I've totally done the wrong thing ...

[appleaday12]

DH and I recently went away for a weekend, DD stayed with grandparents.

A long awaited trip just the two of us, been so looking forward to it etc.,

The place we booked was an Airbnb hosted by a rental holiday company not directly by a host.

Anyway! It was expensive boutique style home...all very lovely except the first day when we opened the door...you could smell damp!!!!
One of the blinds had visible damp...there was water damage to the flooring close to one of the back doors.
Anyway!!
We let the property managers know but their office was closed over the weekend etc..
We stayed for the weekend but the smell just wrecked it!!
Annoyed I left a bad review on the Airbnb site...I'd rung their office Monday and got a short swift answer by one of the property managers that she "didn't smell anything damp at all...I was there only two days before your visit"
I thought she must have had covid and couldn't smell it!!

Anyway they are raging over the review and I'm now feeling terrible.
Apparently EVERYONE who has stayed in the past has said it was like incredible and I'm an annoying twat.
There is a damp issue at this property!!

How do you know if you've never stayed in one? We've stayed in quite a few, all have been good, some great, none without minor issues. No unrealistic cleaning expectations either.

The property isn't the only think that's wet, OP.

The only things you did wrong was to remove your review and to not take pictures of the damp and the water damage.

And say you wouldn’t use Airbnb again

Why? They have done everything they could given you didn’t contact them till after the weekend and you have asked them to remove your review.
This isn’t their fault. They have processes in place if something like this goes wrong and an opportunity to leave a review but you didn’t use them and cancelled your review.
What else were they supposed to do?

Personally I have a sense of smell akin to a bloodhound and can pick up smells when no one else can. If someone said in a review that they smelled damp it would be a no from me. So removing your review is going to have an impact on future guests until someone stands up to the holiday company and isn’t browbeaten to take their review down

The reason now still stands that anyone else staying at the property smelling damp will be told that no one else has left a bad review, no one else has had a problem

All previous reviews will be positive if the negative ones are removed!

Most places would have an emergency contact for the weekend. If you could have gotten someone to come round you could have discussed it there and then. I wouldn’t have taken the review down to be honest but that’s up to you.

I can always smell damp, even when others can’t. It’s horrible and I can definitely see how it ruined your time there.

Don’t understand AT ALL why you took down your review??? If there’s a way to get it back up then I definitely would. You sound like you’re easily intimidated … but what’s the worst they can do to you for leaving a negative review? 🤷‍♀️

Honest reviews, good or bad, are essential for things like this.

Airbnb aren’t sanitising the reviews that is down to people like appleaday12 who removed a perfectly factual review herself.
Airbnb didn’t force her to remove it

You left a review the owner didn’t like and got called a “nasty bitch” with “psychological problems”
Again you didn’t complain to Airbnb about the host .

How is this Airbnb’s fault?

I have used Airbnb regularly. I am very careful where I book. I read the reviews, look carefully at the description, the photos and I do my research.
Even down to if a place is regularly booked out but only has sporadic 5 star reviews I would probably dismiss it as not factual

I haven’t had any issues at all with Airbnb.
Yes it is expensive but given we are 4 adults who want our own bedroom it works out cheaper than 4 hotel rooms and we get a private pool if we are on holiday

Only issue I have ever had was through another smaller site where the place was advertised as having internet, (Not one of us could get a phone signal)
There was a kitchen but even if you had turned the hob up to full heat you could quite comfortably place your hands on the rings. It was dirty and I spent the first day asking for things like clean sheets.
When we came to leave the owner refused to give us our deposit money back because the (unused) hob looked greasy. So I sprayed the top with cleaner and gave it a polish in front of her.
She then proceeded to point out “missing” things like the tv remote, The tv didn’t pick up signal so we hadn’t watched TV. So the remote was in exactly the same place as she had left it and cushions on the sofa that she had miscounted.
I don’t think she could get her property on Airbnb as it was just grubby and nothing worked.

And we had to pay for cleaning which I don’t think anyone but the guests themselves ever did

Also the pictures included pictures of her farmhouse which on the listing was the main photo.
We were moving house last summer and it was the only thing available otherwise I wouldn’t have touched it.

And not taking photos. I mean, why?

It was Christmatime, I was travelling back to my home country, Didn't really feel like wasting my time on complaining to Airbnb once I arrived home. So I did what I would do with anyone where I received bad service, not use them again.

@Happyandyouknowit83

Actually I am not whining, I am giving an account of my personal experience and an experience which it others have had too, and commiserating with the OP.

We don't all have to be public consumer rights activists on behalf of Air bnb users.

I have been in touch with Airbnbs resolution centre and requested to compensated by the property group who manage or "host" the place we stayed in.

I am not sure I can post another review after requesting it be deleted, but I will find out.

I'm afraid it's why I don't rent cottages in UK and rarely Airbnbs or villas anywhere- it's been so mixed standard wise and it's hard to get recompense- I conclude some people are just greatful to get away (which I totally get) and have low standards /expectations - despite some eye watering prices

I've had thin crispy towels that I wouldn't use even on a dog, showers that didn't work without some bizzare quirk you had to know about, unkempt gardens and patios , dirty crockery and cutlery, beds that were old and thin cheap mattresses,

Best ones I've had were in Berlin (great 3 bed modern flat with amazing kitchen) and an amazing really roomy annexe to owners home in laurel canyon in Los Angeles with superb super king bed, jacuzzi bath, lovely toiletries , books, videos, smelt of rituals ! And a super 'very camp' host!!

@sunglassesonthetable

No, I don’t work for Air BnB, I’m a teacher 🙂Just stating my experience over a number of years. Research is critical!