Bad review on TOP of the listing page

So I have had 2 guests last month that gave me no so good reviews which is really the 1st time this happens
They are the people who think Airbnb are hotels and are entitled to a lot. They don’t get that these are peoples homes. Anyways I have seen a decrease in the amount of requests for February do your think this might have something to do with with. The reviews are on the top so that’s what worries me

Can you tell us a bit more? What happened? Why did they leave you bad reviews and what was the gist of their reviews? How many stars did they give you?

What were their complaints?

Yes, hard as it is to swallow, your decrease in bookings could be related to the bad reviews. I know it’s easy to say but can you take a hard look at yourself and the experiences guests have written about? Perhaps your listing didn’t disclose enough cons and that’s why the guests were disappointed?

My listing clearly stated the bathroom is shared among airbnb guests and they thought it was private and it was what they pretty much bashed me about

I also clearly state my neighborhood is nothe the prettiest and looks kinda sketchy other guests read my listing properly And they understood that I live in the ghetto and they don’t mind because they know what to expect but other guests don’t bother to read and then apparently I get low star ratings on location . I don’t lie about my listing and I state every positive and negative aspect of my listing

February is SUPER slow for inquiries, so it could not be totally about the reviews. My inquiries have dropped by more then half this month.

Eek. Not ideal.

I saw this tip recently, and it seems like a really good way to avoid bad reviews. Figured I’d share:

:slight_smile:

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I guess you have to inform EACH guest who enquires… make sure they know they are renting a place in the ghetto!

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In theory, the private feedback to host box should fulfill that need to be more liberal in complaining.

Grabdyv8 – Make sure you address their bad public comments in your response to their review. Just politely counter each one as you have done in this forum – in a non defensive manner. Future guests will see that perhaps the issue was that these complaining guests didn’t read the listing description.

You could say something like: “even though the bath is shared, it is cleaned daily.” (which is what I say for my shared bath and I’ve never had a problem … some guests do not book because they don’t want a shared bath, but they know in advance).

I’ve seen people describe sketchy neighborhoods as “transitional.” I think you have been much more honest. What guest really want to know is if the neighborhood is safe. You can counter the sketchy aspects by describing the good points – just guessing here but maybe ethnic food, interesting street art, community spirit??? What do you like about your neighborhood??? Put that up front and also the safety factor.

To boost bookings, try going into your calendar and lowering a price by just one dollar… you can raise it again in a few days. I’ve found that frequently adjusting the pricing does help my listing show higher in searches :wink:

Good Luck … after a few more guests this review will be down lower on the list.

Happy Hosting!

Lia

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Oh, this is such a simple and easy tip! I’m going to instantly put this into action. I already have house binders, so adding some blank pages with the heading “suggestions” is a breeze.

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I had this happen to me within the last 2 months.
I welcomed a guest into my home with only a days notice. I did my absolute best to make her feel welcome and answered all her questions like I do with every other guest, I even welcomed her with a small cup of chocolate ice cream!

Any who, I cleaned the unit and prepared for her arrival but immediately once she entered the unit she stated she forgot a lot of her own hygiene products; no problem! It just so happens I have a few travel sized shampoos, body washes, and soaps for her to use.
After helping herself to what she needed she also let me know she forgot her toothpaste, not thinking this was a big deal I offered her some of mine. Later in the evening I answered her questions about the area and where to go.

Upon checkout she thanked me for hosting her, I wished her all the best, happy ending… or so I thought.

A day later she posted a very negative review stating that my unit was not tidy, that the area was inconvenient (the subway is literally connected to my building) and just plain shamed my unit and area!

Anyway, I commented back on her review, first of all thanking her for her stay and apologizing for the inconveniences she experienced at my place. Which to be honest I don’t understand what the inconveniences really were?

As a result I lowered my rate by $10 for the month of February, I had 3 guests since then leave positive reviews which helped to overcome that bad review.

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That is a great idea!