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I had a similar issue with an Airbnb - the listing didn't mention pets, and the host ended up being an elderly person whose pet simply did its business on a pat

I had a similar issue with an Airbnb - the listing didn't mention pets, and the host ended up being an elderly person whose pet simply did its business on a patch of astroturf in the bathroom. The whole place stunk to high heaven. I ended up relocating to a hotel. My issue is that I feel that Airbnb reviews aren't trustworthy - this was a listing with a lot of reviews, not a single one mentioned the smell or the weird business with the dog, and all were absolutely glowing reviews. I find that a bit hard to believe. It's the same way I feel about Grubhub/Seamless - even the sketchy deli with the expired meat somehow has a 4 out of 5 star rating. I'm pretty sure getting shut down by the health department would only merit a drop to 3.5 stars. I no longer use Airbnb because I really just can't trust that the reviews are on the up and up.

dazc 9y ago
'My issue is that I feel that Airbnb reviews aren't trustworthy...' The problem with Airbnb reviews is that you are being reviewed too - so, although you can technically leave a bad review there is a social pressure not to. I have also learned to be wary of places with a high number of reviews relative to others in the same area.
- thijsvandien 9y ago
  Airbnb doesn't publish those reviews until either both parties have written one, or the deadline to do so has expired.
  - dazc 9y ago
    I know but the social pressure still exists, especially when you have met the host face to face. My experience is limited to Spain where you are often renting from an individual and they are genuinely nice but not exactly stretching themselves in the customer service department. Elsewhere, it is probably different - especially where you have 'professional' hosts for whom there really is no excuse.
- potatolicious 9y ago
  > "The problem with Airbnb reviews is that you are being reviewed too" I think this is a huge part of the problem. When both sides of the transaction need to be reviewed positively by the other, you get into a situation where every review is either: A - glowing and overflowing with superlative praise B - raining nuclear hellfire down on the other party It's an even more extreme version of star rating inflation I feel like, since nobody is going to speak their mind unless things have gotten really bad.
tialaramex 9y ago
Star inflation is a problem. Everybody wants to be 5 stars. Reviewing systems really struggle not to give loads of people the maximum score, thus making it useless. One of the things that makes the Michelin guide stand out is that they've resisted the urge to be like "Oh, wow, restaurants suddenly all got awesome, every city in American now has fifty Michelin starred restaurants". The UK decided to rate places that sell food with a star system, but it turns out that "Zero" is actually a valid rating, the regulator's perspective is that "Zero" means you did not break the rules badly enough to be shut down, so you're still open, so that's a zero. If you were worse than a zero, they would physically shut you down. You won't find any actual restaurants with a zero, but you definitely find places that sell food where you'd never think to check their rating and they have a zero because they didn't give a crap. So, the steak tartare in classy restaurant with a Five is probably safer than the hot dog in the corner store that got zero... but the government figures not enough people will get sick from those hot dogs to make it worth forcing the store to close.

dazc 9y ago

'My issue is that I feel that Airbnb reviews aren't trustworthy...' The problem with Airbnb reviews is that you are being reviewed too - so, although you can technically leave a bad review there is a social pressure not to. I have also learned to be wary of places with a high number of reviews relative to others in the same area.

thijsvandien 9y ago
Airbnb doesn't publish those reviews until either both parties have written one, or the deadline to do so has expired.
- dazc 9y ago
  I know but the social pressure still exists, especially when you have met the host face to face. My experience is limited to Spain where you are often renting from an individual and they are genuinely nice but not exactly stretching themselves in the customer service department. Elsewhere, it is probably different - especially where you have 'professional' hosts for whom there really is no excuse.
potatolicious 9y ago
> "The problem with Airbnb reviews is that you are being reviewed too" I think this is a huge part of the problem. When both sides of the transaction need to be reviewed positively by the other, you get into a situation where every review is either: A - glowing and overflowing with superlative praise B - raining nuclear hellfire down on the other party It's an even more extreme version of star rating inflation I feel like, since nobody is going to speak their mind unless things have gotten really bad.

tialaramex 9y ago

Star inflation is a problem. Everybody wants to be 5 stars. Reviewing systems really struggle not to give loads of people the maximum score, thus making it useless. One of the things that makes the Michelin guide stand out is that they've resisted the urge to be like "Oh, wow, restaurants suddenly all got awesome, every city in American now has fifty Michelin starred restaurants". The UK decided to rate places that sell food with a star system, but it turns out that "Zero" is actually a valid rating, the regulator's perspective is that "Zero" means you did not break the rules badly enough to be shut down, so you're still open, so that's a zero. If you were worse than a zero, they would physically shut you down. You won't find any actual restaurants with a zero, but you definitely find places that sell food where you'd never think to check their rating and they have a zero because they didn't give a crap. So, the steak tartare in classy restaurant with a Five is probably safer than the hot dog in the corner store that got zero... but the government figures not enough people will get sick from those hot dogs to make it worth forcing the store to close.