Giving up Airbnb

Airbnb is getting more and more popular and now I have decided NOT to use Airbnb anymore, unless there is no option available. Needless to say their bias on Hosts and increase of fees charged.
Reasons:

  1. Yes, I did have one unpleasant experience with the host who twisted all the facts that I quoted. Airbnb did nothing about it.
  2. T&Cs - totally benefit on the host. You should have read all sorts of resolution with the host. Results - NO resolution!!!
  3. Who is comfortable with the STRICT cancellation? (the host of course). Say if you planned a holiday for 6 months ahead and later plan changes. 50% of the money has gone. Mind you Airbnb charged the money upfront. Some hotel sites DO offer you a free cancellation period. This is more fair on both side. Does it serve as a big benefit of the host??? Even if there is a legitimate reason, Airbnb still demanded you some evidence such as “Death Certificate”. Come on, if your relatives passed away, do you want to ask them a copy of certificate simply because I need to cancel my Airbnb trip…???
  4. Some hosts even ask you for USD250 as deposit, a kind of refundable security bond. Hotel only charge you according to your number of stay. Although if there is of no issue, you will receive your deposit back. As you know how “responsible” Airbnb is, what if there is any dispute and the host twisted the facts and keeping your deposit? Do you want this to ruin your vacation?
  5. Location location location… How well do you know the city? Just reading the reviews in Airbnb is not enough as there is NO ONE will leave any negative comments, simply this is a norm.
  6. Do not leave any negative to the host. Some of you did it and ending up a never ending argument. Airbnb who claimed “freedom of speech” will not remove any of the negative review from the host. Perhaps I don’t have enough money to bride them… what for?

Why having all the hassles and ruin your vacation or business trip?
The grass is greener outside
If you still using Airbnb, please take lots of photos when you arrive and leave the apartment. Photos should serve the evidence for future dispute.
If you are the host and reading it, Airbnb is protecting your rights and trying the best they can. .

Yes as the host… everything is comfortable… Watch one day when Airbnb release all the information to the local tax authorities. Have fun in dealing with tax agents.

I am just listing all the facts here as a guest. There are lots and lots of forums about the host.

Again, I am planning my vacation. I deserve to be happy and enjoy my times spent in a particular counties.
From my experience and others, Airbnb does provide some good business opportunity

So stay in a hotel. Who cares? Most of us are micro-businesses, welcoming strangers into our homes. You sound like the proverbial guest-from-hell who makes hosts wonder why they ever got into this. Do you steal shampoo? Or walk around naked? Or completely ignore all the house rules? Please do let us know your actual AirBnB profile name so we’ll know not to rent to you.

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I am a good guest but again, just saw there are so many bad experience in the community.
I always followed the house rules and honestly there was no issue.
There do have some terrible host existed and why people just paying attention to the bad guests?

This is not fair.

No, I always followed the rules and nothing in breach.
Just noticed there are so many bad experience in the community. It seems the benefit of doubt always at hosts.
Or did you have bad experience that people stealing your precious shampoo? Perhaps you should share your experience and telling us the dark side of the guests?

Just supply your actual AirBnB profile name. I’m only responding because I’m bored. Honestly, we have no desire to get involved with a jerk like you. Our house, our rules.

Bye.

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Hotels have. " non refundable " option also, and smaller hotels with 20 rooms or less are all using it.
When you have just one unit on Airbnb it’s impossible to run business with any other cancelation policy but strict. And if you cancel your trip and don’t have travel insurance on it, no airline company or hotel will refund your money. Even with travel insurance you need to provide death certificates and other proofs why you need to cancel.
I stayed all over the world in rented house with Airbnb or other source, and every single time I paid damage deposit that was fully refundable. It’s not just Airbnb host charge the deposit. Go on booking.com or hotels.com, it’s the same thing, when private house is rented, deposit is always charged for damages.
And what’s the story with taxes? We as hosts give our SSNs so Airbnb sends us forms reporting all our income to IRS. I have a license to operate short term rentals and pay my tax to city and state.

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I’m sorry you had such bad experiences and you’re probably right, you should stay in a hotel.

But I think you should be on your guard - I’ve stayed in hotels a few times and some of them were terrible.So I’ve decided never to stay in hotels again.

