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Another Airbnb Victim Tells His Story: “There Were Meth Pipes Everywhere”

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Re: Another Airbnb Victim Tells His Story: “There Were Meth Pipes Everywhere”

#81

Post by [deleted] »

mgkimsal wrote: post #65
ig1 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This already happens on classified ad sites, people regularly go into strangers homes to purchase a wide range of goods with close to zero pre-checks. And yes people do get killed when they turn up at someone's house with 5k in cash to buy a car. Doesn't seem to have stopped the classified business from working...

While you're right, it hasn't stopped them, "classifieds" have largely been eroded by things like Craigslist, which do allow you to do a bit of research and contact on your own. They don't prevent it. And I typically am not paying for the privilege of meeting my ransacker/assailant. What's more, CL (and others) actively try to scare you with warnings about how not to get scammed and such. ABNB doesn't seem to take th…

[deleted]

Re: Another Airbnb Victim Tells His Story: “There Were Meth Pipes Everywhere”

#82

Post by simonw »

mgkimsal wrote: post #22

What's going to be a game changer is when stories start breaking about owners who rent out their space as a way to lure in people for killing or torturing them. Right now it's about "you were stupid, why did you rent your space out to strangers?". Later on it'll be "why did you try to save $20 and go sleep some place where you're 110% vulnerable?". You don't control the locks, you don't know the neighborhood or even…

It's a lot easier to hold a host accountable for a crime, since their address is on record.

Re: Another Airbnb Victim Tells His Story: “There Were Meth Pipes Everywhere”

#85

Post by tptacek »

sorbus wrote: post #75
timr wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"But there's something "off" about EJ's position here. Why is a vandalized apartment leaving her homeless?" Put yourself in the position of a person who has just had their apartment burglarized (remember: they stole her personal documents and valuables) and their keys stolen by probable drug addicts. Also, remember that the police have arrested one of the vandals, but probably not all of them. Ignoring, for the momen…

So then why isn't she going to accept one of the offers of help, which might have included a place to stay for a while? It's perfectly understandable that she doesn't want to be in her apartment, but she seems to want us to believe that she has to choose between being there and being homeless. That's just silly - at the very least, there are hotels, and I suspect that if she put up a donation button on her blog she w…

Possibly because to the extent that she isn't running afoul of any duty to mitigate damages, the longer she goes without accepting help, the greater her basis to claim damages.

That doesn't make her sketchy or dishonest. That makes her rational, following the advice of her lawyer or whoever else is advising her.

Re: Another Airbnb Victim Tells His Story: “There Were Meth Pipes Everywhere”

#86

Post by benatkin »

notJim wrote: post #34
benatkin wrote: post #19

Just in case anyone's curious, CouchSurfing has been around a bit longer than AirBnb and they have their own safety tips and tools: http://www.couchsurfing.org/safety.html Here's the AirBnb page about safety: http://www.airbnb.com/home/safety CouchSurfing is similar in that it's about strangers staying at people's places. The biggest difference is that people let others stay at their houses for free. Usually both par…

That AirBnb page was added like a week or two ago in response to the EJ affair.

Wow, good to know. I confirmed it with archive.org. I don't need to know if Michael Arrington or EJ are telling the truth or not. This is enough for me to not trust AirBnb. With that kind of popularity they should educate potential guests/hosts about safety issues. I'm glad they're doing it now but it's too late for me. (I used AirBnb three times last year but each time I tried to get to know the hosts through a phone call beforehand and was ready to cancel if it didn't feel right.)

Re: Another Airbnb Victim Tells His Story: “There Were Meth Pipes Everywhere”

#87

Post by ulisesroche »

tptacek wrote: post #68
timr wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"But there's something "off" about EJ's position here. Why is a vandalized apartment leaving her homeless?" Put yourself in the position of a person who has just had their apartment burglarized (remember: they stole her personal documents and valuables) and their keys stolen by probable drug addicts. Also, remember that the police have arrested one of the vandals, but probably not all of them. Ignoring, for the momen…

Most everyone on HN is going to agree with what you are saying: that there is a reasonable narrative in which "EJ" is unable to return to her home due to fear. As a recent victim of a comparatively pathetic "violent" crime: that is absolutely something you are concerned about. And that's before we even get to the topic of "can EJ repair the damage done to her home without diminishing the expected return from a settle…

We can go on forever about possible interpretations, but all those quotations are making you look bad. What proof do you have that EJ is "EJ", and that Troy is "Troy" and that this is a "conspiracy" and were an "angry mob of white knights"?

Re: Another Airbnb Victim Tells His Story: “There Were Meth Pipes Everywhere”

#88

Post by waterlesscloud »

tptacek wrote: post #60
callahad wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If she has received offers for help, why hasn't she taken it? That might depend on the strings attached to said offers.

Or it might depend on Airbnb offering to pay for physical damages and "EJ" holding out for tort-level compensation.

Or perhaps, as in the case of the person in this story, the only help they offered was free nights in airbnb locations.

It's easy to imagine she wouldn't accept more of a product she no longer trusts when what she's looking for is security.

In the end, the only guideline we have for what they may have offered her is what they offered this person in a similar case.

Re: Another Airbnb Victim Tells His Story: “There Were Meth Pipes Everywhere”

#89

Post by jimbojones »

mgkimsal wrote: post #22

What's going to be a game changer is when stories start breaking about owners who rent out their space as a way to lure in people for killing or torturing them. Right now it's about "you were stupid, why did you rent your space out to strangers?". Later on it'll be "why did you try to save $20 and go sleep some place where you're 110% vulnerable?". You don't control the locks, you don't know the neighborhood or even…

The whole concept is a disaster waiting to happen. What is going to happen when criminals start exploiting this system of casual rentals? Imagine all the different things people can do with control of your home and address, not least of which is using it as a base to receive stolen merchandise or dangerous/blatantly illegal goods.

When will the first swat team need to be called to one of these locations?

I can't recall ever being to a hotel that didn't require ID... why would anyone rent out their home/apartment without meeting the people in person and checking their ID?

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