Aduchamp1

http://gizmodo.com/5934731/prostitut...t-into-brothel

Here is the latest, hookers were using airbnb apartment as brothel.

Who knows this can help Airbnb.

nukesafe

Well, at least they didn't trash the place. The good thing for the owner is that under Airbnb rules the whole rental fee is paid up front, then held for 24 hours after check in by Airbnb, for protection of the renter. Then, if the place matches the description, the whole amount for the rental is paid to the owner.

He got paid in full, and the place probably smelled like the proverbial French whorehouse. A good airing should get rid of the perfume, but I would wash those sheet REALLY well!

nukesafe

That should have been --- "sheets", plural. But on further thought I think I'd get new sheets ---- and perhaps a new mattress as well.

Repaint the place?

easytraveler

"Airbnb, the online marketplace for listing and booking short-term housing accommodations, has been on a roll lately: In June it hit 10 million nights booked,...

It noted guests from 174 different countries around the world, including guests from far-off locales like Zimbabwe and Nepal...

Two-thirds of guests were from outside the United States, and speak more than 30 different languages, including Japanese, Arabic, Bengali, Punjabi, Tagalog, Finnish, and Sign Language.>"

http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/10/air...international/

People like to knock success. Although airbnb has a long ways to go to catch all those hotel rooms that are rented out for one night stands/prostitution/drug exchanges, etc.

airbnb rooms in big cities vary all over the map, but the ones in the country/smaller cities are great places. There are castles to rent, private islands, treehouses, boats, or even offers to allow people to pitch their tent in the back yard. Breakfast may or may not be included, but the chance to meet with local people and to talk to them is something that no hotel can ever provide on the level that airbnb can.

raegar53

Booked via airbnb and it was a total scam. paid rental price + "protection fee" and later found I had "no reservation" on their site. Booked through their site. Wrote Customer service several times and failed to get timely responses. Wrote head of customer service dept.; no response. Received numerous emails stating my reservation was complete then nada. I would never trust them to book anything. The day after I booked, the property was expunged from their website. They did not want to even see all the emails confirming the res that I had from them. They are sorry but not responsible. Whatever, see you in court.

easytraveler

raegar53 has a total of three posts on three airbnb threads and all three slam airbnb. Could it be that he works for a rival company?

I have used airbnb abroad as well as here in the States. I would say that about 80% of my experiences have been very good to fantastic. The other 20% of the time, the hosts were really odd - not threatening, just odd. Maybe I got to them on off days, as I tend to do a ton of research before actually booking. In one case, it was overseas and could have just been a language miscommunications. Most of my overseas reservations aren't through airbnb, as there are plenty of other local sources for booking a room.

As for airbnb itself, it's fairly new and it has been working out the kinks slowly.

Anyhoos, from my experiences, just about everything in raegar's post rings false. There is no "protection fee" (makes it sound like airbnb is in league with the mafia!). Some hosts do ask for a "security deposit". I've always had my security deposits refunded. And why not? I try to be a good guest and leave as little a footprint as possible when departing in order to make it easy for the host to clean up.

It cuts both ways. The host can be just as anxious about some unknown stranger descending on them. I have met some absolutely fabulous hosts and they're the ones who encourage me to keep on using airbnb.

Linda_HogePattison

Airbnb is a great travel source! We stayed at the Sante Fe in Bend, OR and was very nice, friendly hosts. We have also listed our home in Sierra vista, AZ. We have heard that some do not offer the breakfast as they should. The company is insured and guests and renters are checked. You can see facility pics and chat with the owners once selected. You can check all the details on the site before you rent or list. A great adventure! Price vary a lot. LHP

nukesafe

"-- do not offer the breakfast as they should." That is just plain wrong! There is no obligation for Airbnb hosts to provide breakfast. The "bnb" part of the agency name is an unfortunate blunder, as breakfast is not provided in most of the properties. Of all the places we have stayed we have never been provided with more than a token of coffee and a roll. At the minimal prices most Airbnb hosts charge, to expect the hotel services of a true B&B is absurd.

We rent our private guest room through Airbnb, and do leave a container of orange juice in the fridge, and some home made pumpkin nut bread on the dresser, but never breakfast.

We did have a note from one misinformed guest who had to catch a 06:30 ferry to the San Juan Islands in the morning, asking, "When will you serve breakfast?" We informed him very politely that he had rented a room, not a full service hotel, and that he could get breakfast on the ferry while we were still in our warm bed.

JLeeW

I do not recommend using Airbnb at all. I recently tried then for the first time and I had a terrible experience.
The room was misrepresented on the site. The closets did not open, the tv was broken, and the room smelled very strongly of cat urine.
After I arrived, I told the renter that I would be leaving the next day and I asked for a refund for the remainder of my reservation.
When I contacted Airbnb, first they told me that I would be refunded for two, not three nights, and I was later told that I would be refunded for one. Finally, they told me I would not be refunded at all.
I asked the renter again and let her know that the room was misrepresented, unclean and much too expensive for what it ended up being ($90 per night).
One owner called me and was very confrontational and then the the Airbnb rep called and told me that my reservation was forfeited and that I had to leave immediately.
I arrived on a late flight, so at this point it was 1 am and the owner forced me out the room that I had paid for! The Airbnb rep hung up the phone when I asked for assistance and they never contacted me again.
So- no room, no refund. I strongly suggest that you do not use Airbnb! I filed a complaint with the BBB and I really don't think Airbnb should be in business if it's practices are unregulated and unethical.

easytraveler

JLeeW is a first time poster with only one post - this one.

