AirBNB, WTF!?!

[+ Lance_Navarro]

My AirBNB account hasn't been working since shortly after I opened my account. The messages I send don't get replied to and when I try to "Instant Book" I get an error message. I called them 2 weeks ago and they said they would reply within 24 hours, after 4 days of not hearing anything I called again and they said they would elevate my issue to high priority. I finally received an email this morning letting me know that my account has been cancelled according to their terms of service and they will not provide me any information as to why. I have since heard from other sex workers that AirBNB has done this to many. I don't know how they could even make the connection since I use my birth name and a different email address, but it's the only reason I can think that they aren't allowing me to use the site. Also, my partner's account hasn't been working either, and he isn't in the biz. Has anyone else had this experience? I was hoping to book something on AirBNB for my upcoming trip to WeHo, but I guess it will be an overpriced hotel again. I'm so frustrated!

[seaboy4hire]

Maybe they googled your phone number?

 

Hugs,

Greg

[+ Lance_Navarro]

Maybe they googled your phone number?

 

Hugs,

Greg

 

I use a Google voice number for my work, different from my regular #

[rvwnsd]

Hmm...very strange. I have heard from two friends who rented their places out through AirBNB that they are a pretty shitty company to deal with. This pretty much confirms it.

[MrMattBig]

Ugh, that sucks. They must have found a little information about you. Sometimes they are able to do this by having access to your phone. Not sure if this will help but try Kinkbnb, it is supposed to be sex worker friendly. Or if you are looking for something similar to Airbnb try Flipkey, VRBO, or Homeaway. A lot of hosts from Airbnb list their places on there as well.

[marylander1940]

Ugh, that sucks. They must have found a little information about you. Sometimes they are able to do this by having access to your phone. Not sure if this will help but try Kinkbnb, it is supposed to be sex worker friendly. Or if you are looking for something similar to Airbnb try Flipkey, VRBO, or Homeaway. A lot of hosts from Airbnb list their places on there as well.

 

But how?

 

The OP seems to be cautious and discreet (full name instead of alias, different number and email)

 

Maybe the guy who handle his application on Airbnb is a member of the forum or knows about Lance because he has a crash on him?

[maninsoma]

Or maybe someone who lives in a building in which Lance previously rented an apartment recognized him and reported it to AirBnB.

[mike carey]

As AirBnB won't say why they cancelled Lance's membership, we can only speculate. It's a presumption, but only that, that it was related to commercial use of the properties he might have hired, or that it was a more specific knowledge or suspicion as to what he might do. If I were sure it was related to Lance's gay escorting activities I would advocate boycotting AirBnB, but not only am I not sure, I really don't know at all. How they found, or suspected him to be in breach of their TOS, we'll never know. I can see the positive role the sharing economy plays in democratising things like accommodation and travel, but the companies facilitating these services need to be more transparent in how they operate.

[bobchitown]

Lance, did you ever successfully rent through them? Is it possible that a host picked up on some activity and reported it? It could also be that you sent a booking request through and the potential host recognized you and reported it. Seems rather slimy of them.

 

Adding to the sites suggested, you can also try misterbnb.

[samhexum]

Anl Airbnb host is finally getting help from the company after a college student rented her property and caused nearly $20,000 in damage.

 

Chelsey McGovern said it was a nightmare she been dealing with since Feb. 2.

 

“I should have listened to the red flags that were going up,” McGovern said. “It was a single male, needing a place for one night and was wondering how early he could get in there.”

 

McGovern said, on that night, she called police multiple times after learning that the renter was throwing a big party with hundreds of guests.

 

“Every time I called police, I called Airbnb because I didn’t know what to do,” McGovern said. “Eventually, they told me that I needed photographic evidence that there were more than 50 people at the house.”

 

The home, in the 200 block of West Wildwood Drive, is just four houses down from McGovern’s property. She has video footage of several youngsters going in and out of the home.

 

After it was all over, she learned the destruction caused by partygoers resulted in $18,868.

 

“He peed on the bed,” McGovern said. “It looked like they were just smashing Jello shots against the wall. They were putting out their cigarette and marijuana joints on the walls. They broke furniture. The floor was just sticky with this stuff called jungle juice. It was bad.”

 

McGovern has homeowner’s insurance, but it didn’t cover the type of damage that was done to her property. She turned to Airbnb, which offers a $1 Million Host Guarantee. The company said most cases are resolved within a week of submission, depending on the severity of the case.

 

Though McGovern said it seems her calls fell on deaf ears, the company finally responded to her with an apology in the following statement, which was released Tuesday:

 

“Our original handling of this case did not meet the high standards we set for ourselves and we apologize to our host for the delay; the host is receiving our full support under the $1 Million Host Guarantee program. We have zero tolerance for disruptive behavior and permanently banned this guest from our platform, and have reached out to law enforcement to offer our assistance with their investigation. There have been over 300 million guest arrivals in Airbnb listings to date and negative incidents are extremely rare.”