Writing References for no-shows

Nigel G.

@ngillisNew York, New York, United States

Writing References for no-shows

Hi CSers

I'm trying to be a responsible member of the CS community via clear and timely communication.

I do understand that sometimes communication is interrupted by factors of language differences and even reliability of Wi-Fi / CS login access by people in transit.

That being noted, if I offer to host a CSer and have them confirm that I will be accommodating them, and then communication from the CSer's end abruptly ends, do I write a review? It's often likely that the CSer perhaps just found a place to stay or changed plans, but when is an appropriate time to write something that would be seen by the greater CS community? I really want to be as fair as possible and ensure that both hosts and travelers take accountability for the way they communicate.

Nigel

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J. S. G.

@jsg68Yonkers, New York, United States

Use your judgment. If after thinking about it you still feel uncertain, err on the side of not leaving feedback. (While a warning may be reasonable, a no-show is not exactly an urgent threat to other hosts that demands a warning -- so when in doubt, be conservative.)

If you do feel you should leave feedback, and you haven't already, drop a final note to the CSer in question, to let them know that you were perturbed by them dropping communications and not showing up after confirming. Give them a last chance to explain themselves, and then decide whether to proceed based on how you feel afterward. (And who knows, maybe the private feedback will lead them to behave better with others, in the future.)

Vera G.

@verusiaNew York, New York, United States

Hmmm.... Never happened to me, but honestly, I think you would do a favor to the community by providing honest feedback. Especially in NYC where we all get a gazillion requests: ghosting a host who accepted you is not only wasting the host's time but is also screwing over other surfers you could host instead. Not to mention the fact that I would personally not want to host somebody without enough decency to say "thanks, but no, thanks". So I would appreciate other people sharing this info with me.

Vera G.

@verusiaNew York, New York, United States

And yeah - an issue of WI-FI accessibility may warrant you waiting a few days before posting, but common - it is 2017. Your phone may have drowned in the toilet right this minute, but if you found a way to request to be hosted, you should be able to find a way to inform the host of your changed plans within a few days.