@Sharon1014 @Sarah977 @Cormac0
Airbnb will never change anything voluntarily - there are reasons why they choose to keep things as they are (for example, the reason they have refused to separate individual from professional hosts is because the true picture of the takeover of towns and cities by commercial operators would be laid bare for hosts, local residents, the authorities, the media and the general public to see, and would clearly expose the lie of their risible "live like a local" and "back to our roots" claims.
However, changes - monumental changes - are afoot that will redress the balance and put much more power back into the hands of hosts. The EU Digital Services Act is being introduced, and while it won't affect users in the US or China, as hosts in the rest of the world contract through Airbnb Ireland UC, it will - be it directly or indirectly - ensure a much fairer, more ethical operating environment for them.
Here are the changes below, and I'll include links to the very clearly written and easily understood European Commission press releases on the subject. Everyone should check them out, and inform yourselves of your rights, and of the new safeguards that are being (have been, in some instances) put in place to protect you.
Small businesses will particularly benefit immediately from:
- A ban on certain unfair practices
- No more sudden, unexplained account suspensions. With the new rules, digital platforms can no longer suspend or terminate a seller's account without clear reasons, and possibilities to appeal. The platform will also have to reinstate sellers if a suspension was made in error.
- Plain and intelligible terms and advance notice for changes. Terms and conditions must be easily available and provided in plain and intelligible language. When changing these terms and conditions, at least 15 days prior notice needs to be given to allow companies to adapt their business to these changes. Longer notice periods apply if the changes require complex adaptions.
- Greater transparency in online platforms
- Transparent ranking. Marketplaces and search engines need to disclose the main parameters they use to rank goods and services on their site, to help sellers understand how to optimise their presence. The rules aim to help sellers without allowing gaming of the ranking system.
- Mandatory disclosure for a range of business practices. Some online platforms not only provide the marketplace, but are also sellers on the same marketplace at the same time. According to the new transparency rules platforms must exhaustively disclose any advantage they may give to their own products over others. They must also disclose what data they collect, and how they use it – and in particular how such data is shared with other business partners they have. Where personal data is concerned, the rules of the GDPR apply.
- New avenues for dispute resolution.
Today sellers are often left stranded with no ways to appeal or resolve complaints when problems arise. This will change with the new rules.
- All platforms must set up an internal complaint-handling system to assist business users. Only the smallest platforms in terms of head count or turnover will be exempt from this obligation.
- Platforms will have to provide businesses with more options to resolve a potential problem through mediators. This will help resolve more issues out of court, saving businesses time and money.
- Enforcement
- Business associations will be able to take platforms to court to stop any non-compliance with the rules. This will help overcome fear of retaliation, and lower the cost of court cases for individual businesses, when the new rules are not followed. In addition, Member States can appoint public authorities with enforcement powers, if they wish, and businesses can turn to those authorities.
Penelope
