Guests seeing different prices

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Huei0
Level 2
Gaithersburg, MD

Guests seeing different prices

Hi I am a new host and still trying to learn everything here.

 

I just got my first request which was for his girlfriend.  He eventually told me the reason his girlfriend did not request herself was because it showed $67/night to her but $50/night to him. $50/night is the price I set and I have smart pricing function off.  

 

I don't understand why they were seeing different prices which can become a big problem for me.  

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks.

Huei

1 Best Answer

And one more thing, when you set the smart pricing there is range the lowest to the highest. Airbnb will accumulate the price based on your setting with the demands during the period of 4 months. So the guests will see different price depending on the demand. Hope it helps

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104 Replies 104
Zohar1
Level 1
Ukiah, CA

This happened today to me and my husband. I saw on two different rentals higher prices for me than what he saw once I sent him the same listings via text link seconds later. It's clearly a gender discrimination issue unless they explain otherwise. 

My friend and I are going to Quebec City.  The price she saw was $80/night.  I saw $130/night.  Same parameters (dates - everything), only minutes apart doing our searches separately.  Later I clicked on the link she said was $80/night and her link now says $110/night.  I have a feeling that everytime I look at the property, it drives the price up.  I see a message at the top that says "9 others are looking at it for these dates," but they are likely just me and my friend.  

 

My friend and I are both women.  I use airbnb very frequently.  It is very frustrating to feel penalized as a user. 

Amen. Same just happened to me for a new place in Detroit suburbs. I'd not logged in. The 1st price I saw for a particular property was $40. I clicked on it to learn more. Suddenly it said $49! I hadn't even logged in or  selected a date, so you can't tell me the price rose because of the date I chose or how early/late a date I enquired about. AirBnB, you got some 'splaining to do!

Yep, it should be illegal. I canceled a booking over this and don't trust Airbnb now. 

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

That would make total sense if the listing was using Smart Pricing, which is based on algorithms, including how much attention the listing is getting. Have you ever put something in your Amazon basket but not checked out and then immediately, the price of that item goes up? You remove it from the basket and ignore it for a while and the price goes down again.

 

However, that doesn't explain @Huei0 's situation as they are not using smart pricing... If they are using a fixed price, the price should surely be the same for everyone who looks? 

Might be AIRBNB’s frequent-user PENALTY, but hard to know.  My wife got same same quote same day for $18.00 less per night perhaps because she is not a frequent user

Jun32
Level 1
Beijing, China

Dear friends,

Happy new year.

There is one thing that happened to me yesterday. The host game me a special offer and I saw it on the message page. When I pressed the book button the system entered the booking page. Then I found the price/night is higher than the offter. I communicated it with my host and he told me that he still saw the same offer in his side. I have feedback this information to AIRBNB but have not got any response.

Have any friends had the same confused thing?

 

Airbnb pockets the difference, not the host, it's a dirty non-transparent thing that Airbnb is doing to its customers to make a larger profit. Sucks. I'm going to have to make a new account with new email every time I book now. So annoying. 

John1229
Level 1
Berkeley, CA

I've also come across this issue. My girlfriend and I were looking for places this week and we were each shown different prices for the same place on the same days. She was consistently being shown a lower price. A couple details worth noting; 

    

I've used air bnb several times, she's never used it.

 

I was searching from my computer in Kansas City, she was searching from LA. We were looking for places in San Diego. Maybe proximity to destination makes a difference? (reaching, I know)

 

We were searching simultaneously and looking at the same places at literally the same time. 

 

Really not sure if any of those things made any difference (they shouldn't, right?), but I'm stumped as to what could be happening. Any ideas?

Did you by any chance book this property prior? I'm seeing a higher price for a place I booked before. From her device, shows a lower price. She's never booked that property.

Usually, when people see different pricing for the same listing, it is because they are not specifying the exact same parameters when they search.

If any of these things are different, you can see different pricing for the same listing:

  1. Number of days specified for trip (or not specifying days at all)
  2. Which days on the calendar you specify (even if they are for the same # of days)
  3. Number of guests

Airbnb does not fiddle with the pricing based on whether you have booked before.

Actually my husband and I are sitting side by side on our laptops and made exactly the same search parameters including dates - mine show prices that are $50 higher - with the same search parameters, same dates... Something fishy is going on. I think they might use an algorithm that uses data from past purchases (all that info can be retrieved from your browser) to set your prices. I have read about this but never experienced it first hand. I know now that I will not be doing the booking from now on!!

I notice the same thing today with my best friend.  we set the same parameters including the dates.  Mine was $50 higher also.  I think something is going on.  I feel like they use some kind of algorithm data from past purchases.  Likewise, I will not be doing the booking anymore.

 

in i had used by lap top in Morocco for airbnb and my search for air bnb refelcts as if i am searching from Morocco.  The prices shown are much more higher almost double in most cases ovee my another laptop for the same porperties.  I would have booked the expensive prices if i had not used my home laptop.


@Leigh-Anne2 wrote:

Actually my husband and I are sitting side by side on our laptops and made exactly the same search parameters including dates - mine show prices that are $50 higher - with the same search parameters, same dates... Something fishy is going on. I think they might use an algorithm that uses data from past purchases (all that info can be retrieved from your browser) to set your prices. I have read about this but never experienced it first hand. I know now that I will not be doing the booking from now on!!