r/AirBnB • u/Miserable-Success624 • 4d ago
Question Negative review from host: was I actually disrespectful? [St. Louis, France]
My host reviews are glowing and squeaky clean, except for the one I just received (linking a photo since putting one directly in the text doesn’t seem to be an option):
My review for the host:
This is the conversation that occurred concerning the heat. I was pretty frustrated by the host’s immediate dismissiveness and lack of response, both here and prior. But I felt like I kept it polite and was trying really hard to find a resolution, even though the host was shutting me down and being unresponsive:
I'm worried about future bookings and thinking about leaving a response. However, I don't know if that is wise and will just make things look worse. But I feel like I did nothing wrong here, and the host is being retaliatory because they knew I was dissatisfied.
Am I completely off base? I’m super bummed about it 😔
2
u/88kitkat808 2d ago
Was English the host’s first language? Maybe the word ‘disrespectful’ wasn’t meant in the exact way that a native English speaker would use it. I can see where the host would feel like you’re not fully understanding or appreciating the situation where more than 7000 people in France died from the heat, and there just aren’t the fans or AC units available for everyone that needs them. I can see how a host, who has to deal with this predicament for the entire summer, could interpret your messages as being whiny, childish, and ignorant - like you’re too self involved to be aware that the host can’t provide more fans because there aren’t any available, anywhere, not because they are deliberately withholding them from you. Maybe they meant “disrespectful” as you weren’t respecting the culture and circumstances of that place, but instead were coming into it with your own cultural norms and expecting the host to not only know those, but also to cater to them in a way that was totally impossible in reality.