So the weirdest thing just happened. I have an Air room in our house that’s been blocked for over 2 years…and we’ve not yet re-opened since the pandemic. A guy showed up at my front door this evening claiming that he was there to check in. Clearly something had gone wrong. I asked to see his confirmation. It was for my address, but with completely different pics, host name & phone number. I quickly double checked my listing…no reservation. Had him call the host phone # from his confirmation, but no answer. I’m not able to host at the moment (son and DiL staying with us…using my guest room), but didn’t want to leave this guy in the lurch. I gave him the CS phone # and hung in with him while he waited for them to figure out what had gone wrong (I was most worried that he’d been scammed). Finally, they gave him some alternative listings and told him not to worry…that he wouldn’t be charged for the first one. After that, I called CS myself to make sure my account hadn’t been hacked. Their explanation was that a new host had input the wrong GPS coordinates, which generated the wrong address (mine). Said it’s been happening ever since they changed the way new hosts register their listings. What are the chances that a random wrong address would have brought him to another Airbnb host? Anyway, CS agent was very nice and urged me to return to hosting. I told her I’d eventually do it, but only if they restored my Superhost status. 
In any case, have any of you heard about this kind of thing happening?
This is so bizarre. I can’t imagine how it could happen.
Some hosts have found their listings cloned by a scammer. The scammer uses the real host’s photos and sometimes description, but lists it under their own account.
But that usually happens with entire house listings that rent for a lot of money, not home shares, and this guy had pics of a different place.
I wonder what “new way” Airbnb has hosts registering their new listings. Apparently it was ill-thought out if “it’s been happening ever since” they changed some sign up process. What a screw up.
I know I never input my GPS coordinates. I don’t even know what they are.
Yes, I know about cloning…which is why I had him show me his phone. He was getting to the listing directly through the Airbnb app. So, not a clone unless someone had done a much more sophisticated hack.
The CS agent told me that Air now only requires that new listings input the GPS coordinates…which will auto-generate a street address. This doesn’t seem like a very good system to me. Coordinates are MUCH easier to input incorrectly than an address.
If this really is the explanation, though, I can’t get over how much of a coincidence it is that he randomly ended up knocking on my door…an experienced Air host.
Inputting GPS coordinates is a crap shoot at the best of times. We do it for database work for “find your store” and “where to buy” pages on websites.
WHY would ABB change to GPS instead of regular street addresses? WTF?
Wow. That’s a glitch in the system. I wonder which boy-wonder 20+ coding genius thought this was a good idea.
So sorry, but glad they found you and you were able to help him.
I was once staying at my daughter’s place, it was a weekday summer morning, my daughter, my son-in-law and oldest granddaughter off at work, me home with the 11 year old.
A woman knocks at the door, says she lost her phone at the bar the previous night (names some sleazy bar downtown) and she had another phone with that “Find your phone” app that was telling her, via GPS, that her phone was at my daughter’s place.
I assured her it wasn’t, that we were all home the previous night, and that no one in the household goes to downtown bars, or any bars.
It is a weird coincidence that the GPS given was your house, another Airbnb host, but I’m thinking it’s possible not that another host input the wrong GPS coordinates, but that Airbnb’s bottom of the barrel programming somehow glitched out, or the GPS, just like it will sometimes place listings in the totally wrong place on the map.
I’m glad too. I was quite busy when he knocked, but I dropped everything to stick with him to help figure out what had happened and make sure he had a place to stay. Made me miss hosting.
It doesn’t have to be bottom of the barrel programming to glitch out gps coding. We see it a lot.
Especially when I uploaded an XML file, provided by the client, with coordinates of his shops, which turned out to be a load of old bollox.
He ended up having a cooling fan shop somewhere just south of Reykjavík.
Feck all to do with me 
JF
Just find your house on Google Maps and right click.
I should have more accurately said I don’t care what my GPS coordinates are.
It wouldn’t help most of my guests find my place. My current guest actually left her phone in her friend’s car who drove her to the airport, by accident.
She drove her to the airport by accident? Where did she really want to go?
Haha, she left her phone in his car by accident. It fell out of the side pocket of her bag. He and her other friends emailed her to say her phone was there- they were so concerned, as most people can’t fathom being without their phone, especially on a two week trip to another country, but she’s not phone addicted and is surviving quite happily without it.
Don’t know if any of you are still following this thread, but wanted to provide an update. It just keeps getting weirder…you all are not going to believe this, but it happened again! Another “guest” showed up at my door night before last. This poor guy was so confused. I won’t get into details, but this time I determined that the listed host/phone number was for some lady in Ohio (I’m in the SF Bay Area), and she told me that she isn’t even a host! She was REALLY confused. I talked to CS again, and after giving them the exact title of the listing and the listed “host” name and phone, CS was able to track it down and report it. Said they would escalate this (that’s what they said last time). I’m backing off of the “wrong coordinates input” explanation, as that doesn’t explain why the host name/phone was totally wrong. We may never know what really went wrong…sun spots, alien lizard people, space lasers…just asking questions.
I’m just hoping no more random people show up.
Did he have a legit booking at that other property near yours?
Check the web and the ABB site to make sure your information hasn’t been cloned and you’ve been hacked. Change all passwords and do a deep incognito search for your information.
ESCALATE daily with ABB. This is no “glitch” and more random people will show up and this may hurt your business.
I snoozed my listing through September while I have a current guest whose end date is in flux. I just got an RTB for the middle of my snoozed period. Checked and the snooze is on, but not showing up.
Bad programming and QA drives me bonkers.