Need feedback on my review for bad guests

She has to be careful mentioning any open case. It’s not allowed.

Sometimes rants are needed. Just ry to keep it unemotional. If possible!

Remember though. She is speaking to other hosts. No need to sugar coat anything…And in fact, it sounds a little insincere, when I bet they are not thinking they are sorry at all. Please remember, you can’t refer to an open case at all.

We all know there are very very bad guests. Other hosts are reading the reviews. At this point who cares about being nice to the bad bad guests.

Speaking of that, the OP may want to add their profile to our Hall of Shame so none of us get stuck with them! :smile:

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Yes, they CAN. But you already know it won’t be good… So when or if they do, let it fly!

@Artemis
I love it! Says it all

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So if they can leave a review, I am more inclined to write a more detailed account along the lines of the one you suggested, because I know for sure that they will say the M word. My husband thought the moss photos were hilarious, because we are in Portland, Oregon, and there is moss on everything outside. It turns brown in the summer, but looks pretty on our front porch steps in the winter, as can be seen plainly in our listing photos. By the way, this case is officially closed with the Resolution Center. Now, I’m thinking I will use the Artemis approach on my review of them and the Konacoconutz approach in my public response to their review of me. I will change some things around.

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I still think less is more. If I read a long detailed review accusing guests of being liars etc, I would be inclined to think ‘oh dear, there’s a big story here and either one of them could be right’. I think you need to decide what is your real aim: is it to punish these awful guests or is it to warn other hosts? IMO, I would keep it as short as possible if you want to do either of these things effectively. The big dilemma will come when you need to respond to their review.

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I would leave out any mention of mold, mildew or allergies. Mold is something that some people believe that their “super senses” are better at finding than scientific mold testing. I think that if you mention it in your review some people will move on to another listing when they read that word.

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The problem with Artemis approach (nice as it is!) is that it cannot be proved. “They made up a claim” is not provable so it invalidates everything you say.
I am not a lawyer, by the way, just to be clear! Facts are always best, they have much more authority than speculation.

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Agree, but this a review of guests so it will not be visible to future guests unless they actively search it out. On the other hand, if the guests leave a crappy review mentioning mold it might be a good idea to get in there first and set the facts straight. But then again most guests have no idea how the system works so won’t realise. This has turned into quite a saga!

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jumping in again, where I wasn’t asked but careful also leaving a response to their review, as these get expanded and are like a glaring red thumb until they finally drop off the page. It’s a slippery slope writing these because you don’t want to sound defensive. Potential guests are looking to see how you solve issues.

I made the mistake once and never again. It expanded the entire thing, accck! And what’s worse is the guest had offered to edit it but because I had responded he couldn’t.

Think carefully about responding, and if you do, only do it to correct something factually off. Make that short and sweet as possible. The less said the better. Nothing, if you can get away with it.

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I clerked for lawyers as an undergrad. One attorney there would always say “Don’t assume facts that aren’t in evidence.”

Good point! It’s kind of what I meant. The review is about one’s own experience as a host so the statements should only be about that, not about what you thought might have happened or what you thought the guests might be up to. I still think the short sour approach is by far the best and the most professional. LOL at the Good Wife turn this is taking :slight_smile:

Ok, point taken. What if it was changed slightly…

“They were quite nasty in their efforts to get a refund, even though they left voluntarily mid-stay.”

Leaves out the whole detailed story but lets future hosts know that these guests are no someone they want in their house

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Nope! Pejorative words immediately invalidate everything. I still think @NoelR " This guest was not a positive experience for me. They made unsubstantiated claims about my property, and I could not reason with them. The experience was regrettable on several levels, and I do not recommend them at all." is the best. What sane host would take them after that? So, warning achieved. Next step is responding to future review and ‘unsubstantiated claims’ is already on record. Host remains professional at all times.

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How about “unsubstantiated allegations?”

claims is better. Allegations sounds too over the top.

Sorry, I don’t think this wording it advisable. Name calling tends to say more about the caller than the called. Also, as you don’t say they left voluntarily mid-stay someone reading this review could infer that they had good reason.

There comes a point where things get over-thought! Personally, I would go with that short sweet/sour two-line version. Anything else is going to get complicated and make people question who is right/wrong. Ultimately it will just make you look bad. Cold and professional is the way to go, I think.

NoelR, to me, the point you want to focus on with these guests (the two sisters) is that it was discovered they were on a waiting list for another accommodation and on day two of their four-day stay with you when they got a call that their first choice became available due to a cancellation, they created a phony claim for early departure!

The fact that they created the mold/moss situation as an excuse is not the issue…it could have been any number of things. Don’t get caught up in the minutiae which only serves to muddy the waters. They had an ulterior motive for their early departure and hoped to benefit from it. Fortunately, it was discovered and revealed to you by the Resolution Center…which you cannot bring into your public response.

As a host, if I read that those guests pulled a quick one because their first option became available, that is what would qualify them as despicable in my book…not a he-said, she-said about possible mold.

I think Artemis provided a powerful response.

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