How to Start Fixing Airbnb CS and Many Common Issues

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Tony134
Level 10
Sarasota, FL

How to Start Fixing Airbnb CS and Many Common Issues

Since the Airbnb customer service team is too busy virtue signaling to do any real work or solve any problems, I thought I would spend some time today doing what I believe is the ultimate form of trolling:  doing their job for them, and doing it better.  The following is a list of things that would make everyone’s lives involved with Airbnb better and would probably save them money when they didn’t have to take one angry cs call and BBB complaint after the other.  I think it has become obvious to most of the long term hosts that Airbnb’s cs policies are written by greedy sociopaths with no clue.  Also, everything here could be instituted in less than a week, so…

 

I.  I like to think I speak for all experienced hosts when I say: the Cancellation Policies and everything tied to them are savage bad. Keep it honest by keeping it simple. Policies should be:

  1. Flexible – Cancel any time, receive full refund (including Airbnb service fees)
  2. Moderate – Cancel any time, receive half refund (including Airbnb service fees)
  3. Strict – Cancel any time, receive no refund, no exceptions

This ties into the next problem that has become rampant, unaddressed poor guest behavior.

 

II.  The majority of guests are great, but some just aren’t, and some are plain terrible.  In its race to fill a vault of gold the size of scrooge McDuck, they hope to take literally every single guest that tests out the platform.  This isn’t naïve, it’s predatory.  Not everyone in the entire world treats everyone else with respect, not even *gasp* under perfect circumstances.  Guest are called ‘guests’ because they are staying in people’s homes!  Any human with a basic modicum of common sense would read a host’s house rules and respect basics like cleaning up after themselves, or not turning house into a party. Guests that have not yet learned these basics of life, it is not hosts’ responsibility to nurture them to full personhood. I got five stars on every one of my over 20 guest journeys, it wasn’t hard! Airbnb, if you want to parent the whole world offer a free class, not my home!

 

With bad guests, this is how typical stay goes:

 

  1. Ask guest to clean up their dishes or remind them they don’t have extra guests registered.
  2. 50/50 maybe guest complies, maybe they totally ignore me.
  3. Guest leaves me bad review for asking them to follow house rules (retaliation).
  4. Some of these guests then ask for refund, and actually get them after admitting breaking house rules!
  5. Guest knows how system works and wants cancellation, so they just start becoming 100% more obnoxious trying to push a cancellation from my end (OMG these are the worst)
  6. In off season when prices are low, you get more less-than-stellar guests, then this situation snowballs out of control. One guest sees a dirty plate in sink, starts leaving their own dirty dishes, stops cleaning stove, etc.  I often then get left in some cases with house full of people who make me their servant for a month, then *best part* still leave me a review that says place wasn’t clean or I called them out asking them to clean.  Hilarious!
  7. Some of these guests even sabotage your home, still get refunds. A man this week turned a tube in my toilet upside down, it ran water constantly all night until someone caught it.  Airbnb gave him full refund…
  8. Worst possible scenario: guest does something downright icky, you tell them it’s a no-go. You leave them less than stellar review, then read they left you a great review because they didn’t actually hold it against you for wanting your home respected.  This guest actually improves behavior, but still gets left with bad review, hate this one the most because then I actually feel bad.

How do you fix this you ask?  You put more some more power back in host hands, where it belongs.  The review system just brings out the worst in human nature sometimes, I will say confidently after experience, it’s not good.  Guests already use it as leverage, and hosts get tired of playing judge, jury, and executioner.  You see all the time in forums host doesn’t know how to review guest.  Replace it with Endorsement system, you are already half way there and it would be easy.  Endorsement would go like this:

 

Prompt guest at end of stay: “Did you enjoy your stay? If so give the host a thumbs up!” On both listing and host page, have number of endorsements with all the shiny faces lined up like it is now in a stack, and the number of total stays right next to it.  You can calculate it into % if you like, I know Airbnb another company obsessed with metrics.

 Spidersedited2.png

 

 

 

 

When a guest breaks host house rules, they shouldn’t be able to slander you in review in return.  This solves that issue by putting the appropriate amount of weight on one stay.  It also solves problem of host having to be executioner, there is a difference between having to disapprove of someone and just not giving them approval.  Guest accounts in the same way would show number of badges vs number of stays. 

