A false vindictive review because of homophobia

[Fabien150]

I am after some advice please since this is the first time we've had a negative experience with a guest. Our listing has consistently received 5 Star reviews since we started letting out our spare suite. Air BnB upgraded us to Plus status and I've been making sure that our guests are happy and that we can get Super Host Status in a week's time.

Sadly, we recently had a negative experience when a guest misled us and had a film crew of 6 people arrive after he checked in. He had told us it would be just him and a friend staying when he booked, but instead he used our home as a set for his music video without checking if this would be OK. Additionally, he broke the "No Visitors" rule when he had a night "booty call" that came and left without introduction after an hour in his bedroom. He also violated our privacy by going into our private bedroom and filmed adult-oriented scenes in our personal space, as well as on our private roof terrace and garden so neighbours could see what they were doing. My neighbour has since complained and I told her it would not happen again.

I reported this to Air BnB and they agreed he broke all the terms of booking. They said I could seek compensation but I chose not to bother with it since this guy is actually local so I don't want any trouble. I've since received a vindictive 1 Star review from this guest. His review is completely fabricated on claims we had rotting food, smells, dirty etc. We think this may be related to homophobia as when my husband came home late that night and he realised we were a gay couple, he packed his stuff, slammed the door and left abruptly without giving us the keys. As a result of this unfair 1 Star rating, it means we will not get our Super Host status which I've worked hard the past 6 months to achieve.

I've explained all this to Air BnB but they say they won't take down his false review. Which means my rating has gone from 5* to 4.6, dipping just below the Super Host 4.7* requirements.

My question is has anyone else experienced know what to do when dealing with a homophobic guest, how would you have handled it and I'd like to know also how to prevent it happening again. Thank you if you have any words of advice.

[Fabien150]

Thanks Sarah. Unfortunately it took place on the last week of Sept, and I can already see my rating has dropped from 4.9 to 4.6, below SuperHost requirements. Fortunately someone gave us another 5* review today and it has pulled us back up to 4.7 but this won’t count, I guess. 

[Fabien150]

Hello all,

Unfortunately this saga has not been put to bed. After much consideration about whether to do it or not, we posted a response to his false 1* review stating factually what had happened about his review being retaliation for my attempt to stop his multiple breach of rules including the unauthorised use of my home for commercial purposes. As a result, I’ve now received a message from Air BnB where I’m being told to address the guest’s concerns which include me “and my partner parading half naked around the house” (!) He’s also gone on to make other preposterous false allegations. I have had 5* reviews immediately before and immediately after his booking, so evidently this is nonsense. I’ve replied back to Air BnB to point out that this is completely fabricated and that he’s clearly retaliating further as a consequence of me posting my response after his review. Now though, I’m concerned the guy is going to come back to my home and threaten us if this should escalate further.

I feel rather let down by Air BnB for their failure to support us as Superhosts with a proven track record of a listing which they themselves upgraded to Plus. This guests has no reviews nor prior history of bookings, yet it seems his word against mine is weighted equally. Any suggestions or advice most welcome please?

Fortunately for us, we have CCTV on the property so at least if they do come back, I will have a record of it as evidence should this escalate into criminal activity.

[Alon1]

@Fabien150 

I'm not sure what anyone else can do to offer further advice or help. Perhaps others will have suggestions.

However, I'm tagging Stephanie, one of the Community Centre Administrators/Moderators. 

@Stephanie 

If she sees fit Stephanie may be able to help in ways that us mortal folks can't in escalating this matter

Only you may have to wait till Monday morning as I'm not sure if the Admin/Mods operate over the weekend.

[Fabien150]

Thanks Alon1. Appreciate your input.

Air BnB have now said to “disregard their message earlier”. So I guess they’ve reviewed the context of his false claims and decided to drop it.

The issue of course is that his false review and 1* rating is still on my listing and my score had dropped from 4.9 to 4.6. Fortunately I’ve since had two more 5* reviews which have bumped me up to 4.7, but still below SuperHost and Plus requirements.

What’s odd is that Air BnB say it’s “his word against mine”. Which makes no sense given I flagged his various rule breaking immediately as they were happening. His 1* review only appeared 14 days later. If my place was so filthy and we were parading around naked, why didn’t he report it there and then? His allegations have only come about after I put a stop to his unauthorised use of my home. His second complaint only came about after I responded to his retaliative review. It’s a little disingenuous that Air BnB can’t see this sequence of events.

[Yadira22]

@Fabien150 

Why don’t you use this as “proof” to support your case. Everything has been time stamped so why not. At the end of the day this should strengthen your case. 

[Sean433]

@Fabien150 

It seems this person only gave you a bad review because his plans did not go according to how he had hoped it would. I have received negative reviews only because they broke rules and I put a stop to it

There is one thing you can also do and that is to ask him to ask airbnb to remove the review which I have successfully done 1 time. If the guest asks airbnb, they will do it.

The key will be in how you ask. Since he is clearly a jerk, he probably won't do it out of the goodness of his heart. So you may want to message him with something like this

" Dear guest, I was very sad to read your defamatory review of me  because we could not allow commercial filming at our home. There was a number of actions I can take to rectify your violations such as filing a police report for theft (taking our keys) and allowing unregistered guests into the home (this is trespassing). However, I would prefer a drama free conclusion with a win-win for the both of us. I would ask that you do the right thing and contact airbnb to ask them to remove your review".

I think it is worth a shot if you feel this 1 star rating is too much of a hurdle to get around.

[Fabien150]

Hi Sean, thanks for your suggestion.

It’s good advice, though personally I felt quite intimidated by the guest and his crew. They did turn a little aggressive when I challenged why they were in my bedroom and asked them to stop filming on my private roof terrace. My other half and I are not sure we want any further communication with them as it might antagonise further. 

Perhaps my best bet is to get a few more 5* reviews and hope this brings my score back up. Put this down to experience and cancel any bookings in future where I doubt whether they’re genuine

[Yadira22]

@Fabien150 Maybe until you find your find your footing again you go off IB ask to get a feel for your guests. I really do wish you luck and just follow your gut as you know what’s best for the situation. 🙂

[Stephanie]

Hiya @Fabien150 ,

I'm terribly sorry to hear about what you have been through. We at Airbnb will not tolerate any acts of discrimination, as depicted in the Nondiscrimination Policy.

Please let me know how the case now stands and I will see what I can do to assist you.

Thanks,

Stephanie

[Fabien150]

Hello Stephanie,

Thank you so much for responding, and yes, it would be great if you could look into this please?

The guest in question has fabricated more lies saying my husband and I "paraded around him half naked which made him uncomfortable". This complaint was made to Air BnB on the 18th Oct, almost a month after he used our property to film his adult-oriented music video on the 19th Sept. If this allegation is true, why was it not raised immediately when he left, instead of the day after I posted a public response to his false review? My report about his behaviour and over-occupancy was made immediately that afternoon when they checked in. The timeline alone should indicate who is telling the truth here.

As the case stands, Air BnB say it's my word against his. This is baffling because I have 19 reviews all giving me 5 stars, except this one guest who has given a vindictive 1 star. This guest on the other hand has no previous bookings or reviews to his name. My reliable track record should demonstrate "my word against his" has more validity and trustworthiness than his.

Lastly, in his complaint he states that our listing "looks nothing like the photos". The fact is those photos were shot by Air BnB's own photographer and edited by Air BnB's Plus team. So this is further evidence he is just making stuff up as retribution for me asking them to stop using my home for commercial purposes . 

I would appreciate it if there is a way my case can be reviewed once more, to take into account his most recent homophobic accusation. 

Many thanks @Stephanie 

Fab