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You know very well that it doesn’t. 
All it does is require a good level of cleanliness - which is something we all want when we’re staying in any accommodation be it Airbnb, a hotel or whatever. Some muck is invisible, such as pee stains on the wall by the loo, but they are still there whether you can see them or not and left uncleaned, they can pong.
All the black light is doing is helping you to see where needs cleaning - it’s no big deal surely.
Update
I didn’t hear from back from Airbnb so had no idea what was going on. I waited until the 14th day to write my review as she had written hers well before. I wanted to make sure hers was well down the list and I reviewed everyone after her promptly. I was a bit disappointed that a couple of guests were from overseas so theirs go to the end and a couple are yet to review but when it came out she was down at number 5.
It was brutal, she made up all kind of stories about pubic hair and being shouted at and abused. It was quite shocking, but luckily she went a step too far and in capitals wrote that Airbnb didn’t care about their guests or her safety. Then she said they had only offered her $100 in compensation (first I had heard about it).
You don’t get to abuse Airbnb on their own website and mention a resolution issue payment and not have your review deleted!
One small win for one small host
Somebody ranted about an eyelash? An abomination! We must alert Interpol. Did they run a DNA test to see if it was human? (You never know.)
Wow. I’m new but just wondering at what point would it have been worth it to just reimburse something to this woman to have her leave and make the problem go away?
It just generates a lot of needless stress and bad feelings maybe better to give up a hundred dollars and be at peace?
Or depending on your status if you have 200 good reviews just consider it will make your listing more “real” and put a good response to her?
Luckily and apparently these people are also pretty dumb and so isolated in their self centered world view they will make mistakes while reviewing or communicating on airbnb.
Also very worrisome in your story is the inconsistency of airbnb support personnel that is really a problem.
@lililou1
The problem with paying extortion money is that it rewards bad behavior and creates a class of “guests” that none of us want. Hosts that cave and pay up will eventually resent the power bad guests have over them.
Yep I get it. I’m just alarmed, as a new host, that so many super experienced hosts still feel these bad experiences so personally and deeply and it creates so much stress.
I have over 20 years experience as a landlord and holiday home host, but only 6 months with airbnb. I have to say the airbnb systems creates an unhealthy bias towards the guest giving them so much power. Yes it’s great because the occupancy is there. But I have had people who do not read one word of the check in instructions, go to lunch while my paid manager is waiting for them at the apartment, or try to run a 10 hour errand instead of arriving at 6pm they will arrive at 3 am etc… Before, people came with their own sheets! Nobody expected linen service, shampoo, bottled water, host on their knees on the floor with a blue light headlamp and sticky tape collecting eyelashes from prior guests.
I’ve also been there with a complaining guest, not for an eyelash for a more reasonable unpleasant guest, where the random custumer support agent tells me I should reimburse the client 50% of their stay for an amenity they complain about although they refused to change to another apartment or accept reimbursement and go someplace else. It consumes you and you go nuts with sleepless nights for days or weeks. Waiting for their stupid review, depending on some 18 year old kid employed in another hemisphere with Airbnb Client Support to give you his green light to charge them for the damage.
This does not seem reasonable to me no matter what you are getting out of the system.
How to deal with this mentally, financially, etc.
This forum is a great support system and will help you a lot with practical suggestions as well as empathy.
Yes, the guest that does not arrive when they say they will is frustrating. I put my check in window in the House Rules and at booking thank the guest for choosing my listing, remind them of the check in window, AND I confirm their check in time. Twice recently I’ve had a guest who then revealed that because of their flight, would be checking in later than my 9pm cutoff. I then reminded them that checking in after 9pm was a violation of my House Rules and that they would have to cancel (which they did.) In your case, paying a manager by the hour for an exact check in would be harder. Have you considered self check in?
I don’t think the guest was dumb.
I think that they had a whole meal of negativity and the host just happened to be the target.
i have always maintained that people need to have good sex more often.
I would add a laxative to that. Not all at once, though
This is it for me. Best comment on the forum. Ever. Lol
Hosts, however, need more hugs. A virtual one to all of you! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Lililou1, this post gave me an early morning laugh, brilliant critique!
I had a complete lunatic give me 1 star review with a 4 page write up ( I have 133 reviews majority which are 5 *) the only reason it was removed is because he put my address in it. Can Airbnb not see these types of people are detrimental to both future guests and hosts alike???
I think they are now addressing outlier reviews as I received a poor one a while ago (and mine are normally 5*) and I couldn’t work out why it wasn’t live and then I found it as the last review on page 20. Yay!!
BCD do that they show you the positive reviews first if you want to see all of them you have to find the “see all reviews button”.
When there is a ranting critical review among other good ones, I think it reflects badly on the people, not on you.
thank goodness lucky you he put your adress in it!
yes this is true especially if you take your time to respond in a professional, objective and non emotional way
I was told by airbnb support that you see the reviews from people “similar to yourself” first. They have analytics software and know where your IP adress is, your language your gender your age…
So indeed you may not see the reviews in the order they are posted but rather in the order they are filtered to correspond to guests similar to yourself.
Of course many listings have a pretty homogenous client base but if you’re in a big city or popular international tourist area there is a chance that the bummer review won’t be on the top of everyones list
It’s interesting, as I received a wonderful review a couple of days ago from someone in the next state and it is yet to be on my listing. I am not far off calling Airbnb and asking them why it isn’t live.
I think that Airbnb should create a system whereby they can defend hosts in situations like this. I know its hard when dealing with situations via email but still it is obvious when some guests go overboard with their complaints.