Post: #101

(09-08-2016 11:14 AM)VincentVinturi Wrote:  Dear Airbnb community,

...Discrimination is the opposite of belonging, and its existence on our platform jeopardizes this core mission....

...In June, we asked Laura Murphy, the former head of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington D.C. Legislative Office (The ACLU are the ones who reversed the original order suspending the Charlottesville demonstration, remember), to review every aspect of the Airbnb platform, and to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to fight bias and discrimination...


...We’re asking everyone to agree to something we’re calling the Airbnb Community Commitment, which says:

We believe that no matter who you are, where you are from, or where you travel, you should be able to belong in the Airbnb community. By joining this community, you commit to treat all fellow members of this community, regardless of race, religion, national origin, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or age, with respect, and without judgment or bias....

Open Doors

We’ll be implementing a new policy called Open Doors. Starting October 1st, if a Guest anywhere in the world feels like they have been discriminated against in violation of our policy – in trying to book a listing, having a booking canceled, or in any other interaction with a host – we will find that Guest a similar place to stay if one is available on Airbnb, or if not, we will find them an alternative accommodation elsewhere. This program will also apply retroactively to any Guest who reported discrimination prior to today. All of these Guests will be offered booking assistance for their next trip....

Anti-bias training

We are working with experts on bias, including Dr. Robert Livingston of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Dr. Peter Glick of Lawrence University, to make anti-bias training available to our community, and will be publicly acknowledging those who complete it.

Sounds like they may have violated their own terms of service by flat out cancelling bookings and accounts of people planning to be in the area the day of the protest, all based on membership in a Facebook group about the event.

Not sure what remedy anyone affected can expect, but I'd be talking to a knowledgeable attorney, and perhaps even to the ACLU given their involvement in reversing the order to kill the event.

Post: #102

(08-06-2017 10:45 AM)zoom Wrote:  Maybe in a few years Airbnb won't have such a monopoly. I hate giving money to them. If I use them then usually I will book the minimum stay, then try to re-negotiate with the host outside of Airbnb.

They don't. VRBO existed 10 years before AirBnb. They're wholly owned by HomeAway now (actually Expedia is the parent) but they were founded by a very conservative Christian. Back in the day VRBO banned ads that mentioned anything "alternative lifestyle" (gay/ LGBT friendly, nude beach, etc).

Post: #103

I get sick of this topic after my article on it (http://www.returnofkings.com/99902/airbn...their-home) but I understand we need to talk about it.

Funny thing is, Airbnb have neither the power nor the inclination to go after violations of the policy in countries that just don't give a fuck.

Can you really imagine Airbnb going full SJW against a Hindu property owner in Maharashtra for refusing access to a Muslim customer?

Or a Chinese property owner in a coastal city for refusing access to a black customer?

Post: #104

It doesn't surprise me. The communal use of property is Communism and SJWs represent the fusion of Communism and international 'no borders - just bridges' capital.

Post: #105

You can still use Airbnb without giving them your money. Many listings are by professional companies nowadays, you'll often find their company name if you click on the profile. Google it, go to their website and book directly with them or for longer stays contact them and negotiate a better rate.

Post: #106

I am thinking about using Airbnb in Tallinn, Estonia. If you rent the whole apartment, do the hosts stay there too?

Post: #107

(10-29-2017 12:42 AM)BlackFriar Wrote:  I am thinking about using Airbnb in Tallinn, Estonia. If you rent the whole apartment, do the hosts stay there too?

If you book the entire apartment, you will be the only one staying there. No hosts in sight. That's the whole point o AirBnb, having a place of your own to bring girls.

Some hosts may be more visible, for example they may bring you breakfast everyday or send an sms in the middle of your stay asking if everything is alright.

Most hosts however try to be as unintrusive as possible, and that's how I like it. They give you the keys and that's the last time you ever see them (normally hosts aren't there at checkout, you just put the keys in the mailbox or something when you leave.

Many hosts won't even be there to give you the keys on your first day. They will hide it somewhere before you check in. Around half of my AirBnb hosts did this, which means I never even met them in person or saw their faces!


