How to handle those difficult reviews!

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

How to handle those difficult reviews!

I have posted this comment on another thread but have felt that, due to problems experienced by new hosts when it comes to how they should handle the review of difficult guests I would open a new thread.

This is a long post but a lot of time and thought has gone into it....We all learn every day, and as you continue to host you will become very proficient at sorting out 'the wheat from the chaff' but if you take note of these points I am sure this post will stand you in good stead!

 

Reviews cannot be taken frivilously because they are the centrepiece of the ABB platform. But on the other hand we are reminded at every opportunity that anything less than that 5 stars is not good enough...and for that reason we 'pussyfoot' around issues for fear what we say may come back to bite us in the bum!

And if we start rating our guests as per our experience.......ABB will find a way to remove it!

 

From seeing thousands of these posts I think I have come up with a protocol for reviewing.

There will be some hosts and guests that will fall outside of the common boundaries of accepted behaviour! There are times when police will need to be involved and even more times when help from Airbnb is required and these incidents will require immediate action, but this will only ever be the case for a handfull of bookings over your hosting experience, particularly as you become more experienced in spotting problem guests before accepting! So what I am saying will not be relevant to those situations. What I am talking about are those hostings where rules were broken, personality clashes existed, and there may have been a different perspective between host and guest. If you are concerned about what to write, try the following! And if the reviews do differ wildly keep these points in mind for your review response:

 

1/. Never write a review until you have had two nights sleep after the departure of the guest! There are many little things that will annoy you enough to make a comment when they are a fresh experience, but which, with time, will mellow and can be appraised in a more objective way.

2/. Always write a review as though you have been asked to do it for someone else. 'YOU' will see things as being 'bleedin obvious' because it's your 'turf'! Another set of eyes will see a legitimate reason why the guest did (or felt) what they did!

3/. As I have said before, make yourself a nice drink, leave your emotion out in the garage, or out in the barn before you sit down at that keyboard. What you write at this point will stay with you long after you have forgotten about that belligerent 'turkey'! It will stay with you as long as you host and....it cannot be removed! We have all said things we wish we could take back! When it's in a review it is 'set in stone'....there is no going back!

4/. Tell the community what you feel about this guest, but don't give the guest a reason to resent you. As I said in a comment in another thread, you can make them feel guilty by carefully selecting your words but still finish by wishing them well in future. This way the balance of nature is restored....you made your point, but you have also said 'no hard feelings'!

 

And if their review is a stinker:

5/. Never get into a 'he said/she said' slogging match with a guest. You will always loose, and you will make yourself look petty and a difficult person, in yourself, to deal with. Remain aloof and always assure the guest you value their contribution because after all, the only way you can become a better host is to take notice of what others say. Don't apologise, but tell the guest some things are beyond your control.....like, how much cloud cover may have been present on the day! But tell them that their comments will be taken on board and acted on.

 

Many guests will form an opinion of you by how you carry yourself in the review process....you can be seen as a diplomatic person with great hosting skills........or you can be seen as a 'tough nut to crack' !

Sorry this is so drawn out but, it is a major issue on the forum ....I am not saying I am the review sage but I have had a lifetime dealing with people....I took a mechanical services company from 3 employees to 27 in 6 years......and I don't think my people skills are all that bad!

Cheers.....Rob

238 Replies 238
Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Still not sure if it's sensible to respond to the review, thereby drawing attention to it, but it really irks me because I don't think it was given with good intentions at all. These were not nice people!

 

Here's what I've drafted:

 

"Hi X, thank you for your review. I’m sorry you and Y didn’t have a five star stay. I did try to check up on you to make sure you had everything you needed (as did my housemate), but you didn’t respond.

 

If you had, I could have reminded you about the other fridge that was working perfectly well (the one you said you didn’t need because you weren’t planning on buying any food), or that you should let me know if you had any problems with the WiFi so that I could reboot it for you. I understand that you might not be able to remember everything explained on arrival. That’s why I always say please let me know if you need anything at all, and then try to check in on guests again during their stay.

 

Re the location of the room, in the UK and many European countries, this is always referred to as the 3rd floor (which I think you know, as indicated in your private feedback) and I did also offer to help with your luggage on arrival and departure. All the same, I have made a note of it on the listing for other guests who may not realise this. Thank you for bringing it to my attention!"