 

Any cancellations would increase stay count without increasing badge count (picture included for example).  This way hosts can see that guests have cancelled or at least not perfect track record, information they should be entitled to, but still, Airbnb should love this, nobody has to act in any negative fashion. Require hosts to choose yes or no to issuing the Endorsement/badge.  If a guest fails to choose yes or no on first trip, prompt when they try to book second time and remind them the hosts that run these listings are people who work very hard to provide them with a nice place to stay.  So many problems solved with zero money investment and zero negativity. (Let me put Endorsements on autopilot also, please and thank you.)

 

To wrap up cancellations, give hosts a button that says “This guest is not following my house rules.”  Pressing this button would have airbnb team follow up.  Call up the guest after first strike, remind them of this policy, ask them nicely to clean their dishes.  Remind them again that hosts are hard-working normal people and *Airbnb always supports them*. At this point button turns into ‘Cancel this reservation with no penalty.”  It is not fair to support abuse, it is enabling. When a guest is abusing host in obvious way and asked to stop, if host can provide *proof or pictures that behavior continues, the reservation should be cancelled without a refund.* Abusing my home is not an excuse to break the payment arrangement, the days have still been blocked so no one else can book them.

 

In that same vein: Stop. Asking. Hosts. To. Issue. Refunds. Against. Cancellation. Policy.  Stop, just stop.  You do this as your general policy to save money by relocating guest to another airbnb, at the expense of the kind hosts here and there that are inclined to say yes to be ‘agreeable’ but then are left with empty calendar. It is obviously in bad faith to do this as a general policy when the cancellation policies lead hosts to believe otherwise.  I’ll say it again loud and clear: THIS IS OBVIOUS BAD LEGAL FAITH.  If you had ever had a job where liability is measured in decision making, I think it’s absurd you’ve ran with this policy so long, it’s so obviously illegal, unethical, and an albatross hanging around your neck.  Stop.

 

III.  Finally, I’ve been ranting about this for two whole years with zero result, fix the messaging system.  When a guest books through the website instead of the app, messages do not populate in real time.  The guest must refresh the browser window to see if they have a new message.  I doubt most guests realize this as it is so archaic (we have had this feature since Aol Instant messenger and IRC, the tech sooooo old).  Again, hint for computer sciences team, Ajax and javascript can accomplish this ezpz.  This way if guest wants to ask a question before or during booking, or mentions something that means listing may not be the best fit, we can respond immediately!  Them checking their email days later or never at all means they just don’t even get some of the messages they are sent. Please just fix the messaging, you would have less complaints because communication would be improved. Do the fancy one where the bubbles pop us as someone starts typing on other end.

 

Require government ID for all hosts and guests.  This is required for car rental and of course should be required for home rentals. When guests are reported to airbnb for house rule violation, inform them they will be required to put down a basic $100 deposit to book in future.  This will discourage people that have no intent of being responsible without weeding out the responsible ones who made a small or tiny mistake.  If said house guests violates somewhere else, gasp, give $100 to the two hosts, split it, you love fairness.

 

Another easy way to cut down on cs calls and unhappy hosts/guests. Use the cleaning fee.  Make it a prompt they approve during booking, use color, it would go something like this:

 

Private Room $0 - $20, Whole House $50 - $100 – “This listing has a Low Cost cleaning fee.  You are expected to wash your dishes, clean up after yourself in the kitchen, and put your belongings away.  Guests who do not clean up at these reservations can be cancelled without refund*.”

 

Private Room >$20, Whole House > $100 – “This listing has a Full Service cleaning fee.  All cleaning will be taken care of by the host.  Please do not abuse host homes thanks!”

 

You could even allow hosts to offer both and let the guest choose one.  This would be key, *the guest making a choice and the host making a choice.* The overwhelming majority of hosts and guests WILL choose option one, and everyone will be better informed of their responsibilities.  Also potential upsells!  Also, again, problem fixed with zero negativity and practically zero cost.

