In the past two week’s following a guests stay I have decided to stop hosting on Airbnb (I know this story is not going to sound nightmare-ish and believe me I’ve experienced worse but the way that this has been handled by Airbnb has just tipped me over the edge). I am a super host. Guest and 6 colleagues booked our 5 bed, 2 bath large house (two living rooms etc.) to stay Fri - Sat.
From when the guest booked (few months from stay) she messaged a lot and overtly friendly - all fine. On the last day before of cancellation window before check in (a few days prior to stay) guest began messaging asking ‘how many bathrooms’ etc. info that is all in the ad but of course I nicely replied to every message but the guests tone had changed. Despite me explaining how many bathrooms guest came back explaining they were all women they would all be trying to get ready for events etc. Again, fine there is nothing I can do five days out from stay about the amount if bathrooms - I genuinely just assumed the guest would cancel but she didn’t. We are extremely reasonable - these guests paid 455 euros for the two night stay between 7 ppl in a high tourist area and I know that the other comparable Airbnb’s are much more expensive.
On the first night the guest messaged (9:30pm) to say the kitchen tap was not working. I checked - no water outages in the area - replied to guest right away asked was the water running everywhere else in the house - the repose I received was so patronising and the guest explained to me how water tanks and taps work in properties - all of which I am of course aware of but if I can to be calling a plumber on a Friday night I need to know any detail they may need. The guest was saying the tap wasn’t working then was dribbling then saying it was just a pressure issue. The guests response made me a bit suspicious if I am honest, her rigmarole of information seemed prepared and was irrelevant in the context.
At the end of last summer we experienced what could only be described as guests who had figured out how to work the Airbnb system. Three separate bookings in a row booked tow night stays. They brought about 4/5 loads of washing with them and begun washing upon check in. They each managed to wash and tumble dry everything throughout the first night and the next morning and once they had this done they then contacted Airbnb to claim there was no running water for a shower (a lie) (in the first two instances) and attempt to cancel the second night and get a refund. In the third consecutive stay the guest actually attempted to break the toilet to claim they didn’t have a toilet to use. This was extremely stressful I actually woke in the middle of the night from the noise and spent almost an hour in the toilet with this man trying to battle with him to stop attempting to rip different parts of the toilet (flush handle and inner workings) off. In this instance the next morning Airbnb cancelled the guests second night stay, refunded the guest and reduced the money from us! It was totally infuriating but an absolute eye opener to the types of scams guests have figured out will get them free stays.
Anyway, back to two weeks ago. When the guest began talking about the tap not working I wasn’t quick to just call a plumber - I knew this would reduce the majority of the guest stay payout and I still couldn’t seem to establish if there really was an issue. I emailed Airbnb on the Friday night after speaking with the guest who informed me that I could request the guest email a video of the tap not working. Guest had said she would contact me when they got home that night after checking the tap again, she messaged on the Saturday morning to say the tap still wasn’t working I responded to request that she email a video of the tap not working so I could resolve the issue ASAP. She responded a few hours later to say she couldn’t do the video because they weren’t at the house but she then added ‘we will try to find some bottled water - I hope we will be able to and we will all be ok!’. I honestly still cannot believe that she attempted to insinuate that they may somehow die of dehydration (this was at 8am on the Saturday morning) because of this claim that the tap was not working. That evening she messaged to say the tap was working.
Upon check out we found the guests had taken 100 euros worth of towels with them and did over 100 euros worth of damage to the driveway kerning which is made up of cement blocks and would take a lot to shatter as they are now. The guests (IMO in an ‘FU’ move) piled all sorts of rubbish on the floor in the utility room from food to soiled boxes etc. In front of half full bins. We have a no smoking policy and the driveway outside both doors is now full of cigarette butts in the gravel along with the flower beds around the house. They stole books from the bookshelf upstairs etc. etc. Anyway, I know as hosts we need to accept some loses but I can’t help but feel as though considering each person paid approx. 67 euros for a two night stay where we use Egyptian cotton everything (not anymore we’re seeing out the summer with the most basic of basics).
So I was back and forth with Airbnb and put through a resolution request which of course the guest declined - following this the guest wrote a review. I have (eventually) managed to get in contact with a specialist super host agent who in fairness to her was very supportive and fair (but it took a lot of frustrating bots and media threats to get to her), she advised me that since the guests review was made following the reimbursement request it would be considered retaliatory and even gave me today’s date that the review would be removed. However, yesterday I posted my review for the guest simply outlined was had happened - all pre-recorded in back and forth messages since the incident’s. Within an hour Airbnb had removed my review of the guest - I am honestly dumbfounded. To add insult to injury, the guest left me a review which can only be described as strategic. The guest mentions (completely untrue) titbits that would put anyone off staying in a place, even mentions that people with asthma shouldn’t stay there - I’m not going to go into too much detail but this is total BS. She makes numerous others lies that couldn’t possibly even be related to the property. She gives 3* for Value which is honestly such a kick in the teeth considering the low cost they paid and how they ensured to reduce our payout by over 50% in damages and stolen items before leaving. Another (IMO) aspect of the review which just show’s the clutching at straws and how ridiculous the review is; the guest mentions there were spices and sauces leftover that should’t have been there - insinuating we hadn’t cleaned up after the last guest or that the past guests left thing’s. There is a space rack in the kitchen that is cleaned and replenished and kept stocked up in EVERY turnover, there is cooking oil, new butter, new local jams, and soy sauce incl. stock cubes in their respectable places in a kitchen that is entirely free of any clutter. Anyway, sorry this is such a rant but now Airbnb are completely ignoring me and refusing to remove the guests review.
I constantly see hosts pleading with other hosts to write honest reviews about guests so that we know what we’re getting ourselves in for. This guest had 4 5* reviews. Last summer I was left feeling as though not only had guests figured out how to ‘work the system’ but that Airbnb were in a sense really just facilitating it. I mean if they take the money from the host it doesn’t cost Airbnb anything - they keep guests happy and are happy for these guests to continue using Airbnb with hosts thinking they are accepting booking requests from normal rational people and not people who already have a game plan coming in the door that is going to cost the host. I now firmly believe that Airbnb are manipulating the system to maintain high user base (guests) and to hosts blissful ignorance until something goes wrong and it’s the hosts problem anyway. Anyway, I know his was a massive rant but I’m honestly so disheartened at this point and I hope this provides some insight to other hosts that you really cannot believe the reviews.