 

Is it too much? Too long? I was tempted to make a comment about them breaking house rules, but decided to leave that out. I don't want to start mud slinging!

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Huma0

I do feel it's bit too much Huma....let your other reviews be the focus of your listing, not this one!

"Hi X, thank you for your review. I’m sorry you and Y feel you didn’t have a five star experience on this occasion. Although the points you raised we did discuss fully and tried to attend to during your stay, but thanks for re-inforcing them and focusing my attention on them again in the review! As with all guests I do take your comments seriously, and each guest teaches me how to be a better host and how to word my listing, not only for the guests benefit but also for mine."

Probably best not to keep on about the points Adriana  brought up Huma, giving a further explanation won't give you any 'Brownie points'. This review will, for a time, sit right in the middle of all your great ones and those reading it will dismiss it, so best to let it go with a brief response.

 

My god, you found Maggie's twin, although that one appears a litle more sunburnt!!

Cheers.....Rob

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Thanks @Robin4, I am sure you are right. When I read back over my reviews, they are mostly pretty glowing, so bringing attention to this one isn't going to help me, even though it grates to have these people leave falsehoods on my listing! I also forgot that although the reviews on my profile seem to be in chronological order, on the listing itself, that is not actually the case (am I right in this?), so the review in question actually sits much further down...

 

Today I had some lovely guests check in who were all Oohs! and Aahs! when they saw the place. Such a different experience from the aforementioned guests, who seemed to be fault finding from the minute they arrived. These ones asked me, "Does everyone go Wow! when they see your place?" I wasn't sure how to respond, but it definitely cheered me up. 🙂

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Huma0

It's all very well me speaking from this lofty ground....I have never had a guest where I needed to think about coming to grips with negative situations! But as I have said previously my working life was spent buttering peoples egos but at the same time give an accurate assessment, and as I have also said previously some calming rational words get you far further in life than brandishing a big verbal stick. Huma, I know you will do this well!

 

Huma I have an intriguing situation just now! It is currently 8.00am Saturday morning and in two hours I have guest arrive.

Last saturday this guest instant booked my listing for four days starting today. He is a United States male travelling alone and has flown into Australia and has no previous reviews all though he has been with Airbnb for some time and has many verifications. The only thing on his profile is my listing as a wishlist item, and when he completes his stay he will be leaving this country.

It is almost as though his trip to this country is based around 4 nights here with us and I do find that particularly strange. My radar is well and truly on but, I have the very best cheese plate I could put together in the fridge, It took me more than an hour going to every fruit outlet in this area to put together a fruit plate of the best quality. I am not going to do anything I don't normally do for guests but I am going to do it to the very best of my ability for this guest.

I tell you life is never dull!

Cheers.....Rob 

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Well, @Robin4 I took your advice on board (somewhat) in that I toned in down and edited it right down. I'm afraid I could not resist countering her argument though. My mother wanted me to be a lawyer. I wonder why?! I hope I have hit the right tone. I tried to keep it friendy, whilst defending myself. Here it is:

 

"Hi X and Y, thank you for your feedback. I have amended the listing so that it’s clearer for American visitors (not just UK/European) which floor the room is on. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. It’s such a shame you didn’t respond to the enquiries asking if everything was okay during your stay. Otherwise, I could have reminded you about the other, perfectly functioning, fridge I showed you, or that I’d said I could reboot the WiFi if you had any issues. The other guest staying at the time reported that the WiFi was working well, so I had no idea you were having problems!"

 

Sorry, I know I didn't totally take your advice on board, but I couldn't help it. Her review just kept niggling at me!

 

Anyway, your new guest... Interesting situation, but did you have much correspondence after the booking? I don't think it's necessarily cause for worry if he seems decent in his messages... What is his reason for coming all that way for such a short visit? I had a couple from Boston come all the way for only two nights, but it turns out it was a birthday treat for one of them and they couldn't have been lovelier!

Andrea9
Level 10
Amsterdam, Netherlands

@Huma0

>>"Sorry, I know I didn't totally take your advice on board, but I couldn't help it. Her review just kept niggling at me!"

I don't have Robin's wonderful long-suffering patience (wish I did!), and I wouldn't have been able to resist the niggling either...

