Copyright walesonline
A property owner says she is livid after losing her perfect Airbnb rating due to a disgruntled guest complaining about "noisy" sheep. Holly Thomson said she was perplexed when she read the review, where the visitor stated that earplugs "didn't quite block" the bleating during their stay at her lodge in Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway. The holiday home is situated in the heart of a lambing field with 100 sheep and is listed as "offering a taste of farm life". Holly said her and her husband had "poured their heart and soul" into the lodges. However, one guest at The Barn at Summerhill Farm Stays wasn't adequately prepared, leaving a harsh critique online after their stay, causing Holly's five-star rating to plummet. Love dreamy Welsh homes? Sign up to our newsletter here . Speaking in response to the score, Holly, 36, said: "It is ridiculous. We found it quite funny as well. What are you expecting? You can't stop animals being animals. "It's very much you come because you want to experience country life. We're very remote and that's a selling point and is why we wanted to do it. It's great for people who want to get away from it all." The peeved visitor also described the clean and modern interior as "a bit lacking in character" in their three-star review. Holly had previously received numerous five-star ratings, making her cottage "one of the most loved homes on Airbnb" until recently, reports the Mirror . Holly has now lodged a complaint with Airbnb regarding the nature of the gripe, hoping the company will remove the post. Her TikTok video, filmed inside the property and featuring a jibe at the tourist, has been viewed over 750,000 times on the platform. The mother of two, who resides in Castle Douglas, shared: "What we've quickly learned is how important reviews are for our business. As we're new to it we read every single review we get. We're not going to get it right straightaway. "I checked my emails and had a notification from Airbnb that I had my first three-star review. This girl had written a review saying that the sheep were too loud and she wore ear plugs and that didn't stop the noise at night. "It's in the name of our business so I'm not really sure what she was expecting. That's part of the experience that you see sheep. If you look where we are you would see we're in a rural part of the country. "They can lodge a complaint and I had a notification that a complaint was made due to 'unexpected noise'. I was gutted. We've poured our heart and soul into these holiday lodges and it's been a big risk for us as youngish farmers diversifying." Holly continued: "She's brought my overall rating down which means we don't rank as high on Airbnb which means we potentially lose out on customers. It's a very unfair complaint. You can't please everyone and maybe country life isn't for everyone. "People don't really understand how hard farming is I think and being able to see it firsthand it blows my mind that she would then criticise the poor sheep." The full three-star review read: "The location brought a real sense of peace and serenity - at least when the nearby sheep weren't being too noisy (even earplugs didn't quite block them out at night). "That said, the shower lacked water pressure, and the interior, while clean and modern, felt a bit lacking in character. It would've been ideal to have a barbecue area for outdoor cooking, and there wasn't much to do in the nearby surroundings. "Overall it was a pleasant getaway - peaceful, well-equipped." However, a number of TikTok users responded to the viral video backing Holly. One person said: "It's not fair you get marked down for something that is clearly stated in the property listing." Another added: "As an Airbnb owner this is extra super-duper hilarious." A third person remarked: "I would book for the sheep noises." In response to the disagreement, Airbnb said they maintain a rigorous reviews policy designed to ensure feedback remains authentic, reliable and valuable to the community. The company explained reviews are only taken down in specific cases where users have breached the reviews policy, though users can publicly reply to any review - including those they dispute. After conducting an internal investigation, Airbnb confirmed the guest's review hadn't breached their policies and reflected a genuine personal experience, which featured both complimentary remarks and constructive suggestions for the host.
