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I had an interesting guest recently. I explained the airbnb rating system to her, but she proceeded to give me a 3-star review. Then she explained to me in an airbnb message that “Your listing is not a 5-star property, and if I gave you a five star review, I would be lying and it would not sit well for me with God”.
I don’t know or care what religion she is from but this was an extremely unusual comment. A religious justification for leaving a review that hurts a host. No kindness, just plain blunt adherence to dogma.
For me, I find it’s ok to have an occasional bad review since I have 400+ reviews. A negative review kind of reinforces the point that your reviews are real and not fake factory farmed reviews.
I should think God, if one believes in such things, would have more important things to do than make a note of someone leaving what that person considered to be an overly generous Airbnb review.
“Yes, I know you’ve dedicated your life to helping the poor and the homeless, and volunteered in refugee camps and ran into a burning building to save a child, but I’m sorry to say that 5* review you left for that host in Florida who you felt only deserved 3 stars is going to send you straight to Hell.”
I think I might reply [privately]. along these lines:
I say unto you that our God would not want you to lie of what you do not yet see. Yet – lo! – His Kingdom dwells in His followers and there, wherever they are, He is, and the light is cast and shineth like stars. Five were the wounds of his Son, and five stars the light of all his followers’ dwellings.
If the guest replies to this message you might direct the guest to Customer Service to beg that the rating be changed lest . . . lest He be displeased.
LOL. I don’t even understand this type of language ( I don’t know what is the right word for it), although it is fun to read that. If you are serious about sending it, I will. She has already done the damage. Not sure if she will be offended.
No, I wouldn’t send it as the guest would likely be offended, though it would be great if the guest took it seriously. Yes, the damage’s been done and, as you say, it shows that your other 5-star reviews are real.
Bahahaha that’s so awesome I laughed so hard. OMG @house_plants PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use this reply! It’s SO obnoxious that they’re citing GOD as the reason for their review.
Seem to be a lot of people these days who are a little, and sometimes a lot, unhinged. I’m just waiting for some host to report getting a guest who said they didn’t have to follow the house rules because they’re a “sovereign citizen”.
I had some sympathy today for those who want to discriminate against me because I’m gay. I have a regular guest who is not raising his child in a way I approve of. I feel pretty strongly about this but I’m not sure it qualifies as a religious belief. But if I invented a religion, this would definitely be in my 10 commandments: “Thou shalt raise thy child properly by limiting screen time, feeding nutritious food and not trying to buy love with things.”
It’s difficult for me to watch a 6 year old with a screen in his hands seemingly 24/7 walking in and out of the room, two or three large bags of junk food, snacks, McDonald’s, sugary drinks and candy, and boxes and bags of things, every monthly visit. After one visit there were ants and I never get ants. They never seem to leave to do anything but eat. It’s upsetting enough that I may stop accepting the booking requests. Luckily I, too, can get away with discrimination should I choose to do so.
As a mom of three and grandmother of 6, I can relate. My daughters actually don’t allow their kids unlimited screentime and my youngest doesn’t let her 3 and a half year old look at a screen at all, even facetiming with grandma. She wants to keep her away from that screen addiction issue as long as possible.
And don’t get me started on children stuffing their faces with junk food. When the kids are already obese, it’s even more disgusting. Borders on child neglect as far as I’m concerned.
All of this is lazy non-parenting. Makes you wonder why they had kids.
Like @muddy I’m a mom - of 2 though - and a grandmother of 1 very active boy. Whose screen time is limited, snacks are limited and sugary s**t is definitely limited, and he’s now running 1/2 miles at 3 1/2.
I’m end-of-boomers-beginning-of-gen-x so … drank out of the hose, had play clothes (hand me downs), was given an apple and tossed out the door until dinner, rode bikes miles away, was basically feral. I think it was a great upbringing.
Kids had no desire to stay in the house after school when I was young and most weren’t allowed to. Same routine as for you- change into play clothes, have a snack, then out the door. One family up the block had a big bell on their back porch, which could be heard all down the block, the parents would ring when it was time for their 4 kids to come home. And they were in big trouble if they didn’t appear within 5 minutes.
Nowdays parents wonder how you can possibly parent if the kids don’t have cell phones. I even hear them defending their kids having cell phones in the classroom, saying they might need to get ahold of each other. I guess they don’t realize that if kids and parents really needed to communicate during schooltime before the cell phone era, that was done through the school office? Worked fine.
Thank you for enlightening me with your profound wisdom on the divine implications of Airbnb reviews. Your concern for divine harmony is truly awe-inspiring.
While I apologize for falling short of your heavenly standards, I appreciate your honest feedback. Rest assured, I shall strive to summon the powers of the divine to transform my listing into a celestial paradise for future guests.
Wishing you an eternity of 5-star experiences in your travels, guided by the divine forces.
@muddy and @casailinglady to be clear, I think screens are great. I think TV and all the handheld screens are great and one of the best developments of the last hundred years. I also think cheap, quick food and cane sugar are completely fine… in measure.
A lot of people have their philosophies, and although I generally eschew old people thinking about the good old days, one can’t really beat the Golden Mean of the ancient Greeks.
Yes, and I also appreciate everything we can do easily on our cell phones these days. It’s when it becomes an addiction and parents let their kids use them in an unlimited fashion, like a full time babysitter, because they are too lazy to do interesting things with their kids, that it’s an issue.
They are a tool, but a tool that is easy to become addicted to and when it takes the place of social interaction, like seeing a family out for dinner, none of them conversing, all staring at their screens, that I find it sad and disturbing.
I read two things here - 1) guest does not / cannnot understand that airbnb ratings are based on matching the description in the listing with the actual property. Sounds like you tried to explain it but is she still stuck on 5 stars equals a luxury property?
2) God wants her to tell the truth, not lie.
Although I dont recommend this, my first cheeky thought is whether her all-knowing all-seeing God knows how airbnb ratings differ from hotels.
in measure… those are the key words and what I meant - and agree with you. Sure, the tow-headed boy gets sugary treats and his Mom just bought an iPad to download age appropriate movies for the 12 1/2 hour car ride from Lexington, KY to Tampa, FL - along with playing games, stopping at water parks, and area attractions.
I had limited TV time and was given the TV schedule as a child and told to carefully pick how I wanted to spend that time.
But I spent WAY more time outside than kids do today and most of that was without a cell phone and without adult supervision. It was great.
And my main point, provoked by someone saying something “won’t sit well with God,” is that all these religious wierdos can stuff themselves.
I used child rearing as an example prompted by the recent guest, but everyone does a lot of things I don’t like but I don’t deny them service. Religious bigotry is just as bad as racial, intellectual, disabled and every other kind.
I even hear them defending their kids having cell phones in the classroom, saying they might need to get ahold of each other. I guess they don’t realize that if kids and parents really needed to communicate during schooltime before the cell phone era, that was done through the school office? Worked fine.