Do AirBnB hosts write attacking reviews of guests if they expect bad reviews from them?

[DoggerelBank]

Just trying to work out why our hosts' review is so horrid, and wondering if there's any benefit for them if they give us a bad review. Also wondering if this means we'll find it difficult to use AirBnB again in future. I've had probably more than 20 trips without any problems, so I really hope not!

I've just received a horrible review after staying on an island recently. The trip was pretty bad as ferries to the island were up the spout. We had to arrive a day late and leave a day late, spend most of our last day queuing for a ferry that might or might not leave, and spend hours on the phone trying to work out how to get there. When we arrived, the first thing the host said was that we wouldn't be able to get off again on the day we had planned, which after all the hassle getting there was a bit demoralising. But we were polite and made the best of it. None of this was the hosts' fault.

The heating was broken down on the morning after our arrival. They spent some time trying to fix it and eventually had to get a man in to sort it out. We weren't rude or angry about any of this - all fine, these things happen.

We hoovered before we left, emptied rubbish, and left everything spick and span, as we always do.

Anyway, got home, wrote a nice review, because they were helpful and friendly (almost too friendly), and the cottage was great. Mentioned the ferries in a 'this probably won't affect future visitors, but worth checking ferries are working OK now' sort of way.

Two weeks later, have got an awful, awful review from them. I haven't even read to the end, because I closed it when I read that my husband has horrible facial expressions and that we 'made a complaint within hours of getting there'. Well yes, wouldn't most people if there was no heating and very cold, snow-on-the-hills kind of weather?

It was a tricky holiday but we made the best of it and have some good memories. I think this will really really taint the memories though. Why would a host do this?

Neither side can see the other's review until both have been written for exactly this reason

@DoggerelBank we have an airbnb and only ever leave negative reviews if someone is a real rotter so I think you've been given a really hard time.

Why don't you complain to customer services that the review is inaccurate? They can be quite responsive - we had guests who had a terrible stay, I suspect because their very young baby just did not sleep. Poor thing was crying for hours on a time and they had the lights on 24/7 and you could see them pacing back and forth outside. They left early and said it was because of baby. Anyway, left them a positive review, nice guests, left place clean and tidy. They let us a stinker! Saying bed wasn't a king size (it is) and they left because cottage was so awful. We raised a complaint with airbnb, sent in bed measurements and their email saying they were leaving because of baby and airbnb deleted their review because it was demonstrably false.

If it's any reassurance we never look at guests' previous reviews, so it's unlikely to have much of an effect.

We once had an owner say we had left their oven in a mess. We had used the oven once, which caused loads of smoke because it had clearly never been cleaned.

I wouldn't worry about it though - no other airbnb has ever refused us a booking and no one else has ever left negative feedback.

I also had an airbnb for a while. The things we experienced- people breaking our brand new windows by forcing them open beyond the safety point, people allowing their kids to jump from bed to bed until one broke (and on both occasions then disguising the damage leaving the house unsafe for future guests) - those are the things owners worry about! We now rent the house out as a home and have lovely tenants who actually look after the house.

Definitely complain to Airbnb, that's awful

Are you sure they haven't mixed you up with the people who came next? If there's been a two week delay, maybe they meant to review the next guests instead of you?

I think you both post reviews before either is published.

Airbnb is a side hustle type business model.

No, it isn't. If's often the main household income.

I think that the ability to review a guest is very important. Customers often both behave unreasonably (as a guest, in a restaurant or whatever) and abuse the review system, which can wreck the business owner's business. They're a bit more careful when they know that they'll be getting a review too. One AirBnb owner told me that she was advised by insurers only to let our her holiday accommodation via Airbnb, as the review system meant that there were fewer unjustified claims by guests.

Yes, I am familiar with the concept.
Yet holiday lets existed way before owners could rate guests on their appearance/ whether or not they complain/ cleaning ability (even though they charge them a cleaning fee), and still do. I pick those ones.
The OP wasn't a "shitty guest" was she?

