Guests using a photo of thier pet as their profile picture

[Bill-And-Yvonne0]

Hi everyone

I've been a host for ever, and there's not much that wrankles me but I would liketo see the face of the guest I am about to host.

When someone uses their pet as their profile I am a little peeved. As hosts we have our lives up for scutiny, our way of life and our homes.

It only seems fais that a guest shows his face. For one thing, how do I know the person who is at my door is the person I have been chatting to?

Am I being unreasoanble? especailly with a newbie and they have no reviews or profile. Does anyone else bring this up with their guests?

Cheers Yvonne

[Mark26]

I received a request from a Glass of Beer a couple of days ago.  I'm not interested in hosting a glass of beer, so I pressed the decline button.  If you don't want to host a poodle, there is a decline button waiting to be pushed.  I suggest you push it.

[Cormac0]

@Bill And Yvonne

I completely agree with the sentiments you expressed Bill & Tvonne

Check out my post about S top H osting I ncognito T raveller' s

Regards

Cormac

The Explorer's Club Krakow III

The Explorer's Club Krakow VIII

[Christine479]

I am a brand new host and have had a request without picture and when I checked their identity proof, the only thing stated on their profile was a phone number. I sent an email to Airbnb inquiring how this could be, apparently some people don't like putting their pics up, well tough, I want to know who is coming to my cottage and that they have provided identity info just like we have to. I assume it was so for both parties as that was is stated in the regulations of Airbnb. I declined the booking. Am I missing something here? 

[Regina38]

I decline them but let them know if they meet my requirements they are welcome to resubmit. I let them know I require:

1. verified govt ID

2. a recognizable clear profile photo

3. full name and town where they live plus those of any guests

4. a filled out profile with some information about who they are and their interests.

As a host you can nol longer require any of this before a reservation is finalized unless you decline them. You really can not answer them and give them time to complete it because Airbnb either blocks your calendar or keeps asking you to reply every 15 minutes killing my phone battery so I can't reply to anyone. It is one way they are trying to force instant book.

They will do all that if you use instant book. So we pay the same fees as instant book hosts but get fewer services.

It was so much better before because you could accept the person and they would not be able to book unless your requirements were met. This could go in my "book" of beyond stupid! Before I could accept several requests for the same property some of which would have the proper info and some who were new and needed help getting the info registered. I would accept them all as long as they gave name and town then whoever booked first got it. now I have to decline some. How is this makeing hosts more inclusive? ugh

[Chris-And-Star0]

I got suspicious of a guest inquiry from someone who used a dog as thier profile pic but wanted us to keep our dog locked up during their stay because they were alergic to dogs. I suggested they stay somewhere else. 

[Annette33]

Unfortunately, plenty of (new?) hosts do it too, and the only info you get in the profile section is that they come fom "null". Another example that inch by inch Airbnb is morphing into a regular booking site.

[Mark26]

What?  You've never been to Null?  It's a tiny village at the bottom of a big hole in the ground, somewhere between Winslow and Flagstaff.  Not much to do there but dig for rocks and look up.

[Bruce43]

@Mark26 actually I remember going through Winslow  and doing the "standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona such a fine sight to see" routine in the 70s 

sorry...glory days 

[Bruce43]

Photo matching may provide some useful info, but no facial matching process is always accurate. The effectiveness of a comparison of facial features can vary greatly based on the skill and judgment of the reviewer, the accuracy of the software used, the quality and resolution of the photos, and whether there are significant changes in a person’s appearance between the two photos (ex: change in age, change in weight, different outfit). As a result, this process may sometimes “match” photos that are not in fact of the same person or fail to match photos that are the same person. Fraudulent users may circumvent even the most sophisticated and diligent efforts to match photos submitted for comparison.

We don’t make any guarantee or representation about the accuracy or effectiveness of photo matching results. You shouldn’t rely on the completion of the photo matching process as a guarantee of someone’s identity, or a guarantee that they’re someone you can safely interact with.

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[Linda482]

I see your point about using falso photos, except photo IDs are for me at least, just one component when making my descision to accept a reservation. However, a photo other than one of oneself will get one declined before I even get to my next component.

[Kim-and-Jen0]

Hi @Bill-And-Yvonne0

It's not unreasonable. We have right to know who is coming to our home. Somehow I questioned how airbnb vet the verifications? 

I received a request from cartoon character. I just wrote her a message tell her that I would be happy to host if she change her profile picture to REAL photo of her, because I want to know who is coming. 

If they declined she can go somewhere else. 

Happy hosting.

[Cormac0]

@Bill And Yvonne

Apparently, we must accept Guests wright not to display a recognisable photo of themselves.

Surly by extension we should have the wright not to accept them for the same reason, particularly since we have more to lose and we’re very uncomfortable allowing incognito travellers into our homes.

S top H osting I ncognito T raveller’s now

Regards

Cormac

The Explorer’s Club Krakow III

The Explorer’s Club Krakow VIII

[Linda482]

Wow...okay, this issue is a bit more prevalent than I thought. I've been a host for a couple years now and today I received my first inquiry from a non-person. An American flag, actually. Don't get me wrong here, love my country...kind of threw me because I thought it was Air bnb policy to have a clear image of one's face...maybe just for hosts? That being said, the "decline" button as the above commenter suggested is a lovely thing to use. Love that I can use "Instant Book" with the parameters that they have a postive history established with Air bnb.