Unfair reviews

[Zandra0]

I have to say I am starting to get really upset with Airbnb and the lack of protection it offers to hosts from guests with unreasonable expectations.

I recently had guests stay for four days with next to no English. Even using google translate was hard as it didn't really translate particularly well and I was often scratching my head as to what my guest might have meant.

This guest ignored my advice to eat before checking in, insisting they would check in immediately. They arrived at 10.30pm, checked in and then asked where they could eat. Out of kindness I made them chicken sandwiches and crisps.

Then we had god awful weather and they bought a cheap umbrella which broke. They then used my umbrella and swapped their broken one for mine...checking out with my umbrella and obviously hoping I wouldn't notice the swap. I did and immediately raised the issue.

In the meantime the guest write a review with the usual insipid meaningless comment while in the background knocking stars. He gave me a three overall in particular noting under accuracy that the property and room was small and not as expected.

I'm absolutely fuming and angry that I have to accept this review despite clearly noting in the description and in pictures what is available.

Airbnb say it's the guests opinion and therefore valid. I find that totally ridiculous. So can I book a cheap room and then when it isn't the Hilton rate it one star? This whole situation with reviews is ridiculous and guests clearly know how to dupe the system.

[David126]

It is what it is and if someone knows how the system works it is very possible to leave a snide review which you would have difficulty complaining about and I know no way of having the stars change. Only comment I can make is to not pay much attention to reviews.

[Elida1]

Hello David, I am somewhat upset with a review we just received and I just noticed that you mentioned to not get so cut up by them.  I had my first guest and we only saw her on the first day that she arrived.  We go to our workout at 5:30 am and get back around 9 am, by that time she was out of the house because she started working at 7:30 am until 5 pm; when she got back home we had some buisness meetings because we work from home.  We asked her to please leave the key in the mail box on the checkout date and she gave us all 5's in every category but, for the overall stay, she gave us a 3.  Is that normal?  Now Airbnb is sending notifications threatening to freeze our account if we do not increase the rating! That is somewhat confusing to us.  How we can get 5 for every category but a 3 overall.  Please help me understand.

Dan and Elida

Quiet Winter Park 

[David126]

Not every guest realises that AirBnB operates a 5 star system, 5 being the norm and anything else is a minus.

When I first started I would look at these things and expalin to Guest how AirBnB operates but to be honest it became boring for them and me.

I decided there was no point, after all who knows why they gave you 3? Let us assume it was a typo, they did not notice, nothing can be done to change it.

After a while the errors, the guests who think 4 is wonderful, the people who are just looking to complain, well hopefully they are a small percentage and it averages out.

[Elida1]

Thank you David, I am new to this and is crazy to figure that out.  I am a fultime PhD student and Dan is a fultime student as well, he is going for his master.  We have a business to run, so this was something that we though it was fun and we can meet some interesting people on the way.  thank you so much 

Dan and Elida

[David126]

AirBnB is a business, treat it like and everything becomes much simpler, ignore the spin, that is marketing.

[Janette6]

Thanks for your message. Ive been having good reveiws mostly except when guests havent read the details I provide! (No wifi or TV)

Now a lovely couple have left and said the problems were "Fotos and the size of the house". I have Photos of every room in the barn and describe within the ability of the AirBnB forms exactly what they are getting. Its frustrating because you cant improve if you dont know what they are cross about. I dont know what to think except that it is not a positive system if you cant change the problem areas, not knowing what they are. If its size of room then I cant improve. Someone once complained about the location of the property!! We are very rual but about 2miles from Gloucester City.

Good advice to ignore the reveiws Im sure but.....

Id like to improve if it were possible but without ability to reply it impossible.

[Robin4]

@Zandra0

Bug*er, that's a bit hard on you...and you do go out of your way to make a guests stay great...look at your other reviews! And I think Zandra, that's what you have to do, concentrate on the good ones and let the rough ones slide! the down side of that is months of hard work has to take a back seat to this one 'difficult' guest. You have to put so much more into it to get that star rating back. Maybe the language thing will be some sort of pointer for you in the future.