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I do not see the need to attack the OP, call him a jerk or accuse him of stealing. In fact, that proves his point exactly that host derives from hostile in some cases. Surely it is difficult to host strangers in your own home. But it also can be stressful being in someones house who behaves like a little tyrant. A discussion only works when critisized points are explained from your own view. And here I want to answer to OP’s points from my standing as a host:
I totally agree with you on deposits. I do not take deposits nor do I charge cleaning fees. Because as a traveller I would not want to deal with being quoted one rate, pay much more but get refunded (deposit) and then pay some more for the cleaning of the place. I personally prefer to give one all inclusive quote. But I do take the risk in someone damaging valuables in my apartment. Other hosts do not want that risk, so I also can understand their policy of charging deposits. I originally also agreed on OP’s view of a strict cancellation policy. I had a moderate setting until it got more and more abused by free cancellations that left me standing in the rain. Two guests had relatives dying. I gave back the money without asking for a certificate. If the story is real it is not within my decorum to bother people with formalities. If it is a lie it will not help me if the guests arrive but are bound to trash my place in the review. For me now it is a necessity to enforce a strict policy.
Last but not least a word to guest appriciation:
My last guest had booked the place several months in advance for one week. Shortly before moving in, he cancelled for free (moderate setting) then rebooked 2 days in the middle of the period. Two days before rental period he sent a message from the airport that he had arrived and wanted to move in already. I host from a different country so it was quite some hassle but I arranged everything for him. Next thing I heard from my house keeper was that he was very upset and complained about the only extra charge I raise. Its for using the washing machine. This also was included in the rate until recently. Guests abused this tremendously but washing every sock seperate, using bottles of softener and washing powder within a few days etc. The guy could not complain about this because it is clearly stated and explained in my house rules. So he retaliated by deducting a star off the rating, saying my equipment was outdated and used. Whatever he meant by that I do not know. Anyway, the extra cost for a washing cicle is 3 USD.
I am pretty sure guests easily can tell similar stories about their hosts. This is a host forum, so the general direction is pretty clear. But if a guest complains on a host forum I believe it is an opportunity to reflect on what he is saying without sending a lynch mob to his door.

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Hi Billy Bob,

I may have been a bit over the top (and the bit about stealing shampoo is an in-joke - thanks konacoconutz), but was very impressed that you took the time to try to explain things to this guy. He needs to figure out that no AirBnB host owes him a cheap vacation, and his attitude made him seem like the sort of bad guest most hosts would try to avoid.

Cheers

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Hahahhahahaha. Me too!!! Definitely!!!

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Yes, yes, and YES!!! Tell it, Mo!!! You go Mo!

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I sometimes think of giving up Airbnb because I’m tired of guests who claim they aren’t fancy and fussy, and then later cry the blues because my place (clearly described and all cons more than disclosed) isn’t what they had in mind (I’m paraphrasing her cruel and abusive tirade) and yet, these same guests THOUGHT NOTHING of stealing supplies from my room. It’s not the price of the Suave, it’s the principle of the matter.

I don’t want guests like them and I don’t want guests like the OP. I say this type of guest, or the kind who bring strangers home from bars and damages furniture (in excess of their deposit) and proceed to party hard in a quiet residential neighborhood after being asked to stop are the type of people who make me want to take my place off the market. They can take their lousy $400 for their lousy four-night stay and, well, shove it. So there.:slight_smile:

P.S. I’m also registered to do short-term rentals and pay my accommodations taxes to the state of Hawaii income taxes to Hawaii and to the Feds. So there. :slight_smile:

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Love it!!! Well said, hear hear!!!

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While it may not seem fair to lose your money on an accommodation due to a death in the family, do you think the owner is supposed to absorb the cost? That is what trip cancellation insurance is for.

Let’s say you rent my 2 bedroom cabin for a week and the weekly rent is $1600 USD. And I have the strict policy. If you cancel 8 days before arrival, and I cannot find someone else to rent the place then I have lost 50% of the rent, $800. But now pretend within the 7 days you have a family member die, and you provide a death certificate to Airbnb. Airbnb will refund your money and may not give me any. So now I have lost $1600 in revenue. A quarter of my revenue for the entire month. Oh and this month I only have two weeks rented. So that could be half of my revenue for the entire month. Is it fair to the host to lose all their money when they could have rented the property to someone else? Of course deaths are out of our control, but please understand that we are not hotels with 100 rooms. Many of us have one house/room to sell to the public.

When a hotel allows you to cancel, they might have many other rooms to fill. This is not the case with one single home.

Airbnb has a very lenient cancellation policy. I list on other sites and the guest must cancel 60 days before arrival.

Imagine if each airplane only had one seat for one passenger. Would an airline allow a passenger a refund when they could have sold that one seat to someone else wanting to fly?

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Bob,
That is me, and why I work to give a 5 star service for really a 3 star price. SO, if a guest has a problem I am really pissed offed.

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This is the kind of guest no Airbnb host wants in their place because they are going to complain and complain and complain. I read a great piece today by Matt Landau who gave some spot on advice on how to deal with bad reviews (Isahk01 probably gives bad reviews left and right). Here it is for all the owners on this forum:

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yes, of course I can. Since you accuse me blatantly for not having read the conversation it’s my turn to ask you if you have not read the answers of Mo_In_TO. I clearly see the word jerk, I also read how OP is asked if he steals shampoo. And asking someone to give out his profile name is coming close to sending out a virtual mob. I rest my case…

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Sleep well. The guy IS a jerk, and I don’t want him anywhere near MY house. I can’t believe how much time I’m wasting on this totally pointless thread.

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It’s really stunning how the OP illustrates the rampant narcissism in the world today. He really can’t figure out why hosts would have a strict cancellation policy. Several of you have done a good job at explaining it. But it’s beyond my imagination that he couldn’t put himself in the other person’s shoes for just a few seconds and figure it out for himself.

Constantly amazed…