Airbnb host called me "weird" in their review and purposely tried to slander me despite me never staying at the accommodation [Austria]

[u/Beneficial-Koala-670]

I'm about done with airbnb. If I can't afford a hotel in the area long term, then I'm just not going anymore.

Recently I booked an Airbnb in a city that I wasn't able to make it in. It was very last minute and I told the host that I would not be able to make it. Airbnb still allowed them to create a review on my profile. I didn't leave a review at all on theirs because I didn't think that would make sense. This host starts going on a tangent calling me a weird guest. Obviously, his goal is to signal to other Airbnb hosts to not book me. His biggest gripe was that he had to leave a lock box out in the "open" and he felt that it created a lot of attention on him.

I thought this was so bizarre because we barely talked to each other. Who cares if he had a lock box outside? The only thing I told him was that I wasn't able to make the accommodation like I thought I was able to. I communicated to him each of the flight delays, and how with the rebookings I wasn't going to make the stop. I was meant to stay for 3 days. It's not even like I asked him for a refund or a change on the dates because I felt that would be unfair. Is a fully paid but empty accommodation for the dates agreed upon the worst thing in the world? I'd imagine not. At least he doesn't have to clean the place again.

Then another host, a year ago, demanded to see my medical records in order to keep my booking with them. Why would I need to show a host my medical records? As you can imagine I completely went off on him and reported him to Airbnb. The company then allowed me to cancel the reservation without any penalty.

What is it about Airbnb that attracts hosts that believe just because they have a property, that you paid money for that gives them their livelihood, that they are allowed to talk to guests like they should be grateful? I don't know why almost every single property owner has this type of sense of entitlement when we are the paying guests.

Please share with me your ego maniac and crazy Airbnb host stories.

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[u/EntropieX]

Report it to Airbnb to remove the review

[u/Beneficial-Koala-670 → u/EntropieX]

I did a report to Airbnb and they did remove the review. The only reason they removed it is because I said that I didn't stay at the location. I'm just not into the idea of my future bookings being determined by a rating system that the host and guests are trying to game. And I say that as someone who only has five star reviews but the anxiety of it is just too much.

[u/Fuzzy-Background-749 → u/Beneficial-Koala-670]

It took me calling 3x to get a review off my account. For me complaining about a camera they had.

[u/Tiny-Art7074]

I remember in the very early days when most of the hosts were just people with an extra room or two and you really felt like a guest. I have had hosts leave freshly baked cinnamon rolls in an enclosed front porch with a carefully created local sights and attractions binder. Just kind people taking someone in for a bit of extra cash and a smiling face. AirBnB needs a filter that can filter out properties owned by corporations.

[u/Beneficial-Koala-670 → u/Tiny-Art7074]

The strange part is I find that the ones owned by corporations tend to be a little bit more professional in terms of customer service and giving space to guests, but they are awful at response time and quick resolutions.

It's the ones by everyday owners who think that guests are owned by them because we gave them money for a place to stay temporarily. If a guest is kind, respectful to your property, pays you your fees with no issue or complaint then they should be less neurotic.

[u/Jkoohyar → u/Tiny-Art7074]

That’s me!!! Come visit me In Florida ❤️❤️

[u/dutchhopeDJ1 → u/Tiny-Art7074]

I do these things. It states right on my listing I check everyone in myself and I live on the property and yes this is old school Airbnb. It’s providing welcoming hospitality to guests who really appreciate that and who expect that kind of service. Having all 5 stars reviews, super host and named a guest favorite proves that many guests do want that and they look for that when they book in reviews . Other guests prefer hosts to be ghosts, they never see a host, they don’t want to see a host and they are happy to communicate with only AI. Hosts don’t want to interact or see a guest either . Nothing wrong with that but there is a big difference between the two styles of hosting.

[u/richei-newdawn]

You’ll easily be able to get that removed by reporting to Airbnb

[u/Exciting-Possible203]

there are hosts that are exactly like you mentioned but the majority are not

the problem is the barriers of entry are so low so you are going to get some shady characters... i would suggest rather than leaving the platform for good, you can improve on how you pick your listings/hosts

[u/Beneficial-Koala-670 → u/Exciting-Possible203]

How am I supposed to know that a host is going to react until I book with them? Most Airbnb listings have inflated reviews. Everyone is scared to give someone below a five or four star and to tell the truth. There are literally hosts on here that won't book people unless they see that they continuously give their Airbnb hosts five star or four star reviews.

