Post by High Priestess on May 29, 2016 23:33:17 GMT
Barbara shared on the Scottish Community
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-101564
I am so royally p'eed off now!
Not only was I invited, at the Christmas meet up, to write to our Community Manager 'rather than contacting CX' about any issues that I/we as a group had, which I did on the 13th December 2014 on two major issues( which were the lack of what happened at the open and SuperHost Status for Hosts in Edinburgh) but to date - 1st January 2015, have not even had an acknowledgement let alone a reply. However, on further issues, that I would have written to her about if I had any faith in getting a reply - would it be worth the time or effort? - but have since found out through my own research - Google search is not displaying our listings or even Airbnb, as it did before - and they have the temerity to advertise on our dashboards that enquiries and bookings are DOWN by 75%. No wonder if they are not promoting us/themselves. I do hope they can afford this drop in revenue. It would seem from research that they do not want to advertise us - because they were so successful - for every click and hit on our listings - THEY HAD TO PAY Google. So the newsletter in November promotes us to embedding our own listings - which would leave us with a bill from Google for every hit and click! So we have to do our own advertising - at a possible vast expense - but they are not up front about it. ?Query trust and transparency. Now I know why I am not getting a response from Airbnb about their not advertising us as they did on Google and why our enquiries and bookings have dropped off the planet. So why remain loyal to Airbnb if there is no promotion or advertising? And on the subject of Facebook verification which our Community Manager said was not happening! My current guests have just told me that they had such difficulty in booking with me because they were offered such limited avenues of verification - G mail something, a 'video verification (? What does that prove) and Facebook - I will not even discuss this. They had to resort to sending a public post on Facebook to get one like reply - which then verified them. They were so frustrated about trying to book with me that they wrote several times to CX - BUT TO DATE HAVE YET TO RECEIVE A REPLY. And these are Guests! Their view of customer Services for Guests leaves a lot to be desired. And to add final insult to injury - my dashboard has advertisedfor the last month that I had qualified for SuperHost status and that on 1st January, if the qualification bar was maintained - I would get my badge. Today, 1st January - what does it say - "We're reviewing your activity from the past year. Your status will be updated in the coming days." I and others, qualified 6 months ago and have been fobbed off with one excuse after another - wait a couple of weeks, we have not rolled it out yet - wait until January 1 2015. I have waited, impatiently, having qualified ages ago - and for what - NOTHING - ZILCH, ****** ALL. And this is not just me, me, me! I know that there are many really good hosts in Edinburgh who have qualified and not got. And I see some hosts have got - in Scotland. What the f*** is going on? So it seems that every crusade I have taken on - Google Search, Facebook Verification (the phrase leaves me speechless) and SuperHost status is justified - but Airbnb cannot and will not discuss. What does that say about their value for us as Hosts? My view is that without us they cannot service their Guests - and they do not collect the revenue. I do hope they can afford this down time. I really want to stick two royal fingers up to Airbnb - and I must be very angry to even think like this - but I am going to consider my options - to advertise myself for myself, to use other platforms to promote my hospitality and whatever else I can come up with. I am (not) so sorry for the rant but I have to be true to myself and to you. If anyone thinks I should resign from the Group then please suggest - but I can fight our corner better from within than from without. I am posting this on our Group - so it is public. I will also be copying the whole thing - unabridged - to our Customer Services Manager - with no expectation of a response - but I will let you know.
11 comments•1 like
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Eric
lesley
lesleya year ago
Oh dear Barbara - I feel your frustration. And that was a terrible aggravation with your guests - and it must have been somewhat embarrassing too when Airbnb fails right from the start. Unfortunately, or fortunately, there is no one else out there that is like Airbnb in my opinion even with it's glitches and problems, so to help try and improve all these things is JUST what you are trying to do! As to your letters, it's only a click with a finger to acknowledge them. All I can say is from me is that I appreciate your tenacity and thank-you for highlighting all these problems. Please don't stop - continue if you have the energy!
Like
Barbara
Barbaraa year ago
Bless you Lesley you are a darling to support me so. I love the airbnb concept and agree that they are the bestin their field. I do know that if I jump ship I can't fight to make it better but I am so angry for us. Our Eric is yet to get the new dashboard let alpne his so well deserved Super Host status and I know there are ither quality hosts who deserve much better respect than we are get at the moment. Thank you for your support - can't tell you what it means to me x
Like
Robert
Roberta year ago
oh Barbara I'm just new to this and feel terribly let down for you and myself thinking this was the way forward for my property, I have seen on some of the other boards though people making a similar complaint about Google, lets hope they sort this out before airbnb is no more, Google is a business and a fact of life that everybody has to pay for, lets hope they wise up.
