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Why Airbnb is dead to me

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Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#201

Post by icebraining »

GVIrish wrote: post #76
icebraining wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And the risk is overrated - if the host seems dishonest or the place isn't as described/shown, you can still check-in to an hotel. I find it depressing how this will probably go away, and people like me who can't afford to pay for a stay at an hotel will just lose the option of taking the risk. Hurray for the infantilization of society! /s

> you can still check-in to an hotel. That's assuming that you can find a hotel with vacancy easily (not always the case, especially when special events are occurring), then find transportation to get there. That's not always going to be easy if you don't speak the language, arrived to the location late at night, are traveling with kids, etc.

Fine - you can usually just check in to an hotel. And you can usually tell beforehand if that option is valid.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#202

Post by icebraining »

mattdotc wrote: post #58
icebraining wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And the risk is overrated - if the host seems dishonest or the place isn't as described/shown, you can still check-in to an hotel. I find it depressing how this will probably go away, and people like me who can't afford to pay for a stay at an hotel will just lose the option of taking the risk. Hurray for the infantilization of society! /s

> if the host seems dishonest or the place isn't as described/shown, you can still check-in to an hotel. When I am traveling - for business or pleasure - the last thing I want to do is scramble to figure out where I will sleep that night. I value my time too much, especially for a pleasure trip, to go through that kind of ordeal. Also, you can save money if you pay in advance for your hotel. You won't have time to ev…

So, I wouldn't say the risk is overrated, but instead that people can stomach different amount of risk.

I'd say both are true. In this very thread, a user was saying that one is essentially at the mercy of the host, when that's not true, or at least not usually. Sure, it's still more risky than an hotel reservation, but I'd still say the risk is overrated - it's not that riskier.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#203

Post by jprince »

brador wrote: post #92

This is the Groupon/Kickstarter/Ebay problem. Everything is awesome until something goes wrong. Then the user leaves forever, and tells their friends. Trust is broken. Eventually the loses mount and the company crumbles from bad press. Amazon fixes this with 10/10 customer service. The only known solution.

I once had a terrible experience with their kindles. They shipped me one that was a dud, and when the screen went haywire in the first few days I called and they admitted that this batch had issues. Unfortunately, they told me, I would have to shell out 100$ for a new one, even though it was their fault.

Even Amazon screws up royally, too. I bought a Nook and never looked back, and haven't bought a book from Amazon since.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#204

Post by cwilkes »

whiddershins wrote: post #134

I must say, anecdotally, I have friends who have had similar, very scary, air bnb experiences, even in California. I stayed in an Air BNB in Baltimore with a dog that genuinely tried to bite me. I'm great with dogs, this one was crazy. And my girlfriend and I had a similar very uncomfortable experience in Rome, being moved from place to place and having our rooms double-booked ... I can't remember whether that partic…

in that the customer and most vulnerable person in many of these instances should be thought of as the renter.

I tend to think of the people that have to live next to this modern day flophouse. They didn't buy a space in a hotel, they didn't expect random people to come in at all times of the day.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#205

Post by letstryagain »

dragonwriter wrote: post #192
mfringel wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, if you're not saving money, why would you go with AirBnB at all?

Better experience? I'm not saying that's actually something you get with AirBnB, but thinking something different than the typical hotel-style experience might be better is certainly one of the reasons that has driven users to alternative rental systems in roughly the same space, like VRBO.

Better experience than a hotel or serviced apartment? Good luck with that! Hotels and serviced apartments are literally designed from the ground up for a great customer experience. Some random person's house or apartment is just not going to be able to compete on customer experience.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#206

Post by hunterloftis »

subpixel wrote: post #170
scottmcdot wrote: post #28

Just tonight, my mother checked into an Airbnb in Vienna, Austria. She sent me photos of the bed which did not have new sheets, the towels which were not fresh, a band aid on the floor and some rubbish bins full of cigarettes and ash. The apartment was overall pretty dirty. The host's contact phone number goes straight to message bank (I also tried many times) and the host is not answering emails. In this situation,…

Here's a recipe for having AirBnB experiences that don't suck: 1. Don't make saving money a prerequisite. Nobody is renting out their place in order to save you money. You get what you pay for. 2. Book early. The good hosts in prime cities book up months out. You don't want to be in a situation where you have limited choices and have to lower your standards. 3. Only book with hosts who have many positive reviews. See…

> 1. Don't make saving money a prerequisite.

