No Parking, YES or NO (which answer to chose?)

[Nikita108]

If you were given a YES or NO option to this question: "No Parking On Property" how would you reply?

YES there is NO Parking

NO, I confirm there is NO Parking

Either way you answer it's the same thing, depending on how you chose to view it
Intuitively if you do have parking you would want to say YES, but I presume you have to say No, I do not have "no parking", so therefore I do?

Why not make it easy and ask: "Is There Parking on Property", or even simpler: "Parking on Property?"

Then the answer is clear:
YES there is Parking

NO there isn't any Parking

Wouldn't it be more simple that way, or as @Airbnb would phrase it: Not, Not Simple?

[Lorna170 · Accepted solution]

@Nikita108   Annoying isn't it.  I have a similar problem in that we have parking on the property, but the street is a mountain road and does not have shoulders/berm parking capability.  So when people look at my listing they do not see free parking.  

However, in response to your dilemma, if you do NOT have parking for guests on the property, you would click the check and not the "X" as the statement is "True" (check).   I do think that the programmers enjoy putting out statements that may be read either way if you are not good at semantics.

[Sarah977]

@Nikita108  Airbnb is very proficient at ambiguous and confusing wording. It's like whoever writes this stuff failed English (or whatever language your listing is in) composition class.

Another one that is misleading and confusing is the prep time setting. It says "Block one day before and after bookings" which makes it sound like you would end up with 2 blocked days between bookings. But in fact, that isn't how it works. The blocked day after a booking doubles up as a blocked day before the following booking. Nowhere is this explained. So what it should say is "Block one day between bookings".

Another classic is in the list of questions guests have on their review form regarding the amenities that were provided. It says "Did you get one towel?"

If the guest got 3 towels, they would logically mark that question No. Which to Airbnb looks like the host didn't provide a towel.

[Michelle53]

@Sarah977  I've totally been tripped up by the "Block one day before and after bookings" before. In fact, what I want is two blocked days. But I tolerate the overlapping blocking because, generally, I can turn the space over in enough time, as long as folks don't ask for early check-in or late departure, and it is sufficient for the 24 hour Covid clearing period. 

@Nikita108 I've been tripped up by the parking question, too. I have free street parking. No, it's not on the actual premises (like in a garage or driveway) but, yes,  I offer parking, usually right outside. We have permit parking on our block, so there aren't usually many cars (everyone who lives on the block parks in their own garage), and I provide the parking passes to guests. 

[Lorna170]

@Michelle53 If you want two blocked days between guests, choose 2 blocked days over the 1 blocked day.  I too was stunned when AirBnB overlapped the blocking days.  I had also assumed that a blocked day was a blocked day and would not be overlapped by another rental.

[Sarah977]

@Lorna170  The thing is, when they say block one day before and one after, the one day after is a blocked day. No one can book it. And it is also a blocked day before the next open date. It took me a long time to understand this. But anyone who knows how to compose a clear explanation of the setting would have written "Block one day between reservations." It's such a simple concept, made unnecessarily confusing.

It's really hard to fathom the minds of the people who come up with Airbnb wording. Sometimes it's purposely designed to be ambiguous, as with some of their policies, but often it just seems like pointlessly bizarre ways to state something.

[Nikita108]

Thanks, @Lorna170 
I don't have parking, so I'm going with the "✓"

I'm going to be telling my guests:
"Parking? why sure YES, I  absolutely DO have NO parking on my Property, You're welcome to come!"

Just to further confuse an already strange wording, I could add:
"There is no charge for parking." (which would technically be true because there is none).

it's funny, because if the guest complains to AirBnB, technically I would be correct.

@Sarah977  and I am going to be issuing only one towel from now on, too! ‌😂‌

p.s. And just as I was supposed to post this, I got a message saying I should wait 3600 seconds (not 60 min, not 1 hour... but 3600seconds

[Sarah977]

@Nikita108  Here's one you'll like: some hosts have had guests mark them down on the accuracy rating. When the host saw that and questioned the guest as to what wasn't accurate, the guests explained that the place was much nicer than they expected from the photos and description. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

programmers are intelligent people so, I am sure they are just pranking with us 🙂

[Lorna170]

Programmers may be intelligent people, but having worked with them for over 30 years, they don't always choose the clearest language for a lay person...what they say makes sense to another programmer or it generates the result that they are going for.

Never really noticed a sense of humour beyond easter eggs.

[Gillian166]

this one still confuses me, and just today while going through my listing again, i've found a bunch of things that are not checked at all. I know I did them!
anyway this parking one is the stuff foreign English exams are made of: 

No parking on property

This property does not have dedicated parking for guests.

so logic tells me I should tick "yes" I have no parking, but actually I do. 
So I tick "no", there is not no parking, there is yes parking. haha. 

[Sarah977]

@Gillian166  Whoever writes this stuff for Airbnb obviously flunked English composition.

[Gillian166]

lucky for us, guests don't read the fine print!