The problem is that there is no balance. Some smaller businesses get shredded undeservedly, while others who are more savvy get away with terrible customer service because they are protected by the site.
Airbnb, yelp, etc are all heavily slanted in favour of the host/business and frequently ban users who leave bad reviews, delete bad reviews and only care about keeping the 4 and 5 star ratings for the businesses that pay them and make them money.
Airbnb is by far the worst at this given the fact that staying in the home (often with the host) in a different city and different country can make or break a vacation that cost thousands of dollars, not to mention the fact that safety is a major concern for certain travellers. Airbnb is well known for banning guests who leave negative feedback, no matter how legitimate, and deleting reviews to protect hosts.
There are some crazy people who try and hurt a business with their extreme reviews but I often don't trust them anyways (if they seem too crazy) and like someone mentioned, it goes a long way when a business responds and tries to make things right. I think it actually reflects poorly on the reviewer when they leave an unfairly negative.
Last edited by Cecil Terwilliger; 07-18-2018 at 11:50 AM.
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