Venting my frustration at Airbnb's sloppy host vetting

[Christine615]

So I'm at a quandry. I'm popping in to see my daughter for a quick weekend with my husband. Booked an Airbnb within walking distance of her apartment. Host has several good reviews. Get a message (no last name, by the way) saying that the address on the listing is not the REAL address. Apparently that is the place where guests used to pick up keys.  Instead, the real apartment is 1.5 miles away (a 31 minute walk versus a 5 minute walk).

(insert as many expletives as you want here)

How does Airbnb allow a host to list an address that is not the actual address, then tell the guest - oops - go to a different place. Who vetts this stuff?

Venting over. (I'm considering cancelling - it's been less than 24 hours - but that may mean I lose my coupon used to bring the cost down)..

What would you do if you were in my place?

And shouldn't Airbnb start requiring verification of address?

[Inna22]

I can not believe that multiple five star reviews mention how everything was as described and how great the location was. I have looked up all the reviewers but could not find anything suspicions or any connection between them

[Christine615]

@Inna22 odd that the host didn’t write a review for any of those guests. Not one.

And when Airbnb called on my behalf they were ghosted too.

btw…the listing is STILL up. They should send Brian Chesky for one of his secret shopper stays.

[Inna22]

@Christine615 thats hilarious. He should bring a tent in case he can not check in

[Sarah977]

@Inna22  Nah, he's tough. Just an air mattress on the sidewalk should do. He could bring that air mattress he started Airbnb with. 

But he's probably had it bronzed or something.

[Inna22]

@Sarah977 How could I forget about the famous air mattress? He wouldn’t bronze. One has to think about the future. When there is airbnb museum (with an experience and accommodation in back), everyone would want to see the original 

[Emilia42]

@Christine615 Have you left a review yet?

I noticed this was a new question when I recently completed a review.  

 

[Christine615]

I’m waiting to see what happens. I filled that out and clicked “no”

Can you believe the survey also asked me to rate accuracy and cleanliness? I put “other” and asked how would I know if host declined to provide check in code.

Sigh. 

Airbnb suspends hosts for minor infractions but not ghost hosts who don’t follow terms of service..

[Christine615]

Update. #Ghosthost is still active at a time when other hosts are being suspended for minor guest complaints.

In the review survey I even documented that the listing location wasn’t true.  Guess what? It is still up. 

[Sarah977]

@Christine615  Remember back when the Orinda shootings took place, and part of Airbnb's damage control PR was how they were going to "verify" all listings? Chesky went on about this in a public interview. 

As far as I could tell from the few posts that appeared where hosts actually got a call to set up a zoom call to be "verified", it consisted of long-standing 5* hosts being asked to open their kitchen drawers to prove that they actually did contain forks, knives and spoons.

[Christine615]

@Sarah977  I don’t doubt it. I’m getting Leary about booking Airbnb myself over this last issue.  And they didn’t shut down the fraudulent contractor (defrauded a lot of homeowners by taking their money snd not doing construction)  in my city who is now operating 2 illegal Airbnb’s. The local news reported he was operating them in a building (old electric substation) the codes department said wasn’t even close to being ready for a certificate of occupancy.

[Mark116]

@Sarah977  Yes, they did the verification thing with us, it was a zoom call where we walked through the apartment with Airbnb on the call.  That was the last we ever heard about it.  

[Christine615]

Lol @William810 Given how many people in my city are operating illegally even after Airbnb asked us to help make it legal, I think they should hire us. We could be the Airbnb "GhostHostBusters!"