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Category: Guest Communication
By: Jessica Morales
Reply by Daniel Kowalski:
This IS extortion, and Airbnb has a policy against it. Here's exactly what to do: 1. **DO NOT agree to the refund.** Giving in rewards the behavior and opens you up to future extortion. 2. **Respond calmly and kindly IN THE AIRBNB MESSAGING SYSTEM** (so it's documented): "I appreciate you letting me know about the ceiling stain. It's a cosmetic mark — no active leak. I apologize for the imperfection. Unfortunately, I'm not able to offer a 50% refund for a cosmetic issue that doesn't affect your stay. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!" 3. **Screenshot everything.** The message where they explicitly tie a refund demand to the review is your evidence. 4. **If they leave a retaliatory review:** Contact Airbnb Support and cite their **Extortion Policy**. Reviews where the guest explicitly threatened a bad review to get a refund CAN be removed. The key evidence is the threatening message in Airbnb's messaging system. 5. **Respond to the review publicly** using the review response generator at https://strspecialist.com/tools/review-response-generator — keep it professional, brief, and address the actual issue. This happens rarely but when it does, documentation is everything. Never negotiate via text or phone — keep all communication on-platform.
Reply by Camille Dubois:
I had a nearly identical situation. Guest complained about a minor issue, demanded a partial refund "or else." I politely declined, they left a 1-star review, and I reported it to Airbnb with the screenshots. Airbnb removed the review within 48 hours. The key was having the explicit threat documented in the Airbnb messaging system. They take review extortion seriously — it undermines the trust of the entire platform. Stay calm, document everything, and don't let anyone bully you into paying them off.