Disturbing Air BnB Article

[travelover]

I’m a big fan of AirBnB, but found this article rather unsettling. It seems that some well oiled scams have been set up to take advantage of AirBnB’s lax vetting and complaint follow up. Ironically, the fact that hosts rate guests keeps people from leaving a bad review even when they have been duped. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/43k7z3/nationwide-fake-host-scam-on-airbnb

 

[MBAustin]

Thanks for sharing - I've sent this info to our millennials who use the service much more than I do.

 

[Rianne]

Thanks for the article. I came within minutes of booking my first Airbnb. I backed out because the process was suspicious. I know many people have had good experiences, but never felt comfortable paying a full month ahead. That was 6 months before we were to arrive. Sketchy refund policy and very unusual communication with the owner. Don't think I'll ever use them.

 

[Sunset]

I'm surprised that the company doesn't care, but I guess if they IPO and fill their management pockets it's all good for them.

I've only used the service twice, and it was in a city where I had an option if things went really bad.

That is why I've never used the service on other trips, I've always wondered, what would I do in a strange city, dropped off by a taxi with 3 suitcases, no phone service, and find the building is non-existent/already occupied/a drug flop house. ??

Much safer to book a real hotel.

 

[RunningBum]

I’m a big fan of AirBnB, but found this article rather unsettling. It seems that some well oiled scams have been set up to take advantage of AirBnB’s lax vetting and complaint follow up. Ironically, the fact that hosts rate guests keeps people from leaving a bad review even when they have been duped. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/43k7z3/nationwide-fake-host-scam-on-airbnb

Disturbing article for sure. But the bolded statement is only partially true. Neither side can see what the other wrote until they do their review. The host can reply to your review with an explanation, or attacking you, but it doesn't affect their own review of you. Now, a scammer might guess you're going to write a bad review and proactively write you a bad review to make you look distrustful, but that doesn't keep anyone from writing a bad review.

 

[Chuckanut]

I Ironically, the fact that hosts rate guests keeps people from leaving a bad review even when they have been duped.

My understanding is that neither AirBnB host or customer sees the other persons review until both have been filed with the parent company. This would seem to make a revenge review unlikely.

I have used AirBnb several times and not had what I consider a significant problem.

The main thing I have learned is that if an apartment in a particular area is renting for significantly less than most others, there is usually a good reason for it: noisy traffic just outside, too many slippery stairs, furniture badly worn, broken or missing necessities, a poor location, etc.

The big things for me are Location, Location and Location. I am with Rick Steves when he says he will pay extra to be in a good location. Vacation time is to precious to waste, even for retired guys and gals, IMHO. Why spend a small fortune to travel to a great area and then spend hours and energy every day on the last few miles so you can be where you really want to be?

 

[travelover]

If I understood the article, once the guest agreed to an alternate accommodation they were hosed. So, in the future, if I’m told the place is not available immediately, then cancel for a refund.

 

[OldShooter]

Well, no company is perfect and fast-growing companies with a lot of new staff are particularly likely to be imperfect.

I don't think we've rented 100 AirBNBs but its certainly a high two-digit number and spread across a number of countries. There have been rough edges from time to time but nothing that would make me avoid the company. Also, as they get themselves sorted out and deal with the constant attacks from entrenched competitors things will get better.

Re saving money that is never our objective. Our main objective is to avoid staying in the stacks of anonymous and boring boxes called "hotels." As it turns out we do usually save money, so that is good too.

We do read the reviews very carefully, study the pictures, read cancellation policies, and avoid properties that have not been reviewed yet.

 

[Nemo2]

Never had a problem with Airbnb, and we've rented a few.

 

[braumeister]

We used two AirBnBs this year, our first ever. Both were fine, and we took the advice to only book with "Superhosts". My only comment is that both places were considerably more "worn" than pictured on the website. So I think the photos were not quite as current as I expected. Not a problem, and both were in great locations so that made up for a lot.

 

[kgtest]

We used two AirBnBs this year, our first ever. Both were fine, and we took the advice to only book with "Superhosts". My only comment is that both places were considerably more "worn" than pictured on the website. So I think the photos were not quite as current as I expected. Not a problem, and both were in great locations so that made up for a lot.

This was my experience as well. We've booked with HomeAway and VRBO as well but it's my opinion AirBNB has more host turnover.

The last place we stayed was "fine" but I would have liked it to be cared for a bit more. The grill didn't have a propane tank attached, and their was only 1 roll of Paper towels, with dismal selection of cooking utensils. It's again my opinion people rent homes for the luxuries of said home, like comfy beds and decent kitchens to work with. And the outdoor sitting area was overgrown with weeds, and just unkept.

