Interesting, but maybe a different guy. Probably related though. Shyam Goel is the guy in the Vice article. But otherwise there are so many similarities, I'm guessing they have to be either related or the same person. The only reason I think it might be a relative is because Arun has up a realistic looking profile pic for himself, and Shyam has always been honest with his own pic on his actual profiles. I bet Arun is his brother or something, pulling the same scam in Jersey.
https://www.wired.com/story/how-airb...-law-imploded/
beyond which, they have now committed to 'verifying' every property they rent to crack down on bait and switch / problem renters.
things are not going great for airbnb.
"Birds born in a cage think flying is an illness." - Alejandro Jodorowsky
"America is not so much a nightmare as a non-dream. The American non-dream is precisely a move to wipe the dream out of existence. The dream is a spontaneous happening and therefore dangerous to a control system set up by the non-dreamers." -- William S. Burroughs
CEO was all over CNBC Europe (I’m sure it’s the same USA feed) today and covered a lot of the issues.
It’s all a big misunderstanding.
All jokes aside his comments were impressive. He seems to get the issues and I think this has probably scared him into spending some capital and some growth for long term viability, or that’s the impression I got.
The business model of Airbnb is flawed in some ways, and there's no easy fix.
Scammers can take advantage of the model because of the entire "he said / she said" situation surrounding each rental.
Problem guests can falsely claim the property was substandard or maintenance issues weren't fixed, and attempt to get undeserved refunds. Problem landlords can falsify damage they claim the guests perpetrated, and also can do this bait-and-switch routine by claiming that the property the guest purchased has "maintenance issues".
Even if they stop the bait-and-switch thing, they still have a major issue involving figuring out whether the guest or the landlord is at fault in each complaint situation.
This is especially difficult when the guest complains first, and then the landlord responds with their own complaints. That's what has led them to simply outsource customer support, with instructions to lean toward a King Solomon "partial refund" solution to every problem. This, again, allows scammers to prosper.
There isn't an easy fix to this, because indeed people renting houses or other multi-room properties are more likely to have parties and/or cause damage than hotel renters, and landlords participating in something like Airbnb are often shady themselves.
Note that the landlord/tenant disputes go back hundreds of years, but that's why we have courts of law to deal with these situations, and with Airbnb these complaints are adjudicated by third world monkeys with a script in front of them.
It's important to note that regulations for industries like taxis and hotels came to be for a reason, and nowdays we have so-called tech geniuses who think they're smarter than generations before them, and we can simply throw all that out the window and save everyone money. Turns out it doesn't always work that way.
people made the same complaints about ebay, basically. eventually ebay adopted a ratings system and most transactions by a huge margin are looked upon favorably by both parties.
airbnb has exactly one real potential problem; regulation. the customer service stuff is just growing pains. but the 'short term rental' bans are a fucking silver dagger through the heart of their business model.
i expect things wont go too badly for them on that front because i literally dont know anyone who uses hotels anymore, everyone airbnbs. we've all seen stupider things happen but the risk that the government would get involved in a broader sense seems fadeable.
"Birds born in a cage think flying is an illness." - Alejandro Jodorowsky
"America is not so much a nightmare as a non-dream. The American non-dream is precisely a move to wipe the dream out of existence. The dream is a spontaneous happening and therefore dangerous to a control system set up by the non-dreamers." -- William S. Burroughs
lets simmer it down there male menopause
True, but eBay is a simpler matter, because it involves one item per transaction.
The item was either received or it wasn't received. The item was either as-described or not as-described.
Sure, they have to resolve disputes, but it's relatively simple compared to the complex world of short-term rentals.
I guess we will see what happens.
I was on AirBnB when it actually meant Airbed and Breakfast. The whole thing kinda sucks now, tbh, especially in Europe. I will only stay at Hotels now after 2 AirBnbs in a row with incredibly inconvenient check in procedures leaving me stranded for several hours waiting for "owners"(now just agents) to come fix the issue.
If I want a large place, I'll go with VRBO.
vrbos great but airbnb when ur in hawaii is way better than staying at those shitty waikiki hotels that were built in the 70s
its called the ritz carlton residences fkn dork
Last edited by Krypt; 11-06-2019 at 09:06 PM.
ive never used one but im considering building out a lux detached residence and basically going toe to toe with chateau marmont for the coveted wealthy drug addict screenwriter market. so im doing a lot of homework.
but yeah honestly your point resonates. if it doesnt have keyless entry and infinite 5 star reviews, id fuck with a hotel in a heartbeat. but that said, im considering a relocation soon and was eyeing airbnb as long term rental solution, eg 1-3 months, and its hard to beat the monthly rates im seeing.
"Birds born in a cage think flying is an illness." - Alejandro Jodorowsky
"America is not so much a nightmare as a non-dream. The American non-dream is precisely a move to wipe the dream out of existence. The dream is a spontaneous happening and therefore dangerous to a control system set up by the non-dreamers." -- William S. Burroughs
tine is literally planning to squat at an airbnb
This is what AirBnB got for their $5m campaign budget:
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