• The guest hasn’t responded to questions the host needs to know about their trip
• The guest makes it clear they’ll likely break one of the host’s house rules, like bringing a pet or smoking

It says "When you cancel for this reason, all penalties will be waived." But there's limits:

Limits

You’ll be able to cancel online 3 times in one year for being uncomfortable with a reservation—after that, you’ll have to call into our Community Support team to make the cancellation without penalty.

If you cancel a large number of your instantly booked reservations, you may be required to turn off Instant Book. Remember, you can’t cancel for any reason that violates Airbnb’s Nondiscrimination Policy.

[Gordon0]

>>Sometimes this makes me feel pretty powerless to help the community<<

With respect, @Wesley58, it doesn't come across that you give a hoot about the community. Be honest, don't be honest; it's your choice.