Should it be mandatory for hosts to display wifi speeds? - follow up to recently locked thread

[Helen3]

Recently a guest made his first post on the forum which he started off claiming that all hosts were dishonest because he didn't feel he had received the wifi speeds he needed to run his business from his STR (even though he hadn't actually checked with the hosts to see what the speeds actually were before he booked) . And that he thought it should be mandatory for all hosts to display wifi speeds as at every single one of the Airbnbs he had stayed at the speeds were lower than he expected.

As experienced hosts a number of us tried to explain to him that it wasn't an effective or practical solution for a number of reasons.

1. Firstly because speeds fluctuate particularly at the moment with Coronavirus where many more are working from/staying at home.

2. Secondly we as hosts have no control over our wifi speeds, so we shouldn't be held accountable for something outside of our control. 

3. Thirdly speeds fluctuate around the world and between states within a country and even within a town or city or street.

I was one of the ones that suggested a simple solution to him, which was to book Airbnb at Work stays and take the simple step of asking the host about their wifi speeds and explaining his need to upload and download huge amounts of data during his stay.

I do appreciate that not all hosts are completely upfront about the quality of their wifi and in some countries/areas you are never going to get decent speeds. But my few is as a guest if an amenity is an absolute essential for your stay such as wifi speeds, that is simply common sense to check what the actually speed is before you book. Sadly the discussion turned into a bit of a slanging match and the discussion was locked.

I was rather surprised to find a  personal message from Matthew  in my inbox today..which said :- 

.."what a nasty person you were in the thread....but ultimately you don't matter."

I thought as adults we had long moved on from the playground and name calling.Matthew if you think it appropriate  to make these sort of remarks to a random stranger on the internet, then have the courage of your convictions and post them publicly, so everyone can see what a delightful individual you are.

@ Nick  would you block this individual from sending me further private messages please.

[Julian1134]

@Sarah977 

you're cherry picking. and you have no idea what her place was like. the host also said in the review that she would have me back because although I expected everything listed to work (which isn't 'demanding' in my book), I installed super fast broadband for her. I did this for nothing....and I did it because she told me the wifi was fine.....and it wasn't.

you can misrepresent as much as you want......you were part of a mob that mocked me for my job, my hobbies and the number of subscribers I have on my YouTube channel. you are dishonestly representing my character in order to garner support. so in that respect you are just another dishonest host. 

[Ann489]

@Helen3    @Sarah977    I received a similar, pretty nasty PM from the original poster, Julian.     This guy is clearly not quite right.       😕

[Sarah977]

@Nick So it appears that this guy Julien sent snarky PMs to at least 3 of the posters who didn't agree with him on his thread. 

[Helen350]

@Sarah977 @Ann489 @Mike-And-Jane0 - And me! - I got one too!

[Julian1134]

@Sarah977 

yes I sent messages to people I disagreed with.....I wasn't 'snarky'. I simply state facts and rely on sound epistemology. but more importantly, if I sent messages to people I disagreed with then they must have sent messages to me first. right? I mean I posted a discussion topic and people replied. that means a dialogue ensued.....which means people sent each other messages. I cannot believe that I'm actually having to explain this to you (sorry if that sounds 'snarky'). thanks for talking about me behind my back and rubbishing what I do for a living and mocking me for my YouTube content. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sarah977 @Helen3 

I got one too - And there was I thinking I was special!

message below from a not very nice person

**[Sensitive information removed in line with - Community Center Guidelines]

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

That looks informative. 👍

[Ann72]

@Mike-And-Jane0  I think it's hilarious that he believes Airbnb will actually check the condition of every amenity listed.  They don't have any kind of method for weeding out criminals, but somehow they're going to review all amenities AND THEIR CONDITION.  😂

That CS rep was pretty brilliant, telling him what he wanted to hear so he would go away while patting himself on the back.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Ann72 

Airbnb have been trialling a Zoom walk-through which hosts will pay for if they want to appear anywhere in the rankings. This removes the traditional 'person in the listing' - normally the photographer - counting the cutlery and checking the toaster, and relies on the host, a mobile device, and - Internet connectivity to complete the review.

The CS rep was right.

You.just.could.not.write.it 😂

[Michelle53]

https://airbnbase.com/verified-listing/

Do I have to buy anything?
No! It’s a free call from Airbnb to check in on our hosts.

How do I schedule?
You should see a scheduling link in the invite that was sent to you. It will link you to a site called Calendly, where you can book an appointment with our team for free.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Michelle53 

That's the one! 

https://airbnbase.com/verified-listing/

The next cry will be that hosts with inadequate Internet connection will feel discriminated against.

And so life goes on.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

I found an earlier reference. November 2019: The extract shows the payment element.

From:

https://skift.com/2019/11/15/airbnb-hosts-will-be-able-to-pay-to-fast-track-verification-of-their-li...

What’s more, in a recent Recode Decode podcast, CEO Brian Chesky said Airbnb plans to let Airbnb hosts pay to fast-track physical inspections and verifications of their listings, certified with a badge. The homesharing site also plans to revamp its review system in an unspecified way where guests would be able to verify specific elements of their stays.

“The challenge is you can’t physically inspect seven, eight, nine million properties,” Chesky said  about a week ago on the podcast.

He noted that the company’s several thousand Airbnb Plus and Airbnb Luxe properties already are subject to inspections by an outside contractor but there are only a few thousand of each of these categories on the site.

Specifics about the new payment system, where hosts would be able to speed inspections and presumably gain a trust advantage, have yet to be announced.

A plan to let hosts pay for inspections isn’t a comprehensive solution for Airbnb’s verification issue. Some hosts could pay for these certifications, which involve multi-hour physical inspections, but millions of listings would not get such treatment.

[Michelle53]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  You can access a Zoom meeting via a 4G cell connection. In any event, connecting to a Zoom meeting isn't a speed test.  My Wifi isn't great, but I can access Zoom, no problem. 

I just wouldn't recommend it for extensive business use. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Michelle53 

A small percentage of hosts wouldn't be able to access 4G, or even want to use a mobile device, so however easy it could be made, it just would never be easy enough for some. And then even getting a signal sometimes can be a problem. Where 4G exists, the performance is pretty good.

[Emilia42]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 Airbnb hosts have been asking for years to be able to attach videos or some forms of video advertisements to listings. I remember it was a big topic on Host Voice back when it existed a few years ago. That fell on deaf ears. I'll believe it when I see it.

But this verification stinks for me because it is on my Corna-Never-Have-I-Ever List to never participate in a zoom call. Looks like I won't be verified anytime soon.