Like
Salvia
Salviaa year ago
I send you my empathy as well, Barbara! One feels sooo disrespected and helpless treated like that! I had (and have) my room listed on wimdu as well but is quite difficult to climb up in the search ranking and building up reviews on two or more platforms at the same time. I get almost no Traffic and guests from them, last but not least because my listing is not available very often due to airbnb bookings. But with such a great place and in a City like Edingburgh I would try it if I were you. Treat yourself a bit, I hope it helps.
Like
Fiona
Fionaa year ago
1) thank you for fighting on and please keep fighting on. Email Chip Conley directly as another arrow in your quiver.
2) I'm not surprised about the SH delay as I can imagine they would be annihilated if they missed anyone because they'd cutoff too soon. Maybe give it a week?
Like
Fiona
Fionaa year ago
3) It's completely out of order that you haven't been given the courtesy of responses so far. Be a squeaky wheel and don't settle for that.
Like
Barbara
Barbaraa year ago
Robert, Salvia and Fiona - thank you for your lovely comments - Robert please don't be disheartened - I can do that for everyone so you don't need to! I do know there are ups and downs and this is a long down but I do hope that we turn a corner soon. Salvia, thank you - if I don't have a reply to my emails by Wednesday 7th January I will be sending those emails - my rant above and a coveringletter itemising absolutely every irritation I can think of (phew) to all the CEO's and hierarchy in Airbnb = Fiona my love - I love the 'squeaky wheel anoalogy - I can be a rottwiller with a bone when I start - and believe me I have long started.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT - I know I lost the plot last night and it maybe wasn't very professional - but it was heartfelt - and I just wanted to give any of you the chance to demote me. I am passionate and will fight for anyone and everyone when there is disrespect and unfairness.
Like 2 replies•1 like
lesley
lesleya year ago
Well done Barbara! We are here to support - the same as you do for us!
Fiona
Fionaa year ago
Good for you - rottweiler indeed. You could also try going on Twitter but that's public so maybe a last resort? And 140 characters which is...challenging.
I find when I contact CX they tend to be fast in responding and super helpful if it's something straightforward (three days ago I sent an Alteration and neither the Guest nor I knew where he was supposed to see it on his end) but somewhat dense if it's anything complicated (I'm listed in the wrong neighbourhood so when someone searches for the Uni a few blocks from me they get results for people miles away and not for (email hidden) was able to get a start but ended up just removing the neighbourhood from my listing altogether instead of changing it and now she is just directing me to give "feedback" to a department instead of continuing to work on the issue. Hello squeaky wheel! Here I come! One of the supposed benefits of SH status is a higher, faster level of Customer Service but I'm hearing people say it's no different so I don't know if that's for real.
Eric
Erica year ago
I have not written my comments here but have had a long phone chat with Barbara this afternoon. She knows I fully support her and admire her tenacity. I too love Airbnb, but their lack of support is very often quite offensive as, in a way, we are working to make this the success it has been for them. Recently I have been driven myself to say often that I have had enough. I have not had the new Dashboard...no sign of any SuperHost on the horizon...and I will not even start about my opinion on the Facebook verification process!!
Let's hope for better times soon....
Like
Barbara
Barbaraa year ago
Just thank you to everyone for your support of me. I am humbled by it but uplifted and cheered - well - enough to go on fighting for us! I did spend some time this afternoon trawling through all the UK groups (rI belong to them all) and their posts go unanswered and the most recent posts are weeks (or months) old. Except for London which is very active and Manchester.
I am so proud of us - we are Team Scotland - we are dynamic and caring and supportive and everything I envisioned when I started the group. Well done everyone.
Like
Rebecca
Rebeccaa year ago
Dear Barbara I'm so sorry to read of your frustration and totally understand how you reached boiling point. It is not only highly unprofessional but downright rude that you haven't received a reply from Emma Rogers. As you know I used to be highly vocal on the failings of Airbnb management but decided that my blood pressure was more important. However, seeing you so badly treated is making me mad again. Coupled with the latest marketing strategy 'onelessstranger', all very nice but can you please just sort out the incompetent mess of "management" before you embark on yet more fluffy Californian nonsense, the blood pressure is rising again....
I'm 100% behind you and planning to compose an email to Chip Conley. I'll post it here beforehand so you can comment.
Like
Fiona
Fionaa year ago
Hey! I'm a fluffy Californian Rebecca.
Like 2 replies
Rebecca
Rebeccaa year ago
That's nice for you. We're a bit more realistic and hard-nosed here in Scotland, though.
