Stalker Host Keeps up Messages for Weeks

Posted on December 2, 2017

I had a reservation for last week and had stated that I’d try to arrive at the host’s place by the 9:00 PM check-in deadline. I flew instead of driving, so I was on the property at 5:15 PM. I had to request the address several times, but could’ve been late because I was flying. The host was very rude when I called, saying that I wasn’t supposed to arrive until 9:00 PM… I never said that.

The property exterior was really junky: some cats on the porch that I was allergic to. Airbnb was awesome, though, when I had to cancel the reservation. I didn’t say terrible things or write any review; I just went to a hotel and called Airbnb. Now, a week later, I’m getting texts in the middle of the night from the host, ranting long paragraphs about what a terrible person I am. I had to call Airbnb to be sure that the host didn’t get a copy of my driver’s license. I’m happy to know that hosts do not receive that information, because she is still sending the messages today.

Guests Don’t Have Much Respect For Hosts

Posted on August 28, 2017

Airbnb ruined my life in 2015. I had two reservations as a guest, and since 2011 I have had nothing but positive reviews. I began to get stalked by some actors and a producer, as well as online trolls. That wasn’t my fault. After showing up at a host’s apartment, I noticed he gave me the wrong address; none of the neighbours knew him, there was something set up in the area to insult me, and the host didn’t answer the phone. I had to cancel but found two great hosts thereafter. Then my Airbnb account kept getting disabled; I couldn’t reserve any property.

I contacted Airbnb about this and asked politely if this was one of the individuals who had harassed me. Instead of clarifying this, Airbnb just closed my account leaving me stuck looking for accommodation during peak season with all affordable hotels and hostels fully booked. I had to buy a last minute flight and leave the country as I couldn’t find anywhere else to stay.

Recently I have been desperate to find a place to stay, and called Airbnb to see if they could reopen my account. They told me they deleted it permanently so I would lose all my hosts’ positive reviews. Since setting up another account, either the hosts and trolls or Airbnb began to post some extremely disturbing pictures for their properties which have been passed on to the police, USA Housing complaints commission, BBB and various other consumer rights advocacies. In one they had an illustration of a crucified woman naked that looked like me, in another had a room with wall paper that was tin foil with nothing else in the room but a hospital stand and a black condom hanging, and in another they were posting even images of women that resembled me. Another showed a tent in a public park charging $54 per night.

I have been cyberstalked since and left homeless. The police don’t want to help and these harassers have made it almost impossible for me to find a place to stay. There are social network trolls and then there are creeps posting photographs on rental sites the service should just get rid of. I had my account closed down for asking if an actor I detest had any contact with their agency, nothing else. They let creeps host with the most ridiculous rental offers but they often treat guests like crap.

Paranoia: How Easy is it for Stalkers to use Airbnb?

Posted on January 31, 2017

I am writing to you to raise an issue about an Airbnb property rental on August 3rd, 2015. After using their service over many years, I only had positive references from hosts, though I did have some odd situations where I felt I was being stalked but nothing serious enough to have my accounts closed. After I began to get stalked when an incident on Twitter got out of hand, these online trolls began to target me on other websites. I still managed to find two great properties and some nice hosts. After being stalked in public unrelated to Airbnb, one host didn’t show up to meet me and his address was incorrect; I had to ask them to help me find a different place at the last minute. I found some lovely places where the hosts immediately offered me accommodation and they had secure references. Unfortunately because of the individuals stalking me, somebody contacted Airbnb and closed down my account, their excuse being because I asked them who exactly was behind messing with me. I was forced to return to the UK as I couldn’t find alternatives that weren’t Airbnbs or hostels.

I had reserved another place in advance through Airbnb. My account was reopened but after I asked them for clarification through a polite email if a third party had been behind what happened abroad, they canceled my reservation and closed my account permanently with no explanation. My solicitor tried to get them to provide a legal reason, and their response was: “We as Airbnb have the right to cancel anyone’s account without providing a valid explanation.” Since then, we haven’t had any further clarification. It’s been three years and I have been struggling to find another rental. My previous references from people I rented from were on Airbnb, so if I find a property they will ask me to provide a reference from a previous rental. I can’t do this since my account was closed down and I have no access to any of these hosts I rented from. They shouldn’t allow third party individuals or companies to manipulate their organization on whether I can or can’t use their service, or to spy on users. Support guests as much as hosts who are being troubled by online trolls or stalking problems that weren’t their fault.

