AM LIVID! Airbnb not allowing us to see photos of guests until after they book.

[Kat9]

I DO NOT AGREE WITH NOT SEEING GUEST PHOTOS!!!! VERY BAD DECISION. I DO NOT DISCRIMINATE AND TAKE ALL TYPES. BUT I BASE CHOOSING GUESTS BASED ON THEIR PHOTOS. PLUS BEING A SINGLE FEMALE ITS ALSO IMPERATIVE FOR MY SAFETY WHEN IT COMES TO GUYS. I CANNOT JUST TAKE ANYONE WHO WANTS TO STAY HERE ESPECIALLY IF THEY DONT LOOK LIKE SOMEONE ID HAVE HERE. 

ITS MY RIGHT TO KNOW & SEE WHO IS ASKING TO STAY HERE. REMEMBER AIRBNB THIS IS OUR HOMES NOT A HOTEL.

IF AIRBNB IS GOING TO MAKE THIS A PROBLEM THEN I HAVE TO JOIN THE SIDE WHO ALREADY SEES AIRBNB BEING A PROBLEM IN NYC. BECAUSE ITS NOT GOING TO BE WORTH US HOSTS RISKING LOSING OUR APTS DUE TO THESE SO CALLED SAFETY MEASURES AND AIRBNB CATERING TO GUESTS WITHOUT SUPPORTING THE HOSTS WHO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR AIRBNB TO BE IN ONE OF THE TOP MOST VISITED PLACES IN THE WORLD!!! 

PETITION PEOPLE!!

[Christopher187]

Agreed, but you're not going to make any friends typing in all caps.

[Kat9]

sorry bout that. just trying to get attention to see if anyone else feeling as strongly about it as I do.  havent got the patience these days or tolerance to be politically polite (if thats a term) to let this go lightly and to feeling bamboozled.

i mean i know its their company and their right to set their terms. theyve come along way. with success come lawsuits of which they fight daily which we applaud. I certainly dont encourage or want to endure complainers with little bones to pick every week. its a company we all absolutely love and support. They've always maintained a positive and respectful attitude with everyone (or what do they call it company "culture" ) its only inevitable that hosts will have less and less input or any say. This being a major one. and the reality is we are all just one needle in the big haystack if ya know what i mean. 

But this no photo thing is way too big of an issue to have to accept or respect.  For whatever justifiable reason there is to hide guest photos from us until after, I just cannot get behind in any way and i know Im not the only one.

Someone wrote below to follow his thread about begging the justice department to help. ?  but whats that got to do with blocking hosts from seeing guest photos until after.

[Cindy249]

CAP AWAY KAT! BECAUSE I AM WITH YOU AND FEEL THE SAME!!

I AM SPITTING NAILS AND AIRBNB HAS CLEARLY DECIDED THAT THEIR LOYALTY IS WITH THE GUEST AND NOT WITH THE HOSTS (WHO ARE THE VERY REASON THEY ARE IN BUSINESS??) AND THE GUEST HAVE YOUR PHOTO AND CAN SEE WHAT YOUR HOUSE LOOKS LIKE INSIDE AND KNOW YOUR LIFE AND 'DISCRIMINATE' OR STALK YOU ALL THEY LIKE BUT Y_O_U THE HOST HAVE TO TAKE IT??? AND IF YOU WANT TOT SEE THEIR PHOTO YOU NEED TO ACCEPT THE RESERVATION - THEN CANCEL IF YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT YOU SEE - AND THEN LOOSE YOUR SUPER HOST STATUS - OR END UP NEVER BE ABLE TO GET IT WITH ANY CANCELATION ON YOUR RECORD?? I SEE MAJOR LAW SUITS COMING AS THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO DECIDE WHO WILL COME INTO OUR HOMES AND WHO NOT AND THEY ARE ABOUT TO LOOSE A LOT OF HOSTS WHO WILL DECIDE TO BECOME LANDLORDS RATHER THAN HOSTS AND RENT OUT INSTEAD OF AIRBNB HOSTING !!