Fiona
Fionaa year ago
I'm familiar!
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-101564
I am so royally p'eed off now!
Not only was I invited, at the Christmas meet up, to write to our Community Manager 'rather than contacting CX' about any issues that I/we as a group had, which I did on the 13th December 2014 on two major issues( which were the lack of what happened at the open and SuperHost Status for Hosts in Edinburgh) but to date - 1st January 2015, have not even had an acknowledgement let alone a reply. However, on further issues, that I would have written to her about if I had any faith in getting a reply - would it be worth the time or effort? - but have since found out through my own research - Google search is not displaying our listings or even Airbnb, as it did before - and they have the temerity to advertise on our dashboards that enquiries and bookings are DOWN by 75%. No wonder if they are not promoting us/themselves. I do hope they can afford this drop in revenue. It would seem from research that they do not want to advertise us - because they were so successful - for every click and hit on our listings - THEY HAD TO PAY Google. So the newsletter in November promotes us to embedding our own listings - which would leave us with a bill from Google for every hit and click! So we have to do our own advertising - at a possible vast expense - but they are not up front about it. ?Query trust and transparency. Now I know why I am not getting a response from Airbnb about their not advertising us as they did on Google and why our enquiries and bookings have dropped off the planet. So why remain loyal to Airbnb if there is no promotion or advertising? And on the subject of Facebook verification which our Community Manager said was not happening! My current guests have just told me that they had such difficulty in booking with me because they were offered such limited avenues of verification - G mail something, a 'video verification (? What does that prove) and Facebook - I will not even discuss this. They had to resort to sending a public post on Facebook to get one like reply - which then verified them. They were so frustrated about trying to book with me that they wrote several times to CX - BUT TO DATE HAVE YET TO RECEIVE A REPLY. And these are Guests! Their view of customer Services for Guests leaves a lot to be desired. And to add final insult to injury - my dashboard has advertisedfor the last month that I had qualified for SuperHost status and that on 1st January, if the qualification bar was maintained - I would get my badge. Today, 1st January - what does it say - "We're reviewing your activity from the past year. Your status will be updated in the coming days." I and others, qualified 6 months ago and have been fobbed off with one excuse after another - wait a couple of weeks, we have not rolled it out yet - wait until January 1 2015. I have waited, impatiently, having qualified ages ago - and for what - NOTHING - ZILCH, ****** ALL. And this is not just me, me, me! I know that there are many really good hosts in Edinburgh who have qualified and not got. And I see some hosts have got - in Scotland. What the f*** is going on? So it seems that every crusade I have taken on - Google Search, Facebook Verification (the phrase leaves me speechless) and SuperHost status is justified - but Airbnb cannot and will not discuss. What does that say about their value for us as Hosts? My view is that without us they cannot service their Guests - and they do not collect the revenue. I do hope they can afford this down time. I really want to stick two royal fingers up to Airbnb - and I must be very angry to even think like this - but I am going to consider my options - to advertise myself for myself, to use other platforms to promote my hospitality and whatever else I can come up with. I am (not) so sorry for the rant but I have to be true to myself and to you. If anyone thinks I should resign from the Group then please suggest - but I can fight our corner better from within than from without. I am posting this on our Group - so it is public. I will also be copying the whole thing - unabridged - to our Customer Services Manager - with no expectation of a response - but I will let you know.
11 comments•1 like
Follow
Like
Eric
lesley
lesleya year ago
Oh dear Barbara - I feel your frustration. And that was a terrible aggravation with your guests - and it must have been somewhat embarrassing too when Airbnb fails right from the start. Unfortunately, or fortunately, there is no one else out there that is like Airbnb in my opinion even with it's glitches and problems, so to help try and improve all these things is JUST what you are trying to do! As to your letters, it's only a click with a finger to acknowledge them. All I can say is from me is that I appreciate your tenacity and thank-you for highlighting all these problems. Please don't stop - continue if you have the energy!
Like
Barbara
Barbaraa year ago
Bless you Lesley you are a darling to support me so. I love the airbnb concept and agree that they are the bestin their field. I do know that if I jump ship I can't fight to make it better but I am so angry for us. Our Eric is yet to get the new dashboard let alpne his so well deserved Super Host status and I know there are ither quality hosts who deserve much better respect than we are get at the moment. Thank you for your support - can't tell you what it means to me x
Like
Robert
Roberta year ago
oh Barbara I'm just new to this and feel terribly let down for you and myself thinking this was the way forward for my property, I have seen on some of the other boards though people making a similar complaint about Google, lets hope they sort this out before airbnb is no more, Google is a business and a fact of life that everybody has to pay for, lets hope they wise up.
