Did the rules around reviews change?

[Matthew18]

I had a bad experience with a guest and decided not to leave a public review - my thinking was that if I don't leave a review for them then their review for me would also not be visible.

I even had an experience awhile back while using the guesty service where I asked guesty to not leave a review for a guest who had caused a lot of problems, guesty accidently left them a positive review so that both reviews were visible.  Guesty contacted airbnb and explained that their review had been left by mistake and airbnb had fixed it so that neither review was visible anymore.

With this most recent experience I decided not to leave the guest a review because I didn't want to trash them - but now their negative review is up 2 weeks later even though I never left them a review.

Did airbnb change the way that reviews work?  Can I contact them telling them that I want a chance to review this bad guest now - 2 weeks after they had moved out?

Thanks in advance for your response!

Matt

[Dede0]

@Matthew18 Nothing has changed regarding reviews. Both host and guest have 14 days to leave a review. If both do so before 14 days, then both reviews become public simultaneously. If either submits a review before 14 days, but the other doesn't, the submitted review goes public after 14 days. Neither host nor guest can prevent the other's review from going public by simply declining to review, although many people think that's the case.

By the way, WTF is "guesty"? Don't make me Google that **bleep**!

[David126]

Affectionate term for guest?

I have a couple of times left it to the last minute when I have had situations where I have not been clear what to say if anything to see if they posted first.

[Brittany1]

@Dede0

Guesty is an Airbnb Management platform. They are like a virtual concierge service. They do everything from scheduling cleanings to responding to booking requests. Crazy huh? To me the online stuff is the fun part of the job.

[Carrie1]

Please, please, do other hosts a favor and do leave reviews for bad guests. 

[Anne251]

Carrie...thank you for the heads up.  I recently had a guest , perhaps 75years old or so, who was spaced out and complained about everything.  He even  asked  me to go down and buy him bottled water...  He woke me up because he couldnt find the bathroom light switch...twice!  He left my front door ajar...I live in New York City!  He.broke a vertical blind. He yelled at his wife on the phone late at night. But the worst part was  I shared the bathroom and he stayed in it for HOURS!  I had to go down to the laundry room in the basement of my building in the morning to use the toilet! I actually left my own house to stay with  a friend the last day and night he was my guest....since I was unable to use my bathroom.  Yet, I gave him a good review.  You are RIGHT.  It was in bad conscience. This man obviously had  cognitive issues...perhaps dementia and I am afraid that he might hurt himself or perhaps do inadvertent damage to someone elses property. Is there any way I can change it?

I am so sorry!!!

[Tim42]

Yes, it has always been the same. You have 14 days to leave a review. You do however get an opportunity to leave a "response".

I just had my first negative review from a guest in 4 years. I had a feeling it was going to turn out badly. 

I had back to back "difficult" guests. The one that followed smoked marijuana in the flat. They were very unfriendly. This one was an instant book.

Oh well, 99.99% of my guests are wonderful people. It is a challange for the .01%  🙂

PS: I never leave a review for guests that use drugs and alcohol. I have a family with small children and it is just not worth the risk. The guests had come to the City for a concert.

[Christine1]

@Tim42,  and other hosts who are anxious about guest responses to their reviews. Consider use phrasing, such as " my accommodation did not suit their activities/needs etc. They requred facilities/services which I do not provide/ I do not allow smoking/ boy bands/ unicorns/perhaps this house rule was overlooked"... There are ways to touch on areas of concern without being agressive, or offensive. 

In the long run it increases risk to others who are providing reviews for everyone's benefit future benefit and safety. A lack of honest but diplomatic reviews will eventually white ant the whole review system and outsiders will become cynical.

If you are experiencing safety concerns for in-house residents before, during, or after guest stays, then review your acceptance criteria and start to limit  future bookings accordingly.

I never solicit for reviews and I would say that I independently screen potential guests before sending pre-approvals, no matter how long that process takes.

Many new guests are referred by friends and family. It's up to us as hosts, to screen potential guests and provide honest reviews, in order to encourage the type of guests we want to ultimately make up the bulk of Airbnb travellers. We can each do our part to make this happen and shape the character of the community.

Happy hosting and my best wishes to all of good intent.

Regards, Christine.

[Anne251]

Thank you for your great suggestions, Christine...very clever.  I certainly will  use them.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Christine1

You are very clever and diplomatic. Thanks for the tips!

I screen my guests too, and am equally serious about house rules.