When Tawnia Wise checked into her Airbnb rental in Austin recently, she was shocked by what she found: a bug-infested property far from the squeaky-clean apartment she thought she’d booked.

Disgusted and uncomfortable, she left immediately, booked a hotel, and notified the host of the problems. She later left a scathing review on Airbnb, warning future guests about the conditions. But within days, her review vanished. Airbnb claimed she’d violated its review policy.

The problem? Wise says the host submitted doctored text messages to Airbnb, falsely showing she’d communicated outside the platform and expressing satisfaction with her stay.

Wise’s phone records proved otherwise.

“I never stayed there,” she says. “And I never called or texted the host outside the app. It’s all fabricated.”

This case raises several important questions:

• Can Airbnb hosts manipulate reviews to silence negative feedback?
• What recourse do guests have when Airbnb deletes a review?
• Do platforms like Airbnb really ensure fairness?

But first, let’s get a few details on Wise’s buggy rental.

“I felt scammed”

Wise had booked a four-day stay at an Airbnb apartment for $1,330. But she arrived late at night and found the property in disarray.

“There were roaches in the bathtub, crickets in the sink, and the place was just filthy,” she recalls. Unwilling to stay, she left within minutes and notified the host through Airbnb’s messaging system.

After her trip, Wise left a detailed review outlining the issues. However, days later, Airbnb removed it, citing a violation of its review policy.

What had she violated? The host had submitted screenshots of text messages allegedly showing Wise texting the host and offering not to give her a bad review if she refunded her.

Wise insists the messages are fake. She also sent photos of the run-down rental, proving the apartment had a bug problem.

“My phone records prove I never contacted them outside the app,” she says.

Airbnb initially closed the case without resolution, leaving Wise frustrated and out $1,330.

“I felt scammed,” she says. “Not just by the host, but by Airbnb’s system, which seems to favour hosts over guests.”

Is there a way to fix this?

Can Airbnb hosts manipulate reviews?

The short answer: Yes, they can.

While Airbnb designed its review system to promote transparency, it’s not foolproof. Hosts can exploit loopholes, such as submitting falsified evidence to dispute negative reviews. In Wise’s case, the host allegedly doctored text messages to get her review removed.

Wise could have triggered a review policy violation for several reasons.

• Airbnb does not allow reviews “provided or withheld in exchange for something of value” such as a discount, refund, reciprocal review, or promise not to take adverse action against the reviewer. The allegedly fake text exchange suggests she offered to withhold a negative review in exchange for a refund.

• Reviews may only be provided “in connection with a genuine stay.” This one’s a biggie, because Wise didn’t stay in the apartment. This is a huge “Get Out of Jail Free” card for hosts. You don’t have to worry about a review if your guest checks out and doesn’t stay.

• Finally, Airbnb could have removed her review because she violated its content policy. Posting images of insects in kitchen sinks might have been seen as irrelevant or harmful under Airbnb’s fairly broad policy.

And here’s the problem with a disappearing review on Airbnb: The company doesn’t have to tell Wise why it removed her review. In fact, it doesn’t even have to respond to her. Eventually, after some back-and-forth with Airbnb, the platform did what it did: ghosted her.

What recourse do guests have when Airbnb deletes a review?

When their reviews disappear, guests like Wise have limited options. According to our case files, Airbnb’s appeals process is opaque, and many users report feeling unheard.

“I provided phone records proving the texts were fake,” Wise told me. “But Airbnb didn’t seem to care.”

One option is to escalate the issue through Airbnb’s customer service. Persistence is key. Keeping detailed records of all communication and evidence can strengthen your case.

If Airbnb doesn’t respond, you can appeal your case to someone higher. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of Airbnb’s customer service executives on my consumer advocacy website, Elliott.org.

Next, you can contact a consumer advocate or your state’s attorney general. I don’t know if a guest review is a reason to contact your AG, but a missing refund certainly is.

Finally, you can dispute the charge with a credit card company. But that should be a last resort, because even if you win, you could be banned by Airbnb for nonpayment of the rental unit you chose to vacate.

Do platforms like Airbnb really ensure fairness?

Wise’s case highlights the flaws in Airbnb’s review system. Honest reviews are the backbone of the sharing economy, and silencing them undermines trust.

Airbnb and similar platforms must redouble their efforts to make the process as transparent as possible and keep everyone accountable. That means closing loopholes like the “no-stay, no-review” rule. It means thoroughly investigating disputes, verifying evidence, and giving both parties a fair chance to present their case.

And it means never, ever ghosting a customer.

Vacation rental platforms need stricter verification processes for hosts and guests. For example, requiring all communication within the app can prevent disputes over doctored texts. Maybe Airbnb needs third-party mediation for contentious cases like this one. That would provide an impartial review of the evidence and promote a fair outcome.

But beyond that, you can ensure this doesn’t become a problem on your next vacation rental. Select your rental property carefully, using our expert guidelines. If you run into trouble, contact the host and platform immediately, and keep all communication on the platform so that there’s no possibility of a misunderstanding.

Yes, there’s a happy ending to this case.

I checked with Airbnb on this case. According to Airbnb, there were indeed some communication problems on this one.

“The guest was unresponsive to customer support’s outreach about their initial complaint, which resulted in the delay in support,” an Airbnb spokeswoman said. (It provided no evidence that Wise didn’t respond to its communications.)

Airbnb reinstated Wise’s review and refunded her $1,330 and the cost of her hotel stay.

“I’m grateful for the resolution,” says Wise. “But it shouldn’t have taken this much effort.”

She’s right. Airbnb needs to fix its review system. It’s not just smart. It’s also wise.

 

By Cristopher Elliott – (c) 2025

Read Time: 6 minutes

 

About the Writer

Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organisation that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at [email protected].

 

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