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Getting yourself banned off of Airbnb for $950 doesn't sound optimal unless you are swearing off short term lodging around the world (outside of hotels) for the

Getting yourself banned off of Airbnb for $950 doesn't sound optimal unless you are swearing off short term lodging around the world (outside of hotels) for the foreseeable future. That's one of the negative externalities of capture-the-market VC investing - getting banned on one of these platforms cuts you off from almost the entirety of supply because of how marketplace dynamics work.

SV_BubbleTime 4y ago
If this is how the service is going to work - why would I want to be part of it? I'm not interested in playing some VC's network effects game. The era of free money is over for now, they're going to want business soon.
- che_shirecat 4y ago
  You assume you have a choice in playing. Most of the supply will never consider listing on multiple marketplaces, because its a massive hassle. $ABNB is up 48% YTD bucking the rest of the market, they have strong financials and are massively profitable. The growth-at-all-costs play DID work, and now you have no choice but to bend the knee. Edge cases like this will never materially affect their business.
  - JumpCrisscross 4y ago
    Just have a friend use their account. Or make a new account. Or use VRBO or a number of Airbnb’s competitors. Or use a sock Airbnb account to connect with a host and then negotiate directly.
    - srcreigh 4y ago
      There was a thread this week (?) about how AirBNB will ban you for traveling with a banned person
      - JumpCrisscross 4y ago
        > how AirBNB will ban you for traveling with a banned person Why do they need to know?
      - SV_BubbleTime 4y ago
        Great, maybe they get banned too and it's two less people playing a stupid game. I'm not going to tell anyone else how to live their lives, but cowering on my knees to tech bureaucracy out of San Fransisco is not how I'll live mine.
  - ilikehurdles 4y ago
    > $ABNB is up 48% YTD bucking the rest of the market Thats pretty cherry-picked, and I wouldn’t look to stock price to make the conclusions you’ve shared. Lots of growth companies are bouncing back after being oversold last year. As another cherry-pick, it’s also down nearly 50% from its 2021 high.
  - twelve40 4y ago
    I've never been a host so can't speak for multiple listings, though there seem to be a ton of services that try to market to multichannel listing, so "never" seems a pretty strong word here? But, if the interwebs are correct, airbnb has 7 mil rentals, booking - 6 mil rentals (vacation specifically, not hotels) and vrbo - 2 mil https://hosttools.com/blog/short-term-rental-tips/vrbo-vs-airbnb-vs-booking-2/ https://hosttools.com/blog/short-term-rental-tips/vrbo-vs-ai... whatever advantage airbnb has, they are no longer the only game in town * * depends on the town
A_D_E_P_T 4y ago
There are lots of alternatives. Agoda, Booking.com, and many similar sites offer short-term apartment rentals. Also, in much of the world outside the US, hotels are a better and surer bet than short-term apartment rentals. Look at it like this: Would you pay $950 for the privilege of using AirBNB? I sure wouldn't. An "AirBNB Membership fee" on the order of $950 should seem absurd.
- r00fus 4y ago
  The alternatives are often better than airbnb too.
- dahfizz 4y ago
  Even in the US, hotels are better and cheaper than airbnbs
  - therealdrag0 4y ago
    For one person maybe. Otherwise not in my experience.
ghaff 4y ago
For most people I can't imagine that keeping AirBnB "happy" is so important that you wouldn't try to get $1000 back. But, yes, it's a problem when keeping AirBnB, Google, Twitter, etc. placated requires rolling over.
twelve40 4y ago
it was the case when they were the hot new disruptor. By now there are alternatives for house/apartment rentals, so they can't dick around and rip people off like that anymore. They've been called out on "cleaning fees", at some point may be forced to implement a sane cancelation window as well.
gsich 4y ago
I doubt that after such an experience you'll want to use Airbnb again.
loeg 4y ago
I would absolutely end any customer relationship with Airbnb for a $950 host scam. If they can’t fix that they don’t deserve your business and you are better off off their platform.
hkgjjgjfjfjfjf 4y ago
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latency-guy2 4y ago
If a service stole $950 from me, the last thing I would be worried about is getting banned from the service They would not get a single cent from me for the remainder of my life and in fact I would do plenty of things to cost them business at any chance I will get. AirBNB is also not the only short term rental option out there. E.g. Vrbo
ilikehurdles 4y ago
Maybe your market is different, but Airbnb is hardly a monopoly on either short term housing or vacation rentals these days. The entire travel booking industry has caught up. Similarly to the OP, both my wife and I had to pull teeth for weeks to get the full refunds we were entitled to after booking airbnb units. We both had dozens of stays and 5 star reviews under our belts prior to those experiences, dating back through 2013. In my case, it was a unit that the host admitted was infested with rats prior to arrival. In my wife’s, it was a unit that didn’t remotely match the photos of the listing. At this point it’s my very last resort for booking any kind of stay, which is to say I’ve effectively sworn off the service. Since then, I’ve had no trouble finding vacation rentals elsewhere. For $900, yeah, I’d chargeback in a snap.
LegitShady 4y ago
never doing business with AirBNB is worth every penny.
ClumsyPilot 4y ago
I will take $950 to never deal with AirBnB, thank you. They've stold me up twice, I was left in a foreign city with nowhere to sleep. Host simply didn't show up, didn't pick up, just vanished. Never again.

