A family in Chile has got nothing to eat

[Ute42]

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In another thread a rather sad story has been developing over the past couple of days. This is a long story, I'm cutting it down as good as I can.

Monika in Chile is renting 3 places through airbnb in Chile but she doesn't get paid by airbnb. She started reporting about her problem on sept. 19, adressing  @Catherine-Powell  , to no avail.

Due to COVID she had to close her places on march 20 and reopened mid of august. Monika did get paid from airbnb untill the end of August, but ever since no payment. Monika says she and her husband have lost their jobs due to COVID, couldn't rent the flats and now she's not reveiving money for the completed stays.

Monika has listet a breakdown of outstanding payments for 19 stays, totalling apprx 2400 USD.

Monika has been calling and writing with airbnb every day but nothing. Unfortenately Monika's financial situation has gotten very difficult so in september she had to ask friends to lend her money to pay her bills. „We have two little kids - we can not sleep at night, worried about how to pay bills and buy food when you keep all payouts for 5 weeks“.

Meanwhile as it looks Monika has maxed out all financial resources:

• „Yesterday we were considering for me to go back to London (Monika lived there for 17 years) to find any job as here will be impossible now. We used the credit card limit and now we have nothing left. …. My 9-year-old girl heard this conversation and cried asking me not to go to London and leave them.
  
  It breaks my heart. Once while talking to airbnb , my girl took the phone and asked them, please pay my mum money“

• „Electricity bills, communal charges bills, internet bills etc etc . why, what we have done, please Airbnb pay us all money, we have nothing now, please“

2 days ago Monika received 72,000 CLS = apprx. 90 USD from airbnb. „At least I could buy some food today“ Monika wrote. But the remaining 2400 USD+ remain unpayed.

As I said this is a pretty long story, for details pls start reading here:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Customer-service-updates-payments-and-more-in-the...

and continue to read there:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Customer-service-updates-payments-and-more-in-the...

The conversation starts on page 10 and continous to page 11.

This is Monika's airbnb profile Picture: Monika , Domingo, Kyara and Maia

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I've been getting real emotional over this story. Obviousely I cannot contribute anything to all these payment details, but I have decided to send 100 Euros = 120 USD to Monika in Chile so she can buy more food for her family. In order to do so, today I have set up a Western Union account for international cash payments.

What I'd like to find out is:

• How hard is it to send Money to Chile in the 21st century?

[Sharon1014]

@Helen3   Agreed but that would require someone in San Fran (?) US to act as the organiser.  Just have to run with what is readily available at the moment.  And the international wire would pick it up anyway.  Just need to get the footage in before 2pm Dublin time so it can hit the edit room in time for the evening news.

[Helen3]

Well  broadcast media has always pretty much been 24/7 and with print everything is online too now so we don’t have those afternoon deadlines we used to.  @Sharon1014 

I am not sure Irish stringers for PA/ Reuters etc would pick up a story about a Chilean host not being paid for a month or so (however bad we feel this is),  but if you have Irish hosts willing to give it a bash - give it a go.

Best of luck. 

[Sharon1014]

@Helen3  Don't think anyone should under-estimate Ireland's interest in Airbnb's shenanigans, be it local or international (if you watched the vid clip of Airbnb execs appearing before govt committees there). 😀

And yes, I think they should go for it, with the blessing of every host globally who has been shafted by Airbnb during the pandemic, including before and since.

Direct action is often more effective than polite (or cranky) supplication.  The Fairy with the Turquoise Hair has tried the carrot.  Now it's time for the stick.

[Helen3]

You may well be right @Sharon1014  I haven’t lived in Dublin for some years. You may have more recent experience than I do. 

[Super47]

@Sharon1014

I like your style, lady! Inspired thinking 😏

[Ute42]

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Yesterday I wrote an email to Monika asking her for the necessary data I need to make a payment to Chile but she refused my request. She wrote „Thank you, thank you“ and „thank you for your huge heart“ but she doesn't want to provide the information I need to make the payment. Instead she is exploring all possible avenues locally in Chile to get some money and I will not post any details. The situation of her family must be desperate.

@Super47 , You wrote that You are in telephone contact with Monika. Next time You talk to her please convince her to submit the information I need. This first payment is only a starting point, I need to know first if this paymentmethod through Western Union to Chile works. Making such payments doesn't hurt me, I really don't need the money I have right now and I would be more than happy to help Monika and her family.

Pls tell her the data I need from her are:

First Name

Last Name

City

Postal code if available

Street

Street number.