Ps. Dear Christopher - DEAL WITH ALL THESE CAPS OKAY! 😉

[Tony134]

Hi everyone !  Please check and post in the following thread. I would like to have one thread start alive that addresses all these complaints, and I think I catch most of them nicely here. You will also see at the end that my final conclusion is we need to start begging the justice department for help. Please see the following thread and weigh in, thanks.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/How-to-Start-Fixing-Airbnb-CS-and-Many-Common-Issues/m-p...

[Kat9]

Tony your thread is unrelated to my thread. I am objecting to airbnb blocking guest photos from hosts until after. however i didnt start thread just to continue complaining about it. and i dont want to debate with anyone about it or start any fights. i don't discriminate race or age or religion. Im not a hotel  and i do want to see who wants to stay here just as they see who they would be staying with. My appeal is not to the justice dept but to airbnb.

[Ben551]

@Kat9  people have been posting on these forums about this change for over a month.  It's not a new thing and there are countless threads talking about it.  Sorry if I seem rude, but you may want to do a quick search to join in on the existing discussions?

[Kat9]

no you arent being rude. i heard about it awhile ago and called cs and of course they didnt even know. but they only now just applied the guest photo procedure to my account is why i posted.  their site is so convoluted.  i just called them again and cs made me go through major id process before answering any questions. had to hang up cos questioning me was getting ridiculous. she probably wouldnt know anyways. who and how to talk to. but dont want to complain about it. i want to take action.

Because am in New York, if i get other new yorkers to take a stand on this, might have a chance.

they cant afford to lose nyc.  but then again i think they are setting themselves up to do hotel like bookings if they lose the fight with nyc.

i wanted to work for them at one point. they have had meetings here that they have invited me to but havent made it. i used to be able to speak to the top departments way back

when. 

ive been screwed by some guests who are getting savvy on how to cancel without penality. im sure the forums are saying that they are catering to the guests over the hosts. etc.  i dont want to get into debates with people, i just want to get the right contact info to make some noise.

My only way of getting their attention i think is to join the hotel lobbyists or threaten to aid the nyers that are trying to shut them down here. i dont involve myself with government or politics though. because now they are competing with hotels though they say its home sharing.  so which is it.  they are like ebay changing policies whenever they want.

maybe i will go down to the office here. i dont know. is there a forum just for new york city?

[Tony134]

Kat the longer you are with Airbnb, the higher the odds you eventually do see the relevance.  My thread is about Airbnb constantly changing things to make more profit and to appear more appealing at the hosts' expense.  You can complain to the high heavens, but you will find no reversal from Airbnb on this new and silly yet again one sided policy.

Airbnb is constantly funneling more of the profit up, using us in more disposable ways, and in some cases even breaching safety concerns(like being able to see a person's face befor booking) to swell their bank account.  My post is very relevant and details all the ways you will see Airbnb taking advantage of you over the next year.  When your strict cancellation guests want to cancel, you WILL get a call from Airbnb.  Your payments I assume ARE coming in late like everyone else's now.

Airbnb changed all these things with zero consent, exactly like they are doing with photo issue.  You don't just press a button and become an Airbnb host, you need a house, furniture, serious time investments, etc.  It's not fair or right when Airbnb changes every single policy whenevery they want, however they want, wherever they want.  It's insane.  You don't have to argue with anyone or file any complaints, but watch how Airbnb treats you in every customer related issue over the next year, they've gotten very bad, and you will see all the hosts in the forums that have been here a while know this.

