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If you click the above link to the article and then click on the comments section you will notice as expected that most of those are along the lines of, “Who in their right mind would rent out to strangers” However, what I did not see in the comments was anything relating to Airbnb’s poor handling of the situation. It seems that the host got nowhere when they contacted Airbnb UNTIL the story made it to the news media. So far as I know they still have not settled! Airbnb are getting billions in fees, but what do they do for hosts in return, obviously as little as they can get away with! The story was more about the scumbag guest than the way Airbnb responded. In my opinion they should have reimbursed the host for the damage/vandalism and published the guest’s photo as a warning to other unsuspecting hosts. I am not familiar with the laws in France but here in USA he could have been charged with criminal damage, vandalism, or other criminal offences.
This story puts Airbnb in a very negative light and is very offputting to both potential hosts and guests.
There are a couple of comments along those lines, but I agree, not much. But I imagine most of the people posting this comment know little if anything about Airbnb.
For us and other Airbnb hosts, Airbnb’s reaction is possibly the most interesting part of the story. But most people don’t host and don’t have experience of Airbnb, at least.
And the story itself only mentions Airbnb’s reaction in a single sentence. So it’s underemphasized. Namely:
Laurie told The Local Airbnb only begun investigating her claim when French media picked up her story.
Is Airbnb’s yearly income public? Maybe not billions, but I imagine it’s pretty substantial. They can certainly afford to compensate this unfortunate woman who had her apartment destroyed by a lunatic. I wonder if exterior cameras are an option in a Parisian apartment.
