Dealing with reviews

[Dave-n-Kitty]

So, out of MANY rentals on Outdoorsy and the "other site" that rhymes with "marvey smare", we have only ONE not so good review. It was submitted at the very end of the open period by our renters and we saw it AFTER we could respond or make a corresponding review for the renter. 

Short story - they caused damage and refused to acknowledge it AFTER we bent over backwards on delivery time, what's included, and even offered a rebate when they said we turned over the camper with the black tank "full to the top" (we didn't, but I was trying to be cool). In return, the camper came BACK half full of poop, dirty and damaged - late to boot! We tried to work the repairs out with them outside the system (this has worked every time before and since - people are generally good), but they insisted the damage was pre-existing and they "never even used that".

In any case, we held off on a bad review with the renters since we managed to get things squared away without going over their damage deposit. We wouldn't rent to them again, but we didn't want to blackball them. And then, too late, we found their review (Outdoorsy doesn't tell you when someone has submitted a review - bad on them).

Bottom line, we could not respond to the review (even after explaining to Outdoorsy). We couldn't review them, either. All we could do is respond to the next renter with a "glad you weren't a jackhole like the LAST  guy", so at least it could be seen in by folks looking. We like Outdoorsy, but that experience almost put us out of the rental business.

What we'd like to see:

1. Notification of renter reviews THE DAY they are posted
2. Unlimited time to respond to negative (1-2 star) reviews - it may take a while to get things fixed and sorted to have a final look
3. Open ability to review renters who leave reviews - why are we limiting the time?
4. Better/quicker resolution of issues with Outdoorsy so we can better manage repairs and damages
5. Immediate notice from Outdoorsy if renter drops or does not pay for insurance (don't ask me how he did this, but they did. All we had to work with was the damage deposit) or is in any way "not insured for damages".

Your thoughts/experiences/advice?

[AndrewPNW]

Reviews are tricky, thankfully (knock on wood) we haven't had and experience like yours...! I personally like all of your suggestions to the Outdoorsy team, I am sure they have many new features slated on their technology roadmap that may already incorporate some of them. Hang in there don't give up yet, there are good renters and make sure to take pictures and clearly point out any and all pre-existing damage to both the interior and exterior of your rig..!

Cheers,

Andrew

[Garrett1505]

Outdoorsy is working on the aforementioned bullet points you have brought up. Likewise, owners should focus on the positives and judge their bookings accordingly. Take a minute to incorporate negative reviews and turn them into questions for potential renters in the future. That way the owner can gauge if the renter is hesitant because of the negative review. This will help clear the air for all. 

[corwyn74]

I have concerns for the Review system and don't feel like owners are able to provide honest feedback about negative customer experiences - for fear of the customer providing a negative review in return.  This sets it up so that "bad eggs" can continue to rent from new renters without them being able to see the true picture of that renters history.  I know that I myself have not left any negative reviews and have had a few customers who did deserve them and would have liked to be able to "warn" other owners without the risk of damaging my own excellent review status.

I'm not sure of the best solution for this, but don't think the current system enables honest reviews of renters/customers.

[bjulia33]

From the renter's perspective, if an RV owner has nothing but 5 star reviews, and then one 2 star review, I'm not stupid. The off review usually tells on itself, and the story it tells is not that the one negative renter discovered the truly awful renting experience everyone else missed. It shows a fair distribution of majority accurate reviews and one bad renter. I'd be more suspicious of 5 stars across the board.

It is understandably tempting, but don't take it personally and don't underestimate folks reading the reviews. If you do get the chance to reply, best bet is to remain professional, defend nothing and wish the camper happier travels in the future. 

[fnlvr234]

As a previous Outdoorsy renter, I can say that I had a couple noob owners, and one should never have rented their rig out as it had a known service issue which caused problems on my trip. There was no reason for me to discuss it further with the owner when they knew what they had done and had no remorse.  I didn't leave a bad review, I just opted to leave no review at all.   Also, I don't like that my reviews as a renter are not shown in any history now that I am an owner.  

[Garrett1505]

Correction. You do have both platforms as an owner and renter. They are separate.