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On the general issue of if something like AirBnB should be allowed I'm mixed but on the specific of AirBnB they're an evil company in my experience. They aren'

On the general issue of if something like AirBnB should be allowed I'm mixed but on the specific of AirBnB they're an evil company in my experience. They aren't even trying not to be evil. They are trying to take ZERO responsibility for anything. They don't care how much their hosts lie and take zero efforts to hold hosts accountable for their lies. I've rented places that claimed to be 1 bed room but were actually a studio. I've rented places that claimed to have "parking on premises" but didn't. I've rented places that claimed to include internet but didn't. The latest is I rented a place the claimed to be at a certain location but was actually several blocks away. When I complained the AirBnB rep told me it was company policy to allowed hosts to lie about their locations because putting actual locations on the internet would be dangerous. When I pointed out Redfin, Craigslist, VRBO, etc don't have such a BS policy he claimed it was one reason AirBnB is more successful. In other words, because they allow lying they are more successful. If they ever start taking some responsibility, say fining lying hosts or banning them from the site or marking their ratings down maybe I'll start rooting for them but until then I hope they get banned.

dwaltrip 10y ago
I've used airbnb 10 times in the past 5 months, for stays ranging from a few days to 6 weeks. Every stay has been great so far. Airbnb has some problems they need to fix, but they are an immensely valuable service for travelers. I am not sure how I would have done this trip without it. Craigslist is a massive pain in the ass compared to airbnb (for anything but long term rentals). And hotels are far too expensive for my budget. For the longer stays, even hostels cost more. I've been spending $15 to $25 a day for the longer stays.
- greggman 10y ago
  I've stayed in 22 places of which about 1 out of 4 has lied about their accommodations. One place claimed internet included, turned out they were stealing it from a neighbor and it only worked if you sat the the side of the sofa closest to the window. One place claimed 1 bedroom but was actually a studio with a wardrobe used as a separator. The difference between a 1 bedroom and a studio is whether or not there is a door to shut out the noise of the refrigerator. 2 places advertised parking on premises but didn't have it. I paid for those places so I wouldn't have to deal with searching for parking. Several places have claimed to have internet but when I show up it turns out they only have a MiFi and a notice saying "Please don't use the internet much or it will run out because it has a 5Gig limit for the entire month". And of course I've rented the place for 4-6 weeks as a place TO LIVE not to be a tourist. The last place lied about its location. Since then I've gotten better about spotting the lies before hand but AirBnB won't do anything about it when you try to report them. Places I've messaged to verify the listed amenities actually exist (like parking), get told they don't actually exist, I then flag the listing, report the issue, check back a few weeks later, no change to the listing. AirBnB is an evil company because they purposely let people lie about their listings. I don't disagree with you they could be a useful service but as long as their official policy is that false advertising is ok they are clearly not a company with any sense of ethics.
  - dwaltrip 10y ago
    Hmm. Thanks for your note. I haven't had to deal with any disputes so far. It is good to know that I should be careful about that. What were the reviews like for these places that had false advertising? So far I've only stayed at places that had good reviews.
    - greggman 10y ago
      I've only stayed at places with good reviews as well. For the last one with the false location I can only think of a few possible explanations ) the users didn't look at the AirBnB map and only looked the instructions received a day or 2 before arriving ) the users noticed but didn't care If you're visiting a city you've never been to you're more likely not to care. If on the other hand you're visiting a city you're familiar with (me) then you're more likely to be using the map to choose a place you actually know. I don't know where you live but I'm sure you know some places where the difference of a 1-3 blocks would be the difference between some place you want to stay vs some place you don't. Next to a freeway/highway vs not. In a safe neighborhood vs in a dangerous neighborhood. On a scenic street vs on a non-scenic street. For others maybe people are more forgiving. Example: I only rent 1 bedroom or larger because loud refrigerators keep me awake. (at least in the USA where they are loud) So when a listing lied about a studio being a 1 bedroom it meant I didn't sleep well the entire time. If that kind of noise doesn't bother you then you're not going to complain. Similarly if you rent a place that says it comes with parking but you don't bring a car then you're not likely to complain about false advertising. If you come to a place to sight-see then you might not care about limited internet where as if you rent a place for a business trip then you probably do care since you'll likely be trying to do work from the place. Finally the fact that hosts are people you actually interact with one-on-one makes it harder to leave a bad review for most people. It's easy to leave a bad review for Marriott. It's not so easy to leave a bad review for Jane ArtStudent renting out her apartment for extra cash while she stays with her S.O. She was really nice when she handed over the keys. It feels bad to give her a bad review so I'm guessing people pull their punches. I know I have even when I probably shouldn't have because the people I rented from felt like nice people even if they were falsely advertising. I've learned my lesson though and now leave 1 star reviews if they lied to me.
thomasthomas 10y ago
Marking their ratings down is your job. Write a review about your complaints. Read reviews before you book. The rating system is what make Airbnb works. I've never had a problem booking any place with a long list of positive reviews.