[Kat9]

yes i am aware that they cater to the guests more and more.  they wanna be the ebay or amazon of power.  i dont want to get caught up in complaining to high heavens because i know thats a waste of time. and believe me i have seen the change and have had disagreements with them, lost money because of savvy guests knowing how to lie to get out of paying. Im on top of that now.

but nyc is a major city for them and they cant afford to lose nyc but i do see them positioning themselves to do hotel like business should new yorkers lose fignt against city to use airbnb.  its already illegal to rent out place here but people do it anyways. people can lose their apt if they use airbnb. but airbnb is too big for cities to stop them which is good for us/hosts and majority have to use airbnb discretely.

but one thing i know about new yorkers is, they dont want to lose their apts. so if it gets to a point where it is too much of a risk to use airbnb, they will stop using. they wont have any choice. its already written into leases here. you will get thrown out immediately.

i used to tell them ways to get in with city. for eg cos i was working publicity or social media for new york city. all the special events etc. one was for martha stewart, she was promoting small businesses and artisians and she invited the mayor at the time to her function. nyc all about the boys club type thing. told them that they oughta get in with certains players here like martha stewart and donald trump i said (which was way before he was running for president). they dont need to but if they became buddies with certain group of people theyd have major support and no trouble. but again they are doing fine on their own.

anyways only thing i can do is let them know i will start warning nyers about danger of using them. and how their home sharing policy is a bunch of crap and now without guest photos they are directly competing with citys profits and this is a service city.

i need to start contacting other new yorkers. ill have to join opposition against airbnb and can make changes too. i do have bigshot friend who works for city but i dont involve myself in any way with politics. i will do grassroots approach the same as air did when they first started.

on the other hand have to respect them because after all it is their company. they are counting on new yorkers need and habit to make money through them but i already know hosts that are afraid of losing apt and quit doing. and eventually it may be a reality anyways. which again they know and setting up if and when that does.

ive been contacting them before this to let them know of some major trouble areas that they need to somehow control that have stopped hosts from using but of course there cs people clueless. well maybe i will have to use this info to do the opposite.  (does my reply get published or private?)

[Bryan10]

I disagree. You say you base choosing guests based on their photo, and you "can't just take anyone if they don't look like someone I'd have here". That sounds like discrimination to me. It shouldn't matter what a guest looks like. It's a commercial arrangement: if they pay, they stay.  

[Kat9]

It does depend on if my neighbors and doorman and management see  people that they know arent my friends coming and going.  this is New York City. and nyc is trying to ban airbnb here. but perhaps i worded it wrong. and not my point  its called home sharing. and not at all a commercial arrangement like a hotel. hotels take anyone who pays. i dont.

if you look a little creepy to me or think that just because you pay you have a right to make demands for hotel like service, i dont want you here.

i dont discriminate when it comes to race or age which is what discrimination is referring to. 

[Helen3]

Well that along with discrimination on the basis of disability sexuality, religion etc.

@Kat9 

If you tick the box saying you only accept guests with a photo, then you will see guests on booking.

If you then aren't comfortable you can call Airbnb and ask them to cancel.

That being the case there is little difference to the previous system. 

[Rebecca0]

@Kat9    "if you look a little creepy to me"

And what would that entail?  Your idea of creepy and my idea of creepy could be polar opposite.  I am more interested in what people say in their messages to me than what their photo looks like.  Honestly?  Your photo could be the most un-creepiest on the planet but your method of communication would have me raising an eyebrow.   I'd still accept you as a guest but I'd be expecting a coke-head, frankly.  But I don't discriminate against anyone.  Just as long as you don't give any to the cat - he's mad enough already.

[Kat9]

vibe whatever. combination. i just like to see first. otherwise id do instant book which i have done in past. the whole point is its not a hotel. hotels take whoever pays. airbnb is turning us into hotel like service. Theyve been advertising home sharing so nyc will accept them here cos controversy between city and airbnb. we arent even supposed to be using airbnb. whatever i just like to see before i accept. personal preference. whatever. just like to know i dont know.  plus i found when i did do instant book, i have been treated like hotel and they expect same service as hotel. Im not writing to have conversations or debates with people. im writing to appeal to others who feel the same as i do and see what we can do about it. you do you