I had just deleted my AirBnB account a while ago and swore not to ever use it again. Didn't get scammed, just had a bad experience, but it's just not worth the stress. You're stressed about getting scammed, stressed about the place not being good, stressed about cancellation, stressed about getting a bad review, stressed about breaking someone's shit by accident, etc etc.
I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb
171–180 of 632 posts
Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb
#172Like I said in another comment I would immediately call Amex and then file a police report. There’s no way I would have stayed in that kind of place.
There are plenty of hotels in Chicago from Boutique to chains to roach motels. Why subject yourself to so much crap by AirBnB? Especially if you’re alone.
Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb
#173Earlier quoted context omitted.
>> The main downside for me concerning AirBnb is it takes a long time to analyze the listings to find quality accommodations. In my view this is major. To describe it better - need to read "between the lines" of misleading representations of properties. Lots of property owners goes to great extends to make property look way better, bigger, nicer than it really is and to conceal obvious negative points that become app…
> Try to get refund from AirBnb for misprepresentation or deliberate omissions of negative points. -I don’t know whether their policy differs from country to country, but after using AirBnb 30+ times traveling with wife and three kids in Northern/Central Europe, I’ve only had two issues - once the place we were to stay was double-booked (and we arrived last!); the other it turned out what was described as a ‘bedroom’…
I don't want a refund in either of those cases so much as a place to stay that matches my requirements NOW. (good customer service says the replacement will be better, hotels try to reserve their best suites until last just to ensure that they have the better room around just in case). I'm some new city and I want to get my family to sleep...
Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb
#174Why didn't the journalist contact Airbnb in the first place? Or after he arrived at the 2nd place and it wasn't the location listed/promised. (yes I can understand being tired, frustrated, etc) Last minute host cancellation is the one thing they can actually something they help with since it ruins the marketplace for them. As a host I've had my set of horror storied interacting with Airbnb. Most hosts do try really h…
Of course the scammers are good at "frog in the boiling water" level of scam, so it always seems like it will be easier and "I guess good enough" to just keep going. But I don't think I would ever try to contact AirBnB "in the moment" (when I'm in a city not my own and need a place to sleep and trying to do whatever I'm in the city to do), since I've been trained to expect that any support from such companies is goin…
I've been lucky (?) as a guest and never had a serious issue.
But friends have, and a phone call fixed the problem in the instance actually fixed the problem.
As a host I've had guests call airbnb and ask for exceptions for my cancelation policy (which is moderate) and have airbnb grant them and cancel booking at the last minute, or after check-in time and do 100% refunds. (or at least I get $0)
So while you might be trained that way, and it's understandable, they publish their number and make it pretty available to guests. Maybe the problem is labeling it an emergency number? (I take emergencies as huge deals so naturally avoid calling emergency numbers)
It's a shitty situation and I don't really want to blame the victim. I just really wanted to point out there's an number you can call for help and if you call it earlier they can help you. In case it helps someone nn the US its: +1-855-424-7262
Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb
#175I think what Airbnb, and uber, lyft, Amazon etc. All fail to understand is the longevity ans stickiness of brand. Once you become an untrustworthy or low quality brand, it's very hard to change that. You can still do fine (see: wal mart) but you'll always be looking over your shoulder for higher quality brands that poach the most lucrative customers, and eventually, thats what will lead to your downfall (see: wal mart)
Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb
#176There have been a few threads about AirBnb lately with a lot of people reporting negative experiences so I will add my own $0.02. I have stayed in many AirBnbs. The reason is, I find it is the only way to have a tolerable family vacation is when everyone has their own sleeping quarters. When we are all piled into one (often overpriced and not so clean) hotel room, it makes for less than ideal sleep and everyone ends…
>> The main downside for me concerning AirBnb is it takes a long time to analyze the listings to find quality accommodations. In my view this is major. To describe it better - need to read "between the lines" of misleading representations of properties. Lots of property owners goes to great extends to make property look way better, bigger, nicer than it really is and to conceal obvious negative points that become app…
> need to read "between the lines" of misleading representations of properties.
I've never had a problem with this, but I also don't bother staying anywhere that doesn't have a 4-star or better average. If you just set your filter at >= 4 stars, then these problems go away, and we also comb through the reviews of our top picks to make sure there's nothing unexpected. Consequently, we've had nothing but good experiences.
Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb
#177There have been a few threads about AirBnb lately with a lot of people reporting negative experiences so I will add my own $0.02. I have stayed in many AirBnbs. The reason is, I find it is the only way to have a tolerable family vacation is when everyone has their own sleeping quarters. When we are all piled into one (often overpriced and not so clean) hotel room, it makes for less than ideal sleep and everyone ends…
Funny, having young kids is what has sent me back to hotels (at least for the time being), simply because they are mostly designed with accessibility and some level of child-proofing. Also, the long corridors, lobbies and elevators in hotels are great outlets for toddlers to burn energy and curiosity. Cooping the kids up in a grown-up oriented space with fragile table decorations they can't touch can be exhausting.
Depends on how many kids, and their ages. Between the ages of ~2-8, they're going to bed much earlier than you, and they won't fall asleep if you're still in the room. Add multiple kids—especially different ages with different bedtime routines—and a single room (or even a suite) can be challenging.
We have a favorite AirBnB listing in one town we visit frequently (to see family that doesn't have space to host us) that has some fragile decorations. When we arrive, we do a quick sweep and put them all up high. We're also up-front with the host that we have small children, so they're free to reject our stay if they'd prefer. So far, it's never been an issue.
Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb
#178I'm not sure how to fix all the issues outlined in this article, but I think that a 14-day, double-blind review period started at checkout would alleviate some of the trust issue presented here. That is to say: Once checkout has completed, both Guest and Host have 14 days (21? 30?) to write their reviews (neither party can see the others' review). At the end of that period, both reviews are visible on the site and ca…
The website only mentioned it briefly but Airbnb has no incentive to do anything that will shrink their number of hosts right now, even if those lost hosts aren't reputable. They have their eyes on an IPO and they are focused on making the platform as large as possible, even it if damages their reputation in the long run
Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb
#179Earlier quoted context omitted.
>> The main downside for me concerning AirBnb is it takes a long time to analyze the listings to find quality accommodations. In my view this is major. To describe it better - need to read "between the lines" of misleading representations of properties. Lots of property owners goes to great extends to make property look way better, bigger, nicer than it really is and to conceal obvious negative points that become app…
How is this different from a hotel? From rentals in general? I guess you know what you're going to get if you're staying at a national chain that you've stayed at before, but there's not always one available or in your budget.
For one thing, hotels have a robust ecosystem for anonymous reviews and established reputation.
Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb
#180I think what Airbnb, and uber, lyft, Amazon etc. All fail to understand is the longevity ans stickiness of brand. Once you become an untrustworthy or low quality brand, it's very hard to change that. You can still do fine (see: wal mart) but you'll always be looking over your shoulder for higher quality brands that poach the most lucrative customers, and eventually, thats what will lead to your downfall (see: wal mar…
At least with Amazon, their customer service makes up for any fake goods they sell.