Our worst experience as hosts in 5 years! how to review?

21

That’s not “how it works.” It’s one host’s experience. As JJD said it seems to be random and arbitrary. Many people posting here have reported that one review was removed but not the other, going both ways. And nothing is going to be removed if no one complains. I’ve seen some amazingly insulting reviews on listings. There is no way Airbnb would have left them in place if the guest had complained about it.

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22

I think that you have been through more than just hosting. I believe, sincerely, that you have suffered a traumatic event.

This isn’t business, as least as far as I know it. And that’s after about 50 years in customer service and brand management.

My handy dandy repertoire includes taking care of myself first. Businesses come and go. You can always rebuild a business. You can’t rebuild you.

Obviously the police can get them out. But I would make sure that my back was covered with multiple witnesses. Call in a few hundred favours. I even have some connections with the Angels (I used to do evictions for them. Don’t ask.)

Am I over reacting? Possibly. But I would rather be safe than sorry, and in this case, your safety is paramount.

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23

I don’t think that it works that way…
If OP violates ToS in review and it gets removed does not get the guest review removed if it doesn’t violateToS also.

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24

You are correct. Mentioning Airbnb involvement in a dispute in a review will cause it to be removed. Although I have read a few that slipped through the cracks.

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25

Nasty stuff after everything you have been through. But be sure to borrow that full weeks. Then keep it succinct, honest, focused, and served stone cold.

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26

It doesn’t work like that - look at Airbnb’s policy on this it is very clear that only the offending review gets removed.

It would be counter- intuitive to penalise a guest or host who hasn’t broken the rules by having their review removed too.

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27

A review only gets removed if one of the parties complain about it. Airbnb doesn’t monitor them other than the program that scans and removes what it thinks are non airbnb web links.

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28

KKC- So you’re saying they don’t have an algorithm that detects mention of Airbnb involement, discriminatory comments, or anything else against the review TOS? That those reviews would only be removed if the guest or host complains?

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29

Why do you think there is an algorithm that detects mention of their involvement in reviews? - is this mentioned in their T&Cs? @muddy

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30

I would say CAN or MAY cause instead if WILL cause. I often included the details early on and not one of them have been removed. I don’t doubt that they would be if the guests asked for them to be removed though. Airbnb does not actively review each review for this.

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31

Correct @muddy. The offended party has to report it. Or perhaps a 3rd party could report it too, that I don’t know.

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I didn’t say there was, but I think it’s likely.Thay have algorithms that detect key words they will block, and that will block something the algorithm thinks is a phone number, even if it isn’t. Of course there isn’t anything about their algorithms in the TOS. But they use them extensively- it’s how the entire platform is run, from your search ranking to the threatening notices you get if your ratings are less than ideal.

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33

I’ve seen reviews that would demonstrate my belief that reviews aren’t screened upon submission. Like where one guy called his guest a pendeja. He actually had two quite insulting reviews in a row. I don’t know if I could find him again. I’m not even sure how I stumbled on it in the first place.

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34

Yes, I’ve read some pretty insulting reveiws as well. But I still think there are algorithms to detect certain words, like if someone used a racial slur. On the Airbnb CC there was a thread about decorating for holidays- i said something about winter bouquets- that a bouquet of pussywillows and rosehips in the winter can be just as nice as fresh flowers- the algorithm changed “pussywillows” to bleepwillows. It was hilarious.

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35

Why do you think they would be transparent and mention them in the T&Cs? :laughing:

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36

Thank you SO MUCH Lynick4442 :slight_smile: I really am very grateful for all replies

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I too am at a 4.6 and been stuck there for years because of one bad review

ALSO for homeshares like been reviews are unfair because I not only take pets BUT I have slate floors . There is a reason hotels have carpet

Reviews ARE a joke

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38

A review is only removed if it violates Air’s Terms Of Service. It could be full of baloney - as can yours - but only a TOS violation will get it potentially kicked.

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39

You appear to be replying to this statement of mine.

My first post in the thread says this:

aka, Terms of Service;

Lynnick posted wonderful links explaining all this. To be clear what I am saying to you and to Muddy is that I believe that Airbnb is only going to know if a review violates the TOS if someone complains about it. Hope that clears things up.

Kicks dead horse one more time to be sure.

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40

It makes absolutely no sense for Airbnb to remove a valid review of a host or guest that doesn’t break their T&Cs just because the other party tries to game the system as @Chris suggested by deliberately writing a false review in order to get a review they didn’t like removed.

If that was true both hosts and guests would have cottoned onto it long ago and would use it as a get out clause to get bad reviews against them removed.

I asked @Chris to provide evidence of what he said was Airbnb policy from their T&Cs because it appears so unbelievable that Airbnb would do this :blush:

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