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Why Airbnb is dead to me

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Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#181

Post by coldtea »

dandare wrote: post #146
mistermann wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The older I get the more cynical I get, and the further I drift leftward politically in favor of more government regulation, the underlying reason I think being that generally speaking, most cultures (and especially "high achievers" within) are fundamentally dishonest - like teenagers, they often cannot be trusted with serious responsibility. They have highly potent skills, but they don't have the corresponding matur…

A guy from post communist country here: how is more government regulation going to solve anything?

A guy from a never communist country: privatization is not all that it seems to be when you've had to live under a "really existing socialism". Neither capitalism, for that matter.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#182

Post by rsync »

flippyhead wrote: post #10

I continue to use AirBnb but have been pretty disappointed in their customer service. I rent out a family cabin occasionally and someone who stayed there scratched the floor accidentally wearing winter boots with spikes on them. They admitted this, apologized and were generally totally awesome about it. It took me months to get Airbnb to figure out how to deduct money from their damage deposit. They first said I had…

"Looking forward to trying housetrip, there really need to be a solid alternative to AirBnb."

I'm just passing though this thread and have almost zero experience with airbnb, but I have used VRBO several times per year since 2005 and it's been wonderful.

I've used it in several countries, in many states of the US, for studio apartments up to 5BR houses. It's great.

It's like the craigslist of this category - sort of ugly and old fashioned looking, but it works.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#183

Post by Lawtonfogle »

mistermann wrote: post #136
potatolicious wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems like a theme with pretty much all internet companies, big and small - undercut the competition by cutting corners on things that "don't matter", until they matter. Google for example has almost no way to reach customer service, even for their paid products. When it works it works great, when it doesn't God Help You. Ditto Uber/Lyft/other cab companies, where there seems to be no end of people who were put…

The older I get the more cynical I get, and the further I drift leftward politically in favor of more government regulation, the underlying reason I think being that generally speaking, most cultures (and especially "high achievers" within) are fundamentally dishonest - like teenagers, they often cannot be trusted with serious responsibility. They have highly potent skills, but they don't have the corresponding matur…

>but they don't have the corresponding maturity or morality to safely wield those skills.

Or their morals differ from your own. They may lack your morality, but that does not mean they lack morals.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#184

Post by fauigerzigerk »

mistermann wrote: post #136
potatolicious wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems like a theme with pretty much all internet companies, big and small - undercut the competition by cutting corners on things that "don't matter", until they matter. Google for example has almost no way to reach customer service, even for their paid products. When it works it works great, when it doesn't God Help You. Ditto Uber/Lyft/other cab companies, where there seems to be no end of people who were put…

The older I get the more cynical I get, and the further I drift leftward politically in favor of more government regulation, the underlying reason I think being that generally speaking, most cultures (and especially "high achievers" within) are fundamentally dishonest - like teenagers, they often cannot be trusted with serious responsibility. They have highly potent skills, but they don't have the corresponding matur…

Barcelona's hospitality industry is heavily regulated. Renting away private rooms via Airbnb is actually illegal there. Clearly, there needs to be a debate about the right kind of regulation, not just about more or less regulation.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#185

Post by pbreit »

josefresco wrote: post #139
pbreit wrote: post #125

Sounds like a horrific experience but unfortunately, it's hard to assign much credibility to the OP. Sounds very difficult to deal with. Like, no, a random photo from a balcony in no way proves that you weren't staying somewhere else.

That fact that they were even asked to provide "proof" is insane on so many levels.

Yeah, it's comically insane that a company like that would not bend over backwards to appease its customers. First, make sure travelers have a place to stay. Second, treat all parties as innocent (unless it's chronic). Third, try to sort out what happened in an empathetic manner.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#186

Post by aianus »

mikeash wrote: post #106
scottmcdot wrote: post #28

Just tonight, my mother checked into an Airbnb in Vienna, Austria. She sent me photos of the bed which did not have new sheets, the towels which were not fresh, a band aid on the floor and some rubbish bins full of cigarettes and ash. The apartment was overall pretty dirty. The host's contact phone number goes straight to message bank (I also tried many times) and the host is not answering emails. In this situation,…

Not defending the host's actions or AirBnB in any way here, but if you're not capable of getting a hotel on your own, then you probably shouldn't be traveling to foreign countries alone. Edit: well, that was unpopular. Am I wrong, or just saying it inartfully?

I've gone to foreign countries without any kind of booking at all. Just walked door to door until I found a suitable hostel. No big deal.

If you want a guaranteed excellent hassle-free experience, pay $300 a night to stay at a nice hotel. AirBnB is not for you.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#187

Post by dreaminvm »

raisedbyninjas wrote: post #116
mattdotc wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> if the host seems dishonest or the place isn't as described/shown, you can still check-in to an hotel. When I am traveling - for business or pleasure - the last thing I want to do is scramble to figure out where I will sleep that night. I value my time too much, especially for a pleasure trip, to go through that kind of ordeal. Also, you can save money if you pay in advance for your hotel. You won't have time to ev…

Prices for last minute bookings can also be discounted. Check out the mobile app Hotel Tonight.

Aside from using HT when they gave out free credits, their rates have been consistently more expensive than a comparable hotel on Priceline Express and Hotwire.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#188

Post by jbverschoor »

Had a very bad experience with airbb support too.. Appartment was digusting and not as advertised. airbnb refused to help. 1500 euro gone, as we moved to something else.

I've had a bit too many bad experiences with the offerings of hosts and service of airbnb.

I hope this unicorn will die, and will be replaced by something proper

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#189

Post by jbverschoor »

aianus wrote: post #41
bachmeier wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Welcome to the lemons problem. Information problems are very real in the hotel industry. Most of the customers have limited information. Akerlof (husband of Fed chair Janet Yellen) got the Nobel Prize for starting the literature. No, I do not have plans to use Airbnb. It sounded like a really bad idea from the start.

You're well-compensated for the risk you take on Airbnb, it's not like it costs the same as the Four Seasons.

Actually, a lot of airbnbs are even more expensive than good hotels

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#190

Post by mfringel »

subpixel wrote: post #170
scottmcdot wrote: post #28

Just tonight, my mother checked into an Airbnb in Vienna, Austria. She sent me photos of the bed which did not have new sheets, the towels which were not fresh, a band aid on the floor and some rubbish bins full of cigarettes and ash. The apartment was overall pretty dirty. The host's contact phone number goes straight to message bank (I also tried many times) and the host is not answering emails. In this situation,…

Here's a recipe for having AirBnB experiences that don't suck: 1. Don't make saving money a prerequisite. Nobody is renting out their place in order to save you money. You get what you pay for. 2. Book early. The good hosts in prime cities book up months out. You don't want to be in a situation where you have limited choices and have to lower your standards. 3. Only book with hosts who have many positive reviews. See…

So, if you're not saving money, why would you go with AirBnB at all?
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