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“Nice small place in the basement matress hards as a rock but for the price was good Disapointed in daily cleanning fee and they never axelly clean the room Be prepare to wake up at 7:30 am because there is hamering and wood construction noises Very close to metro station that was perfect ”
the mattress is high-quality medium-firmness, very comfrotable - never a complaint. The cleaning - well obviously he doesnt understand the cleaning fee is a one-time cleaning. He only stayed two nights and left the place a mess!!
There is zero construciton in my house or neighbors - I cant begin to think where he got that from.
Suggestions how to respond? Oh, and he didnt mention that he insisted on early arrival (he informed us he would be there at 11 am. We couldnt accomdate this -it took three msgs for him to get it.) We were able to do an hour and half early, and then late check out -another hour and a half.
Also he left criticsim with AIr B and B, wifi, too small, listing not accuarate, noise, photos. Others have said apt. was exactly as described, 98% five star rating. how do I take this upwith air B and B? call them? sorry -never had this situation.
You won’t have any luck with Airbnb. Unfortunately, talking to them won’t help unless this guy broke somehow the guide lines of leaving a review. I managed to get it a review off only once since they guy threatened us - that was a wrap.
It’s OK to get a negative review. It sucks but it happens. We can’t make everyone happy. I think you should response to it with a professional reply and to the point. You best way dealing with it would be waiting 2 weeks until others will leave you a review and eventually push this negative one down.
That would be my reply for example:
“We’re were so sorry to hear about your experience with the mattress. It’s a fairly new one and we got only good feedback so far - we will definitely look into it. Not sure if you read the House Rules but this is not a daily cleaning kind of listing. We clean at the end of your stay. There is zero construction in our home nor the neighbors - not sure where you got it from”
Reply should be kept neutral, otherwise you look and sound petty.
“We’re sorry you mis-read the description of our listing and seem to think there should have been daily cleaning – it is a one-time fee and we clean up after a guest leaves. Everyone else reports that our listing is ‘As described and the bed was comfortable’. There is NO construction within miles of our place.”
No. Honestly, don’t waste your time and energy (or theirs!) arguing over this. It’s horrible to get your first bad review, most of us have been there and feel for you. Treat it as a rite of passage and move on. If you decide to reply to the review, it’s imperative (as I’m sure you know) to keep it as short as possible and highly professional. I like @Oded’s suggested wording.
I get even more neutral if I even respond… which is hardly ever.
I might say,
This guest didn’t seem to understand he was staying at an Airbnb and not a hotel with daily cleaning. Bed is brand new, high quality and always well received by other guests . No construction noise within miles and miles of us so I don’t understand the reference. We appreciate and respect our guests, and strive to give them the best experience here in xxx at an affordable price point.
It’s about being smart, not right. The “we will definitely look into it” As you can see, it’s only for the mattress part. Do remember that your reply to him is being seen by potential guests as well. I find it that when you’re argumentative or comes across as “close minded” they won’t feel as comfortable once reading it.
LOL good point! I am particularly taken with the word “axelly”. It reminds me of a small child learning to speak, cute for a kid - not so much for an adult.
I disagree. This is not about being RIGHT. Chances are good the guest will never read your response so remember your responses are always directed at future guests.
The fact that you admit you have to “look into it” indicates you agree there must be something wrong and worth looking into.
You want to plant the idea that something is wrong? You call that smart?
This is a strategy of staying the facts from your point of view. … and not responding with a mushy answer. … and that is smart.
I’m inclined to agree with this. I think it’s good practice if a guest mentions something v specific (like the mattress) to say you’ll check and take action if necessary. Even if you have no intention of doing so! For future guests, it is reassuring that you’re not defensive and are willing to address things.
Interesting! I can appreciate this approach too. It’s a fine line to tread. You don’t want to come across as arrogant and unwilling to take criticism but also it’s not good to seem like an overly apologetic doormat.
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