Airbnb Hosts constant complaints

[Elizabeth429]

I dont know about you, but I get pretty upset every time I read a host post complaining, accusing, criticising, disregarding, deploring the Airbnb platform. I know things dont always go well for everyone and/or everytime, but if you as a host are really unhappy, please leave, leave now. Stop making your own life miserable. And I am not talking about hosts sharing some of their bad experiences here looking for some kind of support from the other hosts. I am talking about the ones who cant wait to have the opportunity to trash over Airbnb when replying some of those posts.

I myself have experienced the ups and downs that comes from hosting with Airbnb. I still dread it when a new guest comes into my own home, hoping all works out for both parties. The best thing I get out of it is the money coming into my bank account every single Monday. So, I am pleased!!

[Emiel1]

Hi @Elizabeth ,

Good to hear Airbnb works well for you (as it does for me too). I think when everything runs smoothly  host will generally not write about it. It's happens when things go wrong and frustration comes up.

So be aware: most hosts are happy hosts like you and me, including a lot of members in this community !

Best regards,

Emiel

[Rebecca181]

You are tired of hosts that 'trash' AIrbnb. But, why might they be trashing them? Could it be they had one or more experiences that caused them to lose trust in, and respect for, Airbnb? I myself think that this is often the case. 

From an organizational systems perspective, it is often the case that those individuals who point out that there are inequities in the system or aspects of the system that are harming it's members (we are supposedly a community, per Airbnb) will be seen as *the problem*. The fact is, Airbnb currently engages in practices that are at times (not always) needlessly harmful to hosts. Hosts who feel harmed by Airbnb share about it here, and they may also protest the policies and procedures that resulted in this sense of being harmed (e.g., a revenge review was allowed to stand; the Host Protection Guarantee was not honored; the Trust & Security department did not protect a host; bot-driven warnings were issued to a conscientious host for falling below 4.7, etc).  If they feel unheard, unsupported, and even harmed for long enough, but still need the income from their Airbnb (perhaps they are a shared home and can't list on VRBO, etc), then they may resort to their 'trash talk'. Meaning, the 'trash talk' is just a symptom of their distress, and their feelings of helplessness and perhaps even justifiable anger, combined with their dependency on Airbnb. Meaning, maybe they *should* walk away, but for financial reasons, they can't.

Just another way to look at it. 

[Maya63]

Thank you for voicing an important point of view. Well said.

[J-Renato0]

Well, about me I have had a good experience as host and guest with Airbnb

Anyway, I think that any host or guest are entitled to report or complain about any issue, being them the opening poster or someone that post in the middle of some topic.

I believe that Airbnb wants to hear HONEST feed back. That is why I think Rebecca and others has a point.

This community is not like a church, where the church goers are only supposed to  go to the church to knelt down and say "Thank you gracious God" because they are happy or resigned.

[Robin4]

Elizabeth-

Agree with you 100%, we are having a bitch about the programming attached to the CC at the moment, but every time I write in defense of Airbnb's handling of a specific issue, I can bet there will be a handful of posts from hosts telling me. I should get a life, grow up and make Airbnb do what that host thinks they should do, and how they boldly state Airbnb have become unusable!

Elizabeth, I am making money, I have been introduced to many really nice people, I can't believe I am actually getting paid to have this much fun!

Sure, at times I will play the part of devils advocate, but we all need to do that! We all have to think of and discuss varying options.

There are things I do not like about the structure of the company, but nothing I would have a hissy fit over....ABB introduce guests to me, I host, I get paid....and the wheels on the bus go round and round!

Any forum site, product review site is going to see the worst aspects of what ever they are dealing with. I am active on a site called Product Review ( I won't put in the address because it will be rejected)  and in this country we have an internet booking site called Web-Jet. This company organises travel options for thousands of travellers every day but if you look at the product review site you will see that Web-Jet have a  rating of 1 star out of 5! They have 26 excellent reviews and 737 terrible reviews! Are they really that bad?....no, people put pen to paper when they want to complain, not when the're merely satisfied!

Last night more than 800,000 users stayed in an Airbnb listing....the only ones you will see come here will amount to less than .000002%....the rest of them are happy, they don't want to grizzle.

Take it with a grain of salt Elizabeth, life is full of curved balls and occasionally some will come into our lives one way or another.

I don't get upset about them, let em have their rant, as long as Airbnb keep sending me guests and money...all is fine in my world!

Cheers......Rob 

[Elizabeth429]

I am not going to explain myself again. My post is pretty clear, I am not apologising. Rebecca, I am going to ackowledge you, but I wont honour your post. You have insulted me personally by sending five (5), yes five different emails and using the wrong language with me. I am gonna be the bigger man here and ignore it.

