Aliases and “Handles” on Guest Profiles

Patti4
Level 8
Freeville, NY

Aliases and “Handles” on Guest Profiles

Pet peeve. I know this practice of nicknames is alllowed by Airbnb, but I think guests should be required ro use their legal name on their profile. I  will not accept requests from nicknames, aliases, or handles. I state this in my listing description:

 

Before sending an inquiry or a booking request . . .
Adding details to your profile and your booking inquiry will speed up booking. Booking requests with aliases will not be accepted. Please use your legal name on your profile (I am using mine, so it's only fair). The person booking must be the person staying, third-party bookings are not accepted — they are not allowed per Airbnb Terms of Service.

 

I called SuperHost support to cancel a request I accepted because the confirmation had a completely different name from the request. They complied but this is when I learned it is OK for guests to use “fake” names on profiles.

 

In my opinion, it is not OK for Airbnb to know the verified legal name while the host may not.

 

Got another one tonight. One name on the profile, a different name in the message.  I need to know who is staying in my home. It could be a third party booking or someone who wants to conceal their identity. This is another reason I refuse to use Instant Book no matter how often Airbnb exhorts me to do so. I am a single woman living in my home. I  never had a problem until this year with “fake” guest names. 

 

What do you think, should Airbnb change its policy and require legal names on profiles? The host does not get the full name until the booking is confirmed so why not require legal first names?

 

Patti

14 Replies 14
Latrice2
Level 5
Chicago, IL

I've encountered this as well. It seems odd to have a verification process for name, phone, id, etc, but the host sees a cartoon photo and/or nickname on the guests profile. I've had a request from someone using his rap name and another from a guest using artwork as a profile pic. To top it off, now Airbnb doesn't allow you to see a guest's photo until AFTER agreeing to a booking. This is a security issue that Airbnb needs to address. Both host and guest have a right to know exactly who they are doing business with before they agree to any terms.

Susan1028
Level 10
Oregon, US

There are legal and safety negativities hosts are responsible for when using a booking platform that accepts guests without confirmed personal IDs while absolving themselves of all liability (see my posts about the “policies” and “terms of service” vs “$million host guarantee” and the difference between airbnb’s policies between commercial and independent hosts.)

 

Once all of the conflicting policies and terms of service are evaluated, Independent hosts have no legal or financial recourse if there’s a problem . 

 

Even turning off instant book isn’t enough to offer reasonable assurance of ID, or to avoid 3rd party bookings, and the personal and security safety risks are reflected as the hacking and concerns about other matters of safety and protections of safety and assets of independent hosts rise.

 

This platform isn’t currently safe for independent hosts.  As we are being forced to agree to new rules alleging host bigotry, we are being discriminated against legally, economically, and in terms of physical safety with the lack of vetting of guests and the current policies and terms of service we are forced to agree to in order to list here which also negate the highly touted  “$million host guarantee”

 

I declined a guest request a few weeks ago due to a contentious “nickname” and suggestion to lower my rate.  They actually harassed me (living up to that nickname).  

 

When I messaged and called “Airbnb support” and escalated it to “trust and safety” I was told I’d have to address it with local law enforcement (which is incorrect jurisdictionally), and when I asked for the needed information to do so, was told conflicting stories:  

1- “Airbnb is like social media” and they encourage guests to express their personalities including (false) nicknames

2- they couldn’t share the needed info to pursue legal protection because their policy is to “protect the private info of all guests.”  

 

In short, we are in our own if anything goes wrong and we don’t have access to info needed to evaluate the fitness of guests or protect ourselves physically or financially ...regardless of the circumstances because when we book here, we give up those rights...including a fair hearing in a court of law and instead internal “arbitration” (with their lawyers in control.)

 

Airbnb is a booking platform, a business that handles billions in OUR assets, a service every host and guest pays for.  

 

A social media platform Facebook isn’t demanding fees and doesn’t promise  responsible handling of billions in business transactions and insurance and support if someone destroys our property.

 

Airbnb is demanding Hosts who use thus platform be vetted and give our legal names yet we are expected to welcome people into our homes that in reality aren’t even required to provide confirmed identities or places of residence and when all the legalese is sorted out, we have no recourse for damages or physical or legal injury because Airbnb has stripped us of our rights and absolved themselves of all legal responsibility for anything in the fine print regardless of what they advertise.

 

Commercial property listers are offered different priveliges (with fees, leases, ID checks, separate contracts/leases etc and volume discounts) that indie hosts are prohibited from implementing here...and encouraged to use elsewhere.

 

This is why I’m ending my listing on this platform and many other conscientious  hosts already have.

 

Its unprofessional, insecure, misrepresented, overpriced, and unsafe for independent hosts.

