dishonest hosts who advertise wifi that is unusable

[Julian1134]

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i need wifi for my job. i need wifi to stream content. I NEED WIFI!.

whenever i stay in airbnb places that advertise wifi, the wifi is unusable. airbnb's response? "move to another place". 

hosts are contractually obliged (according to what airbnb have told me) to ensure that if they advertise wifi then it must work uninterrupted. i just stayed in a place that had the worst wifi i've ever encountered. it was unusable. the last place i stayed in was also advertising wifi which again was unusable. 

i've already told airbnb to get hosts to run a speed test on their wifi, screenshot the result and then post the screenshot on their listing. this allows guests to make an informed decision as to whether the wifi is going to be suitable for their needs. the last host i complained about said, "this is a holiday house and you shouldn't be working". yes really. 

it's like arriving at a listing to discover the bed has no mattress. 

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[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Anonymous 

With some of the guests sent to us by Airbnb I can truly relate with what you say, perfectly well, and am well practiced! Fortunately, like yourself, that's not only the extent of my experience with people so that does help us through.

When irate guests want to sound off, you cannot judge them during their ranting as that's not the normal 'them'. Their message is important, not necessarily their attitude. You would need to be pretty irate to find here and complain in the first place, even when you might fully expect nothing will change about your complaint and it may only be a bunch of hosts judging and dissecting your complaint after it is them who allegedly miss-inform in the first place.

 @Julian1134 

[Julian1134]

@Anonymous @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 

Andrew - there is actually a quick fix for this problem (which I have already suggested). maybe you haven't read the thread properly, so here it is again. hosts have the ability to screenshot their wifi speed and post the shot on their listing. this gives any guest clear information about what to expect (generally....not including fluctuations).

and by the way, being abusive when guests make suggestions isn't good for your business (sorry to have to point that out to you). 

as for your comment, "imagine a guy with this attitude asking someone on a date".....(followed by), "All women are dishonest! If you won't go out with me, that just proves how stupid and ignorant you are. Oh, you don't think I'm an excellent lover? Well get off your butt and prove it!"

I'm gay.....I don't go on dates with women. congratulations for making assumptions about people you don't know. let me assure you of one thing however.....I would throw up at the prospect of having to go on a date with you. 

below is a link to a place I was booked to stay until covid19 happened. the host screenshot his wifi speed and posted it on his listing. sorry to be a "whining guest" (who is also a property landlord), but have you done the same? and if not, why not??

https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/39387672?source_impression_id=p3_1594745296_2H8SDZWhLyZJnhfA&guests=1&adults=1

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Mark as Most Helpful

[Mark116]

@Julian1134  Several people already told you why they won't be posting the wifi speed...because it fluctuates and if a guest stayed and found speed was not what was posted then there is a reason for a refund.  

[Julian1134]

@Mark116 

fluctuations were never part of the discussion mark. also you're in the most litigious country in the world. we don't behave like that over here. we don't complain about fluctuations and then demand a refund.  wifi speed is measured in mbps. you have a contract with your ISP. you know what you're paying and you know what wifi speed to expect. if you pass on that information to a guest who asks you for it then that guest also knows what speed the wifi is capable of. that's how you trade in goods and services.

if someone tells me their wifi speed is 'fine' then that tells me Fock all. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

Far easier to post the photo @Julian1134 

Great to have an upload speed almost equivalent to the download, and it's 'good' and useable but not earth shattering in any way.

It's a sensible suggestion.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry to hear you're so prone to vomiting; you might reconsider your diet.

You have an uncanny way of making one point in text while illustrating its rebuttal in subtext. One reason hosts choose not to advertise highly specific details such as WiFi speeds is that they'd rather not be accused of "dishonesty" by a guest who happens to get a different result. You might also offer hot showers without specifying the water temperature, or guarantee linens without specifying the thread count. 

Believe it or not, guests who are using their Airbnb to work remotely and make heavy use of the Wi-Fi are not every host's target clientele. Hosts who are oriented toward tourism tend to organize their offering and pricing around the expectation that the guest will be spending most of their time outside of the home enjoying their holiday rather than appropriating the home as their second office. Plenty of us have home-office amenities suitable for high maintenance people like you, but prefer to host a different kind of guest. From a host's perspective, if there's any chance that posting a screenshot of internet speed might attract people like you as guests, that is in itself the best reason not to do it. 

On one point we probably do agree - I think your suggestion is totally reasonable for the portion of hosts who are advertising their space for long term stays, remote workers, and business travelers. If a host with crappy wifi oversold their listing as a workspace rather than a holiday home, I would say that's dishonest, and I have no doubt that most of the contributors here would concur. But if you genuinely want to persuade people to consider your idea, you might try presenting it in a less confrontational way. You can't affect much positive change by coming off as an absolute **

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[Julian1134]

@Anonymous 

I made a mistake. I shouldn't have said I need wifi for work. because now I'm being told that I shouldn't be working or I should choose listings that are specifically geared for it. that's not

the point I was making. I want to stream content without interruption. I rarely have to use wifi for work....but when I do I need to be able to upload to YouTube ....quickly. wherever I go....I want to know what to expect. it's all about what the individual wants. I'm not bothered about thread count. but if I were then I'd at least ask if the sheets were cotton. and if they weren't then I'd bring my own. if I'm driving somewhere then I take my own pillow. I've been laughed at for doing so.....and then I discover that my extreme mountain biking buddies are doing exactly the same.

my argument has been straw manned by everyone including you. at no point did I say that fluctuations in signal are unacceptable and that I would expect a refund. I also didn't make a blanket statement about all hosts. I simply stated my experiences; the majority of hosts have been dishonest about their wifi. 