'Nuf said about these one-time posters who come in and slam airbnb.

Well, I've just wasted almost a whole day talking with people whose accents I can't figure because my iMAC on Windows has an impossible problem. NONE of the airbnb hosts that I've met have given me this amount of trouble! LOL!

As for the breakfast/no breakfast thing, it all depends on the hosts. Recently, at one place, we were given fabulous breakfasts - one morning the hostess made us each an individual egg frittata, then we had a big bowl of fruit, and we had pancakes if we wanted them. Plus, of course, a small glass of juice and limitless coffee/tea. Yet at another place, they had the bar area laid out for breakfast, but there was nothing in the refrigerator, not even a bottle of water.

If you want breakfast but are unsure, you can always write the host first before booking.

Honestly, if you don't like airbnb, don't use their services! As with everything else, caveat emptor. The more research you do, the better your choice will work out.

nytraveler

I don't know about unethical - since we only know one side of the story. But I think that unregulated is absolutely correct. These services aren't except by local laws dealing with fraud, etc. Not regulated as hotels are.

Nomad007

I used Airbnb several times in the past for a couple nights only, but this time I made a huge mistake to book a "mint studio/no deposit" in London without seeing it first for one month! I paid $2600 and when I tried to cancel it due to some health issues and the location, Airbnb refunded only $41 and treats it like a monthly rental even though it is advertised as nightly on Airbnb, and I simply foolishly paid for one month!
All hotels and bnbs around the world will refund your money minus one night if for whatever reason you do not show up, or do not like it, or have some health issues. NOT AIRBNB! Once they grab your money, it is theirs to keep!
I am in touch with an attorney, my credit card company and will report them to BBB if they refuse to refund my money (I did not even check in!)
It might be OK to use them for a couple nights as it is not a big deal to lose money for a few days, but they treat a long term reservation the same way and refuse to refund it! BEWARE WHEN YOU BOOK WITH AIRBNB! Their practices are not regulated like hotels. Book at your own risk as the rooms are often NOT what they are on the photo, often hosts lie about distances from metros, tube stations, etc. I experienced all of the above myself firsthand! I would NOT recommend using Airbnb unless the money you pay for short-term is not an issue and you do not mind losing it. Treat it as gambling not as a hotel/ BnB stay.

nukesafe

Really sorry you had a bad experience, Noma. How much notice did you give when you cancelled? Did you check the cancellation policy the owner has chosen for the property?

We rent our private guest room through Airbnb, and when we signed up there were three cancellation policies we could adopt. "Flexible", allows a full refund if notice is given one day before arrival, except for fees. "Moderate", allows you to cancel five days before arrival and get a full refund, except for fees. The "Strict" policy means you can cancel a week before your scheduled arrival and get a 50% refund, except for fees, of course.

Looks to me that you must have cancelled at the last minute. I'm sorry for your illness, but the owner had taken his place off the market for the whole month you planned on being there. He might be able to rent it, but possibly not.

As this thread has said many times, check the details very thoroughly before you book any apartment through whatever agency. That includes the cancellation policy.

nytraveler

I am not a fan of AirBnB - but if you booked it for a whole month I can;t inagine that a 24 hour notification would get you a refund - for whatever reason (unless the place didn't exist).

They took it off the market - and who knows when/how they will be able to rerent - so a strict no refund policy makes sense. (If you rented an apartment and payed in advance typically you can't just cancel at the last moment. this is not like a hotel with a number of rooms to sell and guests moving in and out constantly.)

For any lodging you must read the cancellation policy carefully - since many places - including most apartments and many resorts - require much more than 24 hour notice to receive a refund for a lengthy stay.

nukesafe

BTW, Noma, didn't you have trip insurance? You didn't list where you live in your first post on this Forum, but if I were spending big bucks on airfare and renting an apartment, I certainly would protect myself with insurance. Particularly if I had health issues.

I'm also curious about you wanting to cancel because of the location. How was that a problem? Could you give us a link to the property, so we can see what their cancellation policy was?

nytraveler

Oh - and hotels policies are not "regulated". Every hotel has whatever policy it chooses - and you need to read, understand an abide by them. But naturally they will not be the same as renting an apartment for a month.

Agree that health issues should be covered by travel insurance.

And unless they lied about the location of the apartment - not sure how location could get you a refund.

mimi89

for NUKESAFE - sorry if this is off-topic! I'm interested in using airb&b to rent out a basement apartment in my home but wonder what kind of insurance I would need in case the paying guest has an accident while on my premises. Do you have any insurance for such an eventuality, & if so, what type? (I don't think homeowners insurance would cover a paying guest rather than just an ordinary visitor.) Thanks for any advice.

nytraveler

You need to check with your specific homeowners or renters insurance - but I believe most policies require a special rider if you want to cover subleters (which is what this would be).

nukesafe

I can't answer your question, Mimi. I just assumed that the "Umbrella" policy on my homeowner's policy would cover such an instance. Now you have me worried, and I will ask my insurance agent. I'll let you know what she says.

nytraveler

Assuming you have the standard $100,000 liability insurance policy that cover invited guests and other there on legitimate business (hired workmen or mailman or someone else delivering something you ordered).

Many policies do not include other tenants in this type of liability - for them or for you (based on damage they may do). A friend of mine sublet her apartment for 6 months and had to buy a rider to her policy - since the person was a tenant - and not a guest at that point.

But you have to check with your carrier.