

Why I won't be using airbnb again - robk
http://romerotron3000.com/a-renters-perspective-on-the-bad-of-airbnb

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paulhauggis
This is one example. Airbnb isn't actually renting the place out to you (the
landlord is).

They discourage 2-way communication because what will end up happening is that
the user will try to make a deal outside of Airbnb, get screwed, and then come
crying to Airbnb for recourse (and it will make them look bad and discourage
future customers).

They also want to keep their clients.

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jeinhorn
'paulhauggis' is dead-on re: why the policy is set the way it is. However, I
think the key takeaway is the lack of customer service, not the service
itself. Nobody likes being told their stupid, and nobody likes being ripped
off.

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briandear
Sounds almost exactly like finding apartments in New York. I especially love
the 2 bedroom part. In NYC, they love to make 1 bedrooms into 2 by putting up
a bookshelf or a temporary wall. I've been going through the apartment hunting
nonsense, including using Airbnb and it's been a nightmare. On Airbnb, you
can't just "book," it seems like it requires an exchange of messages before
you can get a "yes."

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robk
I understand their need to preserve revenue but it seems rather heavy handed
to discourage 2-way communication so much.

