Post by High Priestess on Sept 14, 2018 2:45:55 GMT
This guest who booked a monthlong stay had a problem with the listing she stayed in, which she described as filthy. She was not able to get a refund and leave early -- which is surprising to me, as I actually was a host on the receiving end of a guest demanding to get a refund and leave early, citing issues that were much more minor than those this guest describes in this article.
www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-ahp-column-help-squad-tl-0920-story.html
But her experience was worse when the host left a review that she felt contained "lies." Unfortunately the guests' own review was removed, as a result of a common mistake by guests -- they do not realize that if they mention having contacted or worked w/ AIrbnb support in their review, their review will be removed, as it's not permitted to refer to an "Airbnb investigation" or complaint to Airbnb about a host/listing. HOsts tend to know this -- we have the host community to educate us about this -- but guests, who may not have used AIrbnb very much -- dont' know this, and the result is that they end up not being able to comment on a problem situation.
If I could respond to Cathy, the author of this article, here's what I would say:
Cathy, hosts also get reviews by guests which contain lies or exaggeration. We are actually more vulnerable than guests, since AIrbnb has an unrealistic expectation that hosts keep an average rating of 4.7 or better, something which basically requires that most guests give 5 star ratings. There is an enormous fixation among hosts on getting 5 star reviews, which guests may have no idea about. By pressuring hosts to have such a high average rating, Airbnb is making it harder for ordinary people to rent out space in ordinary homes, and provide budget accomodations for travellers who may want that. Budget accomodations are most likely to suffer from the high ratings expectation of Airbnb, which in many ways has been moving to provide more luxurious stays -- and thus, stays which overall are more expensive.
Just like hosts need to screen guests before accepting them, guests should screen hosts/listings, and ask any questions you need to ask. Look for hosts who have many reviews, and reviews which are primarily positive. This can help you know that many guests have been satisified with their stays. Especially for a month long stay, avoid booking with a new host or one with few reviews, as you would then be too dependent upon a host who does not have a proven track record.
Unfortunately, as you can probably understand, Airbnb has no ability to verify facts stated in any review. COnsider the enormous effort that would be required to "verify facts" in a review...literally it could not be done. Even with enormous expense and investigation, which are totally unrealistic, even with a attorney doing a deposition of each side, Airbnb could not "verify facts" without actuallly holding a court trial, like a judge does for any civil matter-- and which can cost each side upwards of $10k-$50k to accomplish.
The fact that Airbnb can't verify facts isn't itself a problem...unless reviews and ratings are given too much weight...which Airbnb does. Airbnb is not justified in giving as much weight as it does to ratings. Hosts and guests would do well to take one-off reviews "with a grain of salt" .
www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-ahp-column-help-squad-tl-0920-story.html
But her experience was worse when the host left a review that she felt contained "lies." Unfortunately the guests' own review was removed, as a result of a common mistake by guests -- they do not realize that if they mention having contacted or worked w/ AIrbnb support in their review, their review will be removed, as it's not permitted to refer to an "Airbnb investigation" or complaint to Airbnb about a host/listing. HOsts tend to know this -- we have the host community to educate us about this -- but guests, who may not have used AIrbnb very much -- dont' know this, and the result is that they end up not being able to comment on a problem situation.
If I could respond to Cathy, the author of this article, here's what I would say:
Cathy, hosts also get reviews by guests which contain lies or exaggeration. We are actually more vulnerable than guests, since AIrbnb has an unrealistic expectation that hosts keep an average rating of 4.7 or better, something which basically requires that most guests give 5 star ratings. There is an enormous fixation among hosts on getting 5 star reviews, which guests may have no idea about. By pressuring hosts to have such a high average rating, Airbnb is making it harder for ordinary people to rent out space in ordinary homes, and provide budget accomodations for travellers who may want that. Budget accomodations are most likely to suffer from the high ratings expectation of Airbnb, which in many ways has been moving to provide more luxurious stays -- and thus, stays which overall are more expensive.
Just like hosts need to screen guests before accepting them, guests should screen hosts/listings, and ask any questions you need to ask. Look for hosts who have many reviews, and reviews which are primarily positive. This can help you know that many guests have been satisified with their stays. Especially for a month long stay, avoid booking with a new host or one with few reviews, as you would then be too dependent upon a host who does not have a proven track record.
Unfortunately, as you can probably understand, Airbnb has no ability to verify facts stated in any review. COnsider the enormous effort that would be required to "verify facts" in a review...literally it could not be done. Even with enormous expense and investigation, which are totally unrealistic, even with a attorney doing a deposition of each side, Airbnb could not "verify facts" without actuallly holding a court trial, like a judge does for any civil matter-- and which can cost each side upwards of $10k-$50k to accomplish.
The fact that Airbnb can't verify facts isn't itself a problem...unless reviews and ratings are given too much weight...which Airbnb does. Airbnb is not justified in giving as much weight as it does to ratings. Hosts and guests would do well to take one-off reviews "with a grain of salt" .