[Rebecca181]

Elizabeth, I did not send you five emails. I edited my post, and apparently Airbnb sends an email out for  each time it was edited. I certainly did not intend to insult you. I am just tired of hearing hosts tell other hosts they should leave the platform. One person's 'trash talk' could be another persons cry for help. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

So apparently........... each time we edit a post, ABB sends spammy emails to the OP writer of each and every one of our edited versions ........but they can't manage to fix the tagging and pic attachment function yet.

Typical ABB~~~~~  🙂

I mean........ I really am surprised (but of course happy and relieved at the same time) that my reservations and payments seem to be okay~ no major bugs or glitches.

[Rosemarie9]

Elizabeth, it is great that you maybe have not had any really difficult problems regarding using airbnb. I love the fact that it exists, love hosting on and off the site, love all the friends I have made. At the same time there are instances were a host just needs to vent, and this is the place for that. I do this as a full time job, and after hundreds of bookings in two years, you will find that there can be some very tricky instances you are forced to deal with. Airbnb is a booking site, no more, but as a host I have to involve airbnb support from time to time when a guest is just TOO much, and believe me, I have the patience of a saint mostly. I just expect someone on the other end of the line who is actually engaging in my problem, not totally distracted and reading a job sheet. That is why hosts are upset sometimes. Airbnb are all to ready to refund money to guests just to keep them hooked regardless of their behaviour, which sometimes in my experience verges on unlawful. I hope you don't have a really bad guest in the future, but don' be too hasty to judge someone who needs to get something off their chest. Hosting can sometimes be a lonely experience without support from those in the same boat. Rebecca was trying to say the same thing, she has some valuable advise to offer on this platform as do a lot of members, and I am very thankful of the advice and general banter here, it isn't all bad, I have a good laugh often.

[Elizabeth429]

Rosemarie,

Thank you for taking the time to write here.

I was not going against hosts that compliant. I myself have learnt a lot from some of them. At the moment, I am not very happy with the family/business categories Airbnb is pushing us towards. I actually dont fit any of those two categories. Let alone the Plus thing since I am not planning to renovate my home to the highest standars any time soon. But instead of going crazy about it I just suck it up and try to deal with it the best I can. 

Funny enough, Airbnb isnt afraid of any criticisims, otherwise this forum wouldnt exist. 

As for the other host you have just mentioned, she went over board by writing 5 different emails using some offensive words making it personal. No acceptable.

[Rebecca181]

Elizabeth, I used no offensive words. I edited my original comment to you. I know exactly what I wrote in my prior edits. I invited you to display some compassion and empathy toward struggling hosts, and to stop judging them, and shaming and blaming them. If you find that offensive, so be it. But be careful about saying things that simply are not true.

[Elizabeth429]

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[Robin4]

Elizabeth,

I think you may have just proved a point that is common in all of us. The angrier we are about an issue, the more we lash out!  And I am afraid that is what you have just done!

I have seen many thousands of contibutors pass through these pages of the Community Centre, and to be honest, I don't think I have ever come across a more compasionate and helpfull contributor than @Rebecca ! She has moved across her country and started a new life in search of something better for someone other than herself. 

Rebecca's posts, like yours, have always been measured, helpfull and looked forward to.

You started off with a really good point Elizabeth....but you have ended up telling someone else to get off your post....What you are saying is diametrically opposed to the thread you started off....that of patience and tollerance! And in many instances the hosts that you criticized at the start of this thread are doing no more than you...they are venting about an injustice done to them just, as you have just done for yourself!

Elizabeth, none of us are going to be right all the time, but, we are all together in this 'lifeboat' bobbing around in the ocean that is Airbnb . We need to understand that at times others here will infuriate us, just as we will infuriate them, but we are all paddling this lifeboat together. 

If you are not happy with what one of us has written, there are plenty more here who are looking for help and would be appreciative of the excellent advice you can give to them!

Cut Rebecca a bit of slack hey....good on you Elizabeth!

Cheers.....Rob

[Elizabeth429]

Robin, 

As a wise of a man I consider you to be, I am afraid, I cannot give you this one.

This is not about someone not agreeing with me. I said I wasnt going to take it any futher and forget about it. But she continued. She has gone out of her way to fire her posts against me using some ridiculous language, reediting everything 5 different times, as she well put it. You guys read the softer post she finally decided to send. (I dont think she was aware I was getting all of them). To then again ask me to be Careful.

No, I am afraid I will not allow it.