Without telling us, after getting us to build our livilihoods around their business model, Airbnb quietly changed their business model to not show guest photos to hosts before booking. When you call them to ask why there is this bug in the system, they pretend to check up and know nothing about it. When you specifically say you need to see guest photos, they lie and tell you that the guest in question must not have provided one. When you tell them that all the guests’ photos show up after you accept them, they finally stop pretending to be clueless and admit that this is a new policy to prevent racial discrimination. It’s a community “based on trust”.
It’s all very well for some idealist in an office to say we should trust everyone, very different for a single woman whose safety depends on making distinctions. We are not hotels, we are not public. We have the RIGHT to determine who we let into our homes, and a picture tells you a lot. If you are a single woman and the guy looks creepy, better to trust your gut. Personally, I have very bohemian rentals, and I discriminate against uptight suburbanites, the kind who don’t read my listing and who show up and demand their money back because it’s not as clean as their homes – and what am I supposed to do then?
Even if someone WAS an actual racist discriminating against people of color, wouldn’t it be better for a person of color to book a different listing rather than show up and be treated poorly???
Everyone call Airbnb, or write and let them know we won’t tolerate this.(help/feedback)