But it's still a self employed gig via a platform

Please point out where I said OP was a shitty guest.

I stayed somewhere that had a negative review, and an equally negative reply from the owner. I went back to read it again several days later and it had vanished. Would Airbnb have deleted it?

@DoggerelBank was your experience in the Outer Hebrides?

I found the place is very particular. Stayed lots of times with Airbnb, never had an issue but got the semi-negative review two times I stayed in the outer Hebrides citing that the kitchen was not particularly clean - yes, I am not expecting to clean the kitchen to the sparkling standard when cleaning is included and I am on holidays. Might be just coincidence though.
Absolutely stunning place otherwise though.

Your post was based on "shitty guests" deserving bad reviews. I was just pointing out that this does not apply to the OP as she's not one.

I think you can respond to reviews on AirBnB. We got a bad one once when they had changed the bed set up since we booked it, from a double and a twin to two doubles. We were a group of brother and sister and the daughter of the sister so that wasn't suitable and was quite frustrating. We then got a grumpy review. We put a polite, factual response in and haven't ever had another one like it or any rejections on stays.

Well, thanks for clarifying something I never said.

I empathise OP. I'd only used Air BNB twice and had 5 star reviews, then stayed in Edinburgh.

I thought my review was polite, factual and balanced. Great location for XYZ, near to shops and transport etc. They'd advertised that there was a heated pool. I wrongly assumed this was in the same building so took along a robe thinking I'd could get the lift down the pool. On arrival, I found that the pool was in a separate block, down the road and accessed from a side street! I added that the pool wasn't in the same building and that is the only negative I could see from my review- even then, I thought I'd worded it nicely.

Their review said I'd left the place a mess, crumbs in the kitchen, put things in the cupboards dirty and moved all the furniture! To say I was shocked was an understatement. I looked back at ALL their reviews and any that said anything mildly negative were give negative ones from them! I refuted their claims and got no where- but this was pre-covid so maybe things have changed. I tried booking another AirBNB 6mths later and it was refused. I can only assume it was this review, but can't be sure. I've never tried booking AirBNB again and now use hotels, book direct, BnB's or booking.com.

I got in touch with Airbnb. They've looked at the horrid review and say it doesn't break their policy guidelines, so they won't remove it. To argue, I'd have to look at the review in a lot of detail, and I just don't want all those nasty words taking over my head, so I'm going to leave it.

I guess I'll try to avoid Airbnb from now on. Such a shame, as I've been a big fan until now. But this has really shaken me. It's not how the after-holiday should feel at all.

@7238SM So sorry something similar happened to you. Most people in this world are lovely, but goodness, there are definitely some that let the side down.

I'm just wondering if, as it was 2 weeks before the host left their review, they got you mixed up with some other guests? You seem so lovely I can't imagine that you'd do anything to deserve a bad review. May be worth messaging the host just to check?

We host and I rarely check guests reviews tbh. I might if I think they sound a bit high risk but I don’t usually. I also wouldn’t be put off by one bad review amongst lots of good ones; I’d assume the host was a bit batty.

@2026Y Thanks. Yes, I think the comments about my husband's face do make them sound a bit bonkers!
@Sandygran Sadly not. There was enough detail in what I read that it was definitely us. I think it must have just been some sort of pre-emptive strike, to discredit any bad review they thought was coming. But DH and I are both freelance, so we understand the struggles of making a living, and wouldn't want to jeopardise that for anyone.

OP, if you get a future host who reads reviews about prospective guests, my guess is that they will read more than one review, in which case the host will presumably see that the bad review was very much an outlier. It's a while since I last used Airbnb, so I can't remember whether guests can read reviews that the host has given for past guests. If I saw that a host had given a really nasty review of a guest, that would really put me off booking.

I was thinking that. Hotels seem to be cheaper, and I like to have time off housework on my holidays. Plus they won't write about you!