Question My host publicly slanders me. What can I do? [Spain/Germany]
Hello everyone. I hope you can help me with this unusual case.
Some time ago I had booked accommodation in Tenerife for 4 days. As I was stressed at the time, I booked a week too early and only realised when my host got in touch. I apologised straight away and said that I still wanted to come at the right time (Exact one week later). To make things easier, she offered to give me the amount due to me for cancellation as a discount and I would just pay you the difference in cash on site. So I didn't cancel the remaining possible days. So she has already received €190 without me being there.
On the right day, I arrived a little late due to problems on the outward journey and was therefore tired and stressed. When she handed over the keys, she asked me what we had agreed. Her English was terrible. I said questioningly ‘About €100?’. She and I pulled out our mobile phones to check. She found the message more quickly and it was €110. I gave her the money and all was well.
I then spent my 4 days there, left the accommodation exemplary, clean and tidy as always and wrote her a good review on AirBnB because of her flexibility regarding my mistake. She thanked me personally via WhatsApp for leaving it so tidy. I then sent her a private message with a couple of small defects and suggestions.
A short time later, I received my guest review in which she suddenly claimed that I hadn't wanted to pay on the spot and had made a fool of myself. As the hostess, she even didn't know the amount by herself and I had only made a mistake of €10 in my instalments. She also wrote that I had a problem with the rules. That is also wrong. I only wrote to her in private feedback that the amount and tone of the rules could be a bit friendlier, because it doesn't seem very inviting when there are signs everywhere instead of a simple booklet e.g.
I have tried to complain to AirBnB about this false accusation due to their poor English but supposedly public false statements are no reason to delete them. I even spoke to them on the phone. All other reviews from me are all very positive and all emphasise my friendly communication and the exemplary way my room was left.
Do you have any ideas on how else I can take action against this public slander so that it is removed?
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u/AustEastTX Host 2d ago
I think both of you will be banned from the platform; Airbnb doesn’t like hosts or guests going off platform for side deals.
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u/Mexdus 2d ago edited 2d ago
When I happens to both of us even I would be fine with that. She tried to delay our conversation when I asked her within the AirBnB chat how we can solve the situation. Now I am a bit sad that (even when the accomodation was totally okay) I did not directly cancelled the remaining days and instead booked a hotel back then.
Despite that. For the originial booking, every euro was normally paid in advance like ever. That's also a reason why I think her behavior is twice wrong. And then she uses AirBnB - like you wrote correctly - for something which has nothing to do with the original booking.
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u/OldEnuff2No 2d ago
Slander, on Airbnb? Never. Just get over it. Use another platform. Stay in a hotel. You can’t go against the terms of service, then cry foul. Both of you need to go for giving all of us a bad name.
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u/emzim Guest 2d ago
Just move on. It’s one bad review not the end of the world. In the future, do not go off platform for booking, messaging, or anything else.
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u/Mexdus 2d ago
Yep. I would relay on my 11 other excellent ratings and (I already answered on her rating as well) try just to forget about it.
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u/arizona_dreaming 2d ago
I'm a host and my listings allow "instant bookings" so anyone can book, even if they have some bad reviews. Most listings are like that. So don't worry about 1 bad review. For a host, it's a much bigger deal because it may cause a drop in bookings.
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u/BeachStilletos 2d ago
Wow she is really dumb for putting the payment details in the review. Like unbelievably so. She’s just begging to lose her business.
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u/Mexdus 2d ago
Yes, I also wondered because usually, I would not accept any "side deals". I only accepted this because I caused her some unneeded stress because she was asking me why I hadn't checked in and was worried.
So this is also a reason why I really cannot just give a f*** about this because I tried to accommodate her as much as possible. I also wrote a totally positive recension without naming any problems. And in reality, there were some but I prefer to contribute criticism directly. And because she wrote that right after my (personal) suggestions on what can be improved I think she got angry and wrote this to vent.
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u/BeachStilletos 2d ago
Well if you don’t care about losing your own account and really wanna burn her, just point out her own review to support and admit y’all both went off platform together. They will delist her so fast.
