I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb • Hacker News Board

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#211

Post by OkGoDoIt » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 5:05 PM UTC

JadoJodo wrote: post #170

I'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…

Isn’t this currently the case? As far as I can tell you don’t get to see the other review until you’ve written and submitted your own.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#212

Post by jandrese » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 5:08 PM UTC

mattrp wrote: post #85

julienchastang wrote: post #51

There 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…

I would second this experience. We travel with our five kids and its sometimes impossible to find a hotel that can accommodate us. That said, I did experience a switcheroo in Chicago similar to the article. However that’s where the similarities end. The place was in the same neighborhood, it was comparable to the listing but the only catch was we were told not say Airbnb to anyone in the building but to say guests of…

I've definitely had that "If anybody asks you are guests of Tiffany" from the bearded guy doing the checkin. Apparently the building management was hostile to AirBNB, but the funny thing is that we saw the occupants of two other apartments on the same floor that were clearly people on vacation just like us. I had a strong suspicion that most of the building was bought up by foreign investors and turned into AirBNB rentals.

But the location was in walking distance of the major attractions in downtown and cost a half of what the local hotels were charging for "three" bedrooms (really two bedrooms and a closet with a bed crammed into it) vs. a single room with a pair of doubles at a hotel. It even had free parking, unlike the hotels that were charging $40-$50 per spot per day.

I mean yeah, it feels sketchy as hell, but the place is nicer and literally hundreds of dollars cheaper than a hotel.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#213

Post by pentae » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 5:09 PM UTC

tus88 wrote: post #166

> Airbnb advises the guest to request a cancellation if they’re “not okay with the switch.” This is beyond vile. The booking had already been cancelled by definition by the host, the refund should be automatic. They act like it's Hotel where you haven't booked a specific room. I'll never touch this POS company.

Yeah when i'm travelling the last thing I want is surprises with the place i'm staying, but people are so price sensitive they will put up with a lot.

One common thing I see in this thread is people act like theres only two choices: Hotels or Airbnb. I've never had a booking on HomeAway that wasn't on par or exceeding expectations.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#214

Post by JadoJodo » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 5:09 PM UTC

OkGoDoIt wrote: post #211

JadoJodo wrote: post #170

I'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…

Isn’t this currently the case? As far as I can tell you don’t get to see the other review until you’ve written and submitted your own.

I've only used Airbnb once, so I'm unsure. But given the "retaliatory reviews" mentioned in the article, it seems not; How could I retaliate if I don't know what your review will be?

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#215

Post by SrslyJosh » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 5:09 PM UTC

wholepointofcc wrote: post #27

chadlavi wrote: post #21

There are also some smaller-time scams hosts run. I was forced to pay a three-figure cleaning fee by an AirBnB in DC earlier this year because they claimed I left a stain on their couch -- which I never even sat on (also, I was by myself, so it's not as though another one of my guests did something to it). I appealed and asked for photos of the supposed stain, but they ghosted me and in the end AirBnB ruled in their…

Try calling your Credit Card company and flag it as fraud. That's what I would do. That failing I'd submit a police report.

This can work, but beware that the company may send the charge to collections. It's a slimy thing to do, but we are talking about a company that's built its success on evading all manner of legal responsibility. (And outright law-breaking by many of its hosts.)

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#216

Post by faster » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 5:10 PM UTC

julienchastang wrote: post #51

There 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…

I use a Chrome extension to show the true cost per night on Airbnb. I find the fees variable enough that I want to see the real price as part of my analysis of listings.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/airbnb-price-per-n...

There might be others, but this one has worked well for me. No affiliation, just a happy user.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#217

Post by mancerayder » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 5:10 PM UTC

I wasn't scammed with AirBNB but I've had bad experiences, and the bad experiences happened more recently, while stellar experiences happened in the past.

My most recent experience was an apartment in Paris that was smaller than it appeared, hadn't been cleaned so it had crumbs on the floor, had a bed with what looked like sheets out of the package (never cleaned), and the owner's dirty clothes sitting there. But the worst was the toilet was electric, requiring being pushed down with a brush when flushing. No, that's simply not the norm in Paris. There was also construction on the building, despite my emailing the host (a company with a person's name), asking about noise.

Like the Vice author, I never left a review because I didn't want to appear difficult or even get a retaliatory one in case I want to use AirBNB in the future. BTW, in Paris it's regulated, complete with an issued ID for the property, but cities care only for tax collection, not consumers.

That may have been the last straw for me.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#218

Post by dboreham » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 5:10 PM UTC

jcomis wrote: post #84

This scam is common in Europe as well. Something very similar happened to me in London where I was seemingly renting from a nice regular person who had a single well reviewed listing. Once I arrived I was met by some guy from a property company who said he "worked with" the lister and he was going to move us to some place better. He showed us a total dump with dilapidated Ikea junk. He basically threatened us with po…

London specifically is known for this BS even before AirBnb.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#219

Post by 6gvONxR4sf7o » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 5:11 PM UTC

dfxm12 wrote: post #102

gesman wrote: post #74

Earlier 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.

With a hotel, if you complain and write a harsh review, you don't get penalized yourself. In OP, people complained and got B.S. made up about them, which impacts their future ability to travel. The author didn't even write a review. The incentives are all there to only write the happy stuff for future travelers. You, as that future travel really can't trust the reviews. At least at a hotel, with its more numerous but possibly fake happy reviews, you can look at what the bad ones say, because they won't be incentivized out of existence.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#220

Post by president » Thu, Oct 31, 2019, 5:13 PM UTC

dannykwells wrote: post #175

I 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…

Walmart, the airline industry, et al proved that people will put up with garbage experience as long as your goods/services are priced cheap enough.