A viral tweet has left Twitter concerned after an Airbnb host allegedly threatened a woman for leaving a four-star review.
Professor Dr Alex Moore (@Dr_AlexM) shared the harrowing experience with the platform, detailing how an apartment host demanded she removes the review or the "fun begins."
Sharing a screenshot to Twitter, the message read: “I have your picture, your name and your number.
“You have 48 hours to remove your review or I’m hiring a private investigator to obtain your address and then the fun begins.”
She raised her concerns to Airbnb "in the interest of my own personal safety as well as public safety" and asked why the host was still active on the popular site.
The host also told her she was blocked from responding to that number.
\u201cIn the interest of my own personal safety as well as public safety, @Airbnb @AirbnbHelp: Can you explain to me and everyone else why the host who sent me this message is still active on your platform? This person is clearly a threat and should not be allowed to host guests.\u201d— Dr. Alex Moore (@Dr. Alex Moore) 1655569217
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Moore told her followers that the review of the property was positive. She said she enjoyed her stay and that she'd "certainly" rebook in the future.
She shared a screenshot of the four-star review. She explained: "I left a 4/5 review with a positive message, and the host has contacted me at my personal number with increasingly threatening text because my review brought their average rating down from a 5 to a 4.95."
After reporting the alleged incident to local authorities and Airbnb, she received an apology from the platform. The following day, Airbnb support responded with an almost identical message apologising for her experience and promised to send Moore to the "correct team right now."
\u201cQuick update: The listing is still posted, but I just spoke with Vancouver PD and they will be sending someone over to tell the host to leave me alone "or else". They may also revoke his license to participate in house-share programs. Fingers crossed.\u201d— Dr. Alex Moore (@Dr. Alex Moore) 1655569217
Airbnb finally removed the property, according to Moore's update. “It’s confirmed that his listing has been taken down! I will continue to follow up with @AirbnbHelp regarding next steps,” Moore tweeted on Sunday morning.
She later gave a final update from Airbnb support.
\u201cFINAL UPDATE:\u201d— Dr. Alex Moore (@Dr. Alex Moore) 1655569217
In terms of receiving a refund for the trip, Moore told a fellow Twitter user: "I’m still trying to sort that part out, but my priority was definitely to make sure he couldn’t host others."
Airbnb told Indy100: "After a thorough investigation during which the Host was suspended, we've now removed the Host and their listing entirely from Airbnb in accordance with our community policies.
"We're thankful to Dr. Moore for bringing this to our attention.
"More information here on our bullying and harassment policy: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3058/combatting-hate-harassment-and-discrimination
"More information here on our reviews policy which prohibits extortion: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/548/airbnbs-dispute-moderation-for-reviews"
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