I find myself not reviewing the places I wouldn't stay at again. I let me words speak with my wallet.

 

[OldShooter]

... I find myself not reviewing the places I wouldn't stay at again. I let me words speak with my wallet.

Oh, please don't do that. Those of us who read and consider the reviews carefully really want to know what you think.

As an aside, I think the emergence of "professional" hosts who are really running tiny hotel chains has done a lot to reduce the overall quality of AirBnB lodgings. Not to the point, at least yet, where it will not be our first choice for lodgings but we are more wary than we used to be.

 

[dvalley]

I've stayed at several places booked through AirBnB and most were actually a nicer experience than expected (such as drinks and chocolate etc that were never mentioned in the description). Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for the dead beat scammers to find a way to exploit the system

 

[Red Badger]

We've used AirBnB in several countries, dozens of times. We have only had a few rather trivial issues across many, many memorable stays.

We use AirBnB for unique properties in desirable locations (Thames waterfront London, etc). Our first default is super-host with many reviews. Next option is 5 stars with many reviews. If we can't find that, hello Hilton or Marriott.... YMMV

 

[Amethyst]

We stayed for 3 successive Januarys at a set of 6 furnished cottages near the beach. A cleaning service (at the end of your stay) was included in the price, and we always found the place clean. But as you say, the kitchen utensils were ill-assorted, some always missing, no propane tank...The owner told us that her cleaning crew were in charge of checking the units between guests and letting her know if anything was missing. She did not check, herself, unless it was something big that required a repairman. She said that guests steal and/or swap kitchen things, causing an imbalance among the cottage kitchens; she couldn't keep up with the demand for grill propane, so she left it to guests to buy their own tanks.

After the first stay, we brought our favorite kitchen things with us in the car.
The location kept us coming back, until we didn't need to any more!

This was my experience as well. We've booked with HomeAway and VRBO as well but it's my opinion AirBNB has more host turnover.

The last place we stayed was "fine" but I would have liked it to be cared for a bit more. The grill didn't have a propane tank attached, and their was only 1 roll of Paper towels, with dismal selection of cooking utensils. It's again my opinion people rent homes for the luxuries of said home, like comfy beds and decent kitchens to work with. And the outdoor sitting area was overgrown with weeds, and just unkept.

I find myself not reviewing the places I wouldn't stay at again. I let me words speak with my wallet.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have used Airbnb in Europe more than 20 times, and never had something as egregious and outright fraudulent as the article describes. Could it be worse in the US than elsewhere?

When shopping, I tried to look for a place with more reviews. It may not be fair to a newer listing though, and a new host has to set a low price to lure people and to build a reputation.

For example, we stayed at a very nice and roomy apartment in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in France. We were pleasantly surprised. The price was quite reasonable, and people left glowing reviews. Recently, I checked out of curiosity, and the price is now 50% higher.

 

[brett]

We travel frequently but have yet to do an airbnb. The past few articles that we have read, including this, are discouraging us somewhat from moving forward with a reservation at some point.

 

[Scuba]

I’m a big fan of AirBnB, but found this article rather unsettling. It seems that some well oiled scams have been set up to take advantage of AirBnB’s lax vetting and complaint follow up. Ironically, the fact that hosts rate guests keeps people from leaving a bad review even when they have been duped. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/43k7z3/nationwide-fake-host-scam-on-airbnb

Very interesting article, thank you for posting. We’ve used Air BnB in several international and domestic locations and never had a problem. One of my requirements is a property that has a lot of reviews. I also have questions before I book so I typically correspond a few times directly with the host. Still, it’s sobering to read how easily one could get scammed.

 

[folivier]

What could go wrong: John Candy in "Summer Rental"

 

[donheff]

That's some scary sh**. I have stayed in numerous Air B&Bs and always had good experiences but I have generally selected superhosts or whatever the carefully vetted hosts are called.

 

[dixonge]

By the end of the year, I will have 15 AirBnB stays under my belt, plus a couple booked under my wife's account and a couple where a friend booked it. It takes awhile to figure out the best way to avoid problem properties or hosts.

One recent stay was interesting. We knew ahead of time that we were going to be in a subdivision off the end of an airport runway, but reviews indicated the plane noise was minimal. This turned out to be true. The only surprise was that the neighborhood was about 100+ apartment buildings. Not an ideal location, but fine for one night.

The apartment itself was immaculate, well-decorated and well-supplied. And cheap as hell.

We have had a few weird scenarios, but most of our stays are in Mexico so weird isn't that unusual haha

 

[mountainsoft]

My understanding is that neither AirBnB host or customer sees the other persons review until both have been filed with the parent company. This would seem to make a revenge review unlikely.

I have used AirBnb several times and not had what I consider a significant problem.