I rented a place in south spain for two months recently. the host said the wifi was 'great'. I arrived and the wifi was unusable (it took fifteen minutes for my complaint to be uploaded to airbnb). the host said that she had tried to improve it but that it wasn't possible. I called a local telecom company and they said they could provide 70mbps with fibre to the property. I called the host and told her I would manage the installation. I was paying £1500 per month for the property. the company came and installed the wifi within 7 days.....and the owner thanked me for it. she now has super fast broadband. it's reduced her profits by 20 euros per month. do I really need to tell you how small that figure is?

another place in south spain I was due to stay at until covid kicked off (cozy nook, fuengirola) has a screenshot of his wifi speed. 103mbps. that doesn't mean I would expect a refund if it was only 95mbps. I'm talking about hosts giving information that is verifiable. saying your wifi is 'fine' isn't verification.....and it's also not nice to assume that guests are going to deliberately use wifi issues to get a refund. I'm sure some would.....but I'm not one of them. there are dishonest people in the world.....and some of them are guests on airbnb and some are hosts.

hot showers? temperature? thread count? I don't know......but as an experienced property landlord here in London, UK I can tell you this.....a tenant emailed me the other day and complained that there were gaps in the floorboards in her room. if this was an important issue for her then she should have flagged this with me before moving in.....and if she had, I would have told her to find somewhere else. my listing never claimed to have hermetically sealed floorboards. but when you say you have hot showers and wifi.....then it should be true....and verifiable (if water temperature is your thing). I'm an extreme mountain biker and I don't care about the temperature of showers. however, if I did care then I think it's an ok question for a host to deal with. and if I rented a place and the water was cold then I would definitely request a refund. we're talking about goods and services here.....airbnb and its guests/hosts are traders and subject to the same regulations. 

and now I get to the end of your post and you insult me. congratulations. you make assumptions about people and their sexual orientation, you straw man their argument.....and then you call them a douchebag. you're insulting me for telling you what my experience has been. I didn't mention specific hosts, and I didn't insult anyone. I simply stated that the majority of hosts I'd stayed with had been dishonest about their wifi speed. 

you, and your pals are hiding behind your keyboards and being free with your insults. I wonder whether you would insult someone like this to their face? I don't think so.....because that person might kick you head in. some people don't like that kind of confrontation. it's not something I would do.....but I can't speak for everyone.

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and another assumption you make, "high maintenance". you have no idea. I already explained that I do extreme sports. I regularly sleep in cold, wet places (without wifi).

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[Julian1134]

"extremely insulting"? really? is calling some people 'dishonest' considered 'extremely insulting' where you come from?

you say, "....does not even dignify a response"......but then you contradict yourself and respond.  

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[Ann489]

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[Helen3]

How strange you have had consistently bad wifi at every listing you have stayed at. Surprising that after your first experience that you hadn't inquired before your next booking about wifi.

As you know Airbnb is not designed for people that want to work from a listing, so if that is your intention why are you not booking Airbnb at Work properties where hosts are more likely to be set up for your needs?

Frankly you are making yourself look rather ridiculous by saying "hosts are contractually obliged (according to what airbnb have told me) to ensure that if they advertise wifi then it must  work  uninterrupted.  ."

I am sure you are aware that no-one can ensure their wifi works at speeds advertised not even the internet provider themselves. And during Covid with increased demand many are experiencing issues with their internet speeds.  @Julian1134 

Thanks so much for posting so that I know not to accept any inquiries you may make should I be unfortunate to have you travelling to my location.

[Julian1134]

@Helen3 

hi Helen 

it all depends upon what your expectations are, and also what you need. for example, I was due to stay somewhere in fuengirola when cover 19 kicked off. 

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if you go through the photos, you'll see one of them is a screenshot of the wifi speed.

"Frankly you are making yourself look rather ridiculous by saying "hosts are contractually obliged (according to what airbnb have told me) to ensure that if they advertise wifi then it must  work  uninterrupted.  .""

actually I got that info from airbnb in person. they told me that if someone advertised wifi then it has to be uninterrupted. it's since been pointed out to me that the information I was given was misleading (call centre in the phillipines). what they didn't tell me was that they are contractually obliged if, as a host, they ticked the box saying 'uninterrupted/high speed' in their listing. you're clearly ignorant of this fact.....because you didn't mention it. 

"As you know Airbnb is not designed for people that want to work from a listing"

that's another bald-ass assertion. where does it say that on the site? and it makes no difference to work or pleasure if your wifi isn't able to stream content from YouTube (which is where I spend a lot of time, both for work and pleasure).

you're also committing a straw man fallacy since I never suggested that fluctuations in wifi were part of my complaint.

so congratulations for being a truly dishonest interlocutor.

are you a host? screenshot your wifi speed and post it on your listing.....you'll be improving the site and it will take you seconds. 

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[Helen350]

@Helen3  "... that I know not to accept any inquiries you may make should I be unfortunate to have you travelling to my location."

- And so say all of us! 🙂 👍

[Julian1134]

@Helen350 

actually it isn't 'all of us'.....and ultimately you can only speak for yourself. ......and at the risk of embarrassing you further.....may I suggest you google the 'argument ad populum fallacy'?

let me save you some time. it goes like this; just because a group of people believe the earth is flat.....it doesn't make the earth flat. 

Whitehaven? isn't that somewhere where it rains all the time? yeah....I think I'll give that a miss. 

but for those who are interested.....what's your wifi speed?

[Julian1134]

@Helen350  @Robbie54 @Sarah977 @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 @Ann489 @Nanxing0 @

I just got a message from airbnb.

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[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Helen350 

- And so say all of us! 🙂 👍

You'll find that quite inaccurate. You did read this thread didn't you? 😊