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Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try
61–70 of 72 posts
Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try
#62Sadly, AirBnB has failed for me more than 90% of the time. In NYC there were overtly shady people, such as a dude who had at least 3 accounts, 2 of which he would pose as women. However, the biggest problems are flakes and people who list their apartment as being available when it really isn't. To AirBnB's credit, housing in NYC is shady to begin with, and the one time it worked, it was great.
My buddy Seth Porges has a great place to stay in bklyn.
http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/24143
Stay there, you won't regret it.
Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's sad to say this is true. In many cases, it's just as cheap, if not cheaper, to use Starwood SPG.com or Priceline, plus you get free points or have points to use from a credit card. You also know that while it won't be as personalized an experience as AirBnB, you know that bedsheets will be clean, there is maid service, decent amenities (like a pool or workout room), and room service often at the same price for A…
Traveling in Australia I found the prices for nicer AirBnB listings were the same as many hotels or weekly apartments. It was easier to just check out weekly rentals posted in the window of of a realty office. Plus, in Australia the listed price is the price, whereas AirBnB drags in the obnoxious American custom of tacking on extra fees right at the very end of the transaction. However, I will say that the one time A…
To me this message of yours is a learning to make note of: "Plus, in Australia the listed price is the price, whereas AirBnB drags in the obnoxious American custom of tacking on extra fees right at the very end of the transaction."
When we take any service to a different country / continent, we need to take into account the local practices of the place (especially pricing) and build it into the system, wherever possible.
Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try
#64Sadly, AirBnB has failed for me more than 90% of the time. In NYC there were overtly shady people, such as a dude who had at least 3 accounts, 2 of which he would pose as women. However, the biggest problems are flakes and people who list their apartment as being available when it really isn't. To AirBnB's credit, housing in NYC is shady to begin with, and the one time it worked, it was great.
My buddy Seth Porges has a great place to stay in bklyn. http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/24143 Stay there, you won't regret it.
That apartment looks nice, but maujer street truly sucks. After living there for 18 months, I have vowed never to set foot in bushburg again.
Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't know about the pictures thing, but the reputation system works pretty damn well. I buy stuff off of ebay regularly and find that especially high profile sellers do everything they can to keep their reputation up, because otherwise they lose potential clients. You just really do need to ingrain into the community that a good reputation is essential, damnit, and don't buy from someone that doesn't have one. The…
I was under the impression that reputation on eBay was gameable, so much so that I actively avoid eBay.
The reputation system is probably (read likely) gameable, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have any value. Ebay has a very buyer friendly system system that the risk of getting scammed is pretty low if you follow the rules set for Paypal.
Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
You might want to try on a trip where it's just you and in a place where you know you can get a hotel if things don't work out. It becomes higher risk when you're bring kids / partner too and have to keep everyone happy. AirBnB / couch surfing style sites are likely to work better for people with somewhat flexible schedules that can accommodate potentially being stranded and having to find a hotel at the last minute.…
AirBnB isn't a couch surfing site. It competes directly with sites like VRBO. I'm not even remotely interested in meeting the typical person who wants to let out a room, but I'm happy to pay a decent premium over a midrange hotel to get an apartment instead of a hotel room, and have been happy every time I've done that.
Why are you willing to pay more to stay in someone's apartment than to stay in a hotel?
Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
You might want to try on a trip where it's just you and in a place where you know you can get a hotel if things don't work out. It becomes higher risk when you're bring kids / partner too and have to keep everyone happy. AirBnB / couch surfing style sites are likely to work better for people with somewhat flexible schedules that can accommodate potentially being stranded and having to find a hotel at the last minute.…
AirBnB isn't a couch surfing site. It competes directly with sites like VRBO. I'm not even remotely interested in meeting the typical person who wants to let out a room, but I'm happy to pay a decent premium over a midrange hotel to get an apartment instead of a hotel room, and have been happy every time I've done that.
AirBnB is a combination of vrbo and couch surfing.
It would be interesting to see real stats but my wager would be that the room rentals are doing better than the full apartment rentals.
Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
AirBnB isn't a couch surfing site. It competes directly with sites like VRBO. I'm not even remotely interested in meeting the typical person who wants to let out a room, but I'm happy to pay a decent premium over a midrange hotel to get an apartment instead of a hotel room, and have been happy every time I've done that.
Why are you willing to pay more to stay in someone's apartment than to stay in a hotel?
For instance, to be in the neighborhood you are actually visiting. Midrange hotels are often in lame neighborhoods.
Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't know about the pictures thing, but the reputation system works pretty damn well. I buy stuff off of ebay regularly and find that especially high profile sellers do everything they can to keep their reputation up, because otherwise they lose potential clients. You just really do need to ingrain into the community that a good reputation is essential, damnit, and don't buy from someone that doesn't have one. The…
I was under the impression that reputation on eBay was gameable, so much so that I actively avoid eBay.
Actually eBay is quite safe to buy if you pay via Paypal. eBay has a policy of 45 day return period during which you can file a case in eBay resolution center under "item significantly not as described" and send the item back to the seller, eBay will then refund the full amount you paid to the seller (price + shipping). However, you have to pay for the return shipping. I believe payments via Paypal on a 3rd party website are also covered by the same policy. This makes it very safe to buy from eBay or through Paypal. I feel more secure buying from eBay then buying from a local retailer.
Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
AirBnB isn't a couch surfing site. It competes directly with sites like VRBO. I'm not even remotely interested in meeting the typical person who wants to let out a room, but I'm happy to pay a decent premium over a midrange hotel to get an apartment instead of a hotel room, and have been happy every time I've done that.
Why are you willing to pay more to stay in someone's apartment than to stay in a hotel?
Hotels are cramped and uncomfortable.