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Airbnb started strong, but it has become a minefield for travelers. Scam listings have exploded -- Airbnb admitted in 2023 that it removed nearly 60,000 fake on

Airbnb started strong, but it has become a minefield for travelers. Scam listings have exploded -- Airbnb admitted in 2023 that it removed nearly 60,000 fake ones, but that's only a fraction of what slips through. Investigations like one by VICE uncovered organized scams exploiting the platform for years, yet Airbnb has been slow to implement meaningful preventative measures. Meanwhile, pricing has grown increasingly deceptive: hosts tack on hefty cleaning and service fees, often doubling the advertised nightly rate. Although Airbnb recently added an option to show total prices up front, it's not the default, and hidden costs remain a major complaint. Even more troubling are the widespread privacy violations. Thousands of guests have reported hidden cameras in their rentals -- some even found in bedrooms and bathrooms. Airbnb didn't ban indoor cameras until March 2024, after more than a decade of complaints and several high-profile criminal cases. Combined with fake photos, misleading descriptions, and little accountability for bad hosts, it's clear the trust that once defined the platform has eroded. Airbnb didn't just lose its shine -- it actively neglected the safety and transparency that made it appealing in the first place. https://www.vice.com/en/article/nationwide-fake-host-scam-on-airbnb/ https://www.vice.com/en/article/nationwide-fake-host-scam-on...

7thaccount 1y ago
Yep. A few bad experiences and never again. The idea is pretty nice, but it always adds a layer of stress with the unreasonable cleaning demands and all. Hotels are more consistent and I know what I'm going to get as long as I stick with one of the main brands. I don't have to clean the entire house either.
- digianarchist 1y ago
  These common negative experiences have spawned memes mocking the company. https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1nkMlt.img https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1n...
  - 7thaccount 1y ago
    Pretty much my exact experience before. I have another fun one. One time the host kicked us out on the second day of a week-long stay to sell the house. She then put us up in a nicer house, but not in the area we wanted to be in. Our schedule was also completely screwed as we had to move our stuff over and the other family wasn't even out of the newer house yet. Everyone was confused and upset. Then there is a cleaning crew that typically doesn't speak English, so it's hard to communicate what is going on. You also don't want to leave your stuff there at the time as although they're just doing their jobs, they're also strangers and you don't know if they'll steal any of your stuff. So we had to end up waiting for awhile and burning up valuable vacation time. Never again.
tayo42 1y ago
> added an option to show total prices up front, it's not the default, Pretty sure the only price you can see now is the total price. I was looking a couple weeks ago and got annoyed that I couldn't find nightly price or how it breaks down

7thaccount 1y ago

Yep. A few bad experiences and never again. The idea is pretty nice, but it always adds a layer of stress with the unreasonable cleaning demands and all. Hotels are more consistent and I know what I'm going to get as long as I stick with one of the main brands. I don't have to clean the entire house either.

digianarchist 1y ago
These common negative experiences have spawned memes mocking the company. https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1nkMlt.img https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1n...
- 7thaccount 1y ago
  Pretty much my exact experience before. I have another fun one. One time the host kicked us out on the second day of a week-long stay to sell the house. She then put us up in a nicer house, but not in the area we wanted to be in. Our schedule was also completely screwed as we had to move our stuff over and the other family wasn't even out of the newer house yet. Everyone was confused and upset. Then there is a cleaning crew that typically doesn't speak English, so it's hard to communicate what is going on. You also don't want to leave your stuff there at the time as although they're just doing their jobs, they're also strangers and you don't know if they'll steal any of your stuff. So we had to end up waiting for awhile and burning up valuable vacation time. Never again.

tayo42 1y ago

> added an option to show total prices up front, it's not the default, Pretty sure the only price you can see now is the total price. I was looking a couple weeks ago and got annoyed that I couldn't find nightly price or how it breaks down