Like
Salvia
Salviaa year ago
I send you my empathy as well, Barbara! One feels sooo disrespected and helpless treated like that! I had (and have) my room listed on wimdu as well but is quite difficult to climb up in the search ranking and building up reviews on two or more platforms at the same time. I get almost no Traffic and guests from them, last but not least because my listing is not available very often due to airbnb bookings. But with such a great place and in a City like Edingburgh I would try it if I were you. Treat yourself a bit, I hope it helps.
Like
Fiona
Fionaa year ago
1) thank you for fighting on and please keep fighting on. Email Chip Conley directly as another arrow in your quiver.
2) I'm not surprised about the SH delay as I can imagine they would be annihilated if they missed anyone because they'd cutoff too soon. Maybe give it a week?
Like
Fiona
Fionaa year ago
3) It's completely out of order that you haven't been given the courtesy of responses so far. Be a squeaky wheel and don't settle for that.
Like
Barbara
Barbaraa year ago
Robert, Salvia and Fiona - thank you for your lovely comments - Robert please don't be disheartened - I can do that for everyone so you don't need to! I do know there are ups and downs and this is a long down but I do hope that we turn a corner soon. Salvia, thank you - if I don't have a reply to my emails by Wednesday 7th January I will be sending those emails - my rant above and a coveringletter itemising absolutely every irritation I can think of (phew) to all the CEO's and hierarchy in Airbnb = Fiona my love - I love the 'squeaky wheel anoalogy - I can be a rottwiller with a bone when I start - and believe me I have long started.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT - I know I lost the plot last night and it maybe wasn't very professional - but it was heartfelt - and I just wanted to give any of you the chance to demote me. I am passionate and will fight for anyone and everyone when there is disrespect and unfairness.
Like 2 replies•1 like
lesley
lesleya year ago
Well done Barbara! We are here to support - the same as you do for us!
Fiona
Fionaa year ago
Good for you - rottweiler indeed. You could also try going on Twitter but that's public so maybe a last resort? And 140 characters which is...challenging.
I find when I contact CX they tend to be fast in responding and super helpful if it's something straightforward (three days ago I sent an Alteration and neither the Guest nor I knew where he was supposed to see it on his end) but somewhat dense if it's anything complicated (I'm listed in the wrong neighbourhood so when someone searches for the Uni a few blocks from me they get results for people miles away and not for (email hidden) was able to get a start but ended up just removing the neighbourhood from my listing altogether instead of changing it and now she is just directing me to give "feedback" to a department instead of continuing to work on the issue. Hello squeaky wheel! Here I come! One of the supposed benefits of SH status is a higher, faster level of Customer Service but I'm hearing people say it's no different so I don't know if that's for real.Eric
Erica year ago
I have not written my comments here but have had a long phone chat with Barbara this afternoon. She knows I fully support her and admire her tenacity. I too love Airbnb, but their lack of support is very often quite offensive as, in a way, we are working to make this the success it has been for them. Recently I have been driven myself to say often that I have had enough. I have not had the new Dashboard...no sign of any SuperHost on the horizon...and I will not even start about my opinion on the Facebook verification process!!
Let's hope for better times soon....
Like
Barbara
Barbaraa year ago
Just thank you to everyone for your support of me. I am humbled by it but uplifted and cheered - well - enough to go on fighting for us! I did spend some time this afternoon trawling through all the UK groups (rI belong to them all) and their posts go unanswered and the most recent posts are weeks (or months) old. Except for London which is very active and Manchester.
I am so proud of us - we are Team Scotland - we are dynamic and caring and supportive and everything I envisioned when I started the group. Well done everyone.
Like
Rebecca
Rebeccaa year ago
Dear Barbara I'm so sorry to read of your frustration and totally understand how you reached boiling point. It is not only highly unprofessional but downright rude that you haven't received a reply from Emma Rogers. As you know I used to be highly vocal on the failings of Airbnb management but decided that my blood pressure was more important. However, seeing you so badly treated is making me mad again. Coupled with the latest marketing strategy 'onelessstranger', all very nice but can you please just sort out the incompetent mess of "management" before you embark on yet more fluffy Californian nonsense, the blood pressure is rising again....
I'm 100% behind you and planning to compose an email to Chip Conley. I'll post it here beforehand so you can comment.
Like
Fiona
Fionaa year ago
Hey! I'm a fluffy Californian Rebecca.
Like 2 replies
Rebecca
Rebeccaa year ago
That's nice for you. We're a bit more realistic and hard-nosed here in Scotland, though.
Fiona
Fionaa year ago
I'm familiar!