> 2. Book early.

> 3. Only book with hosts who have many positive reviews.

> 4. Try to stay at least a week.

I have had two separate hosts cancel > $2,000, month-long reservations. We booked months in advance and only with hosts that had several positive reviews. We were not choosing places primarily by price as we gave up our expensive SF apartment to live full-time on the road.

I agree that these suggestions are good guidelines, but even following them I have had a miserable experience with AirBnB. These days, I prefer to just stay in hotels - especially for work-related travel.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#207

Post by snowwrestler »

letstryagain wrote: post #205
dragonwriter wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Better experience? I'm not saying that's actually something you get with AirBnB, but thinking something different than the typical hotel-style experience might be better is certainly one of the reasons that has driven users to alternative rental systems in roughly the same space, like VRBO.

Better experience than a hotel or serviced apartment? Good luck with that! Hotels and serviced apartments are literally designed from the ground up for a great customer experience. Some random person's house or apartment is just not going to be able to compete on customer experience.

Sometimes it is just a better experience staying a real apartment or home instead of a hotel. For example, you can pick up local ingredients and cook your own food. You can get a private space with multiple separate bedrooms.

You say "serviced apartment"--is that a European thing? I've never heard of it. If I was traveling I would look to AirBnB or VRBO to find places that are not hotels.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#208

Post by mistermann »

aianus wrote: post #176
mistermann wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By restricting what companies can and cannot do and forcing them to prove certain risks are genuinely covered before coming in and "disrupting" (aka destroying) industries that have generally done a somewhat decent job of things for decades. I'm just getting tired of people advocating free market principles and proclaiming that industries will police themselves, and then turning around and lying and cheating, with ne…

> to prove certain risks are genuinely covered Why? I'm well aware of the risks of using AirBnB (or being a contractor instead of an employee or whatever) and choose to take them on because I believe I come out ahead overall. Not everyone wants the nanny state watching out for them at every opportunity.

Not even reads Hacker News - feel free to link the location on AirBNB's website that informs regular people about the nature of things that can go wrong, and details on how they will handle that (or not, as the case may be).

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#209

Post by mistermann »

Lawtonfogle wrote: post #183
mistermann wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The older I get the more cynical I get, and the further I drift leftward politically in favor of more government regulation, the underlying reason I think being that generally speaking, most cultures (and especially "high achievers" within) are fundamentally dishonest - like teenagers, they often cannot be trusted with serious responsibility. They have highly potent skills, but they don't have the corresponding matur…

>but they don't have the corresponding maturity or morality to safely wield those skills. Or their morals differ from your own. They may lack your morality, but that does not mean they lack morals.

If actual outcome is different than that which is implied, it isn't a difference of morals, it is misrepresentation or fraud, or at least dishonesty, lack of full disclosure.

Re: Why Airbnb is dead to me

#210

Post by Canada »

hunterloftis wrote: post #206
subpixel wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a recipe for having AirBnB experiences that don't suck: 1. Don't make saving money a prerequisite. Nobody is renting out their place in order to save you money. You get what you pay for. 2. Book early. The good hosts in prime cities book up months out. You don't want to be in a situation where you have limited choices and have to lower your standards. 3. Only book with hosts who have many positive reviews. See…

> 1. Don't make saving money a prerequisite. > 2. Book early. > 3. Only book with hosts who have many positive reviews. > 4. Try to stay at least a week. I have had two separate hosts cancel > $2,000, month-long reservations. We booked months in advance and only with hosts that had several positive reviews. We were not choosing places primarily by price as we gave up our expensive SF apartment to live full-time on th…

I'm doing the same thing, living out of AirBnB rentals. The best places are actual homes where the owner lives some part of the year. Bookshelves are filled with the books they love and art they appreciate hangs on the walls. Sitting on the couch is relaxing, working at the desk is productive and the kitchen is properly equipped. The owner has a regular housekeeper. Worry-free regular cleaning is easily arranged at a reasonable price.

The bad places are trying to compete with low end hotels. The owner - if they even actually own the place - has put the in bare minimum. Second hand furniture, none comfortable. Lightbulbs are out, wear and tear all over the place. There's hardly any plates, glasses, or cutlery. What is provided is mismatched and worn down.

It can be very difficult to tell the difference because of how places are staged for photos. Asking a lot of detailed questions before booking is very helpful, but even then it's impossible to win every time.

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