Is AirBnB ACTIVELY trying to get rid of hosts by ALLOWING inaccurate reviews in vilation of its own support agreement with hosts?!

[William1246]

It seems at first glance that refusing to to allow guests who have stolen from properties to post retaliatory reviews would be a no-brainer. A quick glance at the forums here show literally tens of thousands of comments about this. It seems like preventing guests who have caused payouts by the AirBnB Resolution Center would be very much like "low hanging fruit" so to speak when it comes to quick ways of improving the review process. And yet AirBnB refuses to do it! Why??

I have a background that includes military, government and Fortune 500 consulting and this "fix" is a SUPER obvious and simple one to implement, yet AirBnB refuses to do it desptie years of outrage by hosts and damages and thefts from properties. Why? The only logical conclusion is that AirBnB DOESN'T ACTUALLY WANT TO IMPROVE THE REVIEW PROCESS.

That may seem super odd at first glance, however it makes perfect sense if they have "too many" hosts. How could they have too many hosts? Easy. If too many properties are on the market, then prices will drop and that will lower the AirbnB profits. Given that many jurisdictions are starting to "push back" on more properties listing themselves on AirBnB, (witness the prohibition enacted in 2019 against AirbnB listings in Toronto and Paris among other cities,) and AirBnB can't make more money as easily by adding more properties. They can, however, easily make more money by driving up prices, which are still quite a bit lower for a house than they are for a hotel room in many cases. 

How do they do that you may ask? By getting the concentration of rental options to self-reduce in certain markets. The closer they get to saturation in those markets, the higher the prices will go. And AirBnB ends up making much more money without doing a single, tiny bit more work! Same number of bookings, but more profits because the prices are higher. 

That's right, despite the rhetoric on their comments like the transparent ** posted here, AirBnB doesn't actually give a crap about hosts; they WANT hosts to leave! They WANT fewer hosts on the AirBnB platform, because that's the only way that their prices will go up!

**[Inappropriate comment removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

[Helen350]

'Tis the Airbnb way, @William1246 .... For better or worse!

[William1246]

@Helen350 "'Tis the Airbnb way, @William1246 .... For better or worse!" On that we can agree! 

[Bez8]

@William1246 

I'm not brushing you off. It was actually quite the contrary, I was listening to you and doing my best to help you. But it's obvious to me that you're angry and needed an outlet. We'll laugh about this someday.

[William1246]

"I'm not brushing you off. It was actually quite the contrary, I was listening to you and doing my best to help you." Again, the level of your ego beggars imagination. Even after I've said repeatedly how annoying you are, how frustrating another stupid empty promise is, you keep showing up to spout your drivel.

You're not trying to help me, you're trying to get me angry enough to type something bad enough to boot me. Either that, or you're just pandering to whatever fantasy that you've built in your head about your blather here actually being useful. 

And then you have the nerve to say that you worry about MY state of mind! Wow. What colour is the sky in whatever world you live in?

[Helen350]

I'm laughing now, @Bez8 ! (It's the only way.)

[Bez8]

@Emiel1 

no hard feelings. I think he got it out of his system and I'm still here. Not offended. I'm more worried for his state of mind and wish I could actually help him. Thank you for your comment though. Really appreciate it. 

[William1246]

The more that you post, the more you annoy me. I've said this half a dozen times. So you are CLEARLY here not to help, but only to annoy.

[William1246]

@Bez8 I didn't come here to pick a fight with you, I didn't come here to drag the discussion down. Thank you for your comments but I would prefeer not to exchange any further messages with you as it is counter productive.

If it is indeed your intent, then you can best show your desire to help by please respecting that fact while refraining from speaking to me, making thinkly veiled insults about my state of mind or referencing me again, thank you. 

[Kia272]

@Bez8 

---

"There is a fine line between feedback and toxic negativity. "

I couldn't agree with you more. 

---

[Sarah977]

@William1246  Making a point and putting forth objections to another posters comments is one thing, but your vitriol and personal insults directed at @Bez8 are uncalled for, extremely rude and serve no purpose other than your own self-centered one.

She doesn't work for Airbnb, your attacks are misplaced and we try to behave like civilized adults here. We've seen those with your nasty attitude here before and they usually end up getting banned. Not because Airbnb banned them, but because their aggression and personal attacks were objected to by numerous users.

