Reviews and protecting future hosts

[muddy]

@Roocroft

Partly because my understanding originally when I started was that reviews were only posted if both parties submitted them so I was checking to see the current regs.

From where did you get this “understanding”?
I’ve been hosting since 2016, and it has never been the case that reviews were only posted if both parties submitted one.
It is also clearly stated in the basic information for hosts on the Airbnb site.

[KKC]

@muddy

From where did you get this “understanding”?

The already answered this question:

@Roocroft

I host about 140 days a year … So how do I not know for SURE the review system? Partly because my understanding originally when I started was that reviews were only posted if both parties submitted them so I was checking to see the current regs. But more importantly, because I never had reason to. I have always had very positive things to say about guests, and with a 4.96 rating from 412 reviews, my guests seem to have positive things to say about their stay as well. And yes, I am perhaps too trusting. This is the first time it has backfired

It seems they have been hosting since before the policy changed. Should they keep up with changes? Sure. Would most hosts if they never had any issue with the old system?

[muddy]

Do you happen to know, approximately, when the policy changed?

[KKC]

@muddy

approximately, when the policy changed?

@KKC

They changed to the double blind system around the time I started hosting in May 2014? Maybe after? It seems like I was a host when they made the switch

Yes…

[muddy]

Thanks, I obviously missed where you had mentioned that. I was just curious.

But double blind just means you can’t see the other party’s review before writing yours. It doesn’t mean that if only one party writes a review, that review won’t be published. So they changed both things at the same time,I guess?

[Roocroft]

That is true @PitonView . Airbnb was very forthcoming in saying they made a mistake by giving the refund before checking with me. So yes, I was appreciative that they admitted that and made it right. I know that’s not popular around here. God knows how many millions of guests are sour nasty entitled people whining about their hosts and demanding refunds on any given day (and sure - probably some who are justified) so do I blame them for seeing a photo of a host’s fridge that wasn’t completely empty and and making a quick decision to give this whining person a partial refund so they could move on rather than investigating the photographs and listing further? In the context of the reality of running this company, no, I don’t blame them. If they had refused to listen to my request that they know the full story, I would have been angry. They didn’t - they acted within a day and and admitted their fault - that it should not have happened. I’m good with that. Am I appreciative that there is a well run (in my opinion) platform that allows us to augment our income by sharing our homes, Yes I am. That’s how I roll. It works out better for me to not always think the worst of everyone.

[Roocroft]

@Muddy - I appreciate your reasoned responses. It’s true, I always just reviewed guests after they departed - always honest and positive. I’m also insanely busy ALL the time so I often research things on a need-to-know basis. I’ve never had to strategize how to deal with such a difficult guest and what I knew would be a bad review based on her attitude. I finally wrote my review which was blunt and honest. Hers was 2 stars, containing several out and out lies - so it took some mighty creative writing to finesse measured responses to all her claims, and convey airbnb’s re-assessment while not calling her out (I find very defensive reviews to be a turn off as a potential guest. It’s all been exhausting and a major time drain. Glad it’s over.