Your reply would have been out of my general direction.

 

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Huma0. @Andrea9 Yeah, I understand you had to make a statement and that one is brief enough that it won't draw a lot of attention...particularly if you are in the habit of giving public responses like I do....It will soon disappear Huma!

 

Well, he is here and a lovely guy he is turning out to be so far. 

From the way this whole thing evolved and the total lack of  substantial information, apart from a heap of verifications, I had an idea in the back of my mind that this may have been some sort of incognito visit by someone within the organisation. I can't think why someone would choose to travel across the world to simply stay in a particular listing!

It's amazing how problems arise just when you don't want them to! Strange you should mention Wifi....suddenly this week mine is on a go slow! I think it is a conspiracy to get us to join the NBN (National Broadband Network) which I have resisted until now, having had perfectly good broadband. I have rung and complained about it and all I can do is hope I get some semblance of speed back before this guest leaves.

The other thing is, it doesn't pay to provide stuff you don't have to! Guest before last departed and left the massage function running in the electric bed. It was three days before I discovered it and now the motor that drives the massage on that side of the bed needs rewinding. So this current guest does not have the use of the massage function in my much promoted electric bed!

I could make a claim on the resolution centre but would be reasonably confident all I would get is the run around so....not a lot to have the motor rewired and I will put the massage function onto a timer so it can't happen again. Every hosting teaches you something.

Cheers.....Rob

Interesting your conspiracy theory regarding an incognito visitor.

I had that feeling recently, I suddenly had a spate of couples, 5 0r 6, wanting to book with infants or toddlers, all under the age of 14months.

After gently refusing them, as my listing quite clearly states my house is unsuitable, it's over 4 floors with a spiral staircase connecting through the middle.

The last just wouldn't quit trying to engage me and convince me to change my mind, somehow it reminded me of an encounter with a customer care centre, even though in the end he admitted to having found another listing.

It was strange

I have had a child and childproofing a house is quite an expense that I don't wish layout, on top of all the other possible negative scenarios, especially as I let 2 rooms in the house- can you imagine how i'd get crucified by  a young millenial couple who'd been kept up all night long by a sleepless baby disorientated by being out of it's comfort zone ot teething.

Or the other way round, young couple returning after dinner and a night out wake baby, so many variables i couldn't control.

Anyone experienced anything similiar?

Could be coincedance

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Kari8 @Andrea9 @Huma0

Hi Kari, No my comment was not regarding the visitor as far as conspiracy bit went....it was my internet!

The government here have stated that they want all Australians to be connected to the national broadband internet service by 2020 and as the service is rolled out in individual areas residents in those areas are given 18 months to connect to the new service or loose their internet entirely!

I do not want to transfer my connection to the NBN because I know I will be worse off, but I am probably being forced to by the powers that be reducing my current sync speed from 12,000kbs to 750kbs.

That Kari is my conspiracy theory!

 

As to my intriguing visitor.....I am probably wrong, we have spent a good few hours tonight over cheese and drinks and it appears he is just a man from South Dakota who lost his wife a couple of years ago as a result of a vehicle accident! So I was (as usual) reading a lot more into this guest than initially came across.

He is a genuinely lovely guy though, loves astronomy and talks about it a lot so, while he is here I am going to take him up to our state Astronomical society telescope site at Stockwell (which I am a member of) and let him have a look at a southern starfield through a 36 inch optical telescope. He almost wet himself when I told him of this option, and another night there will be a nice meal on the table for him....I can't do any more than that to make his stay a memorable one for him.

 

@Andrea9....On that note, Ade does not share my passion for astronomy .......someone will ring up to speak to me, and she will say sarcastically...."He is outside probing the rings around 'your anus'!!!  

One night I had Saturn full on in the eyepiece. It was so big the edge of the rings were outside the field of view and I thought....'How bloody good is this, got to get Ade to have a look'! So, I dragged her outside and she put her eye up to the eyepiece and studied it for about ten seconds then looked up and said......"Is that it, can I go now?"....shiiiiiiiittt!

I only have a little 8 inch computerised scope here now which I throw in the car whenever we go into the outback but, as I said in another post, the southern sky is truly awe inspiring. Here is a picture I took of a comet that came through here about five years ago from the oval behind our house.....comet-1.jpg

 

I have no idea what comet it was, but it sure made a spectacular picture.

