To leave a bad review for an Airbnb that only has good reviews ?

[user1487450864]

We have stayed at many Airbnb's, they have all been great & we have come to realise what is/isn't included and always take the extras we know we will need.

We booked a flat for a recent long weekend & it has left a bitter taste.

Firstly - the place was covered in dust - you could write your name in dust on every single surface.
Secondly - Dp is a huge rugby fan and was looking forward to watching it before going out for dinner. Got ourselves set up with beer and nibbles - the TV didn't work ! Contacted the host - "oh yeah - you can only watch it through the playstation so you can only watch iPlayer"
Thirdly - Lazy Saturday morning in bed - someone lets themselves into the flat !!!!
Contacted the host immediately who did apologise and offered a 20% refund for what happened. It transpired he had arranged for someone to paint the front door (gloss) so would we be ok if they painted the door & left it open until it dried ?? This was an inner front door but there is another flat on the floor who we knew nothing about !! he said he had to have it painted that day. We couldn't close the door until 10pm so had to basically leave all our stuff open to other occupants.
There was no washing up liquid or dw capsules
We had to buy our own pillows because his were so bad.
We had to use our own mobile wi-fi to watch the Iplayer because his kept cutting out.
We aren't precious but the dust was really, really bad & you do pay a cleaning fee !

[Nospringflower]

I think it is reasonable to say that. That is the point of reviews - so that you know what to expect.

[Spadequeen]

Why do you even need to ask? Of course you can leave a bad review

[emmyhNL]

I'd definitely be honest and give a balanced view. Stuff like needing to use your own Internet and bringing your own capsules would be useful for me to know.

I've included stuff like cleanliness and safety in the local area

[Hillarious]

Leave an honest review, if only so the owner knows what a bad deal they're getting from their cleaners.

[hellokittymania]

Yes I would say those things. Maybe Airbnb is like TripIt visor and you can actually take down reviews you don't like.

[user1487450864]

I know it's the right thing to do - just feel bad trashing someone's business but I guess he didn't feel bad taking our money

And the DW was full from the previous occupants !

[MakeItStopNeville]

If that's your experience, it's fine to share it as long as you're prepared for the owner to respond. However, I always snigger at the one bad review amongst a sea of good ones as it makes the reviewer look kind of high maintenance.

[kikibo]

Well, we've been to basic places and places that were run like three-star hotels with mini bars/snacks and everything under the sun (for a fee obviously), but if a host puts on the profile that there is TV to watch, then it should be watchable and not be limited to iPlayer.
Things like lacking dw tablets/washing up liquid we usually mention in the private review.

Painting the door is taking the p*ss, though. excuse my French. A) you warn your guests that someone's going to come, b) it needs to be with reasonable notice and at a reasonable time (of their choosing preferably) and c) you don't force them to leave the door open all day. What happens when something disappears?

As to the dust, people pay a cleaning fee so it should be reasonably clean. Being able to write your name in the dust is a bit rich.

So no, NU.

[PeaFaceMcgee]

Do it, but don't be surprised if it doesn't end up being published, or gets taken down. Airbnb edit reviews.

[pointstaken]

I would leave an honest review. It's not fair on people to pay for a place expecting something and not having it. Sometimes a bad review is enough to wake up the owner who is becoming a bit complacent. As long as you mention the refund, you should leave an accurate review, even if bad.

[EssentialHummus]

Yes, mention all of these. The key thing with negative reviews is to be factual and avoid histrionics. "The flat was well-located and [thing x] was great, but the following was not as advertised:" - and then list.

[GreenPeppers]

I don't se an issue with leaving an honest review.
It was what it was!

[ArcheryAnnie]

I think leaving a calm review mentioning all the things you have done here is perfectly fair. In fact, not to leave an accurate review would not be fair on future guests.

[Babbaganush]

For the sake of balance make sure you include the positives - location etc. I always pay more attention to the reviews that are objective rather than just negative.

[BipBippadotta]

If you leave a negative review, be prepared for an arsey response. I've used Airbnb loads, and have had overwhelmingly lovely experiences and left glowing reviews. One time I mentioned, as part of a generally positive review, that the heating had been broken & the owner hadn't responded to our queries about it (we were there a week). I got a series of quite nasty emails from the owner afterwards. Since then I just don't bother leaving reviews at all.

[Happyandhungry]

A 20% refund? With all that? And you're asking if you should leave a bad review? I would demand a full refund and i would also leave a scathing review. Disgusting!

[GreenPeppers]

Last time I left a review, there was a bit about the review that would be published and then one sent to the owner of the AirB&B
Could you send most of the comments to the owner directly but not so much details for the part that is published?

[Kiroro]

Could you send most of the comments to the owner directly but not so much details for the part that is published?

Why? All those details are exactly the things I want to know about before I book an Airbnb - the TV can only watch iplayer, the internet is rubish, the host has zero respect and arranges for workment ot ruin your stay and doesn;t get the place clean after pocketing the cleaning charge.

[ImportSave]

It would help if you could share photos of the dust for proof.

Bad service to have someone painting when there's guests in.

[shovetheholly]

How does your profile look? Do you have lots of endorsements from other people? If you get a vindictive review full of lies about you back, will people still accept your requests to book?

I think this is where the reviewing system falls down! I've stayed in two bad places, and didn't dare leave a bad review for either because I really rely on the site for accommodation and I didn't know what I'd get back from the owners.

[user1487450864]

I tried to post some photos here but said needed to be different pixels/size but will try again.

[TimetohittheroadJack]

On airbnb the host will not see your review before they post their reveiw of you, so they can't right a bad review back.

I used to host on Airbnb but have stopped as many guest expect five star hotel standards for very little money (in the area 25 pounds per night was the average on airbnb) . Negative reviews I had included the flat was too far from the city centre, that there was only one plug so they couldn't do the dishes whilst using the bath (really), that the towels I had provided (free of charge) did not match the bath mat (also provided free of charge) and probably my favourite, that the bed sheets hadn't been ironed very well.

[user1487450864]

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