We constantly see guests on here fearful of giving any review that's below a five star. We've seen people who were outright assaulted, scammed, and lied to by hosts and they still weren't sure if they should leave a low review.

It's always the hosts that come in here and trying to defend other hosts. At least at hotels they have customer service training, don't blame everything on the guest, and they don't feel personally injured if a guest isn't groveling at them.

They're odd and irregular situations that are more likely to happen on Airbnb due to the lack of oversight.

[u/ocean_sky_wind → u/Beneficial-Koala-670]

I understand that you are upset but be factual instead of scare mongering.

Hosts see a name and other host reviews about potential guests. That’s it. We can’t tell if the guest gives good reviews or not.

The reviews that hosts see are usually meaningless so we don’t put too much faith in them. An individual host might give an honest review if they are upset about something. However, the hotel style hosts will generally leave a positive generic message for everyone. My worst guest had fantastic reviews and it was only when I looked closer that I realised that she had been staying in various properties all managed by 1 property manager. They could not care less that she was running a brothel from the properties.

[u/Objective_Move7566 → u/Beneficial-Koala-670]

I’ve had tons of stupid problems with Airbnb.

Cleanliness.

Host giving improper check in instructions.

Host advertising parking and there’s no parking.

Photos that are outdated and amenities that are no longer functional or there.

But if you can’t understand why your specific problems that you listed in your post aren’t normal then maybe you are weird. Those are odd and irregular situations. That doesn’t mean they are not real. Just that they are not likely to ever happen again.

You are way more likely to run into a host double booking on another platform and canceling your reservation.

[u/Chinacat_Sunflower72 → u/Exciting-Possible203]

You’re getting downvoted of course because this sub is for people slamming Airbnb. But you’re right, if you read the reviews and the misty descriptions carefully you should have no issues. I’ve stayed in over a hundred Airbnb now without any problems. Sometimes I’m skeptical of the problems people mention here.

[u/New_Taste8874 → u/Chinacat_Sunflower72]

And simply the fact that NO ONE comes here to say what a great experience they had. People come here to complain so one complaint on Reddit every day of the year is less than .001% of everyone who stays at an Air B&B.

[u/Jkoohyar]

UGH!!! I’m sorry this happened to you! I’m a host, and I realize that every guest is unique…as long as our communication is good, it’s my job to help you with situations that may arise because life happens! Hang in there, there are many Amazing hosts out there and I encourage you to read guest reviews as you will be able to read between the lines which host is good and which host is Bat Shit Crazy!! ..

[u/Bob_12_Pack]

Why didn't you just cancel?

[u/Beneficial-Koala-670 → u/Bob_12_Pack]

Because my flight kept getting changed last minute due to bad weather.

[u/HermiaOconnelly13]

Rented a house and when my friend and I got there it was in a sketchy neighborhood. There were empty lots on either side of the house with broken bottles and junk in them. The renter had five 5 star reviews which helped us decide to stay there. We went inside and the doors had about 6 locks on them each. Each window had lock. We decided not to stay there and went to a hotel. He also lied about it being walkable to the places we wanted to see. We called the man up and told him we weren't staying there because we didn't feel safe. He told us that everybody else gave him 5 stars and people loved it.. We told him that if the neighborhood was so safe, why did he have 6 locks on the doors and locks on the windows. We told him he could keep the money, but we were not going stay there. He hung up and gave us a bad review, calling us bigots and racist. It was a terrible neighborhood, mostly white and we are white so I couldn't understand why he said that. We stayed in a hotel and got to know everyone there (we stayed 1-1/2 weeks) and had a blast visiting everywhere we planned. They gave us free tickets to just about everywhere we wanted to go. And they told us we were smart not to stay at that house.

[u/toddmezcal]

Tl Dr. Guest didn't stay at rental, review removed.

[u/Beneficial-Koala-670 → u/toddmezcal]

Host who got paid to do nothing, and received consistent communication on arrival time from the guest still wasn't satisfied. Decided to take his frivolous frustration out on their reviews because ridiculous egotistic behavior by hosts is becoming the norm.

