When you look at a host’s review, you might not see the whole story. Our host wrote that people shouldn’t give her one-star reviews if they didn’t read her booking and know what to expect. Fair enough, right?
The host had hundreds of review, but if you scroll down, you can’t find any guests that did not recommend staying there. I wish I knew why someone would give this host a one-star review, and I figured out the hard way.
When I had to do an emergency change to the reservation, the host declined my request to change any dates. I ended up paying more than double the original price because it was a special weekend and $40 in Airbnb fees for two nights. Why do the booking and service fees cost so much for just two days?
The room was okay but the floor was like concrete: no rugs, tiles, or carpeting. There were spiders in the room and the bathroom, and the yard looked unkempt: dirt yard, wooden boards. You could see how the neighbor’s yard at least looked neat and had plants. It was a basic home and room that cost the same as staying in a hotel for one night.
When you have this happen, don’t bother calling Airbnb. After staying there, Airbnb predicted that my review might be too honest for them and actually blocked me from writing reviews. It’s a business, they said, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t appeal to them. They don’t even tell you that you can’t write reviews.
They force you to only have two choices: lose your money and don’t stay there, or have no choice but to stay there because after you’ve reserved on a strict reservation, there’s no cancelling. You end up losing your money anyway and paying 15% in fees.
Next time, book a hostel or a hotel where they don’t charge a high booking fee and let you change your reservation. Hostel and hotel reviews on Yelp aren’t monitored by the hostel and hotel themselves. You get more honest feedback that way. When reviews are monitored by the business and chosen by the business, you’ll know the reviews are to serve the business.
I have used airbnb a lot during a period, and advise people not to use it (at least the budget accomodations, a bit cheaper than a hotel)
1. I found 5 out of 10 had a criminal record (even money laundering) and the rest serious financial troubles.. Many people who rent out rooms are in desperate situations because of their personality and choice they have made. Desperation make bad hosts.
2. Reviews are wildly exaggerated positively, as Guests seem to lie just to be able to stay cheaply (poor? stingy?). It is a veritable lalaland, to be found nowhere else. On airbnb hosts, guests and the company seem to have some kind of joint psychosis.
3. Indecent sexual advances are quite common. I have had one sexual assault and several other highly inappropriate SUPERhosts
4. Most hosts lie_ inaccurate photos, how many people are living there, internet, breakfast et c. LYING is standard on airbnb
5. Airbnb does not give a shit, as long as it does not give bad publicity. They just want MONEY and do not care for your safety at all. Their standards are abysmal
6. Airbnb destroys the housing market globally and actually promotes greed.
If you are not extremely poor, stay at a hotel. It will also be cheaper in the end (proper breakfast et c), you will not have to deal with shady hosts and unplanned negative surprises.
We live next to the Airbnb from hell. so bad that we are now with solicitors developing an injunction for Court. Our “super host” has nothing but good reviews which Airbnb refuse to take down even tho we’ve provided substantial evidence to the contrary… including involving Environmental Health Dept, Advertising Standards Authority for wrongful (and illegal) descriptions of location and about the property itself, upheld twice now….. our Super Host provides a discount for leaving good reviews……. so don’t be fooled by reviews on Airbnb…. its all to promote properties that make the company £££$$$+++ profits.
The only time Airbnb blocks reviews is
1. When they have proof of review extortion. E.g. the guest says to the host “If you don’t give me a refund, I’ll give you a bad review.”
2. Proof of a 3rd-party booking. E.g. Joe uses his account to make a reservation, but only his friend bob actually stays in the listing.
So, which violation of Airbnb’s terms of service are you guilty of?
My negative review has not been posted and neither of the conditions stated apply.
Your review is not instantly published as the review system is blind meaning it won’t get published before the host submit a review OR when the review of 14 days are over. If you wrote a bad review and it was published straight ahead and your host still needed to write one – what do you think would happen? I read a lot of things in here where it is quite obvious that those who writes doesn’t got a clue about how the airbnb system work but assume a hell of a lot .
I wonder how much Airbnb pays you.. I ve seen you being quite passionate about it and post on multiple posts .
Airbnb has just blocked my factual review because I opened a dispute which ruled against me .
I had all the evidence but as everyone else mentions Airbnb cannot care less .
This is against the European Commission enforcement action which states that the customer should be given advanced warning before Airbnb decides to remove any content and yet customer have the right to appeal . And guess what! I was not even told they would not post my feedback!
Your review will be pulled if you write about any ongoing case with airbnb or if the review is hateful, discriminating etc. It is the same for everyone and any experienced host will know that. I’m an experienced host, danish/western europe so I’m not used to having to do with corruption and things like that. I have educated myself within the airbnb system and find it to be pretty fair and square.
The floor was like concrete? Did the description promise soft floors? Did it say the yard would be beautiful? Spiders in the house?
Doesnt sounds like something that warrants a bad review. If you say she had hundreds of reviews that means the place is usually booked so maybe she quite honestly could not accomodate your booking change.