Jesús Ruiz Sanjuán & Veronika Sorokova // Updated 20th April 2019
Oh no!! There it is that odd negative review. What to do now? Will be ruined the reputation of your apartment?
Take a deep breath and stop panicking. Even the best possible host may get that rare negative review because you can try to please everyone but you most likely will not be able to do so at some point.
It takes one moody guest or an unexpected disaster, like broken water heater or internet issue, to receive that one not so good review.
It does not even need to be your fault, but here it is, so what you should do with it?
Keep reading and you will learn 3 tips on HOW TO HANDLE NEGATIVE REVIEWS
- MEET IN PERSON: Every guest has a chance to leave you a review after checking out. One way to try to avoid a negative review is to meet the guest at the check out especially if some issues have occurred during their stay and speak to them directly about the inconvenience, explaining in good manners how unexpected it was and that you did your best to solve it ASAP. Guests should get the chance to connect with you on human to human level and see that you truly care.
- DON’T OVERDO THE REPLY: If due to some reasons you were unable to meet your guests at the check out or they did not care for what you had to say and the negative review has been now published don’t overreact! Yes, you can and should leave a reply to that review but do not make the same mistake as many hosts do and keep your reply polite and most importantly SHORT! Long reviews attract potential future guests. They may even miss that one negative review in the sea of positive ones, but if the reply is visibly long where you try to explain every aspect of your guest’s complain, it will make others to focus only on that exact review. Always, thank your guest for his/hers feedback. Show that you are sorry that their expectations were not met, say that you wish that their stay would have been as amazing as the other guests who stayed in your apartment and wish them nice day, life or future trips. Be the bigger person and do not let yourself to go into calling that guest names like liar and fussy.
- LEARN FROM IT: Analyse the review. Why did the guest complain? Was he frustrated because you did not reply his messages about some issues quick enough? Did the electrician you usually call did not attend the issue on that day? Maybe you need to find another electrician, maybe you need to check your phone more often when you have a person staying in the apartment. Was the guest disappointed with the look of your apartment because you use highly photo-shopped pictures on your profile? Perhaps you could change them for some more realistic ones.
Try to find out if there is anything you can take from the negative reviews and change it into a positive learning experience.
We learn and grow from negative reviews as much, if not even more, as from positive ones.
How you handle complains and negative feedback shows how committed you are to your business, side hassle or your role as a host!
Some guests will leave negative review because they did not enjoy it or because they did not read the description of your apartment in the advertisement and had unrealistic expectations. What can you do? Just continue to do your best, improving and learning from every experience, always 🙂
A patience and politeness goes a long way.
If you prefer that an expert Property Manager handles these negative reviews as well as other online tasks for you. but still want to manage other important tasks of your holiday home, check our Online Management Service. For more information about this and other services get in touch with Hosting Auténtico.
