It’s very frustrating as a host to give a guest five stars for communication only to learn after their review of you is posted that they had an issue that they never communicated to you during their stay and instead decided to moan about it in a review. Completely unfair. The review system is so screwed up. They gave me two stars for accuracy based on our hot tubs being shared when it’s advertised that they are shared! Really? They fail to do the proper research and then give me two stars because of it.
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Just want to empathize with you. It’s so frustrating.
I think it’s worth a shot to ask for the review to be taken down because is does not represent an accurate representation of your STR since it’s clearly disclosed in the listing.
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I called Airbnb and they won’t remove it. They said that it doesn’t violate their review content policy. They said that I have to just take it. They kept saying that they understand that it’s not fair but there’s nothing they can do.
Just leave a review response. “How unfortunate that XX didn’t bother to read the listing information, where it is clearly mentioned that the hot tub is a shared facility.”
Negates her complaint, makes the guest look like an idiot, and encourages future guests to read all availlable info.
I don’t quite understand what her calling you about it during the stay would have accomplished, though. It’s not like an issue that required any action on your part to correct, and someone like that would probably still have left that 2* rating, simply because she didn’t like having to share. She might not have left it as the accuracy rating, but lowered the overall rating, which would have been worse.
I suppose it’s possible that if you pointed out to her during the stay that it is stated in the listing, maybe she wouldn’t have made those comments or rating, but also possible that pointing out her lack of reading prowess would have resulted in coming up with other complaints as revenge.
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You should be able to get the review pulled for that. Try again. And again. And then complain on Air’s Twitter feed.
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That is super-frustrating, I know. Keep in mind that, in fact, reviews can be removed (but only the author of a review can request its removal). It may be worth a shot to ask this guest to call Airbnb and request to have their own review removed.
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One way I head off this issue is by offering guests the opportunity in my checkout message to suggest areas for improvement. Doesn’t always work, but for many this opportunity to vent outside the review keeps them from feeling the need to vent in the review.
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Yes, I do the same thing. I think it’s a good practice.
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I’ve had a similar issue lately. Guest put one person in occupancy, I asked for further clarification because she mentioned family and the cleaner needs to set up appropriately. She got back to me the day after the cleaner came, I messaged her to make sure everything was well and she had enough supplies, no reply, I messaged before checkout , no reply . After check out she messaged great trip thanks. Cleaners said she was very messy . Other very recent reviews say great communication and clean. I feel like I’m going crazy , was she just this way for me or did other hosts embellish? I just wish guests would communicate, either way bad or good.
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Just because another host said she had great communication doesn’t necessarily relate to those things. Maybe the previous hosts don’t send messages like that that they expect guests to reply to. Also unless you specifically want a guest to reply to a message and say that, they may not think it requires a reply. The check-in message, for instance, may register as just to let you know if anything isn’t okay.
And did you cross reference the previous reviews to see how those hosts review their other guests? Sometimes you will see that a host leaves the same generic review for all their guests.