Do you write negative AirBNB reviews?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes of course. That’s the only way others can know about potential problems and avoid those properties. Why wouldn’t you leave an honest review?!

+1. I really don’t get this attitude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was worried that future hosts would see a negative review and then not want to rent to me.

I did let the owner know during our stay, though, and it still bugs me that he was like "oh crusty food in all the dishes in the cabinet? Maybe they put them away without realizing the dishwasher was not run. Only one working lightbulb in the entire condo? Oh well, look in the cabinet. Beds not made? Again, check the cabinet for sheets."

Super fun to spend the first few hours of vacation after getting in late super hungry washing dishes, changing lightbulbs, and making beds.

Lack of working lights and no made beds are absolutely things to review about. That’s poor cleaning and maintenance, and the host should know. You can also leave a private note for a host that no one else will see. I did that once because of a once-off issue and the host was really grateful.

[Anonymous]

I definitely read reviews of people before I hosted them. As a host I only gave a negative review if they were awful so yes I would get annoyed if they would give me a negative review for something incredibly minor or even just arbitrary. One person wrote that my house wasn't modern when it was listed as a cottage type house and the decor matched exactly with the photos. Some people only stay at places with five stars and that's very hard to achieve if everyone is writing every slight issue and giving downgrade stars on things like safety and location such as saying we arrived at midnight and it was a little hard to find the parking spot as the street was dark. Only write those types of reviews if you want hosts to also scrutinize you to the same degree.

[Anonymous]

14:44 again. I don't mind suggestions for improvement as long as the stars aren't downgraded and or it's a personal comment. Being nitpicky and wanting luxury on a well priced place is not being friendly.

[Anonymous]

I'm laughing so hard because there's a whole thread of self-righteous people who insist AirBnBs are Superior because they scrupulously read every review and are perfect a selecting one with good reviews only.

[Anonymous]

We stayed in one recently that was disappointing (musty smelling, kitchen not very clean, bathroom faucets really wobbly and worried they would fall off). It also wasn't clear in the listing that it was their house so there was personal stuff everywhere, clothes in the dressers, etc. It was also very expensive relative to other places in the location, but not worth the premium.

The owner reached out before we checked out to ask that we not leave any 4s, because it takes too long for them to recover from that. So I didn't leave a review. I felt kind of bad about that because all their reviews are stellar and now we know why. We were fooled by them. But again it wasn't terrible, just not what we expected for the price (and we've stayed in 2 other Airbnbs in this location that were nicer for half the price so have local market comparisons).

[Anonymous]

I don't leave bad reviews, but some are more glowing than others. If there are things that are wrong with the stay, I privately message the owner and let them know.

I agree with above poster that I want people to be willing to rent to me, and if they are worried about (another) bad review from me, they are less likely to say "yes" and book me.

If you read all the reviews for a place, you can usually read between the lines. I also look for specifics - like when a reviews says "very comfortable beds" or "staircase sure was steep as listing mentioned."

[Anonymous]

I have left a negative review for a place that was really dirty. Publicly I just mentioned that it could have been cleaner, but then in the post-message that goes directly to the owner, I went into detail about the gross issues. I didn't want to publicly blast if it was a one time thing or they weren't aware their cleaning service needed work. However, I also wanted to make people aware of things such as excessive air scent things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We stayed in one recently that was disappointing (musty smelling, kitchen not very clean, bathroom faucets really wobbly and worried they would fall off). It also wasn't clear in the listing that it was their house so there was personal stuff everywhere, clothes in the dressers, etc. It was also very expensive relative to other places in the location, but not worth the premium.

The owner reached out before we checked out to ask that we not leave any 4s, because it takes too long for them to recover from that. So I didn't leave a review. I felt kind of bad about that because all their reviews are stellar and now we know why. We were fooled by them. But again it wasn't terrible, just not what we expected for the price (and we've stayed in 2 other Airbnbs in this location that were nicer for half the price so have local market comparisons).

You whould have left the 4 and been helpful to other potential renters.

[Anonymous]

Only left a bad one once and I’ve left many positive reviews when I’ve had a good experience. I tried to tell the owner about the issues when I arrived (lack of supplies, the doors were unlocked when we arrived, cleaning was not properly done) and he was so rude to me and refused to do anything. The place was actually very well decorated but lacked some basic things that could have easily been better if they had spent another $200 to have some more towels, hang some hooks, etc. But his attitude was so off putting and the place was super expensive so I didn’t feel bad at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We stayed in one recently that was disappointing (musty smelling, kitchen not very clean, bathroom faucets really wobbly and worried they would fall off). It also wasn't clear in the listing that it was their house so there was personal stuff everywhere, clothes in the dressers, etc. It was also very expensive relative to other places in the location, but not worth the premium.

