I know you were being light-hearted, but a book isn’t a bad idea. We could each write a chapter. We’d probably make $20 each! (The most I’ve ever been paid for publishing my writing.)
I think this is a good example of why, most of the time, it’s better to not react at all. There was nothing wrong with the review, it was even helpful to weed out any future guests who would have problems with too much nature. The reply on the other hand, although it isn’t written that badly, has a perfume of defensiveness and passive-aggressiveness. It also attracts more attention to the review: With just the review I could still naively think that the cottage has windows with beautiful nature views, after the reply I have to worry about bugs.
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I agree on all points.
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Maybe that review by guest was ok with you but it really got me quite irritated as 1) never mentioned anything while he was there and then makes those accusations 2) compared my low cost place with high end Hamptons 3) failed to understand the difference between city apartment living and rural woodlands living 4) other than a couple of other city folk, was my only complaint about bugs in two seasons.
I just wanted to emphasize to future guests that it’s IMPOSSIBLE to have a place like mine and not have an occasional bug or two in unit and my professional pest control guy says the same thing. There’s one type of bug that they won’t even bother responding to if you have less than half dozen or so because they know with my location, a handful will make it in somehow.
Look, I know how you feel @pleasantforestshores but I’m in South Florida and we have a great selection of bugs to choose from mostly year round - mosquitos, no see 'ums, palmetto bugs (flying cockroaches), ants (from tiny to huge), those weird centipede things that curl themselves up… you name it.
I’ve never had a guest mention this is a review and if they did, I wouldn’t respond to it.
- You say he never mentioned it - were you checking on your guest and asking if everything was okay, if there was anything he needed, if there was anything you could do for him? Some people are simply introverted and aren’t forthcoming unless specifically asked.
- I don’t get that point. Isn’t it good that he was recommending your (presumably) bargain place rather than a ‘high end’ one? That’s how I read it
- He didn’t say anything about this. Anyone reading wouldn’t get it either would they?
- He wasn’t to know that another guest had also complained so I don’t know why you were “quite irritated”.
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@pleasantforestshores Sorry but another one here who thinks your response was unnecessary. It was a nice review but you made it into something else. As a potential guest, I’m wondering what the hell?? Presumably you don’t want guests who freak out at small insects in the countryside. So I would have taken that review as a positive.
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You may see it as a nice review but I respectfully disagree. I saw it as one of my more negative ones and potentially damaging to my business so I felt the need to reinforce the concept that I am not a hermetically sealed environment which it seems big city apartment dwellers are more used to. I have never had any complaints from customers who are more rural or suburb dwellers.
This unit has been operating as summer rental since 1962 so if there were ongoing issues, I would know about it, I am quite sure.
Fair enough. Many of us just don’t see it as a complaining review and definitely not a bad one. If/when you do get a bad review - please don’t post a response without checking in here, first? Honestly, you will get good advice. The worst thing to do is react in anger.
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Obviously the first sentence is very complimentary but the second sentence was very negative to me with the parenthesis clause being equivalent to “(your place is full of bugs and sucks)” for me. So I tried not to respond in anger but with what I hoped to clarify was his impossible expectations and a bit of humor (our bugs must like you). I fully realize that my places aren’t for everyone but when I have two customers on their fourth generation at my family’s business, we must be doing something right. AIRBNB only represents maybe 10-15% of my customers with the rest being mostly regular/repeats. I am thus maybe not as concerned with how my response to a negative review is viewed as those who are mostly dependent on new ABB guests.
@Magwitch iPad wouldn’t let me finish above post and view the ‘Reply’ button so here’s rest of what I had written:
I care but I also am quite honest in my dealings with guests and if they have an issue, don’t notify me (I live on-site in season so available most all the time), and then leave a complaint, I will NEVER take them back and attempt to refute their complaint as well. Am I defensive about my cottages? Yup! Are they perfect? Nope! Are they a very good value for money? Most everyone thinks so! That’s what matters to me.
Historically word of mouth was the mechanism that drove people to trust sellers. It was largely done “live” ie face to face. But now the 21st century marketing has social media driving word of mouth. Airbnb is effectively a social media platform. Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) is something social media entrepreneurs try to cultivate.
The hosts here with their own websites will be aware that there is an arms race in creating content that drives our guests to our listings. Reviews could be considered as one such “back link”. The same is true for a Facebook marketing with posts and likes onto your FB page
Airbnb reviews act as authentic expressions of what your Airbnb is like and future guests trust them.
This makes them valuable and as such we should thank our guests for giving us their help.
FWIW I think that in the future, people will become more reluctant to express a positive opinion publicly as it requires an effort without reward. Such efforts are rewarded by people with a grudge. When they are angry for whatever reason they find such efforts easy to overcome as the sweet taste of revenge reviews is the reward to such trolls.
I take the view that if the guests have been good enough to write a personal review then it deserves a personal reward. It closes a social loop that gives future guests insight into your hosting character.
FWIW It also has the side effect of drowning out the inevitable negative reviews you get from time to time too.
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I agree.
We now respond to every review and never resort to boilerplate text. It can actually be quite challenging at times, but I know (been told by guests) that our reviews are one of the reasons why they’ve booked with us, as opposed to the many others in our, at times, over saturated marketplace.
JF
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Ah ok. Then knock yourself out with your review responses!
I’m not being sarcastic, btw. You are in an enviable situation so… yeah, go for it!
And…since then, I have tried (especially with city folk!) to tell newbies that they might encounter an outside bug accidentally wandering inside and to not freak out which they have understood and I don’t recall any other issues since…except some carpenter ants in a windowsill and I had the ‘bug man’ there the next day but those were LONG time customers also.
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I can imagine your impatience with guests who want that great outdoors experience without… .well, actually really experiencing it. They should stick to their ipads. I’m in Scotland and we’ll just laugh in your face if you complain about midges during the summer.
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I have had guests reply to my reviews but I only know this by checking them later on. I have never gotten an email about it.
No, you don’t get an email. Only one, in recent times, that responded to one of mine ended up being a complete rant that ultimately reinforced my not very nice review. Must confess I was waiting for it so checked every so often!
JF
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