dwaltrip 10y ago

I've used airbnb 10 times in the past 5 months, for stays ranging from a few days to 6 weeks. Every stay has been great so far. Airbnb has some problems they need to fix, but they are an immensely valuable service for travelers. I am not sure how I would have done this trip without it. Craigslist is a massive pain in the ass compared to airbnb (for anything but long term rentals). And hotels are far too expensive for my budget. For the longer stays, even hostels cost more. I've been spending $15 to $25 a day for the longer stays.

greggman 10y ago
I've stayed in 22 places of which about 1 out of 4 has lied about their accommodations. One place claimed internet included, turned out they were stealing it from a neighbor and it only worked if you sat the the side of the sofa closest to the window. One place claimed 1 bedroom but was actually a studio with a wardrobe used as a separator. The difference between a 1 bedroom and a studio is whether or not there is a door to shut out the noise of the refrigerator. 2 places advertised parking on premises but didn't have it. I paid for those places so I wouldn't have to deal with searching for parking. Several places have claimed to have internet but when I show up it turns out they only have a MiFi and a notice saying "Please don't use the internet much or it will run out because it has a 5Gig limit for the entire month". And of course I've rented the place for 4-6 weeks as a place TO LIVE not to be a tourist. The last place lied about its location. Since then I've gotten better about spotting the lies before hand but AirBnB won't do anything about it when you try to report them. Places I've messaged to verify the listed amenities actually exist (like parking), get told they don't actually exist, I then flag the listing, report the issue, check back a few weeks later, no change to the listing. AirBnB is an evil company because they purposely let people lie about their listings. I don't disagree with you they could be a useful service but as long as their official policy is that false advertising is ok they are clearly not a company with any sense of ethics.
- dwaltrip 10y ago
  Hmm. Thanks for your note. I haven't had to deal with any disputes so far. It is good to know that I should be careful about that. What were the reviews like for these places that had false advertising? So far I've only stayed at places that had good reviews.
  - greggman 10y ago
    I've only stayed at places with good reviews as well. For the last one with the false location I can only think of a few possible explanations ) the users didn't look at the AirBnB map and only looked the instructions received a day or 2 before arriving ) the users noticed but didn't care If you're visiting a city you've never been to you're more likely not to care. If on the other hand you're visiting a city you're familiar with (me) then you're more likely to be using the map to choose a place you actually know. I don't know where you live but I'm sure you know some places where the difference of a 1-3 blocks would be the difference between some place you want to stay vs some place you don't. Next to a freeway/highway vs not. In a safe neighborhood vs in a dangerous neighborhood. On a scenic street vs on a non-scenic street. For others maybe people are more forgiving. Example: I only rent 1 bedroom or larger because loud refrigerators keep me awake. (at least in the USA where they are loud) So when a listing lied about a studio being a 1 bedroom it meant I didn't sleep well the entire time. If that kind of noise doesn't bother you then you're not going to complain. Similarly if you rent a place that says it comes with parking but you don't bring a car then you're not likely to complain about false advertising. If you come to a place to sight-see then you might not care about limited internet where as if you rent a place for a business trip then you probably do care since you'll likely be trying to do work from the place. Finally the fact that hosts are people you actually interact with one-on-one makes it harder to leave a bad review for most people. It's easy to leave a bad review for Marriott. It's not so easy to leave a bad review for Jane ArtStudent renting out her apartment for extra cash while she stays with her S.O. She was really nice when she handed over the keys. It feels bad to give her a bad review so I'm guessing people pull their punches. I know I have even when I probably shouldn't have because the people I rented from felt like nice people even if they were falsely advertising. I've learned my lesson though and now leave 1 star reviews if they lied to me.

thomasthomas 10y ago

Marking their ratings down is your job. Write a review about your complaints. Read reviews before you book. The rating system is what make Airbnb works. I've never had a problem booking any place with a long list of positive reviews.