After Being Assaulted By A Guest

[Duane4]

Video of assault at link at end.

I just had a guest book for 5 people in a house that has a max of 12 allowed by the local government. They showed up with at least 16. Go to the house to count people and you get assaulted. You ask them how many you have. They won't answer. Of course when you asked them in a message how many and they lied to you about it.

This isn't the first time I've had guests book for a smaller number of people. In another house that holds 15 I had a guest bring 21.

AirBNB is doing nothing about this. It's making be concerned about continuing to host on this platform when you get no support. Of course the guest lies and says I'm the one that started it.

Most of guests are wonderful people. But this has me concerned for my safety going forward.

[Link hidden for safety reasons – in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

[Ben551]

Good luck @Duane4 - I get the impression you are a capable sort and will get through this better than most.

[Duane4]

Thanks @Ben551. Part of getting though this is helping others understand how this works and what ABB does when faced with something like this.

This is the worst problem I've had. But it's not the only time. Things are going to change.

[Mark116]

@Duane4  Yikes, what a trashy bunch of people.  Airbnb will probably rule against you, they may even ban you, I wouldn't be a bit surprised.  I didn't see any injury on that child's head.  

[Duane4]

@Mark116 that certainly seems to be what they do. Ban hosts for guests misbehaviour. To be honest I'm surprised this thread is still up. As leaving it here isn't in the interest of trust and transparacy.

[Lizzie]

Hello @Duane4,

I'm sorry you had this experience with your guest and the distress this is causing. 

I'm not sure if you are currently continuing to speak with a member of Airbnb Support, but I wanted you to know that due to the sensitivity of this matter, we have also escalated this to that team as well. 

To add, I hope you don't mind, but in line with the Community Center Guidelines, due to safety reasons, I have had to remove the link to the video you have included in your opening post here and it includes personal information.

I really hope you get this sorted soon.

Thanks,

Lizzie

Please note for anyone reading this post: to receive immediate assistance, the best option is to contact our support team available 24/7 at +1-415-800-5959 // +1-855-424-7262 (toll-free) or www.airbnb.com/contact or  view this Community Guide here. 

[Duane4]

@Lizzie

Yes in order to promote trust and transparency in the community there is no doubt that a link a video of a guest assaulting me had to be removed. It's the AirBNB way of insuring TRUST and TRANSPARENCY. In the interest of SAFETY other guests should know about the types of people and just how good AirBNB is at qualifying the guests that come from this platform. There are no background checks of the guests they send you.

I've been in touch with the people that are supposed to help with this since it happened. I'm sure of the results when that's done as well they will ban me. To be honest they don't take it very seriously. As that's also the AirBNB way of insuring TRUST and TRANSPARENCY in the community.

It’s ok. I’ll post the a link to the video on other social media.

[Jess78]

@Duane4Keep standing up for yourself. Other hosts support you 100%! Sounds like you should re-post that video when you remove your name. I don't think it says anywhere that if there is an open case you can't post a video. Gag order clause? No.

Last year I spoke to a woman in CA who was assaulted by a guest and threatened her with a gun. They had not run a background check on him as they sort of guarantee they do, and it turns out he had a record. She involved the police. The man came back and threatned her further. It was SO freaking scary to learn about -- and Airbnb did nothing. In the end, they wound up offering her some coupon credits to airbnb to the tune of $600 or something. It took them days to weeks to communicate with her. She definitely was going have some lasting trauma from the "guest" that airbnb said they background checked and didn't. I encouraged her to sue them, since their claims to hosts are false.

[Duane4]

@Jess78  I'm working on getting the name removed and posting the video again.

ABB wants to hide behind the terms of service. The reason they don't want comments on investigations is that it prevents TRUST and TRANSPARENCY. 

I added or updated the following house rules. All states have theft of services laws. It’s what they use when you refuse to pay a restaurant or steal power from the power company.

1. Stays at this property are governed by The Pennsylvania Innkeeper's Rights Act of 1996 Act 131-1996. https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/LI/consCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&ttl=48. Anyone that violates the house rules or other terms and conditions related to their stay will have their stay terminated and be asked to leave immediately. Refusal to leave at that time is an act of defiant trespass under Pennsylvania Statutes Title 18 Pa.C.S.A. Crimes and Offenses § 3503. Criminal trespass. You may be subject to arrest and criminal prosecution if you refuse to leave when asked to do so by the owner or his agent.

