Two bad reviews in one day, ouch...

Discussion in 'Airbnb & Short Term Letting' started by Ouchmyknees, 27th Jan, 2018.

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  1. Depreciator

    Depreciator Well-Known Member

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    Re: Bad review 1. If that guest really did tell you he would only give you 4 stars if you didn't accommodate his request for a late checkout, that needs to be reported to Airbnb. They don't like that sort of thing.
    I never have same day check in/out. It takes the pressure off everyone. Guests can leave their stuff and have an extra day in the city before heading to the airport, and I can clean the pad without time pressure.
    Scott
     
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  2. Ouchmyknees

    Ouchmyknees Well-Known Member

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    He didn't say "give me a late check-out otherwise I will give you a 4-star." What he said was " if you give me a late check-out I will give you the best rating and review." So I'm not very sure if it qualifies as reportable.
    We use cleaners to do the servicing between guests so we do same day check-ins. We do inform guests where to store their luggages in the CBD.
     
  3. Depreciator

    Depreciator Well-Known Member

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    But then in the private feedback, you said he wrote 'you should have given me the late checkout'. Report him.
     
  4. jodes

    jodes Well-Known Member

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    I agree with @Depreciator - this is totally something that can be reported. Given airbnb a call to report it.
     
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  5. is_don_is_good

    is_don_is_good Well-Known Member

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    Guests can't blackmail you or threaten you for positive or negative reviews. Contact airbnb and they should remove it. The other review you
     
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  6. Paul@PAS

    Paul@PAS Tax, Accounting + SMSF + All things Property Tax Business Plus Member

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    I read reviews and 80% of them are whingers and its easy to spot eg late checkout v's the host policy. Thats where the art of finding quality lies - wading past the d&*kheads. Who even offers a 6pm checkout !! NOBODY ...Not even the Hilton unless you pay. I would offer it as (subject to property not being relet only and have an extra charge ie 1/3rd rate etc). I also see reviews where 20 people say same things like mould, cleanliness and condition and you know its a issue.

    The number of places I have stayed where is like 5 star but people have marked it as 2-3 star is common. All review sites are same eg Tripadvisor etc. People book a place and expect a 5 star hotel and pay $100. The best one is - I saw a cockroach.. WTF. One or twenty ? There was a hair in the bath. It happens. Its not like its a freshly built property !!

    Then they make comments about trivial nothings like - You didnt provide a hottub or the bus was always late !!

    Its Ok to post a reply that discards a irrational view. Just keep it polite and simple and factual and dont rate too low or it looks like its also trivial.

    eg : We always offer to provide late checkout if available as the host policy indicates. You were unable to be offered this during your stay as another guest would have been affected.
     
  7. Pentanol

    Pentanol Well-Known Member

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    It's time like this that makes me want to make a Google Spreadsheet like a blacklist for these kind of guests (Guests that you thought was ok but gave inaccurate reviews and ones that seemed like an easy guest but turns out they were "suffering in silence" and showed that in the review).

    If I have a feeling a guest will be leaving a bad review (like how the first guest blackmailed you) I would say in the public review something like "XX and their friends communicated well and treated our place well. However, they attempted to bribe me with 5 star reviews in return for a late check out" Or I would leave that last sentence and say "There may be other things to address so please see my response to the guest on their review for me".

    To prevent the second example from happening I either try to meet up with them after work to take them through the house (or talk over the phone) before ending the tour by saying "Lastly, Airbnb encourages communication, so if you have any issues that would result you in giving me an unsatisfactory mark then please let me know so I can resolve it for you. If I can't resolve it for you then by all means give me 1/5 (jk). Anything under a 5/5 is considered unsatisfactory so it's similar to Uber in that if you get too many scores under 5 you can get delisted". My response to the review would be different. i would say something like "Thank you XX for taking the time in giving your review. We are sorry that we did not meet your expectation on this occasion. We have investigated the area and were not able to identify any source of ants, food bits or moulds. Please note we try to uphold the highest standards for our Airbnb rental by hiring independent cleaners. We will however take your feedback on-board and hope you enjoy the rest of your travels"

    Yeah Airbnb can be a bit of a hit and miss with guests and when you can't be too picky until you hit your maiden century of reviews! My worse one was someone with one review already who originally booked 5 days in December (he booked pretty much a couple of days after I started) so I only had a moderate policy. He then amended to only 3 days because he had to go back to work early. Once he arrived he appeared to be low maintenance, when I texted him mid afternoon of the second day to see how he was going and whether theres anything I can do for him. He complained that I didn't have a salad bowl and there were a couple of hairs in the laundry. He went unresponsive after that, cause some issues and somehow managed to get a full refund from Airbnb by lying and then taking staged pictures as evidence. Airbnb still pay me about 50% but it was the busiest time I was left unable to make it up. Airbnb should not have the ability to decide whether guest can receive a refund or not as they not paying the mortgage and the guest was able to stay until the end. Imagine asking for a refund on a burger that you finished because you were unsatisfied with it?
     
  8. WattleIdo

    WattleIdo midas touch

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    Just re-reading this thread and your responses, or lack of, it may be worth considering that 4 stars is actually fair.
     
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  9. JDM

    JDM Well-Known Member

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    I think responding to the review is worthwhile so people can see both sides of the story. The blackmail should definitely be reported!
     
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  10. Xenia

    Xenia Well-Known Member

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    Don’t respond publicaly
     
  11. Aaron Sice

    Aaron Sice Well-Known Member

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    They saw the standard checkout arrangements before signing up for the listing.

    Extension is always at the concession of the lessor - anyone (renter or landlord) knows this.

    Respond to the facts for everyone to see, then ignore it.
     
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