**************************************************************


What is the best alternative to AirBnb nowadays?

I have stopped using it not because of SJW, but because of their draconian security measures that annoy me so much.

Now they are doing the "we sent you an sms,please insert your security code" thingy every time I try to log in... to a phone number I don't have access to any longer.

So I can't log in to change the number and they don't give alternative log in verification methods. Don't they know travelers change SIM cards all the time?
Fuck that.

Post: #108

Things are getting even worse.

Airbnb recently decided to make changes regarding the visibility of the profile pictures of their users. In the future, hosts won’t be able to see the photos until a booking has been accepted.

Here’s a quote from the press release:

"Moving forward, rather than displaying a potential guest’s profile photo before the booking is accepted, hosts will receive a guest’s photo in the booking process only after they’ve accepted the booking request.

Airbnb does not require all guests to provide a photo. Instead, we’ll be giving hosts the option to ask their guests to provide a profile photo, which will only be presented to hosts after they accept the booking."

Post: #109

>>What is the best alternative to AirBnb nowadays?

booking.com has some higher end apartments, but what's higher end to locals might not be expensive for an American in places like Bulgaria, where I am now. Foe example, I rented a fabulous apartment in Sofia for $35/night. I haven't used booking.com much outside Spain and Bulgaria yet, but number of listings is growing rapidly. What they lack compared to AirBnb are the low end listings, where you just get a bedroom and share kitchen and bath with the owner.

Rent a few days through booking.com to see if you like the place and trust the owner, then try to work a cash deal offline for discount.

You can also often get good deals with regular hotels for longer stays, if you don't need a kitchen.

>> So I can't log in to change the number and they don't give alternative log in verification methods. Don't they know travelers change SIM cards all the time?

Yeah, I got bit by that too. I was able to get into the website (not the app) using email verification, then change phone number, then wait 14 days (I think it was), then use the new phone number to receive SMS to verify the app. After that, the app continued to have access even when I inserted a new SIM, as long as I didn't change phones. I have two phones (primary, backup in case primary breaks, lost, stolen) and so made sure to get the app verified on both.

Similar issue with Paypal, BTW. Wants to send SMS to my US number for verification but I'm currently in Europe.

Post: #110

^^unhelpful now but set up Google voice and use that as your text verification. Works very well.

Post: #111

(10-27-2018 12:43 PM)The Beast1 Wrote:  ^^unhelpful now but set up Google voice and use that as your text verification. Works very well.

I'm back in the USA now and so set up Google voice. Works great with all my banks (which also sometimes want to send SMS texts for two-factor authorization) but AirBnb blocked the number I chose initially. That was a default area code in Silicon Valley (since no numbers available for my home area code) and I suspected AirBnb was targeting that area code because they knew it was the Google Voice default. So then I paid $10 to get a different number and picked an area code for rural North Dakota (I think it was) and AirBnb also rejected that. Rejection message was cryptic and soy-like: "You can't use that number." Probably if I had sound turned on in my computer there would be a tee-hee-hee laugh accompanying the message.

Post: #112

(09-08-2016 09:47 PM)Leonard D Neubache Wrote:  I knew an older couple who refused to rent their properties (6 month traditional lease) to Pakistani students because you could literally guarantee it would be an utter shit-hole by the time they left, and the bond would nowhere near cover the cleaning and repair costs.

Reminds me of...

I rented a basement and the toilet in the basement was covered in thick grease or some kind of tar. Perhaps it was smeared feces I have no idea. I looked into the medicine cabinet and medicine was leftover: the prescription name was Pakistani or something.

Post: #113

(10-29-2017 06:33 AM)Stallion Wrote:  

(10-29-2017 12:42 AM)BlackFriar Wrote:  I am thinking about using Airbnb in Tallinn, Estonia. If you rent the whole apartment, do the hosts stay there too?

If you book the entire apartment, you will be the only one staying there. No hosts in sight. That's the whole point o AirBnb, having a place of your own to bring girls.

Some hosts may be more visible, for example they may bring you breakfast everyday or send an sms in the middle of your stay asking if everything is alright.

