Updated Terms of Service - WOW.

[Lorna170]

So today I had the dubious pleasure of being confronted with a message from AirBnB alerting me to their updated Terms of Service in multiple areas.  In reviewing the terms, I had the choice of blanket acceptance, or being warned that if I disagreed with the updated terms, I would not be able to receive future bookings and may have limited use of AirBnB's website or mobile app.  I could not get to my listing without agreeing to the updated terms.

I accepted as I wish to continue to receive bookings.  HOWEVER, I am now reviewing my own insurance policies to ensure that I will have adequate coverage in the event of a bad guest and am also updating and adding other online sources to ensure that should AirBnB try to shut down my ability to conduct business I will have other options available to maintain my rental income.  I am also reviewing the vacation rental laws of my state and municipality to ensure that I understand where I may be vulnerable.

Whatever happened to the advertising only aspect of online travel agencies?  Why must we conduct our business under such limitations?  If AirBnB wants to protect their bottom line i.e., income from people who pay the service fee for using the website, how about charging the guest for the service and then allowing the host to conduct the remainder of the booking?  

I hope that my fellow hosts educate themselves by actually reading and understanding the updated terms of service.  It was eye-opening to say the least.

[Gillian166]

they do charge the guest for the "service", and the guest pays more than us. This is why many hosts claim that Abb will often take the guests' side over a host, because the guests are their #1 customer. 

[Richard531]

@Lorna170 I didn't read the Terms of Service.  I suppose I'm used to signing my life away with 1/2 the websites, tools, businesses, anythings that I work with these days.  I don't even notice I'm doing it most of the time to be honest.  

If you don't mind my asking, what was so "eye opening?"  

@Gillian166  pretty much nailed it: Airbnb's revenue (at least as it relates to bookings) is, by far, mostly paid by the guests.  

[Lorna170]

@Richard531 and @Gillian166   Yes, the guest pays the fee, not the host.  Not in dispute. 

Take a good long read of the terms of service, the provisions and exclusions of the air cover, the cancellation punishments for hosts, and the other documentation relevant to payments and taxes.  Yes, we have signed away our business and our rights.  No more need to complain or expect support. 

[Gillian166]

@Lorna170  the guest and the host pay fees to Airbnb, but ours is a fraction (1/5th ish) of the guest fee, so we are not as important. And yes, they are supposed to be  just a platform to find guests, and some rules are a concern, especially when the "highly trained" CS staff will shut down your listing for a fake complaint from a guest. 

it's a tricky situation, how do you create a platform and then "make" people behave professionally, honourably? People are not all good, so there just can't be a platform without rules. The only way to have no rules is to list on your own website (although you of course are still obliged to following your country's rules).  The cancellation punishment is unfair, but I can imagine why it happened. probably due to the poor behaviour of a tiny % of hosts. I agree it sucks when a broad rule is created due the behaviour of a minority, but how else do you stamp out that behaviour? Are ABB doing all they can to remove bad hosts? it doesn't look like it, but for all we know, they are (and playing an endless game of whack-a-mole).

We are between a rock and hard place, and we have no choice but to accept the rules, and until there's another platform that performs better, they probably won't care about fixing some of the issues. No govt can get involved to tell them what to do (and i'd never call for the that, the govt is terrible at business) so the ?only ?best solution is: more competition.