So there you go.....so many elements to a stay in this part of the world....... 

@Huma0....got my internet fixed tonight, woman from I'nett was really helpfull and got me back into good speed teritorry!

Cheers.......Rob

Andrea9
Level 10
Amsterdam, Netherlands

@Robin4

Love that you were able to see a comment! not to mention able to catch it in a picture, wow!

And one of the glorious things of the country-side I miss with city life that's never completely dark even at night - is looking into the depths of all those stars in the dark night sky. Lucky you!

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Hi @Robin4, I used to live in South Africa and travelled quite a bit in neighbouring countries too, including to the Nambib desert. I have never seen a sky like it. I think us Northerners cannot comprehend how spectacular a Southern Hemisphere night sky is until they've seen it. It's a shame your other half doesn't share your passion, but opposites attract, right?

 

Your internet issue sounds like a nightmare. There is a constant battle trying to keep everything ticking over fine and it doesn't help when you can't get a problem resolved quickly through reasons beyond your control. Glad to hear that at least you are getting somewhere with it.

 

I may also be a bit off the radar for a while. I have another work trip and am away most of next week, so apologies if I go AWOL from the forums again!

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Kari8, I don't accept children for similar reasons to you, and this is stated on my listing, but I also have had a lot more enquiries lately from people with kids. I think it just goes to show that people don't read the listings properly.

 

I think there should also be a setting where you can specify you don't accept under 18s, not just under 12s. I live in a shared household, which includes me, a housemate and two guest rooms. I can't suddenly 'force' children on my housemate or other guests, even if the kids are over 12.

 

Also, I don't want enquiries from teenagers coming unaccompanied. From what I understand, under 18s can't make a booking by themselves, but I still get requests from them. Why? Someone suggested they are using a fake age/ID to sign up, but these kids have been totally open about their age in their requests. If they were lying about it in the first place, why would they not just contine to lie about it when requesting a booking?

 

By the way, does the number of booking requests/enquiries you decline affect your ranking in search results? If so, I think it especially important that we should not receive them from guests outside of the criteria specified on the listing.

Andrea9
Level 10
Amsterdam, Netherlands

@Robin4

Keep that mega croc leashed up close by! Will remind the guest to stay nice 😉

 

Sorry, couldn't resist...!

Leckie0
Level 2
Etowah, NC

I just had my first hosting experience and my first painful lesson. The guests contacted me on March 14 and begged me to allow them to stay at our house that night and the following two nights. I was very reluctant because I had another party coming in for an 8 day stay on Friday, March 17. I was out of town and unable to meet the guests when they arrived, but I texted them and asked if they had found the house to their liking when they arrived. I also stated that if there was anything that I could do to make there stay more enjoyable they were to feel free to ask. I also provided them with the name and telephone number of our property manager who lives 5 minutes away and told them to call her if anything came up. The only thing that I heard from them over the three days was a request to turn on the heat because they were experiencing a coldsnap. I replied "absolutely". They left on Friday morning and I arrived to prepare for the second group of guests that were due in that afternoon. I wrote a very positive review of the guests and posted it before they had written and posted their review of me and our house. When their review was posted, I was shocked and furious. They rated us 3 stars on cleanliness, indicated that the place could use some updating and complained that they were unable to get the heat turned on even after replacing batteries in the thermostat. I emailed them back and said " First of all I am sorry that you encountered issues that were not to your liking. However, with regard to the problems in the kitchen and with the furnace, I can only say that I wish that you had called or texted me when you encountered the problems. I would have dispatched our property manager to rectify the issues "in a New York minute". The HVAC system was brand new as of mid-February and we could have had Merrill Heating and Air Conditioning come out to get the heat turned on for you. Unfortunately, I can't address a problem that I don't know about. For future reference, if you are a guest in an Airbnb listing, please let the host know if there is a problem when it occurs, not after you have checked out and he/she is helpless to rectify the problem. In the future, I am going to wait to write my review until I see what the guest writes.

Leckie, we have been hosting on ABB for 3 years, what we have learned, whenever we troublsome guest I just do not write a review on them, that way if they write a bad one on you it will not show on your listing. I have actually done this about 4 times, we are still super hosts.