After staying on a Hudson Airbnb rental that presented a mediocre experience, Timothy L. O’Brien wrote a review and was then contacted through a “resolution aid ambassador” to be informed that his assessment of Hudson’s rent violated his policy review and was removed.
My family circle visited Hudson, New York, for a few days in March to get the same explanation as to why everyone goes there. It’s a bit of a great city surrounded by the Hudson Valley and full of food, crafts, department stores and glorious people. We Airbnb. com to hire accommodation for our stay.
Rent was the only bad component of our visit. The trash piled up in front of the driveway when we arrived. The patio looked dated and comfortable online, messy and surrounded by structure equipment. The hot water wasn’t working. A load of clothes on the hinge machine. The bathroom column sink just needed a little seasoning to overturn. The mezzanine ladder too steep for children, etc.
We must stay there and not ask for a refund. The host was a great guy, and when I told him about the hot water, he called me and guided me through a reboot of his system. But my online review of your position, which cited your smart location, kindness, communicative host and disappointments, was mediocre. It was the first bad rating I gave an Airbnb host, and I felt vaguely guilty about it. My wife and I rationalized it by agreeing that it was fair The review would help long-term travelers make more important decisions. In addition, the maximum reviews of Hudson’s assets were positive. What difference can only ours make?
I forgot the review until a few days ago, when an Airbnb “resolution aid ambassador” emailed me to tell me that my Hudson rental review violated his “review policy” and was withdrawn. I looked at the review policy and nothing I wrote seemed to be a transgression. I said I didn’t get the resolution and asked a manager to review it. My aid ambassador said no.
While Airbnb Inc. se has resisted complaints about abusive prices, baits and transfer scams and a percentage value that has soared and fallen since its IPO in December, its reserves have soared over the following year. Airbnb’s portfolio of non-urban housing and long-term rentals has been boosted through remote work, an uptick in personal and home recreational tastes for more intimate housing.
With the rise of business, why have trouble selectively writing a bad but accurate opinion?Airbnb is largely meant to be self-regulated, and honest reviews, in theory, help everyone be honest.
After searching for data on how Airbnb removes negative reviews, I found an engaging 2018 Quartz article that reveals that negative reviews from some Airbnb users “have been quietly replaced or removed from the site without their wisdom or permission. “Airbnb trusted Quartz that its content policy was intended to ensure integrity and that the authentic recommendation was “essential to building confidence. “
Some users have speculated that Airbnb selectively eliminates negative reviews to protect its most productive sellers. While the strangely ubiquitous online debate about the integrity of Airbnb reviews indicates that hosts don’t have the strength to eliminate bad reviews, that’s not true. procedure that allows hosts to appeal negative reviews. I also discovered a physically powerful craft industry that is helping visitors deal with bad reviews. Advisers who practice this business offer procedures such as “Remove Airbnb Notices: A Superhost’s Secret Weapon” and “Bad Airbnb Review: How to Make Them Your Weapon. “
Structuring a foolproof public review formula is complicated, and Airbnb has an ongoing lab experiment for academics interested in analyzing their knowledge to note control concepts or sociological teachings (this recent exam is just an attractive example). my review had nothing to do with complexity. Among other things, they said it wasn’t “relevant. ” This turns out to be a non-unusual explanation of why Airbnb offers when it removes mediocre reviews.
After Airbnb refused to escalate my query about my deleted review, I told them I would touch the company directly the next morning. A few hours later, a senior case manager at the Airbnb climbing table sent me a message promising I’d take a closer look. The next day, some other “support ambassador” also participated. Nothing’s changed. After touching airbnb’s media relations branch and saying I wanted to write an article about my experience, a spokesman, Aaron Swor, acted quickly.
Airbnb finally republished my review and Swor said the company made a mistake in removing it. Swor said it was removed after my host in Hudson asked Airbnb to do so. almost never. “
“We believe that a robust review formula is one that respects and protects the original feedback from our community,” he added. “For this reason, we take the removal of any comments very seriously. “
That may be true, however, Airbnb did not seem to take the deletion of my complaint seriously until I met as a journalist. I also asked Swor about suspicions that Airbnb favors its hosts over its users, because the site’s monetary interests are aligned. with those of the most productive sellers. ” That’s not true,” he replied, recalling that notices are only removed if they violate the site’s content policy.
I think Airbnb is a wonderful service, but accepting it as true is a fragile and ephemeral thing. The summer vacation season is coming, and if Airbnb has helped you find a place to stay, read those reviews thoroughly and ask yourself if anything can be enough. have been forgotten or eliminated.
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(Timothy L. O’Brien is a lead columnist for Bloomberg Opinion).
© 2021 Bloomberg L. P.
Distributed through Tribune Content Agency, LLC
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