SV_BubbleTime 4y ago

If this is how the service is going to work - why would I want to be part of it? I'm not interested in playing some VC's network effects game. The era of free money is over for now, they're going to want business soon.

che_shirecat 4y ago
You assume you have a choice in playing. Most of the supply will never consider listing on multiple marketplaces, because its a massive hassle. $ABNB is up 48% YTD bucking the rest of the market, they have strong financials and are massively profitable. The growth-at-all-costs play DID work, and now you have no choice but to bend the knee. Edge cases like this will never materially affect their business.
- JumpCrisscross 4y ago
  Just have a friend use their account. Or make a new account. Or use VRBO or a number of Airbnb’s competitors. Or use a sock Airbnb account to connect with a host and then negotiate directly.
  - srcreigh 4y ago
    There was a thread this week (?) about how AirBNB will ban you for traveling with a banned person
    - JumpCrisscross 4y ago
      > how AirBNB will ban you for traveling with a banned person Why do they need to know?
    - SV_BubbleTime 4y ago
      Great, maybe they get banned too and it's two less people playing a stupid game. I'm not going to tell anyone else how to live their lives, but cowering on my knees to tech bureaucracy out of San Fransisco is not how I'll live mine.
- ilikehurdles 4y ago
  > $ABNB is up 48% YTD bucking the rest of the market Thats pretty cherry-picked, and I wouldn’t look to stock price to make the conclusions you’ve shared. Lots of growth companies are bouncing back after being oversold last year. As another cherry-pick, it’s also down nearly 50% from its 2021 high.
- twelve40 4y ago
  I've never been a host so can't speak for multiple listings, though there seem to be a ton of services that try to market to multichannel listing, so "never" seems a pretty strong word here? But, if the interwebs are correct, airbnb has 7 mil rentals, booking - 6 mil rentals (vacation specifically, not hotels) and vrbo - 2 mil https://hosttools.com/blog/short-term-rental-tips/vrbo-vs-airbnb-vs-booking-2/ https://hosttools.com/blog/short-term-rental-tips/vrbo-vs-ai... whatever advantage airbnb has, they are no longer the only game in town * * depends on the town

A_D_E_P_T 4y ago

There are lots of alternatives. Agoda, Booking.com, and many similar sites offer short-term apartment rentals. Also, in much of the world outside the US, hotels are a better and surer bet than short-term apartment rentals. Look at it like this: Would you pay $950 for the privilege of using AirBNB? I sure wouldn't. An "AirBNB Membership fee" on the order of $950 should seem absurd.

r00fus 4y ago
The alternatives are often better than airbnb too.
dahfizz 4y ago
Even in the US, hotels are better and cheaper than airbnbs
- therealdrag0 4y ago
  For one person maybe. Otherwise not in my experience.

ghaff 4y ago

For most people I can't imagine that keeping AirBnB "happy" is so important that you wouldn't try to get $1000 back. But, yes, it's a problem when keeping AirBnB, Google, Twitter, etc. placated requires rolling over.

twelve40 4y ago

it was the case when they were the hot new disruptor. By now there are alternatives for house/apartment rentals, so they can't dick around and rip people off like that anymore. They've been called out on "cleaning fees", at some point may be forced to implement a sane cancelation window as well.

gsich 4y ago

I doubt that after such an experience you'll want to use Airbnb again.

loeg 4y ago

I would absolutely end any customer relationship with Airbnb for a $950 host scam. If they can’t fix that they don’t deserve your business and you are better off off their platform.

hkgjjgjfjfjfjf 4y ago

[dead]

latency-guy2 4y ago

If a service stole $950 from me, the last thing I would be worried about is getting banned from the service They would not get a single cent from me for the remainder of my life and in fact I would do plenty of things to cost them business at any chance I will get. AirBNB is also not the only short term rental option out there. E.g. Vrbo

ilikehurdles 4y ago

Maybe your market is different, but Airbnb is hardly a monopoly on either short term housing or vacation rentals these days. The entire travel booking industry has caught up. Similarly to the OP, both my wife and I had to pull teeth for weeks to get the full refunds we were entitled to after booking airbnb units. We both had dozens of stays and 5 star reviews under our belts prior to those experiences, dating back through 2013. In my case, it was a unit that the host admitted was infested with rats prior to arrival. In my wife’s, it was a unit that didn’t remotely match the photos of the listing. At this point it’s my very last resort for booking any kind of stay, which is to say I’ve effectively sworn off the service. Since then, I’ve had no trouble finding vacation rentals elsewhere. For $900, yeah, I’d chargeback in a snap.

LegitShady 4y ago

never doing business with AirBNB is worth every penny.

ClumsyPilot 4y ago

I will take $950 to never deal with AirBnB, thank you. They've stold me up twice, I was left in a foreign city with nowhere to sleep. Host simply didn't show up, didn't pick up, just vanished. Never again.