Someone In BC Says They Were Threatened By An Airbnb Host After Leaving A 4/5 Review
Airbnb has suspended the host.
Downtown Vancouver, B.C.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Since this article's publication on June 21, 2022, Dr. Moore has deleted her tweets and rescinded her complaint to Airbnb. The Airbnb account in question has been reinstated.
A University of British Columbia (UBC) assistant professor says she was threatened by an Airbnb host, who said she had 48 hours to take down the review before "the fun begins." What's more? It was a 4/5 star review!
On June 18, Dr. Alex Moore posted screenshots of the "threatening text" on Twitter and said that she was in touch with both Airbnb and the Vancouver police regarding their experience. Airbnb confirmed to Narcity that the host and the listing have been taken off the site following an investigation of the matter.
In a series of tweets which have since been deleted, Moore tagged Airbnb while posting screenshots of the host's message. It 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."
Moore added in another tweet that their review was a rating of 4/5, accompanied by a positive message. However, Moore noted that the review brought the host's average rating down from a 5 to a 4.95.
Another tweet contained screenshots from the host's Airbnb listing in Vancouver. Moore also said she has approached the Vancouver Police Department about the incident.
Narcity reached out to the Vancouver Police Department for comment but did not hear back before this story went to press.
In an update on June 20, Moore confirmed that Airbnb had removed the host and the listing for violating its "policies on bullying and harassment."
In an email to Narcity, Airbnb verified that they had suspended the host during the investigation of the incident. And now, the company has "removed the host and his listing entirely from Airbnb," in accordance with their policies.
"We're thankful to Dr. Moore for bringing this to our attention," Airbnb added in their statement.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.