Comments on: Incredibly Rude Host, Perhaps Because I’m a Senior?

By: Carol Shih

Carol Shih — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 22:18:29 +0000

I decided to close my Airbnb homeshare as the more I experienced the Airbnb process, the more risky I realized it was. My home is my one great asset – if it’s trashed I am screwed. In addition, new city licensing fees and insurance costs no longer make it worth the cost to host strangers who may possibly have phony profiles or illegal or criminal backgrounds. (And for this reason, I would never STAY in an Airbnb, either — not to say that good ones don’t exist, but you don’t know anything about the host and reviews are rarely very honest — on either side). I opened my home in July 2015 in the guileless and sincere way so many new hosts do, and closed it in 2017 with new mistrust for Airbnb policies and people in general. As a homeowner renting out rooms in my private home it was too nerve-wracking wondering whether a new guest would try to steal something and I didn’t want to plant cameras in my home (as many hosts do). I didn’t like the way Airbnb enforced “Instant Book” and how you could no longer exercise the freedom to use common sense to decline unsavory guests. It was a great learning experience and I’m glad I did it, met some wonderful people and some weird ones, but I would never do it again. It’s the kind of business that suits people who can rent out entire apartments, and attracts hosts who have nothing to lose because they don’t own their own property anyway.

By: Alysa

Alysa — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 09:07:14 +0000

In reply to Ellen N.. completely agree

By: AirbnbThrowawayX

AirbnbThrowawayX — Sun, 16 Jul 2017 05:33:52 +0000

Airbnb DOESN’T CHARGE the security deposit UNLESS you trash the place and the host goes through the tedious process of claiming it. Jesus Christ do you people even bother typing a word into the help center????

By: Carol Shih

Carol Shih — Sat, 15 Jul 2017 07:30:31 +0000

I also sent this guest a link to an Airbnb listing that was miles closer to where her daughter was, half the cost, and available with Instant Book.after trying briefly to explain how risky using Airbnb is.

By: Carol Shih

Carol Shih — Sat, 15 Jul 2017 02:51:50 +0000

Airbnb says itself in tiny print on one of their help pages that GUESTS SHOULD CARRY TRAVELER’S or RENTER’S insurance or w/e its called.

By: Jenna

Jenna — Sat, 15 Jul 2017 02:04:35 +0000

I disagree, Steve. A person can do THOUSANDS of dollars worth of damage so while it may seem excessive, Carol is entitled to protect herself from having her home trashed. I probably wouldn’t have paid it either, but I would have understood her point of view and not started picking reasons to call her a bigot.

Anyone who doesn’t like exorbitant-sounding deposits would do well to consider a MOTEL.

By: carol shih

carol shih — Sat, 15 Jul 2017 01:13:38 +0000

And btw, you should know by now that Airbnb’s are NOT HOTELS.

By: carol shih

carol shih — Sat, 15 Jul 2017 01:11:49 +0000

Steve exemplifies the kind of uneducated airbnb user I would dread hosting. Steve I recommend actually LEARNING how security deposits work on Airbnb before you book anywhere, or try starting your own Airbnb without one.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 20:05:11 +0000

Wow Carol sounds like a jerk and shouldn’t be playing hotel. $1500 for a 1 night stay in a $90 room is wildly ridiculous and unethical.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 15:44:31 +0000

I have stayed with this host countless times and can vouch for her kindness, hospitality and professionalism. She makes great coffee and is an extremely witty conversationalist. No one knows Seattle so well, either. One thing about Carol is that she does not suffer fools. Perhaps that is the problem?