The owner reached out before we checked out to ask that we not leave any 4s, because it takes too long for them to recover from that. So I didn't leave a review. I felt kind of bad about that because all their reviews are stellar and now we know why. We were fooled by them. But again it wasn't terrible, just not what we expected for the price (and we've stayed in 2 other Airbnbs in this location that were nicer for half the price so have local market comparisons).

You whould have left the 4 and been helpful to other potential renters.

Yes, it takes them "too long to recover"? WTH? They aren't putting money in the property and they like a steady stream of renters but they charge a premium and get 5s for crap??? They need to price it fairly and get fair 5 stars for what you get. That way everyone has their expectations in check. Why do they get a pass to keep renting out a crap house at premium?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We stayed in one recently that was disappointing (musty smelling, kitchen not very clean, bathroom faucets really wobbly and worried they would fall off). It also wasn't clear in the listing that it was their house so there was personal stuff everywhere, clothes in the dressers, etc. It was also very expensive relative to other places in the location, but not worth the premium.

The owner reached out before we checked out to ask that we not leave any 4s, because it takes too long for them to recover from that. So I didn't leave a review. I felt kind of bad about that because all their reviews are stellar and now we know why. We were fooled by them. But again it wasn't terrible, just not what we expected for the price (and we've stayed in 2 other Airbnbs in this location that were nicer for half the price so have local market comparisons).

You whould have left the 4 and been helpful to other potential renters.

Yes, it takes them "too long to recover"? WTH? They aren't putting money in the property and they like a steady stream of renters but they charge a premium and get 5s for crap??? They need to price it fairly and get fair 5 stars for what you get. That way everyone has their expectations in check. Why do they get a pass to keep renting out a crap house at premium?

I mean I’ve left 4 stars for some sub ratings at places I’d be happy to go back to

[Anonymous]

I leave factual reviews of both good and bad aspects of the stay and give 3,4 or 5 stars depending on the overall experience.

When choosing an Airbnb, I tend to avoid ones that have a 5* average - not realistic. I aim for between 4.5-4.8 ish. I check to see if they have cameras as lots of air BnB hosts are listening in to conversations and watching guests (they can’t have them inside but they can have them at doors and any outdoor space - hot tub, pool, balcony, patio, yard etc.). I also avoid the ones with strict cancellation policies as those hosts tend to be really difficult. I also avoid any with high cleaning fees. You really have to read the small print now as some hosts have long lists of rules that make stays quite in relaxing.

Realistic reviews with the strengths and weaknesses help everyone after you. Fake reviews help no one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We stayed in one recently that was disappointing (musty smelling, kitchen not very clean, bathroom faucets really wobbly and worried they would fall off). It also wasn't clear in the listing that it was their house so there was personal stuff everywhere, clothes in the dressers, etc. It was also very expensive relative to other places in the location, but not worth the premium.

The owner reached out before we checked out to ask that we not leave any 4s, because it takes too long for them to recover from that. So I didn't leave a review. I felt kind of bad about that because all their reviews are stellar and now we know why. We were fooled by them. But again it wasn't terrible, just not what we expected for the price (and we've stayed in 2 other Airbnbs in this location that were nicer for half the price so have local market comparisons).

You whould have left the 4 and been helpful to other potential renters.

Yes, it takes them "too long to recover"? WTH? They aren't putting money in the property and they like a steady stream of renters but they charge a premium and get 5s for crap??? They need to price it fairly and get fair 5 stars for what you get. That way everyone has their expectations in check. Why do they get a pass to keep renting out a crap house at premium?

I mean I’ve left 4 stars for some sub ratings at places I’d be happy to go back to

What they probably mean is they aren't eligible as a superhost without close to a 5 review. One cancellation or one 4 in one category can set someone back months trying to get back to a 4.8 or whatever you need to be a superhost.

[Anonymous]

Some people will only stay at a house that is a superhost but I've found that many of them charge up to an entire $100 more per night. It takes a lot to be sure no one gives you a 4 in any category for every 2 to 3 night stay.