[William1246]

@Sarah977 And her dismissive comments about me "just needing to vent" and her unbelievably arrogant, self-involved and narcissistic comments about "hoping that I made him feel better" and "worrying about his state of mind" arent' insulting and dismissive? 

She's behaving like the World Champion of Passive Agression. No matter how many times I say that her empty comments and promises are annoying, she keeps coming back with more of them. Have you heard of the phrase "trolling"? Because that's what he or she is doing; trolling me like crazy.

If she doesn't work for AirBnB, then why does she continue to try to lecture me? Why does she INSIST upon having the last word so to speak? I'll tell you why, she DOES work for them and is trying to get me upset enough to type something that gets me kicked off. That's why.

[Sarah977]

@William1246  Your personal attacks, "Listen, lady" comments and attitude started with you. 

You started this thread to complain about your treatment by Airbnb. Most of us have issues and frustrations and occasional anger at the way Airbnb deals with users. 

There's nothing wrong with pointing out to a member of the host advisory board that what they've posted is blah blah we've all heard a million times before, but what you are posting here now is just self-indulgent anger directed at someone who wasn't responsible for your poor treatment by the company and their ridiculous policies.

[William1246]

@Sarah977 "... who wasn't responsible for your poor treatment by the company and their ridiculous policies." and yet who couldn't resist the urge to come back, again and again and again mind you, te tell me to calm down because I'm part of a "community." And each post was more condescending than the last. 

And now here you are, trying to pick up her baton and lecture me more as well, just because you've been here a while and "seen it all before." Well thanks, thanks for your valuable contribution to the discussion too!

[Kelsey116]

@William1246 so sorry that airbnb screwed you over!  I am dealing with a different, but also messed up situation that airbnb refuses to do anything about.  I had a couple stay who were late checking out.  I sent a text letting the guest know I was there to clean and to please leave as soon as possible 10 minutes after checkout time.  No response.  Sent another message on airbnb messenger 10 minutes later and this time sent a screenshot of my late checkout terms which include a fee.  No response, but they finally left (her and her husband) in separate cars.  I get inside, a cell phone has been left so i text the main guest again (the wife) to let her know, she says her husband will be right back to get it.  He comes by himself to get it, thanks me, and leaves.  Shortly after, I get an airbnb message from the wife just saying "Wow!".  I guess she had finally read my message from 20 minutes earlier.  Next thing I know, the husband is pulling back into my driving, i see him because i have the door open changing my key pad code.  He gets out of his car and starts yelling at me!  Says I better not charge them for being 30 minutes late leaving and if i do there will be problems! I tell him i hadn't planned on charging them.  He then goes on to berate me about my checkout procedures (turn off lights, strip beds, wash dirty dishes...very basic duties) which he called excessive and ridiculous.  Literally, he's yelling at me at the bottom of my front stairs, 5 steps down.  Once he finally leaves, I called the airbnb urgent line.  I was shaking, crying, honestly terrified and very shaken by what happened.  I reported everything.  Airbnb said it wasn't acceptable and they'd take care of it.  Know what they did?  Told the guest everything i said.  Know how i know that?  Because she wrote about it in her review which is so full of lies, it's hard to even kind of take seriously.  Talk about a betrayal!!! I asked airbnb to take the review down and found 10 specific lies.  They told me as long as there is some truth in the review, it'll remain up!!!  She tried to say i threatened them by sending a screenshot of my late checkout terms.  I'm sorry, don't guests agree to your terms upon booking?? She also claims airbnb told her that my terms were never in my listing...they are and have been for at least a year.  She described her husband as "shy and calm-demeanored".  I'm sorry, what shy and calm-demeanored person do you know that goes out of their way to return to a property and confront someone?? Give me a break.  Airbnb has COMPLETELY turned their backs on me for this whole situation.  That guest and her husband are free to terrorize another host if they want and i have a bogus review on my profile.  They should be BANNED!!!  It's also funny that she gave me 5 stars for each category, but a 1 overall.  *eye roll*  I've joined VRBO and will never be renting on airbnb again.

[William1246]

It's one of the reason that my properties are completely surrounded by cameras. Not that it would help, the woman who set up an illegal restaurant in one of my condos and had to be evicted from the property by the police was caught on camera carrying some of my pots and pans out with her! The police are on the video taking the things from her car, handing them to me and asking if I wanted her to be arrested. 

Airbnb refused to even view the video and the 1-star review is still up.