Guest verification now involves only a phone number??

[Christine615]

Really, Airbnb? Really?

While booking a space in Washington DC I got a request. No ding. No sound notification. Sigh. New user. Just joined. ONLY verification is a phone number. No bio. No photo. No reviews. No city or state. Just a phone number. 

And oh - he has one more person than my max capacity of 5 (a family) and wants to know if 6 people are okay. But only put 4 in the search engine.

Asked him to create a bio, and upload a verified ID. Explained the price would be higher to account for the missing headcount but he was pushing my max capacity

Honestly - this is how we do host trust and safety? We don't block new users until they have verified credit cards and identity.

Why not be up front with local governments and tell them that your background checks are just "Seems to be breathing, has a phone which may or may not be a burner phone!"

With a blank profile and not track record I have no way of knowing if they are real people or not. (expletive deleted.)

Airbnb quality has gone down quite a bit.

[Christine615]

@J-Renato0 

what is wrong with you? You don’t have to agree but the insults and the temper tantrums when there’s a rebuttal give me pause. Clearly the other hosts don’t agree with you. So give it a rest. You don’t understand the topic. But that’s your issue not ours.

[J-Renato0]

Christine615

Please, do not send messages directly to my email. Do not quote me with "@".

Gimme a break. The master of rants and insults it is you.

Read again everything you have been written here and in another thread and you will realize it.

[Christine615]

Are you making up stuff @J-Renato0 

I have not once messaged you privately. Not once. I’m reporting you to the admin. I’m starting to be concerned.

[J-Renato0]

Christine615

Please read again "Please, do not send messages directly to my email. Do not quote me with "@".

You are confused. I asked you to not quote me using "@" before my name. If you do this, the message you write here goes to my email as well.

Oh really... reporting me? I have already reported you!  Gimme a break.

[J-Renato0]

Christine615

Come on Chrisine615 ! It is you who insulted Airbnb with your rants, insulted me and now wants to revert the situation?

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Sick-of-host-reminders/td-p/1454614

It is pathetic.

You say - " that’s your issue not ours."

You are not the leadship of Union to talk in the name of other hosts.  Pathetic.

[Sarah977]

@J-Renato0  "Insulted" Airbnb? Insults are something directed at individuals. Airbnb is a multi-billion dollar company. Criticizing their policies doesn't qualify as insults. Companies are criticized by users all the time for their policies. 

Customers have every right to object to a company's treatment of their users when those users are paying them. Just as you have every right to sing the praises of that company.

[J-Renato0]

@Sarah977 

There is a difference between critism and insults along with mockery. You know the difference.

[Christine615]

@Sarah977 

lost cause. I reported him. Best we all just stop responding to him and just talk to each other.

[J-Renato0]

@Sarah977 

The person that you are standing for does not know what is a civil conversation.

It is always a pleasure to answer or talk to you. Feel free to contest me when you want to.

So far, you have friendly manners.

[Cathie19]

I’m sorry @J-Renato0  but I was prepared to stay silent and observe this thread until you weren’t objective with  @Christine615  regarding her ability to have a civil conversation.

I've had many a conversation outside these threads with Christine and she is intelligent, astute, conversational and patient. But like most of us, including you and me, doesn’t suffer repeated misgivings.

You often bring very good information to threads which I appreciate. However, this one has gone a little askew and needs to get back on track to the lack of ID verification of new AIrbnb applicants as guests. For it’s not an “instant book” concern, rather the poor procedure for registration of new members to the platform.This is the issue and it is a real one, quite separately from ability on Instant Book  to tick a requirement for government IDs, or a hosts ability to request or require ID etc.

What this is about is trust and safety.

It’s about @Airbnb  offering to protect hosts and making life easier for guests as well. But in the rush to make life easier for guests, they are not making them stop, pause and comprehensively complete a full profile and all information before a BIG congratulations welcome to the platform!! Here lies the problem.

This new procedure from AIrbnb is counterproductive to hosts and their overall good business model in the long run......

Guests who take the time to read and complete a comprehensive profile accurately are more inclined to be better guests. They will read your listing and understand the house rules or instruction requirements. They’ll communicate well. They will take time to get the best fit. for isn’t that what the platform says it’s about? 

