Airbnb host leaving malicious review because she disapproves of the paper DH reads...

[BinDiesel]

NC for this for obvious reasons.

Went to stay at an Airbnb last week. All fine, no problems we were made aware of while we were there. It was a quiet family holiday with children. So no music played, no visitors, no excessive noise or drunkenness etc.

We left a really positive review despite a few niggling concerns like finding a pair of (dirty) boy's underpants left by the previous guests as we thought it was a genuine oversight and didn't want to be petty.

The day after we left we received an absolutely inexplicable review from the owner which basically implied that we had trashed her house and behaved appallingly while staying. She said she would need to do an entire day's cleaning to get her house back in order and that we'd broken all her house rules. In her private feedback she admits that actually we overlooked one dirty pan, left a small ketchup mark on a sheet (which she would have changed anyway) and one or two other minor housekeeping issues. It wasn't ideal, but relatively reasonable after almost a week of three small children. She also said we had broken all her house rules, which included no smoking in the house and no loud music, which we categorically didn't do. She also made some entirely false claims regarding things which we either cleaned thoroughly or never used in the first place being left filthy.

If she'd marked us down a bit for cleaning and left a review accurately reflecting this I would have apologised and accepted it. But instead she's left a malicious and entirely exaggerated review and sent us really unprofessional private feedback which is personally insulting and borderline abusive.

We've contacted Airbnb who've been no help even though they can see from the private feedback that her public review is inaccurate, I've deleted my account with them because they were so useless.

We were absolutely gobsmacked and couldn't understand why she had done this. It just literally came out of nowhere. So, I've done a bit of digging about her today. We knew she was a big Labour supporter, as her house was covered in billboards for them. But I've done some digging today and discovered that she is obsessively opposed to any media which she deems 'right wing', even going as far as buying up all the 'social pornography' (so the Mail, Sun, Express etc) on sale locally and burning them so that she can rescue other people from being polluted by it. She also campaigns to have it banned. And guess what paper DH reads and left in her recycling? Yep. That's right. The Sun.

It's the only possible reason we can think of for her going so psycho on us. She's also probably massively wide of the mark in whatever she thinks that means, as DH is a Marxist Irish Republican. But he also really likes football and thinks The Sun does the best reporting on it by far, so he buys it, reads the back pages and then recycles it away without ever reading the rest.

That's absolutely immaterial anyway, because she simply shouldn't be judging and abusing guests based on what they choose to read anyway unless she is prepared to be upfront about this and specify beforehand that she doesn't want them on her property.

I'm so furious she's got away with this scot free and made money in the process. Given that in her private feedback she basically admits her review isn't accurate WIBU to try to take this further? Would I have any success with a civil claim? I'm tempted just to sign her up for millions of Sun and Daily Mail promotions, but I'd like to do this through the proper channels instead and she'd just use them to get money off the ones she burns.

So WIBU to follow this up? Any suggestions how I might do it?

[stopfuckingshoutingatme]

I would also chalk down to experience

People this weird eventually get their come uppance anyway

Think of the energy and stress to get revenge / is she worth your energy ? No

For that reason let it slide xxxxx

[gotthemoononastick]

Op,you know that you left the place clean and did not smoke,thus you feel humiliated.

This thread reminds me of people who move.Those who leave, clean all week and leave everything spotless.Those who move in need industrial cleaning products.Nothing in between.Just forget it ,it is worrying you and the other party is not even thinking about it anymore.

The rest is a case study of corrosive bitterness ...not useful.

[SilverShapesColors]

Op did they charge a cleaning fee? Honestly it doesn't sound that bad a state you left the place in. I won't do airbnb. Agree with the poster who said hotel anyway. The last thing I want to do on holiday is to be cleaning and dealing with people like this owner.

[Mix56]

In fairness the guest doesn't know if the host is breaking their mortgage and rental agreements, and if they're insured properly, or not. It would be difficult to discover.

"They don't mind", nor are they responsible for the host's tax fraud. This is why the law is tightening up now.
However, if you don't like their service you have a free choice not to use them.
Airb&b have moved on from a possibly perceived "backpackers"
cheap sofa bed solution, to a massive mondial platform for renting anything from a teepee, to a castle.
There will always be unscrupulous people, & there is no guarantee that it will be perfect, any more than a hotel, or a house rented through an agency

[SouthChinaMorningPost]

The sun....The ketchup....It all sounds a bit questionable OP

Did you eat a bacon sarnie in bed while reading the sun?

[Only1scoop]

Or wrap your sarnie in it?

[FreeNiki]

But you expect body fluid on a bed sheet. Sweat. Hair. Blood if you accidentally overflow your sanpro. Your whole body touches the bed for 8 hours.