The consequences of having my rentals closed had an extremely negative effect on my future travel plans in 2015. A guest’s personal possessions are not insured but of course, the host’s are. So if a friend of the host comes along and tries to steal your stuff, it’s gone. For a laugh, the corrupt company has even added a woman to their homepage that resembles me, as a piss take on me. This is how extremely arrogant they are; this wrecked three years of my life. Not only did they cause severe grievances that were a consequence of what happened thereafter, they have been arrogant to use a member as their “theme” on their site, instead of being professional and keeping quiet about what they participated in – discriminant and illegal. They are absolute hypocrites. They don’t seem to have any respect for users’ privacy so I most likely will never be able to use them again.

Somebody had told me a media production might have been stalking me through this rental service. I didn’t think that was possible until I noted recently they have even posted three film directors on their front page that have no relevance to renting. What are they doing? Hiding cameras in people’s bedrooms as part of a snuff film? They are the typical silicon valley “we’re nice hipsters but secretly we’re planing on using you, ruining your life and future plans, and closing all your rentals and accounts. We are millionaires and you’re an insignificant guest; we can do what we want.”

If you look at all the other rental providers, they have struggled to offer nice properties because Airbnb has been hogging all the best available short-term sublets. At least that’s what one rental company told me when I was struggling to find a place: they said they didn’t stand a chance in offering a lot of available places as Airbnb was taking all of them.

So if your account gets unfairly closed down, you need a flexible rental service that doesn’t ask for rental guarantors and other references, if you’re worried about your safety and are in need of finding a rental that shows exactly with whom you’re sharing and that they have been securely verified, there are very few platforms like Airbnb offering those. I tried Spareroom and Gumtree and got messed about by weirdos and trolling kids. I am desperate to find a nice home. The last time I tried to get in touch they refused to reply to my emails. Are there any other similar alternatives for rentals in the EU if not the USA, that show with whom you will be sharing the property, with profiles and verifications?

Airbnb Closed my Account without Cause

Posted on August 2, 2016

I was a member since 2010 with positive reviews from hosts. Last year after being continually cyberstalked by numerous entertainers, their online followers began to harass me through various sites. They started to mess with the hosts on Airbnb and I was struggling to know who to trust to rent. I asked this company if they could bother to protect its users by setting up a private option for guests and hosts to keep their profile pages private. They refused and I began to get cyberstalked. Last year I got one host and these entertainers who messed with me. I made a complaint to Airbnb demanding to know who was behind this; their response was to block my account and refuse to let me rent from hosts that were keen to rent to me.

They ruined my trip last year and my life in general, as I couldn’t find other accommodations and had to come back home. Then my second pre-booked rental was canceled by Airbnb and I struggled once again, which also affected me at university. I had some brilliant hosts but on other occasions I had to deal with: guests’ friends having violent sex in the other room; being bullied at a dorm where I dealt with disturbed staff; one host who only allowed me to sleep there at night and then leave; another host who tried to rip me off twice; and the last one ruined my life by causing Airbnb to cancel my reservations.

They used to be helpful up until these followers not affiliated with Airbnb got involved and wrecked my entire life. What happened as a consequence to them canceling my reservation last year is I’m still struggling to find a home now. Their customer support is terrible and an embarrassment. I found out later that several individuals had been stalking me through Airbnb and with the companies knowledge. They don’t care about their guests; it’s all about the hosts. If you have anything stolen, they won’t be held responsible. If you get stalked online, they won’t make your profile page private. They recently reopened my account, and when I asked about my password settings and who was behind all my cancelations last year, they closed my account again. I have shown their rules and regulations to my lawyer, and he has agreed I didn’t break any of them to the extent I should have my account closed. They’ve become so popular they just snub the people that built them up.