Comments on: Tampa Nightmare: Airbnb Doesn’t Care About Guest Safety

By: Judy Greer

Judy Greer — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 10:46:10 +0000

Feel badly for the bad A BnB experience. Especially since I am a 5 star host in Ybor City.

Guess it’s best to pay attention to all the reviews,,but in your case there were none.

My first guest raved so that he eventually returned and since I have only had 5 stars…imagine that??? In Ybor City.

By: Alysa

Alysa — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 12:14:29 +0000

completely agree with Mark Beard.

By: David Aaron

David Aaron — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 03:29:14 +0000

First of all your post is beautifuly written. Unfortunately if you had done your research before you booked as you did to support your claim

“I submit crime statistics for the neighbor that show the area is 52% more unsafe than any other Tampa neighborhood. No communication from Airbnb”

You would not have booked this particular Airbnb property. Also “safety” is subjective. Recently I stayed in Spanish Harlem and my American friends thought I was crazy. We had an amazing time and never felt unsafe once. I’m sorry you had a bad experience but please don’t right off Airbnb it’s an amazing experience, both as a host and as a traveler.

By: Mark Beard

Mark Beard — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 20:32:41 +0000

I see it this way. You rented a place as cheap as chips. Expecting the best You drive by and shoot glances at the locals in the cheap neighbourhood. Without entering the property you view through your nose you deem it to be undafe for you. You cannot afford a 5 star hotel so you make it Airbnb’s problem. Grow up and take responsibility. Stop having champagne tastes with cool drink income.

By: Jan

Jan — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 20:02:18 +0000

Unfortunately it is ‘Buyer Beware’ when either being a Guest or Host on Airbnb.
Airbnb does not ‘police’ their listings, Hosts or Guests. That is where the biggest problem comes in. Airbnb makes their ‘pitch’ that they are a “full-service, we are there for you” kind of company, but the reality of the matter is they really ARE merely not much more than a Yellow Pages for Hosts & Guests to come together. They have NO idea beyond a ‘listing’ created on their site as to WHAT or WHERE they are renting their homes. And they are proving that they are not ABLE to handle the backlash that this has created.

Same with Guests, they have no REAL information on their Guests – so they verify their phone numbers (and as I responded in another reply – one Guest had the verification number of a local bar in their town. When I complained to Airbnb they responded that if they ‘called the number and was able to speak with the person representing themselves’ then it is considered ‘verified’. And with the FB verification – well, my CAT has a FB page.)

The sharing platform is a beautiful idea – it really is. But I personally think it is out of it’s time. Maybe 50 yrs ago this might have worked. It’s only working now because it is something NEW, but as we all can see – it is quickly unraveling around the edges. Having dealt with housing rentals for the past 20+ years – my company and others in my industry are watching a decline in the overall quality of many people in general. The mentality of folks taking care of properties has been sliding down a slippery slope. And in retaliation we are seeing a surge of ‘slum properties’ being offered as homeowners are just ‘sick & tired’ of having their homes ‘battered’. They are giving up, doing as little as possible and the wheel turns round and round.

Hotels, B&B’s, Real Vacation Properties – most are regulated and a Guest can usually be assured that there will be some sort of standards adhered to – and if not, a Governing Body is usually not very far behind to assist in any wrong doings. Airbnb believes they are above all that and that whatever Joe behind the desk says, goes. And when Joe is finished he shuts down his computer and goes home to have dinner with his family. Catch Joe on a good day and he might make you whole – otherwise if someone pees in his cheerios that morning – you will be the benefactor of how Joe is feeling in the moment.

In closing – save yourself any additional grief. From now on, go to a hotel, B&B or work with one of the more REPUTABLE home listing sites. The ones where the Hosts have to PAY for the privilege of sharing their homes with the world.

Good luck friend~