I started calling Airbnb about a guest who was probably dealing drugs since he was busy opening the outside gate to our apartment repeatedly from 2-5am. After many chats and calls, Airbnb told us we would lose our ranking if we evicted him because our rules did not say that people could not come and go from midnight to 5am. We messaged him that our neighbors would call the police if it happened again. He said it was his girlfriend and that it would not happen again. The next night he texted us at 1am that he had to go out to get food that was being delivered by UberEats (we checked and UberEats does not deliver in our area). We chatted and called Airbnb again the next day, and after several hours were ridiculed for wanting to evict someone for ordering a food delivery, even though we told Airbnb that it was a lie. Airbnb was no help and so we sent him a message asking him to leave, which he did (probably because he realized we would call the police). Then, we got a message from Airbnb to rate him as a guest. When we clicked on it, we realized that the name had changed, and his profile picture (which we suspect was a stock photo), had been deleted. So, we chatted and called again to Airbnb, and after a long time were finally told that anyone can change their name and profile picture whenever they want and that guests (quoting from Airbnb) “can change the name appearing on the account, but we do not consider it as faking their identity as hosts require guest (sic) to submit valid IDs before check in.”
Here is what I erroneously thought Airbnb's policy was:
“As a guest, the following will never be shared with your host or anyone else who uses Airbnb:
The photo of your ID.
What gets shared with your host:
The first name on your ID.
Whether you're over or under 25 years old.
Whether your ID has been successfully added.
Your profile photo and profile name.
Our guest told us he was 21, but Airbnb did not notify us that he was under 25, and we mistakenly assumed (as many hosts probably do) that his first name, profile photo, and profile came from Airbnb.
Here is a grossly misleading press release from Airbnb:
San Francisco, Calif. (April 30, 2013) – Airbnb today announced Verified Identification, a new tool designed to increase transparency and build trust in its global community. Verified Identification, which the company is beginning to roll out in the U.S. today, confirms that an Airbnb user’s online identity is consistent with their offline identification. It’s the latest example of Airbnb’s innovation in the trust arena, building on features like the $1 Million Host Guarantee, secure payment structure, and 24/7 customer service.
The last message I received from Airbnb in answer to my question of how do hosts know "who to expect" (the exact wording Airbnb uses) was:
“No. They can change the name appearing on the account, but we do not consider it as faking their identity as hosts require guest to submit valid IDs before check in.”
This policy of Airbnb defeats the entire purpose of the "community." Having Airbnb verify guest's identity is THE most important service Airbnb can provide to hosts. But now they are telling me (and other hosts) that WE are responsible for checking IDs. Airbnb misleads hosts by all the assurances that guests have to submit IDs to Airbnb before booking.
I never got an answer as to who was going to pay for cleaning up the drugs in my apartment.
