Should I Write a Bad Review for the guest?

[Jason565]

In my 7 years of hosting I have never written a bad review of a guest. But now I am seriously considering writing one and wondering if it's worth the trouble.

Here's what happened: the apartment I rent in NYC is kept extremely clean and well-maintained, and literally all of my past reviews have been positive. The guest that checked in last week said she found a dead mouse inside the entrance of the apartment. This shocked me since I have not seen a mouse in my apartment in the 5 years I've lived there, but it did not surprise me since this is NYC and a mouse entering your apartment is unfortunately typical.

The guest insisted that I return from my trip to personally remove the mouse for her or send over someone to remove it for her, since neither she nor her boyfriend would remove the mouse. She also suggested that I am attracting mice to my apartment because I have books and mice are attracted to paper and wax. (But thsi was the ONLY mouse that had ever been in the partment as far as I know...and it was dead.)

I told her that it was impossible for me to return to remove the mouse and that I could send over the superintendent but when/if he decides to come over it wouldn't be until the end of the day. The guest then agreed that her boyfriend would remove the mouse as long as I talk them through how to do it, which I did, expalining that they just needed to sweep in up and place it in the garbage just outside of the building. She then said she "understood" the situation and thanked me for being helpful.

I offered her a discount for that day and she said "no worries." She then went on to stay in the apartment another day and a half. She had already been there a day at this point.

On the third day I got a call from AirBnb telling me that the guest had spent 90 minutes on the phone with them complaining about the mouse and was demanding a FULL REFUND and an early check out (She was scheduled to be there two more days). In the end she was given a partial refund and an early check out without penalty. This all seems to me extremely over the top on here part and I could have worked to resolve the situation, but instead she blew up the minor incident into a 3 day headache for everyone involved.

My question is: is it worth reviewing her and her boyfriend negatively? Is tthis the sort of information about a potential guest that other hosts would like to know before booking them? Or should I just forget about it and hope she does not leave my listing a (overblown) negative review?

[Jill322]

Hey jason, I am reticent to write bad reviews but I think we should because it helps other hosts. By simply describing what happened in a brief way you can do a review without being too harsh.

[Jason565]

Thank you for the advice and taking the time to read my post!

[Denise-And-Jackie0]

Hi Jill, I feel the same way.  I have had 2 out of 100 that I wanted to write give a 4 star but didn't. You are right though about other host understanding what they are getting. We are reluctant because we don't want bad feelings or a bad review, in my case since it is on my property where I live. I think this is a hard one.

Cheers to all of you hard working host,

Denise

[Lisa723]

I would certainly want a heads up to avoid hosting this person.

[Suzanne302 · Accepted solution]

Yes, yes, yes leave a review! You can be factual without being negative and the review will speak for itself.

She needed instructions on how to remove a dead mouse? How does she function in her day to day life? That right there screams high maintenance and I would not want to host her!

[Letti0]

Do other hosts a favor this is a high maintenance couple and her demand for a full refund 3 days later is ridiculous. A thumbs down for them. Also did you snooze your listing I couldn't see it? I wanted to see what your cancellation policy was. 

[Jason565]

I did snooze my listing because I am returning NYC soon and cannot host again until the  winter. My cancellation policy was "strict."

Thank you for the advice.

[Kath9]

Yes, agreed. Please explain the situation factually as you have here and give a thumbs down. No one wants high maintenance guests - let them go to hotels.

[Jason565]

Thank you for the advice!

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

Good, bad......is not important. Please write an HONEST and factual review for future fellow hosts 🙂

Would you have accepted/welcomed that guest if you had seen negative reviews from other guests? Maybe (but you would have at least taken additional precautions) or maybe not~ but in any case, I've always had the opinion that leaving honest guest reviews is for the sake of other hosts.

[Ute42]

.

Hi Jason,

1. we don't know if there was a mouse at all. Thats what the guests claim, but noone else has seen it. Did they take a picture of the mouse with their smartphone to prove it? You didn't mention that. As You may know, every jpeg picture has a time and day stamp in it's EXIF-data. Not many people know how to change that, You need dedicated software to  do that.

2. I don't see what the problem for adult persons would be to remove this little dead animal themselves. Take a paper or a rag, grab it, put it into a plasticbag, get it out of the apartement and You're all set.

3. You are attracting mice as You have books? Come on.

4. 90 minutes phonecall for 1 oz of dead meat?

5. why would they want to leave the apartement one and a half days after the problem has been resolved? There is no dead mouse anymore in the place. I think their plans just changed

These are high maintainace guests, they make a mouse into an elephant as we say in Germany.

Conclusion: leave a bad review.

[Jason565]

Thank Ute. Yes, I have many questions about this incident. I am confused about why a person would spend so much time with AirBnB arguing over such a meaningless thing.  Really really confused me.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

She and her boyfriend needed instructions on how to remove a dead mouse? Omg... how old are they?  It seems that never in the history of a man kind people were so uncapable to do everyday simple tasks like they are today.

Of course, as a host, I would like you to write a review ... but maybe it would be the best if you wait to see if they will write it. If not... just let them go. You don't need a retaliation review to ruin your business 😞

[Kathie21]

How can they write a retaliatory review?  They won't see the host's review until after they have written theirs.