smart pricing lost me as a renter

[Bradley153]

i inquired about a rental and in the time i inquired and they responded with an invite (5 mins), the price went up. they blamed smart pricing. i blame them. either way, they lost me as a month renter. really? changing the price right after i inquired? a lot of people would'nt even notice that "little" change.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Bradley153  Smart pricing isn't really smart so most hosts don't use it. Many hosts have listings on many different platforms and it is not easy to keep the prices up to date everywhere all the time especially because there are different kinds of discounts and the hosting fee is very different on different platforms and should be calculated in the price.

When you sent an inquiry they may spot the price is wrong and correct it. Hosts have the right to change the price before booking and you have the right to choose another listing if the price is too high for you.

[Bradley153]

yeah, thats called bait and switch or bad faith negotiating. advertise a price and not delivering. i usually only get this with car salesmen.  thats wrong. be careful out there people. if they pointed out the price change rather than trying to slip it by you, that would be ok.

[Sarah977]

@Bradley153  If a host uses smart pricing, the host isn't practicing bait and switch. Smart pricing is automated- the host just sets the minimum price they will accept and the program does its thing. The host might not even realize that the price for your inquiry dates changed unless they check their calendar prices multiple times a day.

When people want to fly somewhere, and scout around for airline tickets, if they don't book it right then, but go back sometime later (maybe even 5 minutes) to book a flight, the price has often changed and no one considers that to be bait and switch, it's just how the business works. 

So hosts who use Smart Pricing aren't trying to scam guests- they just find it more convenient than having to scout what the competition is charging for various times of year, holidays, major local event weeks, etc.

And it isn't  something most hosts would concern themselves with, as while you might like to send an inquiry before booking a place (I would, too), the majority of inquiries hosts receive never turn into bookings, even if the price doesn't change- most guests who send inquiries are just looky-loos, may have sent out inquiries to 10 different places for the same dates, or are asking to break the house rules, like if they can bring their dog to a No Pets listing or bring a group of 10 to a place that accommodates 6. Most inquirers also never respond to the host's return message- not even to thank the host for a prompt reply. They just disappear, never to be heard from again.

So if the price changes on you, just ask the host if they will honor the price that showed when you inquired- many hosts would. The host just has to send you a Special Offer to accept, with the original price.

[Bradley153]

it changed in the 5 minutes after my inquiry.

[Sarah977]

@Bradley153  Well, smart pricing is always is going to change at some point, it might just have happened by co-incidence in those 5 minutes instead of 2 hours later. If a traffic light changes from green to red just as you're approaching it, it's not because the light is trying to slow you down, it's just automatically programmed to change at certain intervals.

I've never used smart pricing, but I can imagine that it could change a date's price several times a day,as it's based on supply and demand in an area. With millions of users looking and booking at any given time, it could change quite quickly in popular locations. 

Of course, I don't know this host, so she very well could have been lying and changed the price herself,  but for a host to bother to do that in the 5 minutes between you inquiring and deciding to book would be uncommon. I do know that some hosts will either block the dates or up the price significantly if they get an inquiry from someone that makes them uncomfortable. To me that's kind of cowardly- that they find that preferable to just being straightforward with the guest as to why they won't accept.

Neither I, nor you, nor anyone but the host really knows what transpired here as to why the price changed in that 5 minutes.

She could be a scammy host, but there's no factual reason to assume that. Like anything, if you feel you're dealing with someone dishonest, as long as they don't already have your money, you just move on and stop dealing with them. It's not like it's a common thing that all hosts do, purposely changing a price the instant a guest wants to book. That would be stupid  business sense, as it would just piss off all the guests and they'd seldom get bookings.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sarah977 slightly off-topic but we have traffic lights in some parts of the UK that are set to go red if a speeding car is coming toward them. So in this case the light is trying to slow you down. Now I don't think Smart Pricing is anywhere near smart enough to do this but, as you say, it has to change the price at some point.

[Sarah977]

@Mike-And-Jane0  Learn something new every day- never heard of traffic lights like that. Here in Mexico, drivers treat the yellow light not as a warning to slow down, but as a signal to speed up and squeak through before the light changes to red 🙂

There's a joke - If you lined up all the cars on the planet end to end, some Mexican would try to pass.

Even Mexicans find that funny, because they know they are daredevil passers. Lots of crosses by the side of the road, especially on the curves.

[M199]

@Bradley153, @Branka-and-Silvia0 

There's nothing wrong with asking g the host to whom you did the inquiry to as them to honor the price from your initial inquiry, provided that you can support, maybe via print screen.  As you stated "that little change".

The host doesn't have to agree, but they may he willing to reconsider.  Also, if they do agree, make sure that you follow every house rule, and try and be the perfect guest.  That will build confidence in both your reputation as  guest and the hosts willingness to compromise.

Best wishes

[Andrea-and-Glenn0]

@Bradley153  Have you been to British Columbia, Canada? Specifically, Vancouver Island?

If not, when you do, The Mill Bay Cottage will be happy to have you. 

Yeah, contact the host (if you still want to) and explain the discrepancy and I’d bet they sort it out for you. 

You appear to be an ideal AirBnb-er and it might just be that hosts loss. 

See you on the Island some day/Glenn & Andrea

#millbaycottagerental 

[Mams2]

je déplore moi aussi que parfois Airbnb mette des tarifs qui ne sont pas ceux que j'ai proposé au départ, pourtant je refuse toujours leurs propositions, donc il ne faut pas blâmer les propriétaires d'avoir remis leur vrai prix et je comprends aussi que ça vous ait fâché. (moi cette année pour 2 réservations de 15 jours j'ai 220€ d'écart).

@Mam2 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

wouldn't it be useful and great to have the "Translate" function on this forum?  @Nick do you think it would be possible to implement it?

[John5097]

@Bradley153  Not sure we need a full blown Scooby Doo infestation on this one. Not exactly confidence inspiring. 

[Michelle1851]

I had a price change when I was a new host, I did not even know about it, but the guest contacted me and I simply sent her a special offer of the original price.  Win/win turned out to be a great guest. 

[Colleen253]

" ...the guest contacted me". Imagine that, @Michelle1851! A little communication goes a long way, doesn't it? Seems a far better course of action than immediately jumping to all sorts of negative conclusions, then getting on a forum and ranting about it. Just saying.