Food in bed after sleeping in it is gross imo.

[Kaybush]

OP I do feel for you - this woman sounds crazy and horrible.

However, we have a flat on AirBnB, and if guests left a copy of The Sun behind I would probably scream then faint.

Images would pop into my head of the sort of people who break wind constantly in front of each other, have a poo with the toilet door open while holding a conversation, have reader's wives style rumpy pumpy...all in my flat.

Sorry.

[daisychain01]

OP please don't start an online vendetta it is a really ill-advised thing to do. You should read up on the dangers of getting caught up in posting negatives a la Trip Advisor case posted on MN a few weeks ago.

Even if you are in the right it could do you personal reputation harm that youll never repair.

[Puzzledandpissedoff]

Maybe this is a completely stupid thought, but I wonder if she got her reviews mixed up somehow and posted one which belonged to a genuinely awful family on yours instead?

[wisteriainbloom]

Today 12:58 daisychain01

OP please don't start an online vendetta it is a really ill-advised thing to do. You should read up on the dangers of getting caught up in posting negatives a la Trip Advisor case posted on MN a few weeks ago

Except that wasn't a 'vendetta', it was a genuine review about a place that the op had been to.

[keeplooking]

if guests left a copy of The Sun behind I would probably scream then faint.



Couldn't you just put it in the recycling and think no more about it? Much less stressful.

[Gunpowder]

Coming back to the thread late but I am dying at Rousette's cup in a bowl! No words.

[OhtoblazeswithElvira]

This reads as if it's a chance to have a go at 'lefties' by a Sun reader dressed up as an AirBnB problem.
It's a very strange problem and response...

Agree

[PacificDogwod]

I see this thread has provoked some heated debate, pithy replies and robust opinions
Gawd, I love MN!

[kali110]

if guests left a copy of The Sun behind I would probably scream then faint.
really

Images would pop into my head of the sort of people who break wind constantly in front of each other, have a poo with the toilet door open while holding a conversation, have reader's wives style rumpy pumpy...all in my flat.
Yes, because i'm sure every sun reader does that

[cluelessnewmum]

Agree that if you left permanent stains on sheets they'd be within their rights to take it off a deposit.

Think the issue with air bnb is that they separate the charge you separately for cleaning (often a substantial amount) so maybe a lot of people think, well I'll not bother leaving it tidy then.

Conversely Alot of holiday lets stipulate you leave the kitchen tidy, don't leave washing up etc, and you'll be charged more if you do. So maybe this vagueness in policy causes the problem.

This host is obviously a psycho but it sounds like you weren't especially considerate either op.

I've used airbnb many times and not had an issue, but then I've always cleaned the house (more so than a holiday let if it's obviously someone's main house) and always got great reviews from hosts.

Next time if you use air bnb maybe make sure you leave it a bit cleaner, and try to sort out any damage, and always give your review after they've done theirs (they need the good review more than you do).

[bruffin]

and always give your review after they've done theirs (they need the good review more than you do).
You cant read their review until you have done your own. I was at an airbnb this weekend. I got a message to say that owner had left review and it wouldnt let me see it until my review was done. Assume its the same for owner

[MercuryMadness]

I have never seen the attraction of Air BNB and it does seem like you are at the mercy of crazy owners. I would rather a family room at a Premier Inn.

[MrsHathaway]

I agree for one room, but I massively prefer having additional space eg separate bedroom for the DC, own kitchen, sitting room so you're not in the same four walls all the time. AirBnB and similar agencies are great for that kind of accommodation.

[bruffin]

Mercury
This weekend we had a lovely cottage in a pretty village that slept 5 of us( 3 bed) for just over £200.
It was lovely and so much nicer than a premier inn.

[KERALA1]

Need a nights accommodation this weekend. Quick look at air bnb but Dh and I both agreed couldn't deal with the angst of twitchy home owners so booked utterly anonymous chain hotel. Bliss.

[lozster]

I'm reluctantly using airbnb as a property is convenient for a wedding not because it is bargainul. It comes with cleaning fee. Whilst I wouldn't trash any where, I don't expect to clean if I've paid a not unsubstantial fee for that? On a holiday cottage for example I would sweep up dropped cornflakes but wouldn't Hoover the house before leaving. As my airbnb includes an itemised fee added on to the daily rate I would be even less inclined to clean. Have I got this wrong?

[MrsHathaway]

I think the cleaning fee is a way of making multiple nights cheaper than multiple single nights. Eg £50 per night plus £20 at the end, rather than charging £60 a night. Hotels might clean every day but B&Bs don't.

[Ohyesiam]

I hate the Sun very much, but she is batshit