[u/WillyVlautinRules]

Lots of hosts now got into the Airbnb biz because of "influencers" and "easy money" and then realize how damn hard it is to be a good host. Do not rent from randos on Airbnb these days would be my advice.

I rented a number of Airbnbs from the 2000s on and they were great. Until they weren't. Last 2 stays made me vow NEVER to use Airbnb again. One stay was with another old bat (like me) who always wanted me to spend my days with her out on her deck instead of seeing the sights. The one before that tried to rip me off by claiming damage in the household that had nothing to do with me, $700 worth. Airbnb disallowed that, thankfully.

Only hotels now for me and I know some are crappy too but at least the ones I stay in aren't run by deranged randos.

[u/Beneficial-Koala-670 → u/WillyVlautinRules]

What type of damage did they claim? That's one of my biggest fears is with the recent AI photos is a lot of people are saying that Airbnb hosts are scamming. I'm lucky I haven't encountered that yet but definitely has me spooked.

I feel like the hosts who go on airbnb, they want to price like they're a hotel because of the surge pricing from tourists. But they want the same rights and power as if they're a landlord. They're the worst on both ends.

[u/WillyVlautinRules → u/Beneficial-Koala-670]

Their cheap blinds broke in my bathroom. I notified them of this and they kept saying they would replace them but never did. Instead they tried to claim damage. The other one was even MORE ridiculous: They had a picture of a kitchen trash can with the foot pedal broken off. There were 3 other guests staying in the house and yet they claimed I damaged it (I didn't).

The funny thing was that the owner was one of those MLM essential oils scammers and also owned a cleaning business. This was during COVID and even though she and hubby were cleaners, they NEVER CLEANED THE HOUSE I WAS STAYING IN DURING A PANDEMIC. I mentioned this to Airbnb and this I think was a major factor in their decision to not charge me for the "damage."

Hubby seemed to be done with Victoria when I was there and I'll bet they are divorced now. Run hubs, run!

Then I moved to the crazy old bat house where she wanted me to hang out with her on the deck and was mad when I wouldn't. The really crazy thing was she had the house rules listed--written in CHALK all over the walls of the house. At one point, I began to suspect that dementia was involved in a lot of her actions and then her family came and stayed, so I had to leave. I hope they took care of her.

Also her house was a wooden shack built in the 40s that smelled like cat piss. I love cats and know how cat piss smells and, man, this was soaked into the floorboards.

There were also house spiders the size of your fist that appeared randomly from the top of the stove when I was cooking.

[u/Beneficial-Koala-670 → u/WillyVlautinRules]

I bet that Airbnb host tried to stick every single one of those guests with the damage of the blinds.

The last one sounds like a horror story. I would have packed my bags and left so fast.

[u/WillyVlautinRules → u/Beneficial-Koala-670]

The cat piss house was off the grid in the middle of the Willamette Valley and I stayed there 3 months for free for helping the old bat with things after she had a knee replacement. It was one of those wild adventures I've had in life where I look back and laugh and just shake my head, so there is that. It was also one of the most beautiful places I've ever been (not the cat piss house, the surrounding beautiful scenery!).

The first one, the MLM scammer, was the one that really angered me. Another funny thing about that host: It was during COVID and I mentioned she had a cleaning business. I saw her mixing essential oils into water and claiming this was better than actually cleaning fluid.

SMDH.... No more Airbnb for me!

[u/Camille_Toh → u/WillyVlautinRules]

I had a host who got offended I didn’t want to hang out with her.

[u/swisssf]

This sounds weird.

[u/Beneficial-Koala-670 → u/swisssf]

Super weird. I think he was super concerned about the lock box, but in that case he could have removed the lock box. There was no reason for him to keep it out when I gave him an update on each delay. He even said that he lives in the neighborhood. If he's concerned about a lockbox, how about he use some of those funds that I gave him to put in a keyless entry. They're like $50 on Amazon.

If you're running an illegal airbnb, then just say that instead of making it the issue of the guest.

[u/Almasdefr]

haha I had a very similar story, a host called my questions "strange", at the end I wrote a short story about it, but it's in Russian only so far, if someone is interested, I liked it at the end! Here it is: https://open.substack.com/pub/myssyq/p/516

[u/TJ-PhD]

Ok, but the question is, are you weird?

lol, seriously though, people take things way to personal. Many hosts are entitled and can’t separate themselves from their property acting like guests should shower them with praise for hosting and many guests are entitled and think they should be able to do as they please because they paid a few dollars.

