Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try • Hacker News Board

Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try

#21

Post by tptacek » Thu, Mar 31, 2011, 11:29 PM UTC

limedaring wrote: post #11

p09p09p09 wrote: post #10

The worst enemy an online community has are trolls. The worst enemy an online community like AirBnB has are psychos and serial killers. I really don't get this startup. Might as well post "I need somewhere to crash" on Craigslist.

You can see reviews of the hosts, pictures of the rooms, and compare with other places. That certainly weeds out the psychos and serial killers way more than a random posting Craigslist.

How well have pictures and reviews worked for eBay? And how do the standards for eBay compare to those for AirBnB?

Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try

#22

Post by tptacek » Thu, Mar 31, 2011, 11:31 PM UTC

robobenjie wrote: post #8

That was a very unfortunate experience, but in some ways I'd count it as a win for Airbnb. You were going to stay at this person's house, but because of their messaging interface you were able to screen them and realize that they were, in fact, a crazy person. I think it is very important to look at the reviews of people you stay with. If someone has more that 7-8 reviews, and everyone has positive things to say then…

Yeah, ok, so, help a newcomer to AirBnB out: how far in advance should I book a room, and what string of slightly annoying nudges should I sent to my host so that I can verify by their handling of my annoyances that they are not going to pull the rug out from me the day I arrive in their city?

Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try

#23

Post by netcan » Thu, Mar 31, 2011, 11:31 PM UTC

DevX101 wrote: post #12

Prediction: Someone will eventually get assaulted or worse at a host's place. The media will then take that incident and run headlines like "The AirBNB rapist", "AirBNB, Is it SAFE??". Local mayors urged by hotel campaign donors will launch an aggressive campaign against the company based on this one incident in tens of thousands.

"However, it’s (the internet) very new to us. Newsreaders still feel it is worth a special and rather worrying mention if, for instance, a crime was planned by people ‘over the Internet.’ They don’t bother to mention when criminals use the telephone or the M4, or discuss their dastardly plans ‘over a cup of tea,’ though each of these was new and controversial in their day"

Douglas Adams, 1999 http://www.douglasadams.com/dna/19990901-00-a.html

Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try

#24

Post by rdouble » Thu, Mar 31, 2011, 11:32 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #17

We were/are planning on using AirBnB to book a place for us and the kids in NYC. This is exactly the kind of thing that will keep us from doing it. Note that you don't even have to be a psychopath to create a nuclear problem for our trip; all you have to do is, at the last minute, decide "your profile is too hidden!" and cancel our room, so that we show up and have no place to stay. I reallllly want this service to w…

The latter (just kidding, not really available!) happened to me a lot in NYC, and a few times in Australia.

There is a weird sweet spot for AirBnB rental timing. If it's too far in advance the person doesn't know if they are going to be around to give you keys, or gone so that you can stay there. If it's too soon they won't have time to straighten up. I'm guessing the best luck happens around 4 days in advance, with a spot that looks like a reposted vrbo listing. (I.e. a semi-pro)

Also I think sometime in may short term AirBnB listings are effectively banned in NYC.

Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try

#25

Post by callmeed » Thu, Mar 31, 2011, 11:34 PM UTC

DevX101 wrote: post #12

Prediction: Someone will eventually get assaulted or worse at a host's place. The media will then take that incident and run headlines like "The AirBNB rapist", "AirBNB, Is it SAFE??". Local mayors urged by hotel campaign donors will launch an aggressive campaign against the company based on this one incident in tens of thousands.

And Lifetime will make a movie out of it ...

http://www.mylifetime.com/movies/the-craigslist-killer

Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try

#26

Post by Estragon » Thu, Mar 31, 2011, 11:38 PM UTC

kmfrk wrote: post #13

As someone who hasn't used it before, does Airbnb have a "seller rating" of sorts? Seems necessary.

Yes, he probably could have avoided this by checking the reviews of his prospective host.

Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try

#27

Post by wildmXranat » Thu, Mar 31, 2011, 11:41 PM UTC

Whoa, with no ill thought towards the AirBnB guys, I need to say that their service must not be very popular with women. While backpacking with a small group in Europe, the biggest obstacle to staying in some hostels was the discomfort amongst the women. First and foremost thing on their mind, was security and safety. How does a service like AirBnB attempt, if at all try, to fix this issue ?

Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try

#28

Post by kin » Thu, Mar 31, 2011, 11:42 PM UTC

I've attempted to stay at an AirBnB several times. It definitely feels like a niche market. I use it because I think it's cheaper. But, people on AirBnB(the ones that seem safe) seem to charge regular hotel rates that I end up choosing a hostel instead.

Occasionally you find some hidden treasures and friends of mine have reported having an entire apartment to themselves in NYC for a fraction of the cost of a hotel.

Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try

#29

Post by kariatx » Thu, Mar 31, 2011, 11:48 PM UTC

While this AirBnB exchange definitely wigs me out a little, I've had enough friends in the corporate hotel business to know that there are weirdos and creeps everywhere. That's not to say that hotels are as unsafe as AirBnB, but I do think there is a false sense of security that comes with them. People are people.

I have never used AirBnB, but my husband and I booked a place in San Francisco for May. We were picky about who we selected, and the person renting the guesthouse is a local restauranteur who seems like a real person on Google. I am stoked about the neighborhood and price. For me, it's worth the risk. I really don't like staying in hotels (noise, lack of cleanliness, annoying patrons), and I'm willing to take a gamble on anything that could be a sustainable alternative.

Re: Just When I Was Ready to Give AirBnB a Try

#30

Post by cageface » Thu, Mar 31, 2011, 11:49 PM UTC

rdouble wrote: post #3

Sadly, 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.

So far about 50% of the rooms I've tried to book on AirBNB turned out to be "not available", even though they were listed as available on the site. It's the fault of flaky hosts but these people aren't being screened effectively at present.