Same here. We have used AirBnb several times and not had any major issues. But I always read reviews and examine photos thoroughly, and sometimes even do a Google street or satellite view to confirm where a place is located.

We did stay at one place last year that hadn't been cleaned when we arrived. We stayed in a hotel that night, contacted the owner who apologized for the miscommunication with the cleaning crew, and he refunded the cost of our hotel stay (which was more than the cost of his rental). We stayed the rest of our vacation in his rental once it had been cleaned, and really enjoyed it. I described all of this in my review and I just checked to see that it was still posted on his property listing.

Personally, I'm not bothered by dinged up furniture or missing kitchen utensils, as long as the place is clean and safe. Some renters must really abuse the places they rent because owners frequently comment on how nicely we left their home when we check out. I usually leave a note for the owner when we discover issues (safety issues, missing dishes, toilet paper low, etc.), but I'm not sure if they fix anything I mention.

My only gripe with these types of rentals are the cancellation policies. I've only had to cancel a couple times but the loss can be significant, anywhere from one nights expense to the entire trip. This certainly isn't limited to AirBnb, as a big chain hotel refused to refund our reservation earlier this year when we couldn't make it due to mother-in-law's heart attack. Still, hotels usually have better refund policies than AirBnb owners. Some owners are stricter than others, so now I really pay attention to the refund policies when booking a property.

I like that we can stay in some really unique places through AirBnb that we would never find in a hotel. We've stayed on a tugboat, in a fire tower, in a cave, over a cannery above a river, in a tree house, and more...

 

[OldShooter]

... My only gripe with these types of rentals are the cancellation policies. ...

Unless something has changed, cancellation policies are set by each host. When we were driving in Norway and a little uncertain about timing and intinerary we looked for 24 hour cancellation policies. That's pretty generous IMO as the host is unlikely to get another booking so quickly. As it turned out we didn't have to cancel anywhere.

If I wanted to stay in a property with a cancellation policy I couldn't live with I would try to negotiate something better.

... I like that we can stay in some really unique places through AirBnb that we would never find in a hotel. We've stayed on a tugboat, in a fire tower, in a cave, over a cannery above a river, in a tree house, and more...

Agreed. When we have to stay in a sterile and anonymous box in a stack of such boxes we consider it to be a major lodging failure.

In addition to the places, we have enjoyed many of the hosts. Our host in Marrakesh was a freelance software engineer and was glad to guide us for the day we were there. We paid him a normal guide rate, of course, but it was not like having some anonymous stranger for a guide. More like having a nephew in the town. He also was happy to give us a ride to the airport at Oh Dark Thirty. In Bergen the host(ess) made us dinner and also drove us to the airport with us offering and paying normal taxi fare. In many other places we have enjoyed breakfasts with interesting people. Many are in it for the fun of meeting new guests, not just for money.

As I said in at previous post, it is the never-seen, for-profit, multiple-property hosts that are sucking much of the pleasure out of AirBnB. Too bad but hard to prevent.

 

[brett]

Last month in Greece we stayed in a condo for five days. It came up on booking.com. We looked at the tripadvisor reviews then searched for the owner on line.

We did find it. The place was listed on booking.com and apparently on airbnb.

We did the deal directly with the owner. We paid cash, as agreed, when we arrived. It was close to the end of season. Our cash price was just under 30 percent less than the booking.com price. Big difference was we could see before we committed. Of course, everyone likes cash with no paper record...especially in Greece, Cyprus, and Italy.

 

[kgtest]

Oh, please don't do that. Those of us who read and consider the reviews carefully really want to know what you think.

As an aside, I think the emergence of "professional" hosts who are really running tiny hotel chains has done a lot to reduce the overall quality of AirBnB lodgings. Not to the point, at least yet, where it will not be our first choice for lodgings but we are more wary than we used to be.

I just feel like it would be petty. Inadequate silver and dinnerware, no available propane tank (I bought my own and later just returned it totally discenctivized to grill after seeing paultry silverware and missing bbq utensils).

The shower didn't have a fan, I feel in FL that is a must.

The AC was working OT but it somewhat kept up, poorly insulated older home which I should probably assume and look up beforehand next time.

Dirty Silverware trays and drying racks. There was some other tenant or guest or something who lived or was living in the smaller unit with a dog, which was fine but would have been nice to know it's multiple occupancy shared spaces.

But the price was right, I think it was like less than $70 a night and I sorta chalked this one up to "you get what you pay for".

The one really super big bonus, it was in an impressive location, right off the main drag, and I could literally and did jog to Mar-A-Lago. Close to a pharmacy, wal-mart, and some decent dining within walking distance and close to the A1A! I love S FL!