This was one of the topics we discussed over breakfast at RezFest, and many of us have found that when we give our review-readers the credit for knowing when they see one posted as "revenge", it takes the weapon out of the threatening renters' hands. Even admitting that you had "challenges" with their visit in your response isn't a bad thing, as it can reveal the nature of the review without accusing anyone.

My problem is that I have a reviewer that has posted 4 negative reviews for the same stay. HomeAway has taken down the first 3 after a lot of pressure, but now the reveiwer has registered in a false name and submitted a rehash of his old reviews.

We have guests who have left a rant in block capitals in our guest book threatening that if we do not give them a greater refund than we already have (I should not have let them blackmail me but having three adults shouting at you that you should go out and dig graves in the garden is a very difficult situation to face at 10.30 at night) they will post negative reviews on all our properties. I agreed with them that the cleaning was not of our cleaners usual standard in one room and offered to immediately clean it myself. I had already driven out to collect them because they had lost their directions. On arrival they had said everything was fine. This is the first time we have had a complaint about cleaning in 10 years.

This was a short term booking so I did not ask them for a damage deposit but wet towels have been left on polished furniture and when we walked into the house - they stayed one night out of 3 - they had left two huge bags of food trash and diapers on a heated floor. The diaper bag had leaked and the smell was indescribable. This is rubbish they must have been traveling with in a hot car for 10 hours. They had also burnt candles in the bedrooms and the house smells of smoke. Because they had a small child and it is the wettest summer Ireland has seen for a long time we left them the key to the shed that contains our drier they have even criticised the state of the shed!

Do I give in to them and if I do how can I be sure that they won't still carry out their blackmail? Do I remove the page from the guest book or do I leave it there for others? My cleaner is understandably very upset about the situation but I don't feel I can sack her over one poor clean out of nearly 300. And how do I respond to people wanting the heating turned up from 73 degrees to 80 degrees because they are inappropriately dressed for the Irish climate?