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u/Mexdus 2d ago
I already did that and even called with the support. But it seems that they don't care. But I care much about wrong things people write about others on the internet. And as she was the one, who offered me this, she is guilty and yes then also me because I made the mistake by accepting this.
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u/FioanaSickles 2d ago
You did have the wrong figure which could have appeared you were trying to shaft her. She did work with you due to your mistake in booking, which could have lost her business. Can you post the exact words she used? She said you looked like a fool?
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u/Mexdus 2d ago edited 2d ago
Why she could have lost her business, when she recieved the full payment for the formerly wrong booked date?
As I noted my fault, I wrote in the AirBnBchat that I consider to cancel the last days to save at least approx. 70€. Then she offered me to give me a discount with exactly this payback when I book again instead of cancelling. After I was confused with the link she gave me (it was another accomodation) she did not answered for some hours - so my possible payback dropped again. When she finally responded, she offered me to pay €110 directly when I arrive at her place. And because I was thankful for that, I accepted that.
The review was:
"He was annoyed by the posters of Norma's that I have in the house. At first I booked a room, he got the days mixed up, then we talked and agreed on a deal and then when he arrived he didn't want to pay, he acted crazy!"
Yeah. Crazy ... after I rushed through the mountains to be there on time and then she asked me what should pay her. And when I remembered it was approx. 100€ we both looked on our phones and the said 110€. Then I directly said "Okay" and gave her the money. So I don't know whats "crazy" with my behaviour.
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u/murderthumbs 2d ago
Did you double pay for the wrong dates to reserved AND the right dates? No. No you didn’t so yes she lost money because of you.
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u/Mexdus 2d ago
Err. I did. I paid everything for the first booking because she wanted me not to cancel it, so I could pay the price again with the possible recharge of the first booking as a discount. The only one who "lost" money was me. Furthermore she had no work with cleaning my room by the first booking.
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u/Inside_Notice_7859 2d ago
Had the same issue with a host slandering me in their review, and Airbnb standing with them to not remove that review. The review was absolutely full of lies.
It stinks even more because the host begged me to not leave a bad review for them (which I mistakingly took them upon by not leaving a review at all... I was trying to be nice).
This is the reason why I will never use Airbnb again. It was way too much stress and time and money and emotions for at the end of the day getting slandered on the internet. It is just not worth it.
I feel like I paid to literally be lied to and slandered on the internet. Never again.
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u/murderthumbs 2d ago
I think you’re lucky it wasn’t more$- the original 4 days you erroneously booked then cancelled were 4 days she missed out on renting to someone rise due to your mistake.
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u/Parking-Raccoon8569 2d ago
I had a host incorrectly give me a bad review about something I definitely did not do (leave black marks on the floor from a suitcase). He left the review 29 days after my stay so may have mixed me up with someone else and it was too late for me to change anything or do anything about it. When I contacted him he was viciously rude. I'm still mad.
The one part in common with your story is that although I gave him an excellent review, I sent a private note with a couple suggestions. I think he may have thought the note was public and taken offense ?
I don't know but it sucks to be wrongfully accused. Beware hosts because I still dream of revenge!
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u/Ok-Pen4106 2d ago
Don't worry, you have plenty of good reviews to make up for the one bad. People will use their heads and judgment.
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u/Parking-Raccoon8569 2d ago
I had a host incorrectly give me a bad review about something I definitely did not do (leave black marks on the floor from a suitcase). He left the review 29 days after my stay so may have mixed me up with someone else and it was too late for me to change anything or do anything about it. When I contacted him he was viciously rude. I'm still mad.
The one part in common with your story is that although I gave him an excellent review, I sent a private note with a couple suggestions. I think he may have thought the note was public and taken offense ?
I don't know but it sucks to be wrongfully accused. Beware hosts because I still dream of revenge!
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u/Passaravillas 1d ago
One of my guests had one bad review, but the rest were very good, and he responded to the bad review with a very credible reason. So I accepted his request, because it seemed like he was being slandered. I think other hosts feel the same way. I would recommend that you respond to reviews that are factually correct.
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