1. Any attempt to avoid extra guest, pet, fines or any other extra services fees outlined in these house rules is a criminal act under the Pennsylvania Statues Title 18 Pa.C.S.A. Crimes and Offenses § 3922. Theft by deception and/or § 3926. Theft of services. Your stay will be deemed fraudulent, you will be required to leave the property immediately and no refunds will be provided. You will be subject to arrest and criminal prosecution in the local courts. If convicted you may face time in prison in addition to fines, court costs and restitution. You will be convicted because we will have records of your actions. https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/18/00.039.022.000..HTM and https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/18/00.039.026.000..HTM

[Susan17]

@Duane0 @Jess0 

Apparently, the same CC "safety" guidelines on the removal of personal information don't apply to all the commercial operators/real estate "professionals" who, since 2016 (!), have been freely posting their full names, email addresses and even telephone numbers all over the long-running thread below, in order to drum up lots of new business for themselves, in a city where small, traditional hosts are facing wipeout due to regulatory issues. 

One rule for one, one rule for another. 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Everything-Else/Airbnb-Friendly-Condos-In-Toronto/td-p/240333/pa...

[Duane4]

@Susan17 just another example of trust and transparancy by ABB.

I'm not putting up with this anymore.

[Duane4]

@Lizzie please poing to the specific item in the guidelines that posting the video violates. Thank you.

Just so everyone knows I welcome private messages.

[Lizzie]

Hello @Duane4, 

I am sorry I had to remove it. The video contains personal information such as your full name  (you will see that we have to remove these details throughout the CC for safety reasons) and also, as mentioned you have a case open with our trust and safety team. 

As you will see the rest of your discussion is left entirely and you can continue to discuss this in general here. 

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Duane4]

@Lizzie so if I remove my name the video is ok? I just looked at it in a incognito window. I didn't know it had a name with it or I would have posted it differently to begin with.

[Jess78]

For the record, I am not of the mindset that I think that a booking company like Airbnb really has much power to prevent or remediate these types of situations— i do think hosts are landlords and with that comes all the potential downsides of being a landlord that you have to protect yourself against. What I object to in Duane’s type of circumstance is that Airbnb writes on its website that check guests’ background when possible, AND that they collect a security deposit, AND that they have a customer service team trained to deal promptly with safety matters. My problem is that they do none of these things, so they misrepresent their service and lie to hosts to give them a false sense of security— one that probably cannot exist... but they want you to use their service so they coat it in glitter. I also object to CS agents that repeatedly act against hosts blindly and stupidly without understanding the case. 

[Duane4]

@Jess78 s

so you understand. I'm not really expecting ABB to prevent this. My opinion is these people are criminals. I agree with you also that ABB does none of the things they claim they do. Yet new hosts expect vetted guests showing up when that's just a fantasy at best and they misrepresent what they provide to hosts.

I’m agreeing that in this circumstance ABB is next to useless. I’m certain I’m going to be acted against by AirBNB. The people that do support don't live in the USA and they didn't grow up with our laws. They are at best phone answering professionals that know nothing of running a business. None of the support people have had to put up with what I went though as a host. They are CLUELESS and not professionals. A professional would be someone with  special and demonstratable knowledge, they make it obvoius they do not know the law every time I speak with them. I've even caught them in outright lies.

The other problem is a guest comes to your house and commits a crime. In this case there is without a doubt the crime of Theft of Services. They still get to leave you a review if you push that they committed a crime. This is how ABB really messes with hosts. Then ABB will tell you when this criminal leaves a review after stealing from you they will not remove the 1 star review the criminal left in the interest of trust and transparency because that’s the experience the CRIMINAL had at the listing.

What kind of trust is that. So now hosts are afraid of being not only stolen from but also getting a bad review after they have been the victim of a CRIMINAL.

As someone said, I think it was you. It’s a very poorly ran company with little children in the C-suite.

Someone is going to end up getting killed over this kind of stuff before it's over. Then ABB will say, its not our fault when it's their terms of service that foster this kind of stuff.