I had a guest write a review once that was libelous, so I contacted Airbnb’s legal department to complain. They took down the review. Don’t call, send in writing requesting the legal department. I never accept Airbnb phone calls, only written responses.
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Wow - great idea, thanks. Certainly beats calling them daily and getting variations of the same entry level person assuring me that they escalate it another level and someone will call me back and nobody ever does (calling it the loop of craziness). I’ll get a letter out tomorrow. Did you send yours with certified mail or regular?
No I sent it through the website. I never answered any calls that I thought might be them so it forced them to write to me. I did this 2 years ago so they may have changed their policies.
I basically wrote a letter to let them know that the person’s comments were unlawful and that because it effected the work I did, could damage my reputation.
Keep it professional. I have also learned to not let the guests comments bother me as much. If you write feedback on his review, take your time and keep your emotion out of the reply.
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You are not helping other hosts with replying to a review.
Very few hosts go trough all the previous hosts a guest stayed with to see the reviews.
I have seen very very few good responses to bad customer reviews. So if you cannot leave a very good response, it is better to not leave one at all.
I started to look at the reviews guests have left for prior hosts (in addition to what the review they have from hosts) to see what I am getting before I approve. Having been burned, I do as much as I can to choose wisely. I am very cautions when leaving a not so good review, I read it over many times and make sure I only write facts.
Resolution Update: I took Caelleai and Lynick4442’s advice and send a message via twitter to Airbnb’s legal department. I got an almost immediate response that they had taken the review down. Thank you so much guys, wouldn’t have happened without the great advice from all of you. And a day later bookings started to roll in - Yeah!
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Thanks for coming back to update us. So many folks come get help and then we never hear back. I love a happy ending.
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Recently, I had a guest check in for a month. I hardly saw her. At one point, when I hadn’t seen her for the better part of a week, I sent her a note to make sure that everything was okay, and she responded that she was spending time at her boyfriend’s place. Okay… not a problem, and not unusual for long term guests. When she was here, she didn’t follow the house rules (a series of minor infractions, some I addressed, like remembering to secure the house by closing windows and locking the front door, and some I didn’t). When the month was almost up, she said she would be leaving before her stay ended. When she left, she took one of my pillows, so I opened a request with the Resolution Center. Not surprisingly, she left me a retaliatory review, mentioning the hounding by Airbnb for pay or return the pillow, and said I was OCD and other “not nice” things. At first Airbnb didn’t think that her review met the standard for removal. I responded that her OCD comment was slander. Yesterday, the case manager said that the situation would be referred to their legal department. I haven’t received a further response from Airbnb, but today I noticed that the review no longer appears. I’m stunned, relieved and thankful.
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Glad the review came down. Knowing what you know now would you put in a request for a pillow again? Or anything valued at $25 or less?
Just curious,
Thanks
RR
I submitted for an $18 item, which the guest did pay, and yes, I would do it again. Not cool to steal my stuff. But then again, my rate is $59/night and $18 is a chunk of that.
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So glad it worked out for you! Sometimes us good peeps win! 
Yep. I’d do it again. For several reasons… the principle of the thing - taking someone else’s property isn’t okay; I’m not in a financial position just just let go of $25 or 50 (half or all of a night’s stay like @tumo); and because the pieces can’t be replaced individually, it would have been more than the cost of the pillow, the protective cover and the pillow case. The set of sheets would be one pillow case short - you can’t buy just one pillow case; the pillows I bought come as a set of two; and so do the protective covers. So, while the actual cost that the guest would have had to pay was less, the cost to me to replace everything taken would have been significantly more.
This wasn’t the first time that a guest has damaged something. In every case, they have come to me and said just let me know what the cost of fixing or replacing is… one person broke the Command Soap Dish in the shower; one got an ink stain on the duvet cover that couldn’t be remove; one got an ink stain on the sheets; the most significant was the one that had an uncontrollable nose bleed - it was like a CSI scene. For that incident, I photographed it all, just in case, but he covered the cost of everything. I’ve been pretty lucky. These guest have were all responsible and honorable people.
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although a bit of a ball ache, and I’m not recommending it, but if every stolen item was claimed for, it may well stop a lot of future items being taken from other hosts. I’m sure there’s regular guests who like to take a little souvenir, or even just feel they’re entitled to take things.
I guess it is a matter of perspective, lower price point leaves little wiggle room. I’ve not had anything walk away that I know of with the exception of a butter knife. I figured that must have landed in the trash so now I check the trash as I empty it.
RR
Delivered by carrier pigeon
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Just to be devil’s advocate for a minute… but if every host put their prices up by a few dollars a night to cover ‘shrinkage’ and saw that as part of doing business, then perhaps the customer service reps would have more time to deal with real issues rather than the odd disappearing (or damaged) towel or fish slice.
Blimey, Airbnb might even save enough rep money to lower the fees. Yeah, right… 
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I’ve thought just the same. There are people reporting here that they call Airbnb for every little thing.
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Yep. I’ve read where hosts have called Airbnb for something that many of us would call pretty trivial matters. As an ‘old-school’ host (oh dear) I’ve found that so many issues can be dealt with by simply a face-to-face conversation. Guests are rarely uncivilised monsters. They are usually lovely.
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thing is, guests would learn of this, and then make sure that they took a towel, whether or not they wanted one, and whether or not they would normally have taken one before the price increase 
Well true. But to continue being devil’s advocate if I put my prices up by $5 per night and a $15 towel went missing every couple of weeks I’d be quids in. 
However, according to the Telegraph people nick all sorts of things from hotels. Even a grand piano in one case.
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