Most hosts however try to be as unintrusive as possible, and that's how I like it. They give you the keys and that's the last time you ever see them (normally hosts aren't there at checkout, you just put the keys in the mailbox or something when you leave.

Many hosts won't even be there to give you the keys on your first day. They will hide it somewhere before you check in. Around half of my AirBnb hosts did this, which means I never even met them in person or saw their faces!


**************************************************************


What is the best alternative to AirBnb nowadays?

I have stopped using it not because of SJW, but because of their draconian security measures that annoy me so much.

Now they are doing the "we sent you an sms,please insert your security code" thingy every time I try to log in... to a phone number I don't have access to any longer.

So I can't log in to change the number and they don't give alternative log in verification methods. Don't they know travelers change SIM cards all the time?
Fuck that.

Yes but the default filters on AirBnB display all room types. Most of the rooms in a lot of places are private rooms in a shared house. Those are extremely risky to rent as a male (especially if there's a female host or female guests in the other rooms). Though if I recall I had to do it 3 times because I was in expensive cities. The weirdest one was the Korean woman who gave me free beer and I think we talked for hours in person. Looking back she probably wanted the D but I don't really want to screw a 50 year old woman.

Post: #114

(08-15-2017 09:22 AM)FlyHigher123 Wrote:  You can still use Airbnb without giving them your money. Many listings are by professional companies nowadays, you'll often find their company name if you click on the profile. Google it, go to their website and book directly with them or for longer stays contact them and negotiate a better rate.

Which technically breaks the ToS of AirBnB if you tell them in person you saw them on AirBnB and they decided to report you to AirBnB (I mean who would do that? But sure enough "I got banned from AirBnB" have said it happened on places like Reddit).

So if anyone follows this advice it's better to claim you saw them off a Google Search.

Post: #115

(08-06-2017 10:40 AM)El Chinito loco Wrote:  I've never used airbnb in the U.S. before but when I read about experiences of people who have and the stories concerning various hosts as well as guests i'd have to say using airbnb in asia is just a way better experience. I've used airbnb a lot and hosts are very hands off for the most part in asia. There's never any drama and prices are reasonable.

People are way more petty in north america these days about everything. I'd be concerned about an overly intrusive host more than anything. There's a lot of neurotic weirdos out there. I'd also never rent a property to randoms on an online service in the U.S. Traditional tenant vetting with credit checks and backgrounds are really the only way to go. This is especially true on the west coast where squatter's rights and other bizarre shit happens with shitheads gaming the system.

There's just far too many degenerates out there in the U.S. thesse days and inconsiderate people trying to get one over. No sense of shared community or moral sense anymore with most.

Personally I don't like the West because the liberal culture has resulted in huge numbers of "shitheads" / "junkies" who are quickly turning the place into Central America (except whiter).

I feel in Asia most of them can't really speak English so even the ones who like to create drama don't want to try it with some Gweilo / Guizi who can't speak their language.

Post: #116

Quote:
Airbnb recently decided to make changes regarding the visibility of the profile pictures of their users. In the future, hosts won’t be able to see the photos until a booking has been accepted.

This would be a great law to troll.

Take it to court, let airbnb win. Make it a precedent.

Force dating websites to apply it, can't see your photo until a date is accepted.

Post: #117

Only getting the photo during the request to book doesn't change a whole lot.. The only change is the "booking without request" guy can't cancel your AirBnB a day before you show because he finally glanced on your profile. And normally that's the kind of host who often leaves the key within a locked container or he lets you book it through security.

Post: #118

(01-07-2019 11:33 PM)T and A Man Wrote:  

Quote:
Airbnb recently decided to make changes regarding the visibility of the profile pictures of their users. In the future, hosts won’t be able to see the photos until a booking has been accepted.

This would be a great law to troll.

Take it to court, let airbnb win. Make it a precedent.

Force dating websites to apply it, can't see your photo until a date is accepted.

There was a British reality TV show that women & men were blindfolded. Practically every women "felled" in love with some guy just based off talking but when the blindfolds eventually went off they hated the guy out of nowhere. And because it's TV they didn't have any guy below a 4.5/10 either.