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.

[Ann72]

@Helen3  What a terrible person to write you like that.  And to be so angry when he didn't even take the simple step of expressing what he would need to the host.

I wouldn't like to have to display my wifi speeds, because they are very low!  The fastest upload speed in my town is 7.  Yes, you read that right.

This summer people have been coming for combination work and vacation.  I was able to test Zoom meetings before the summer people came and they worked, so I told them that, but also suggested they might have to connect directly to the router or turn off other devices while using the wifi for remote meetings.  No complaints so far.

Sorry again, @Helen3 - hope he'll be banned.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Ann72 

I wouldn't like to have to display my wifi speeds, because they are very low!  The fastest upload speed in my town is 7.  Yes, you read that right.

I think that was pretty much @Julian1134 's point. Have Internet - but awful! 

Maybe ask him if he could find a better way for you - which he stated he did for another place he stayed at?

[Ann72]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  Let me go on my rant about how horrible it is that in America, internet is not equal.  Maine is one of the poorest states in the nation and is mostly rural.  Internet service providers offer service based on population density.  This is a tragedy because poorer people in rural areas could actually better their lot in life with better internet service, enabling them to find remote work, health care, and a host of other necessities.  But not in a capitalist state like the US.

My town and the other towns on my peninsula regularly petition the internet companies to reduce their density requirements.  We recently got them to reduce the requirement from 25 families per square mile to 20.

I regularly call my ISP to find out if anything better is on offer.  They advertise upload speeds of 15, but my location isn't eligible for that.

But yes, by all means, if you and that other guy from England want to come over to Maine to mansplain the whole sitch to me, you are welcome any time.  Oh, oops, my calendars for all three listings hardly have a day open until the middle of September!  But fall in New England is very beautiful so perhaps that will suit.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

Sorry @Ann72  can't make it, and I never offered anyway. And I'm booked solid until the middle of October.

BTW. Back in 1999 we needed to have a satellite internet connection to get reasonable internet, I'm sure now that they're infinitely faster and more reliable, it's a legitimate business expense too.

[Ann72]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  Here's the zipcode:  04676.  Let me know what you find out.  

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Ann72 

@Julian1134 

Here's the zipcode:  04676.  Let me know what you find out.  

[Helen3]

Ah @Ann72  thanks so much. Wasn't sure if i was over-reacting .

[Ann72]

@Helen3  I just read through the thread - good Lord!  Your comment was appropriate and reasoned with a little well-warranted sarcasm thrown in.  I enjoyed it.

That guy was off the hook.  The hosts who pointed out that to display wifi speeds could open one up to accusations of lying were on point.  The hosts who suggested he look for Work listings were on point.  Those who told him that starting out a thread by accusing hosts of lying wasn't likely to win people over were on point.  He went from claiming to take cold showers and sleep in the wet outdoors to saying he wouldn't want to visit a place where it rained a lot, from claiming he just wanted to help hosts to slanging every reasonable suggestion posted.  Really just spoiling for a fight.  I always tell people like that to go to Facebook.  🙂

[Helen350]

@Helen3 I got a pm from him too! (Julian btw, not Matthew). He was triumphantly telling me he phoned CS & they are going to implement his ideas! - Yeah, right on! Good luck with that!

Somewhere in his rantings he posted his surname ** - I googled & saw he's a professional actor, been in a lot of well known shows.... Pity he couldn't act nice! Surely he must know how?

Your post is spot on! - Although re him booking Airbnb for work, his cantankerous point was that he wanted good WiFi for leisure, or had the right to such...  

@Ann72 Well analysed!

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[Helen350]

@Ann72 @Helen3 @Sarah977  Here he is! -

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[Ann72]

@Helen350  Oh Lord!

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Well spotted!

[Sarah977]

@Helen350  Ha ha. I watched about 30 seconds of it- he mispronounces "prostate" as "prostrate" 🙂

[Helen350]

Of course @Sarah977  - can't mock him for that, he IS an actor & was playing a particular dozy sort of Brit. - It's a standing joke that many Brits DO mispronounce it.... 

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[Julian1134]

@Sarah977 @Helen350 @Helen3 @Ann72 

@sarah977 said

"Ha ha. I watched about 30 seconds of it- he mispronounces "prostate" as "prostrate"

yeah you're right Sarah....I did.....I was a-c-t-i-n-g. I got paid to speak words someone else had written.

**

Helen350 said, "Credit where credit is due, I actually think he's a GOOD actor! - I posted for interest, not to diss his acting... **"

not true Helen. an assumption (your forte). I rarely get cast as aggressive characters (Eastenders only example). I played 'Amos hart', in Chicago....in London's west-end for 9 months. if you don't know the show, Amos is the guy who sings 'mr cellophane'. he's anything but aggressive. 

**

@ann72 said

I wouldn't like to have to display my wifi speeds, because they are very low!  The fastest upload speed in my town is 7.  Yes, you read that right.

and this comment says it all. this person (Ann) makes it clear she doesn't want people to know how bad her amenity is. this is precisely what I come up against over and over; hosts who deliberately conceal information, or, in the case of helen350, don't even know how to find out the quality of the amenity she lists. and when someone points this out to them....the response is abuse, followed by mockery for their job, their hobbies, and the number of subscribers they have on their YouTube channel. **. 

fortunately, there have been some nice people on here who leapt to my defence in private message and told me not to let people like you grind me down. **

ann72 said "And to be so angry when he didn't even take the simple step of expressing what he would need to the host"

incorrect assumption again. the first thing I do is request from the host what wifi speed I can expect. the overwhelming response is 'it's fine'. unfortunately, wifi isn't measured in 'fine-ness'. it's measured in megabits per second.

**

my experience before I posted the thread was that when it came to wifi, most of the hosts I'd dealt with were being at best evasive, or blatantly dishonest. now that I've learned more about you I can see that you are dishonest about your amenities....and more importantly about how you communicate socially.

and for the record....I am also a landlord with several rental properties in London. 

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