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I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

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Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#271

Post by throwaway35784 »

apacheCamel wrote: post #261

I am not sure why, but reading this article just made me feel pretty ill. How does someone (multiple someones?) have the moral ability to do these kinds of things? I seriously can't believe the whole stack, from AirBNB to the scammer, just let these kinds of things go. At the end, where the author states she will continue to use AirBNB because it is cheaper kind of rubs me the wrong way. For a company to allow such s…

I am not shocked. Ate you shocked that fb profits from mayhem? No because we know the character of the founder. Airbnb also has no moral character thus it's users also know they can profit from morally corrupt practices.

Just as you said, the whole stack is corrupt. There will be more of this to come.

They profit by knowingly breaking the law. They are criminals.

It is appalling that this can happen in a country built on a system of laws.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#272

Post by ilikehurdles »

vizzah wrote: post #143

I stopped using AirBnb. Their customer service on a number of occasions made it apparent they are not going to deal with hosts who have fake and outdated pictures and ruin other guest's stays. It seems hosts are the only side of the equation AirBnb folks care about. Airbnb let the host write a review on us for the stay which we didn't even take, as when we arrived in the apartment it was in a such appalling state, di…

I still browse AirBnb's listings on occasion, but the last few trips have ended up booking directly with hotels, Lodges/Inns/BnBs, or vacation rental companies. When taking a look at the true prices, inclusive of fees, and what level of property I get for them today, Airbnb often comes out much more expensive for comparative properties. I might still have better experiences in less touristy locations than the ones I travel to. Not to mention the ridiculously strict long-term cancellation policies Airbnb allows hosts to apply that wouldn't fly in any other style of vacation housing.

I loved the service back in the early twenty-teens, but I had a strikingly bad experience with a home I tried to book in Boston.

The owner found out her home listing had rats a few days prior to check-in, and admitted to not being able to get rid of them fully before the date, leaving the possibility of rats getting poisoned/killed by the traps she set up. All of the communication was via @airbnb.com emails I had responded to, but Airbnb's support couldn't find any records of these messages. It took multiple calls and entirely too much effort to get an eventual refund plus a tiny credit on their site -- not nearly enough to book a replacement property that close to the date anywhere within city limits.

Meanwhile, like I mentioned, the prices of properly licensed and managed vacation options have become competitive with Airbnb while offering more reliable and flexible wrt date changes and cancellations.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#273

Post by itronitron »

duxup wrote: post #253
iamaelephant wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also, the long corridors, lobbies and elevators in hotels are great outlets for toddlers to burn energy and curiosity. Please, PLEASE don't do this. You don't know what time people are trying to get some sleep in their rooms. Not everyone keeps your schedule.

You can wander around with your toddler without waking folks up.

Plus the dining area in hotels is usually far removed from any guest rooms.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#274

Post by droithomme »

rickyc091 wrote: post #53
jrochkind1 wrote: post #9

Well, this certainly makes me want to never book an AirBnB again. You'd think AirBnB would be more alarmed about the reputational and consequent business hit of this sort of thing. Maybe they will be after this article?

> If a guest stays even one night in a rental, for example, it is difficult to obtain a full refund, according to Airbnb’s rules. You don't even have to stay one night... I ran into this exact scenario where upon arrival, the place had no electricity, wifi, and construction for a few blocks outside. I was unable to contact them until the next day since my first instinct was to look for another place ASAP and rest fro…

> I contacted AMEX, but they partner with AirBnB so I was denied a credit there as well.

Thanks for that, didn't realize they deny chargebacks in cases of fraud and misrepresentation. Partnering with a company that engages in widespread global fraud and illegal activity is an interesting choice for Amex.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#276

Post by bluedevil2k »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #249
bluedevil2k wrote: post #121

I've run into a scam recently on AirBNB and several situations that ended up screwing me over. The scam was after booking a nice place in Orlando, Florida for a week through my wife's AirBNB account. The day after booking, the "owner" sent an email saying that they required a photograph of the front and back of her credit card, drivers license picture and full name. Not even a subtle scam, but that would probably foo…

The renter gets charged when the host cancels the reservation?

No, it's a huge inconvenience. I suspect that once their place gets booked via AirBNB, they jack up the price on HomeAway/VRBO and see if they can get a better price, then cancel the AirBNB if they do. It's risk free for them to cancel, so why not.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#278

Post by m00x »

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 also have had great experiences on Airbnb, with only a few less than desirable ones, but the fact that Airbnb isn't refunding these people, and not paying the extra cost for the last-minute accommodations they had to take in is extremely disturbing and makes me completely lose faith in the platform.

If Airbnb would take fraud seriously and refund people who have been defrauded on their platform, it would be fine. The fact that they push the risks of fraud to the customer and refuse to pay for reparations is not acceptable.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#279

Post by Loughla »

steelframe wrote: post #153

I'm going on a 10-day vacation overseas at the end of this month. Given how infrequently I do big vacations (a personal issue I'm working to overcome), I have zero tolerance for surprises when it comes to my accommodations. I simply look for large and established four- or five-star hotels that have been around for a while and have numerous positive reviews across several web sites. Another hack I do is to use the "!m…

See, what you're experiencing is the transition to what we call traditionally, middle-age, I'm certain. And this isn't necessarily based on age, as much as mindset.

There was a time, in my 20's, that I would drive out somewhere and 'just figure it out' once I got there. Even for work functions or conferences.

Then AirBnB became a thing, and I was even more caution to the wind, because I can book ahead of time, but it's still a surprise, sort of! Best of both worlds!

Now, though, not that far out of my 20's, I'm with you. I'll pay a premium to know that I'm getting something that is agreed to by both parties, with no surprises.

Re: I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb

#280

Post by kingbirdy »

6gvONxR4sf7o wrote: post #231
steelframe wrote: post #153

I'm going on a 10-day vacation overseas at the end of this month. Given how infrequently I do big vacations (a personal issue I'm working to overcome), I have zero tolerance for surprises when it comes to my accommodations. I simply look for large and established four- or five-star hotels that have been around for a while and have numerous positive reviews across several web sites. Another hack I do is to use the "!m…

Can you explain the "!mill" directive?

!mill tells DDG to search https://millionshort.com/
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