It is possibly too late where this guest is concerned in the review system. but Zandra there are still ways you can get your point across about that guest. When you next guest reviews you and gives you that nice review which you deserve, and expect, in your review response you can say....."Thank you your lovely review and staying in my listing. You were great company and treated my house wonderfully, and thank you for that great star rating. It was a touch disappointing that my previous guest did not quite see it the way you did and gave me a very poor star rating. It did sadden me that perhaps language difficulties got in the way of them leaving me a similar review to yours...but, that's life. Thanks once more and I hope our paths will cross again in the future"!!

It is not perfect Zandra, but other guests will read that as they scroll down and will understand why you have written that.

Keep the chin up possum and let this one go through to the keeper....and just keep on doing what you do so well.

Cheers.....Rob

[Debbie106]

All my problems seem to come from guests not completely reading the description or house rules.  I am now asking them to confirm ahead of time that they have read the entire listing and house rules.  My next step is that Im going to book my own place for 1 night so that I can review what questions and ratings my guests are given.  The part that really bites is the low ratings on accuracy when the problem stems from the guests not reading the entire listing.  Also guests that are new to Airbnb need extra communication so that they are aware of all the details.  Ive been an Airbnb guest and had such a great experience I was inspired to list my own place.  I wasnt asked the same detailed questions at that time that my guests are now being asked.  As a result I have taken off the use of public spaces in my place such as the kitchen and laundry room.  If its going to get us a bad rating then its best that they stay out of these areas.

[Sarah505]

One trick I have done for people reading as there are many of them.

I print out  the airbnb paper from the website, and make them sign it when they arrive. I give  the copy afterwards. That has partly helped.

[Kathy105]

Hi Sarah - which paper are you referring to?    Your Listing?    I quite like the sound of that.

Kathy.

[Jane255]

Yup. I listed the common areas and my guest said they were all immaculate. But they chose to use a non-listed patio to smoke and dinged me on the cleanliness stars. I covered the chairs out there with towels but that wasn't good enough apparently. Disheartening.

[Kathy105]

I totally agree with you on this one.     I had exactly the same type of problem.     It was their very first Airbnb booking.     I have done lots and really enjoy hosting people from all around the world.    I pride myself on cleanliness in the flat.    This local couple didn't read anything, knew nothing and expected their flat to be serviced daily and their sheets and towels changed every five days.     She admitted to me that her and her boyfriend are lazy but I'm sorry - go to a hotel then!    My Airbnb does not advertise daily cleaning.    It gets cleaned before they arrive and it gets cleaned after they leave.    If they are there longer than seven days I change the sheets/towels and give it a quick tidy up.    That's it.  

She also said that she can only see the sea views if she stands up and looks out of the window.....   what did she expect?   My Listing shows photographs of the view from the flat window.    She also slapped me with - get a new bed and buy new sheets.      She wanted the rubbish to be removed daily too.   She also expected some seating area with sofas.    My Listing doesn't show seating areas so if she had taken the trouble to read it she would have known.   There are two white chairs if she wants to sit down.

If she wants all that then she should spend more money and get a one bedroomed home with cleaning services or book into a hotel.

Wow I feel so much better after that little rant.    Thank you for listening.

Kathy.

[Valerie138]

I was wondering if a host needs to give a review on a guest?  I have had several guests that did not leave one on me.  I just had a guest that left early because my two dogs did not like him and barked at him when he came home.  I have 23 reviews all good and they had no problem with the dogs.   My dogs love it when guests come and are always friendly so I don't understand why the problem. The dogs are listed on my listing by name.

Now he has done a review on me and I am suppose to give one on him.  Can I choose not to leave one or how should I handle this if I am required to do a review?

Valerie

[David126]

Nobody has to review.