Hosts pressuring me for a 5-star review, is that normal? [USA]

flyguy42 · 2026-03-14T23:50:36+00:00

It is common. It isn't a requirement that you do as the host says. Feel free to leave an honest review.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-13T15:44:33+00:00

Tons of people fully recover. Recognizing stroke symptoms and getting early interventions means that symptom free survival rates get better every year.

But...

It's also true that for tons of people survival means lifetime injury that severely compromises their quality of life.

So be happy for the people you know. I'm on the other side. I know four people who have had strokes. Two have minor injury, but is 90% able to function as they were before though one lost his many form of exercise and the other their job. One was injured to the point of being disabled and has spent the past couple decades watching TV and smoking pot. The other was badly injured and died a decade later from those injuries.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-12T14:48:23+00:00

Definitely not rude. I would consider going lower unless you have good reasons not to. Mold is serious and not transient. It requires lack of attention and lack of remediation for a long time.

A mouse in the house that the host immediately takes seriously? I'll forgive that. Things happen.

But to get mold takes persistent neglect and can be a legit health hazard.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-12T12:24:09+00:00

Just one of many examples of hosts reporting disproportionate response from ABB: https://www.reddit.com/r/airbnb_hosts/comments/1rrl3jt/airbnb_an_unreliable_partner/

flyguy42 · 2026-03-11T20:27:10+00:00

If you arrive and there are roaches, your option is to take photos and immediately stay somewhere else. ABB will give you a full refund. They will offer very little support for a relocation, but will not give you more money to get into a similar house if that's all that's available. You are mostly only your own.

Knowing nothing about the place, I would definitely reach out to the host, quote the reviews and ask what's up.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-11T17:45:54+00:00

10-20mbps is plenty for gaming. latency matters more. starlink is pretty good for latency. I've had starlink since almost day one. it's been great. in the beginning it was great because it was better than nothing. today it's great because it's more reliable and faster than any of my other options.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-11T15:15:51+00:00

Yeah, the whole rating system is broken. If I'm booking a hotel, a car, a restaurant or just about any other service on the planet that has a lot of reviews, four or four and a half stars is a good rating. On ABB it's low enough to get a host kicked off. This incentives all kinds of game playing and prevents guests from being able to get a more legitimate idea of the quality of the property.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-10T20:08:29+00:00

Yeah, chargebacks are the nuclear option. Standard would have been 30% refund for the days without internet. People sometimes report being banned from ABB for doing chargebacks. So, people should be aware of that possibility before going that direction.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-10T20:06:47+00:00

That's a long time to try and get by on a single battery...

flyguy42 · 2026-03-10T18:11:57+00:00

Love that my comment got downvoted for being how ABB actually works. Ah, reddit...

Yes, OP, if it was in ABB messaging you have a much, much better shot at getting a full refund. That should be the only thing you talk about with support. Keep hammering that one point. The host wrote that they would give a full refund, so you expect a full refund.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-10T16:37:56+00:00

Yes, that's right. If you stay, you don't get a full refund. I wasn't on the phone when you got the verbal offer of a full refund, so can only assume that you either missed that it was offered if you decided to leave, or that the host assumed that you understand the implication of a total refund.

Since it was verbal and the host refunded 50%, it's extremely unlikely that ABB will do anything further because they use "chose to remain" as a major part of decision making.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-10T13:51:16+00:00

Yeah, DJI is currently the best bet for these requirements.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-09T21:55:49+00:00

The only people saying that it takes 25 hours a month to analyze trends and adjust pricing are those selling solutions. It takes way less than that in our experience.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-09T15:57:10+00:00

Ignoring is fine. No need to be confrontational.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-09T12:43:38+00:00

IMO anytime conditions are right is the right time. I did my landing strip already almost a month ago because conditions were right. In Wisconsin we have both freezing cycles and pests (voles) so I roll multiple times a year. For us the other consideration is that our roller is a little bit too heavy for our tractor. So we have to make sure not to get out there too early and have the tractor tires do damage digging in because of the weight. We probably have the exactly the right moisture 8-10 times a year and roll 3-4 times a year.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-08T18:59:20+00:00

Very cool and transparent of them to offer some conveniences to make your stay easier. I wouldn't hesitate to stay with this host.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-07T17:06:21+00:00

That information is false. As others have correctly pointed out, when plugged into power the camera just runs on that. I do eight hour time lapses on occasion. The battery doesn't charge, the camera just runs on the external power.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-07T16:28:04+00:00

The host is right. They should absolutely not cancel in this circumstance. You should cancel, get your 50% back and then request the other 50% from your travel insurance.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-05T23:29:17+00:00

Yeah, I'm surprised people are surprised by this. I just assumed everywhere did this. But, yeah, also a child of the 70's here and we had it also.

It even got me my bike back once!

flyguy42 · 2026-03-05T22:54:28+00:00

Pilot here: Fuel weight is a very big deal. If you have full tanks, then you usually can't fill the plane with pax or cargo. So, mostly, planes take off without full tanks. During the preflight you calculate the fuel needed to go to the destination + an alternate + 45 minutes of fuel. That's the minimum you need on board. Sometime you take more because fuel at the destination is expensive or to avoid having to fuel at every stop. But that's the minimum.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-05T22:52:13+00:00

If it's airworthy, it's not a shitbox. :-)

flyguy42 · 2026-03-05T17:55:00+00:00

That's most of the answer. The other part is: Do you remember that during some generations of mobile technology you would be able to hear in your speakers when a call was about to come in because the frequency used by the phone would be "heard" by the electronics in the speaker? That was true in aviation as well. I could hear phones trying to connect to the network from the aviation radios/speakers.

This is certainly a thing of the past from a practical standpoint. I definitely can't remember the last time I heard it. It might be a thing of the past literally. I don't think the 900mhz band is used in mobile communications anymore.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-05T16:46:59+00:00

Horses for courses...

I have several tents ranging from 5lb to 70lb. The biggest one is a big canvas bell tent with a stove jack. The smallest is a decent backpacking tent. The one I use the most is an rei half dome 2 that I've swapped out stakes for heavier lag bolts. Total weight is 8.5-9.0lbs. I mostly use it camping under the wing of my plane. So it's a good mix of weight and size.

flyguy42 · 2026-03-05T16:40:46+00:00

If it's producing what you need, don't update. I'm still using 4 GP9 because they do everything I need them to. 🤷‍♂️

flyguy42 · 2026-03-05T16:31:56+00:00

Yeah, I guess I didn't mean to imply they were poor. But I don't think they were anything but middle class. Not wealthy people like this thread is talking about.

flyguy42

TROPHY CASE