Unhappy With Professional Photography Service in Airbnb

[Silvia572]

I was really looking forward to having my listing professionally photographed by Airbnb, however, after seeing the results I was deeply disappointed with the outcome. 

I removed all of the professionally taken photographs from my listing as I think they present my listing in a bad light:  the listing looked sterile and uninviting. 

I had no control over which pictures would be selected and yet I am expected to pay for this service. I was not allowed to select the pictures that were taken whilst they were being taken, I also advised the photographer about items I didn't want in the pictures. He assured me those items would not be there. And yet, when the pictures were uploaded those items were present. 

I would not recommend this service to any other Airbnb host as hosts have no say in the process and yet are expected to pay for it. 

The photographer had the attitude that he was working for Airbnb and not for me. There is an old expression that "he who pays the piper calls the tune", however in this case I had paid the piper and I have no say in the music. 

I would like to offer the following suggestions to improve this service:

1.Hosts should be allowed to see previous work of the photographer so they can select the photographer who best suits their style 
2. Give hosts more control over the process
3. Only charge hosts once they're happy with the photographs
4. Allow hosts to select the pictures whilst the photographer is actually taking the photographs

I contacted Airbnb about this on November 11 and nearly 2 weeks later and I still haven't received a decision regarding a refund. 

[Quincy]

Thank you @Silvia572 for your reply to my response here.

I am sorry that you felt I haven't supported you, this really wasn't my intention. I do feel this isn't about taking sides and that is not what I was trying to bring in my reply above.

As I mentioned, I think the discussion here is actually great, and I do feel sad that it has lost its way slightly. The responses from Helga and yourself show that maybe there is a need for better communication around this to describe clearer expectations around the photography service provided. I think it is great feedback to pass over to the team.

As I stated before, here in the Community Center we all have our differences in opinions, respect is very important, and we all have a to respond in a way that does this, even if we don't agree. It is easy for things to come across in a slightly different way to how we expected especially if we have very strong opinions on something and we need to be aware of this. I think the responses here have become somewhat personal and although we want to get our point across, we have to remember that we are all here for the same reason, so let's not take it out on each other.

I do hope that we can move on from this and if this discussion can't stay on track, I think it would be best to close it, which I would find very sad to happen.

[Silvia572]

I'd like to inform everyone about a happy ending, at last. 

It's now nearly a month after the disappointing Airbnb photoshoot. 

After several e-mails from my part, Airbnb finally replied and issued me a refund. 

They explained their delay as them being severely understaffed in the photography department.

I hope that my unfortunate experience helps to spare disappointment and unnecessary expense to other Airbnb hosts considering paying for Airbnb's photography service.  

@Quincy0 I hope that as a moderator you learn to educate yourself on the importance of identifying and acknowledging bullying. 

Once you learn how to spot it, I hope you also learn how to effectively deal with it with justice, tact and never unwittingly siding with the bully again.

When one repeatedly asks another to stop the rude behaviour and that other person refuses to acknowledge and stop their rude behaviour, that's the most basic definition of bullying. 

Once you learn about bullying, you'll understand that in these situations, taking sides is always necessary. 

"We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." (Elie Wiesel )

I will now leave this forum. Thank you very much, everyone, non-bullies, bullies and co-bullies. 

Wishing you the best. 

Goodbye.  

[Clara116]

@Silvia572@Quincy@Helga0 Silvia so glad you state you have a happy ending with the photo shoot. And so glad to see our Admin Quincy was in on this thread and following everything that has transpired. 

I have found the Community Center the "GO TO" place to exchange and learn even more tips and help from other host..............AND most all host just wanna help out and make things better for others. I say that to say this - I have followed many host with their helpful tips and Helga is not a Bully, abuser or any of the sort - and the Admin folks like Quincy are doing what they are suppose to do. I think this explosion of emotions was an important thing and I hope some of us have learned from it. That seems to be a difficult thing in life and with hosting - keeping emotions in check and relaxing into it. 

There have been other post similar to this and some of the Social Workers/Therapist have weighed in or shared some insight. Perhaps they haven't seen this yet but some of these threads are on here for a long time - so don't be surprised if this get comments for many months ahead. All the best everyone.....and Happy Hosting, Clara B. 

[Christine615]

Honestly, 

Find a photography student who has a portfolio. They'll be inexpensive and you'll see what their "eye" is like before you hire them by looking at their portfolio. And they'll be grateful for the extra income. Plus, it's a professional credit for their resume and website. 

I shot many of the photos myself, but my daughter was a photography student in college and shot a few more. She had more knowledge of staging and lighting. Hers are a lot better.

I was going to use Airbnb's service when they were offered free, and also suggested to my daughter she use them to pick up extra cash - but saw on Reddit that the photographers were only getting $50 from Airbnb. That said volumes about how much (or little) they were valued. So when I saw that now hosts have to pay out of proceeds, I thought "nope." 

So yes - local photographer or try a college with a media/arts program and get an advanced student to do it. You'll get more photos to choose from and they'll color correct them if needed.