 

 

 

 

Ann278
Level 2
Portland, OR

I just found out about this alias policy on Airbnb and I find it totally unacceptable. We all need to write to Airbnb to complain. We as hosts have no way to know if the person on our doorstep is the same person that Airbnb verified if we do not have that person's legal name nor do we have a photo of the person. It could be anyone... the guest's "wanted" brother or even some hacker. I once got a request to book and when I replied the person told me that he had never made that request, so apparently his profile had been hacked. This is a dangerous practice on Airbnb's part and we need to complain and complain vocerierously about it. I have already written feed back, but we need more people to also do it.

Teresa1382
Level 1
Miami, FL

I did not become aware of this "alias" issue until tonight with a booking request from "loving".  I am not comfortable with this, once before I had a request form some obviously fake name, did not register at the time.  Refuse to accept a booking from anyone that has to go undercover.  Sent message to airbnb, not sure if it was the right avenue but will call tomorrow. Already told the guest I was not comfortable and have not accepted. 

Patrick568
Level 10
California, United States

This is a great discussion and I appreciate reading everyones insight regarding this issue. Its a lot to think about. I truly believe Airbnb needs to do more to support their hosts and this is a huge issue. 

I am not happy about this arrangement and the lack of support from Airbnb, but there are no other booking platforms can provide better service.  Booking.com, VRBO etc don't even verify guests identification.  That's why I am still stuck with Airbnb.  I wish someone will create a new and better booking platform to take over Airbnb and I have no hesitation to change over. 

There will be, just like many large companies before who thing they are too big go fail, they start ignoring the core of their business is when the faltering starts.  In this case, it's host, without them airbnb would be nothing.  Safety is a huge priority for host and yet airbnb is continuing to ignore this issue causing serious risk management (even dangerous) situations for host. 

Bryan10
Level 10
Feltham, United Kingdom

I agree. There was a similar thread on here recently from someone with a booking from a person called "The Sceptic". Apart from being downright weird, it's also wrong because of the above reasons too. 

 

Jay181
Level 3
Minneapolis, MN

@Patti4 Thanks for reminding me there is a Superhost Support priority phone number.
I think this is it: +1.888.326.5753

Jason647
Level 2
Sydney, Australia

This is simply not right, hosting is becoming more and more dangerous because airbnb policy allows aliases and fake profiles.  We've had our own experiences as host, where bookings under a different name or aliases has caused problems.  Like the time when someone booked on behalf of another, the guest damaged the place and yet it turned out there was no recourse for us because the person that stayed wasn't the person on the profile.  Or the time when a low review was given from someone who didn't even stay in the place or most recently a fake profile that was being used to solicit business to us as host, when that service was refused they blackmailed us into a low review.  All these cases were reported to airbnb yet they 'allow' these aliases and fake profiles.  Purely from a safety and risk management basis, host can no longer rely on airbnb to get appropriate checks and IDs.  We have reverted to getting copies of IDs on all stays and no longer accepting 'on behalf of' bookings or bookings with aliases.   We've turned instant booking off because of this. 

I arrived here because of the opposite problem; my profile uses my legal name and I don't like it! I have been known as Andy for the last 44 years, and I want the whole 'Andrew' thing to go. HOWEVER, I don't have a problem with a host knowing my legal name if they're interested! I just want to be addressed as 'Andy' like the rest of the world does. Why can't you set a "known as" name on your profile? This would also be an issue for the high proportion of people that go by their middle name, if they don't like their given name! The profile name should be a name of the user's choice, and if a host mouseovers the name, then the full legal name should pop up (temporarily, known as 'bubble help').

Navjivan0
Level 2
London, United Kingdom

The solution to this glaring oversight is simple: have two name fields, "full legal name" (mandatory) and "preferred/display name" (optional, defaults to forename from legal name). This is how every cognisant company handles names these days.

 

The latter should be used everywhere except when a host is entitled to see the former, such as in the details of confirmed client bookings.

 

(P.S. @Andrew2379 what you are referring to as "bubble help" is known as a "tooltip" or "mouseover dialog/text".)

Yeah, I meant 'balloon help'. Honestly when it first became part of a gui it really was called that https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/balloon-help I knew that in the Python library the class was called 'tooltip' but I didn't know that the new term had totally taken over.

Cherie71
Level 10
Anchorage, AK

The photo thing is a sham, too.  I get the photo of the person who allegedly made the reservation. Lovely looking woman around 30 years old.  Who actually shows up, is this woman fast-forward 50 years, who while chain-smoking nearly drives into the landscaping because she can barely see.

 

Now age is age but if we are to use the photos to ID our guests - they should at least be within a few years of the present day. 🙂