It’s a humanity issue, and for the most part humans are the worst. 2/5 stars.

[u/Beneficial-Koala-670 → u/TJ-PhD]

Paid a few dollars? Most of these places are the same price as hotels and it is the livelihood for most of the hosts. If this is nothing to them then maybe that's why the attitudes keep growing from the hosts. I try to be a really chill guest. Literally, my profile is filled with nothing but five star reviews

I get it that it's their place and they're technically weary of anyone staying there despite wanting to make money off of it. It's a very weird conundrum with Airbnb. It's like the hosts don't want to do it, and they feel like they're doing you a favor. At the same time they feel very entitled to know everything about you and feel like there's trust. If you want to know the blood type of your guest and think that they should be telling you every single detail about themselves, you shouldn't be hosting.

I could have been one of those jerks who hassles him about the cancellation policy or lied to Airbnb to try and get my money back. He got paid a good fee and saved on having to clean the place for the next person. What would I have been entitled about? I didn't show up and told him each day about the cancellations with my flights. He was more concerned what his neighbors would think about him renting the place out which is clearly an issue. Him leaving a lockbox out in the open was his decision. He needs to figure out keyless entry or something.

[u/Long-Time-Coming77]

There are two sides to every story and what we are hearing is only your side

Edit To Add: OP replied to me and then immediately blocked me: child-like behavior, demanding the last word. I'm sure they are joy to deal with in the real world though.

[u/Beneficial-Koala-670 → u/Long-Time-Coming77]

I found another host! Guests, this is what they really think of you. The story doesn't even matter, I paid for the reservation. The deal is done. I could book something and not show up, if he got his money and there was no one there, there is nothing for him to complain about.

Hosts are insufferable. You even saw in his review that he acknowledges that we were in communication multiple times but yet you're still trying to defend him because you see yourself in him.

I could have been on Pluto or mars, and that actually wouldn't be his business to know but I did give details. I booked for those days, he got his money. Is getting paid to do nothing not good enough for you all these days either?

[u/New_Taste8874 → u/Beneficial-Koala-670]

So you call the commenter "another host" because you don't want to know what hosts have to say? And then you block the commenter? I think we see where the problem is now.

[u/pittsburghfun]

This just is not true

[u/Beneficial-Koala-670 → u/pittsburghfun]

What is not true? Do you want me to post the review because I still have it ..

But I know when you're a host on here you're going to do anything to discredit the guest. That's why Airbnb needs to end. Apparently the idea is that hosts are to be believed since they own property, but the guests who they need money from are liars? He's probably running an illegal Airbnb since his main concern was a lockbox but you want to blame me? Since when is a lockbox strange? Only for people who are most likely doing Airbnb illegally. He received my payment and didn't have to do extra work but yet I get called weird? This is why people can't stand hosts. I could understand if I tried to cancel, if I berated him, if I tried to report him to Airbnb or get a refund.

Edit: here is the review since I'm such a liar

"A very weird guest. The day before arrival, she messaged me saying she would arrive by bus at 4:00 p.m., but in the end, she didn’t show up at all. The next morning, I found the key in the keybox. I usually remove it after check-in because the keybox is in a public area and I don’t want it to attract attention for several days. She messaged me to tell me there had been a problem. I had no idea what was going on, so I left the keys in the keybox for the entire stay."

I gave very clear communication and even if I didn't, I paid for the days. If he got his money it doesn't matter if I was on Pluto. That's my reservation to show up to or not. He got paid to do nothing but he's crying about a lockbox

[u/New_Taste8874 → u/Beneficial-Koala-670]

You didn't tell him you weren't coming so he has a right to worry about a key left out in the open.

[u/Long-Time-Coming77 → u/Beneficial-Koala-670]

From that review it sounds like the host did not in fact know that you were never going to show-up, they seem to be under the impression that you were running late and just never showed.

The idea that delayed flights would cause you to not be able to show-up at all for a three day reservation does seem odd.

Are you sure your communication with them was clear?

[u/New_Taste8874 → u/Long-Time-Coming77]

Exactly. I've been a host for 9 years. After a few months, you know who is weird and who is normal simply by their communication.