 

While these are not All the Things, it is the probably the most important things that should happen.  The overwhelming majority of Airbnb problems come from Airbnb ignoring the concept of Consent.  It is what is missing in all their cs decisions and policies, and what is available in all these solutions.  This has already gone so far over the top, halfway measures are not agreeable or appreciated.  The thing with cancellations and guests just starting to run rampant over hosts with no recourse has gotten insane, and the number of posts in the forums about it should be telling to the Airbnb overlords, so I really just don’t get it.  Each of these hosts is your front facing customer service team, you want them all to be happy and appreciated, not filled with resentment!  How can you possibly expect that to work out in long run?

 

Airbnb, stop being fake, do these things.  Looking at you Laura, new CS team lead, do something honest for your hosts, a "Celebration of Superhosts Week" isn't it.  You could do all this in a week, it would cost little to nothing, and all your hosts would be happy again(mostly).

1 Best Answer
Kath9
Level 10
Albany, Australia

@Tony134, thanks for your considered post - I agree with everything you've said. The review system in particular is utterly broken. I do more and more and more for my guests and my overall rating and review rate just keeps dropping thanks to the thesis they now need to write and the ridiculous question the overall rating is based on. I agree that a simple endorsement system is all that is needed to prevent the slinging matches and retaliatory reviews than can and do occur. Hosts should also be allowed to have unfair reviews removed, in particular those in which guests complain about things that ARE CLEARLY STATED ON THE LISTING! (such as no TV, dog on the property, shared facilities, access areas, etc.) If the guest can't be bothered reading the listing before they book it and review negatively based on their false expectations, then the review should be removed. If a review is based on false accusations, it should be removed. If the review is based on things outside of the host's control (e.g. location, weather, mosquitoes outside, proximity to shops/restaurants, etc.), it should be removed. Why are hosts continually punished for guests' bad behaviour or inability to read past the first two lines?

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82 Replies 82
Pete28
Level 10
Seattle, WA

They may let celebrate dec 25th !

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Tony134  Yes! All well said. So much of what is wrong is so easily fixable, there's just no will to do it. It's completely baffling to me how Airbnb can possibly think it is in their best interests to coddle horrible guests. I can't even see how it's financially viable- I'd be willing to bet, despite all their algorithms and stats and experiments, that they've never actually assessed all the calls and communications over bad guests and untenable Airbnb policies, counted up how much it costs them in CS salaries, phone bills, etc. to deal with these, and compared this to what they would be out by quickly cancelling awful guests and delisting them from the platform. Respectful guests and happy hosts has got to be more profitable.

 And I'm so sorry you get these types of disrespectful and vengeful guests.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Tony134   P.S. They don't even have to boot the bad guests and hosts off the platform- I don't know if you ever saw it, and I can't even remember what thread it was, but maybe half a year ago or more I sarcastically suggested a brand new category for Airbnb- The Rejected Collection : Connecting Horrible Guests with Terrible Hosts ( In keeping with our non-discrimination policy, we believe there's a perfect match for everyone!)

Cathie19
Level 10
Darwin, Australia

Thanks @Tony134 for the insightful and interesting post..... full of options and solutions! 

 

Airbnb doesn’t have to agree with each of our opinions, but they need to agree to make positive and simple changes to improve the rapport between host, guest and themselves.

 

The current system has too many bad procedural decisions and loopholes. The promises to follow through and assist hosts, is not frequent enough. Hosts seem to be being done over by the increasing mean-minded and disreputable guest, who are shifting across to this STR platform, and some of the policy and procedures of Airbnb. Airbnb is not for everyone. We get that!  So the bad hosts, and the bad guests need to find another place to rent, to maintain the good commercial name of Airbnb and the hosts who choose to use its platform. Then the good guests will flourish as they want to stay in the platform. Win - win - win...... 

 

I am aware that traditionally in commerce, the customer is always right....  but honesty and transparency is desperately needed in this ever-growing Airbnb STR “community” platform.

 

That’s what it was based on: respect, honesty, trust, a sharing of knowledge, culture and diversity of household styles and accommodation. The importance of communicating and experiencing something different from a hotel has been paramount.... but for the policy makers.....it feels long forgotten.  

 

The current requests by Airbnb to expect hosts to break their own house rules and cancellation policy is getting out of hand. The fact that a guest can expect to rent with only an email verification is beyond me! Sorry, no! Not my home EVER! 

