@Catherine-Powell
Hello Catherine, I am excited about this new tool to reach out to other hosts and Airbnb Support.
I am writing about my concerns about HOST BANNING. I truly hope this is the right platform for an issue that is truly dear to me.
My name is Majla and I have been a Host since 2011 and a proud Superhost since it was an option.
My best friend and longtime Airbnb Host Cecilia has recently been banned by Airbnb, irrevocably, from EVER being a host AGAIN. The reason being one 2-star review and two 3-star reviews on a listing that had tens of 4 and 5 star reviews over 10 years.
Cecilia also had another listing that only had 5 star reviews, which seemed to have no relevance at all in the matter.
Banning a listing with recent poor performance seems understandable although not strictly necessary: the low rating is penalty enough.
But BANNING A HOST as a PERSON, is by all means a LIFETIME SENTENCE!
- Shouldn't there be a review of the history on a Host, before such a stringent measure?
- Are the reviews actually read by anyone at Airbnb before deciding to have such big impact on a person’s life, or is it just an automatic math calculation?
- Don’t the years of loyal hosting matter at all?
- Don’t the words actually written by the guests (such as “the house was great but I am giving my overall stay 3 stars because it rained all the time”) matter at all?
Of course I am defensive and protective towards my friend, but ultimately my concerns are about the GENERAL Airbnb CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING US HOSTS, and how high the risk IS of loosing the great opportunity to be Airbnb Host, (privilege that at the moment constitutes a large part of my entire family livelihood.)
So after my complaint, here is my CONSTRUCTIVE SUGGESTION:
IN CASE OF RATING DISPUTE BY HOST (which should only happen when the content of review clashes with the star rating) an Airbnb specialist should take the time to review the conversations, and the actual wording of the review. Then contact the Guest, remind them of review guidelines, and ask to confirm rating.
IN CASE OF POOR PERFORMANCE OF A LISTING by a HOST with multiple listings, there should be a temporary suspension of the one listing.
LIFETIME BANNING OF A HOST as a person should only happen, in my opinion, in case of proven, repeated unethical behavior.
I would greatly appreciate any information, opinion, and connection to an Airbnb specialist I can communicate with about this matter.
Wholeheartedly
Majla Francesca Paoli