So from Christine’s OP, here’s the bottom line as I see it (opinion):

If a potential guest on the platform can’t or won’t make the effort or take the time to appropriately and adequately  complete the necessary profile, photo and ID requirements, we have bigger issues. If AIrbnb has allowed this > the situation just got worse....

A new guest’s haste to join, and frighteningly encouraged and allowed to join with such little input and care by AIrbnb, brings a fast culture and more impatience to the rental platform. Without upfront knowledge for disclosure, care or safety.

Such as:

- No time to complete a profile?
- No time to show they are real and authentic citizens?  

- No way to know if they are a felon or rejoining after being kicked off the platform before?

- A phone number doesn’t verify anything!
(For ease of communication and data networking, I use local  SIM cards if overseas in a different country. So phone numbers can become irrelevant) I’m not a criminal or got something to hide,  needing a burner phone...
So the AIrbnb ability to FAST join up with a phone number only, is counterproductive, without due care and  due diligence. It says  “we aren’t doing any form of background checks, just taking your credit card information.”

If a guest is so quick to join and click a button, have they any understanding? No.... AIrbnb hasn’t given them the gentle and effective educational nudge to learn the rules of engagement.

Instead, AIrbnb has just reinforced:

“It’s all about “me”, not the community!” (That frighteningly includes us the hosts and AIrbnb itself.)

- No time to read a full listing’s description?
- No time to read house rules and requirements.

- No time to read messages and notifications.

- No time to understand what the platform is about.

- No time to undertake and complete a review.... 

Cancel culture can create impatience, anger and dummy spits. Remember those retaliatory reviews and other regularly raised safety and house rule issues?  We don’t need more of this type of guest on the platform......

This I believe is what Christine said so succinctly in many less words. 🌻 

You guys can correct me if I’ve misunderstood.

@Sarah977  @Colleen253  @Emilia42  @Ann489  @Mark116 

[J-Renato0]

Hello @Cathie19 

Did you know that Christine615 labeled me as "rude and jerk" in another post in another thread? Is it friendly or civil manners? From my point of view she also insulted and mocked Airbnb in another thread. 

Well, It is nice that your experience with her is nice. My experience is not good.

My experience when talking with you Cathie19 is nice.

It has been always a pleasure to talk with you here.

I thank you for your frankness, but I think that you should consider her actions as well.

As for your polite post, congrats ! It is the right way to write a constructive post! 

Since you quoted other members in your post, I will quote them as well to see my answer.

@Sarah977  @Colleen253  @Emilia42  @Ann489  @Mark116 

[Cathie19]

@J-Renato0, we are clients/partners with AIrbnb. It’s a symbiotic relationship as a cohort. They need very good experienced hosts or their business will dive. We also enjoy the mainly fair mindedness of their business and bring them a profit along with receiving some ourselves. That doesn’t mean a good partnership can’t be honest and raise concerns with one another with dealings, processes and procedures. In fact, if we don’t raise them, we are not in anything other than a one sided or  possibly an abusive relationship - which neither a host or AIrbnb want. It’s morally, ethically or as a business, not a great place to be..

In fact considered and unscripted feedback makes for a healthy, growing and constantly improving relationship/s. Businesses observe, collect information and review. Hosts are part of that cycle of commentary. 

In answer to your question, as someone who has sat in and conducted mediation, with regard to comments either side,  I have and do consider both parties. Ideally, in any situation that needs individuals to move positively forward, we need to remain objective rather than subjective. It confuses the important information and the questions being asked or identified and the conversational learning for everyone.  Including, the joyful experience of the community centre......🙂

[Ann489]

@J-Renato0  kindly refrain from tagging me in your posts.  I stand by what I said about your conduct and do no wish to engage with you further.  Thank you.

[J-Renato0]

@Ann489 

Thanks for letting me know.

I never wanted to talk with you in the past, never in the present, and be sure I wil never do it in the future.

It was you who firstly addressed me, and now has addressed me again.

Therefore you have my  last response addressed to you, in the same way you addressed me.

Be happy!

[Ann489]

@J-Renato0  😂😂😂😂😂😂😂