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, 2017, and now, nearly 2 weeks later I still haven't received a decision regarding a refund.