These data must comply 100% with what's on her government ID that she will be using to identify herself at a Western Union branch.

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Monika still hasn't received her outstanting payments from airbnb.

cc: @Sharon1014 @Helen3 @Inna22 @Sarah977 

[Super47]

@Ute42

I've just gotten off the phone again with Monika and she's agreed - after much persuasion! - to send you the information you need. (She has your contact details so she'll be messaging you tonight) I did point out to her that it would be good to be able to show just how quickly and easily it will be to transfer money to Chile, in order to clearly demonstrate how Airbnb really have no valid excuses for the ongoing non-payment of her money. She finally agreed, but only on the condition that when she gets back on her feet, she'll put that same amount to doing a kindness for someone else who is in need. Because that's the absolute lady that she is.

Still no payment from Airbnb, of course. 

[Sarah977]

  I've always been loathe to accept help from others. But some years ago someone said to me, "If you don't receive graciously when help is offered, you are depriving the other person of giving."

 When people can afford to help out those who are in bad straits, it makes them feel good to do so, so the recipient shouldn't feel that they are taking something away from the other person. 

Maybe pass that on to Monica. And that I hope Airbnb gets their act together without further ado and gives her the money which is hers, not theirs. 

@Super47

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

I believe that in the last two days @Ute42 and @Super47  have done more to help Monika than the whole of the @Airbnb  company and @Katie  and @Catherine-Powell  has done in the last month.

Shame on all of Airbnb.

Meanwhile, current figures exposed by "The Information" report at Information dot com;

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/airbnb-burned-through-1-2-billion-as-ipo-loomed?utm_campaign...

Airbnb Burned Through $1.2 Billion as IPO Loomed

By Cory Weinberg

Airbnb burned through more than $1.2 billion in cash between mid-2019 and mid-2020, according to previously undisclosed figures, as the plunge in global travel earlier this year eroded a balance sheet already weakened by big increases in spending on hiring and marketing.

Now, call me a cynic...  THAT wasn't their cash to 'burn through' it was Monika's and every other host's money held on deposit worldwide. 

Once again, hosts financing Airbnb's fantasies.

[Sharon1014]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0   I'm no accountant but it would seem a strange financial practice if ABB was showing funds held on behalf of upcoming guest stays or unpaid outlays to hosts on the company balance sheet (except as an escrow amount).  The only funds the company can legitimately lay claim to are it's own earnings via fees.  If the company is in fact using its escrow holdings to fatten up its own bottom line, then one would hope the US SEC will pick that up and request amendment or explanation prior to issuing the  IPO prospectus.

For hosts, there are problems in listing on a platform that acts as the "bag man" go-between.  It is unfortunately a system that is ripe for a Ponzi scheme.  

[Super47]

@Sharon1014 

"One would hope the US SEC will pick that up and request amendment or explanation prior to issuing the  IPO prospectus*

I think it's safe to say that the SEC will likely be taking a keen interest in closely scrutinising Airbnb's submissions before the filings are publicly released. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Sharon1014 

Strange indeed. I do believe cash handling is done by a specifically separate company - however, legitimacy of that must be called into question when host payments are being made through cash transfers in shop pay systems as here.

Ponder this: Considering that the hosts funds are held in escrow, on refund of a cancellation by guest and refund to guest by vouchers, where do the escrow funds go? Are they still in escrow awaiting future payment to - some host -, or are they now held by Airbnb as the provider of the voucher? Then ponder the many stories of missing vouchers and lost remittable values. How are they accounted? Unearned Income? Casino wins? Either way, the funds are there like Monikers funds still are as Hosts' or even Guests' ongoing losses.

[Super47]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 @Sharon1014

Well this (below) was of course before ex-Blackstone man and former CFO of Airbnb, Laurence Tosi, bailed in 2018 (following clashes with Chesky over the timing of the IPO, ironically) Tosi is now a lead investor in Sonder, and sits on their board. Unlikely there's anyone of Tosi's skill, acumen and experience left at the company to be pulling something like this off these days, though. 

Airbnb reportedly built an internal hedge fund that makes $5 million per month | VentureBeat

https://venturebeat.com/2018/02/07/airbnb-reportedly-built-an-internal-hedge-fund-that-makes-5-milli...

[Inna22]

I am happy to contribute as well. In my experience RIA is the cheapest- only $5 per transfer of any amount @Ute42 please PM me the details when you get them

[Emilia42]

@Ute42 @Super47  Could you set up like a gofundme or something?