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Guest review, 5 star overall, 4 on communication, 4 on value, and 4 on location
"This seems to be a professionally run place. It’s a basement apartment with no windows, which may be a drawback for some. Some of the kitchen supplies are a bit worn or dirty, so if you cook a lot, make sure you communicate with Ana about your needs before booking. The apartment is well heated in winter, which is rare for basements. Everything is very clean and the neighborhood feels safe.
First, the basement has 4 windows
2nd, the kitchen supplies are all in good condition, the bottom was dark because it get used
and as per house rules, light cooking only
I provided 3 pots (different sizes) 3 pans (similar size)
Called airbnb to get it remove, they said the guest review did not violate their content policy.
I don’t understand how they see this that it is not
Their content policy does not prohibit lies, unfortunately. There latest update will disallow CERTAIN lies, but not if there are other valid truths (or even allowed lies).
Be happy you got the 5 overall. You could reply with the facts that correct the lies if you wanted. However, as long as you have pics of the windows in your listing I wouldn’t bother.
Not really. Your other ratings & reviews will speak for themselves. I had someone state there wasnt a second exit or windows. There is at least 1 window in every room and a clearly marked 2nd exit which I personally pointed out to them. People will say whatever they want- doesnt matter what you have in photos. If they didnt “see” windows then they wrote what they “saw.” Whether its truth or not. -_-
Are the windows clearly pictured in your listing? If not, fix that. Prospective guests can see for themselves. No need to reply, this will just draw attention to the review. Replace any worn cookware with new (looking) items. The review isn’t really bad as an objective observer. Having just skimmed it, what I remember from it was ‘clean’. One of the last things written. Kudos, keep up the good work and carry on.
It’s not a battle. It doesn’t seem like an unreasonable review. It certainly doesn’t go against Airbnb policy. Guests, just like hosts, are entitled to share their opinion.
I wonder why the guest said that the kitchen supplies are worn and dirty? It seems a strange thing to say if they’re not.
Think of your absolute favorite book or restaurant. Now go look at the Amazon or Yelp reviews for it. How many 1-star reviews do you find? It doesn’t matter how perfect or wonderful we think something is; there will always be someone who disagrees.
If you were Yelp and a restaurant said “This review isn’t true! She complained about X, but she ordered Y!” would you remove the review?
Let’s say you get 3,000 requests per day to change or remove a review. Do you hire teams of investigators to interview the restaurant staff and the customers before making a decision? That’s pretty expensive.
Maybe you remove 80% of bad reviews. Do you think people would continue to use your site if they knew 80% of bad reviews are removed? If you remove too many, customers won’t trust your review system.
Same thing here.
The review doesn’t sound bad. I’d just focus on providing great stays for my next guests so their reviews will push this one off the front page. As frustrating as that review is now, it won’t matter in a month.
I understand that it is not a battle, but it is a miss-information that needs to be fix.
As for the kitchen supply, The bottom of a pan is dark from usage and that is the only non-stick that I provided.
She gave 4 stars on communication because she texted me at 1 am and I replied at 10 am
She asked about the rules on quiet time, can she take shower
She gave 4 stars on value, because I didn’t give her late check out because that is her convenient time to check ou, but not for me because I had to rush to work after cleaning.
I don’t like to deal or call airbnb. But this case I have to.
But something like these which will deter future guests.
It also a slow season and reviews get buried slowly
Is it possible that one of the rooms has no windows and that’s what she meant to say? If so, and it’s the living room or bedroom, then you may actually have a real problem.
You can post a public response to the review. However, be very careful about not making yourself look bad if you do.
“Thank you for your feedback. The listing has 4 windows which are clearly shown in the photos.”
If you think that is what she was referring to, then throw it away and get a new one, but you probably shouldn’t respond in the review about the kitchen supplies.
Personally, I would contact her and tell her very politely that your goal is to provide the best possible guests experience and would appreciate if she could share and details on the windows and the kitchen supplies.
I would not reply to the review, but if you must, I would only correct the misinformation about the windows in a friendly and professional tone. The comment about the pans is subjective. I find that hosts look reactive when they respond to subjective critiques of the space.
It is frustrating to get dinged on the sub-categories, but at the end of the day they don’t count for much. They don’t count for Superhost and only show up if someone scrolls that far in your listing. I would be thankful for a 5-star review, the positive comments, and move on.
“Hi Han, I am in the industry for 20 some years, and I am sorry that bottom price is still not sufficient to you. As per window, our basement has 4 windows, (see floorplan) that you might have missed before booking. I understand that I cannot satisfy everyone. Thank you for writing.”
and move on. Seriously.