 

For continuous improvement, the directions required:

Airbnb should be intent on honouring payments, terms of service, cancelation policies (without badgering hosts to give in to the bad eggs or be penalised); simplify and improve the overburdened review system with a better endorsement system to keep people honest. No one has time or energy for answering a thesis! No penalties for anyone... UNLESS, if you do wrong > you won’t be able to stay using the platform. Well we will all know who you are, (host and guest) because facial images and government IDs will have become a standard procedure before anyone can launch a listing or purchase accommodation.

 

Now that would be a merry Christmas!

🎄💐🌎🌍🌏💫🎄

Branka-and-Silvia0
Level 10
Zagreb, Croatia

@Tony134

I would add:

  1. - pet fee option
  2. - pet security deposit option
  3. - no free infant by default
  4. - no business collection (they really don't need anything special including self check in)
  5. - travel insurance option (to cover extenuating circumstances cancellations)

 

If you agree with Tony give him thumb up

 

 

Excellent examples! The best part of all these examples is airbnb would actually make more money with these upsells! It would not be hard to add these things to the website either. Also they are friendly to all parties.

Jerry204
Level 1
South Bend, IN

Thanks for the writing.

I need to remid myself and I will remind others.

E companies, for many reasons included have tricked us into believing there different.

Yes, tecnology to allow us to rent out our houses, via technology.

After that. There all BIG CORPORATIONS doing everything for the bottome line.

Whenever I think I might need HELP from airbnb I cringe. AIRBNB cares only about INCOME. Even when the lousey guest arrives.

The same way every hotel/motel operates.

So as I add houses and rooms, I will also add other booking agencies

 

 

Allison2
Level 10
Traverse City, MI

So when are we starting this alternative platform, @Tony134?

 

I really don't think Airbnb cares anymore.

 

If they did, there'd still be a place for hosts to nominate ideas. They closed the Host Voice (aka Screaming into the Void) last spring and haven't replaced it with anything else. Unless you count Q&A. Which I don't: that's a PR dog and pony show.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Host-Voice/idb-p/host-voice

 

Even when that was active, well supported ideas from the community were rarely implemented. They'd rather re-arrange the interface a million times, uselessly, than build a working option for "pet fees". It's no skin off their nose to give away money that isn't theirs - so they didn't take up the well-supported initiative to replace Extenuating Circumstances with Travel Insurance. They seemed to archive each brilliant host-supportive measure.

 

They're only concerned about expansion now, to the detriment of hosts on whose backs this entire operation rests.

I think there may need to be a void in the room sharing market before something else fills it. I fully expect Airing to die in the next five years in the biggest class action of all time, and I think by then someone will have done a block chain version of Airbnb without the bad management, all decisions will be made by the code. I'm tempted to brush up my coding skills and do it myself.

What bothers me is that Airbnb is making concessions to guests that hotels would NOT make.

Agree completely, I can't imagine how it would be sustainable.

Max381
Level 1
England, United Kingdom

Tony thank you so much for this - I can't quite take this all in but I have just started Airbnb & my 2nd guest broke the rules came in & cooked in my kitchen at night- when it wasn't available to guests & then started shouting on his mobile phone about all his domestic problems kids x-wife etc.  I kindly asked him to take his call in his room & yes he retaliated with a review which was a lie. He also was pushy, demanding & pushed my very lovely Erasmus student out of the wat in the kitchen a second night...and yet? Airbnb did nothing......i am still new at this but I am most worried by what you have written. 

It's far to weighted in the guests favour & puts too much strain on the host. I provided, without it being requested...a gluten free breakfast to a guest...& yet he marked me down a star...affecting my ratings & visibility...I was gutted having gone to a generous extra effort to be "marked down" a star. As a new host this has a strong effect....i spent time chatting with this guest too...

I really like your idea of CS taking account of problem guests & compiling host complaints on guests- especially the retaliatory type!

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Tony134  Go for it!  If a bunch of hosts got together to start a new platform for home sharing (hosted private homes only, not necessarily shared, but none of this business of property managers and faceless companies with 15-40 listings, and slicked-out Plus listings) that could be so awesome. The rub is that most of us, it seems, aren't computer programmer types, although some undoubtably are. We're more the DIY, create beautiful and comfortable spaces types. 

Most of it would be pretty simple actually, codecademy is an amazing resource to learn that kind of thing.  I would have to be starting encryption and security from scratch though, annoying to consider.