AirBnB scam to avoid negative reviews

Nikkiboo

Beware - AirBnB is removing negative reviews on behalf of hosts.

So, I recently learned that some hosts are able to remove negative reviews on AirBnb. When someone writes a negative review, the host offers them compensation and if you accept, they request AirBnB to remove your negative review as there has been coercion. This is what happened to me.

So, even though your review is genuine and honest, it gets removed by AirBnb so the host no longer has any negative reviews.

After learning this I will no longer book with AirBnB as I have no confidence that any of the reviews as genuine an given that negative reviews are so easy to remove by the host. I will use Booking.com instead

Tree_pipe99

I'd agree AirBnB aren't very reliable, but not sure what you mean by "coercion"? Who is it that has been coerced and how?

Also, many companies will also remove reviews that are overly opinion based rather than factual.

Worried_fool

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6683697/airbnb-scam-to-avoid-negative-reviews

From the frying-pan into the fire… Booking is really the absolute pits.

rollingmoon

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82140896#Comment_82140896

This. I use booking.com as a search engine, and then book direct. Anything else is just making life harder for yourself if something goes wrong. I've also found that sometimes booking direct gets me a cheaper price, so I really can't see any positives to using them at all.

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82140955#Comment_82140955

The last few times I investigated booking direct, the price was never that different, at most just a few quid in it in either direction. Usually if booking.com have a special 'mobile only deal' the prices can be quite keen, and sometimes they make offers ' if you book a break in the next 4 weeks we will credit your account £xx for future bookings' which works OK.

However if prices are the same , I book direct.

Worried_fool

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82141039#Comment_82141039

Interesting…

For years they offered very keen prices, with a "best price" agreement with vendors being strictly enforced. About four years ago, I found it had become very easy to beat the price that Booking offered. Evidently many other people have noticed this, and so perhaps they are now trying to find ways to become competitive.

Personally, I stopped using them because of their abysmal lack of customer service and failure to support following fraud.

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82142009#Comment_82142009

I think if you are signed in to booking.com as a 'Genius member' rather than just browsing the site, you get better deals on some hotels sometimes, especially if there is an additional discount for booking it on your phone. I would always check the direct price as well though.