Alternatively, tightly controls the communication between host and traveler, disallowing the exchange of personal contact information until the point in which a reservation is already confirmed and paid for. I am encouraged to take certain precautions, and I have the ability to do so by gaining quick access to the email addresses, phone numbers, and other identifying information of the person(s) I am communicating with, all of which can be researched and at least somewhat verified by means of basic internet searches. And therein lies the fundamental, though not immediately apparent, difference: on Craigslist, I am warned loudly and repeatedly that use of the site is at my own risk. Yet now I ask myself this: for what, exactly, did I pay a service fee to ? What did I get in exchange for my 20-something dollars? What was the advantage of using this service over Craigslist, which is free? Ironically ’s site states “the promise of our site is that it is entirely transparent” when in reality, it is not. Airbnb, in effect, is vouching for the renter. She explains (convincingly) how Craigslist is actually safer because they warn people of the risks. It makes me sick to my stomach to think now of these emails.ĮJ also explains how Airbnb’s policies of not letting people know who they’re renting to until the last moment makes a situation like this more likely to happen. telling me how much he/she was enjoying my beautiful apartment bathed in sunlight, how much he/she particularly loved the “little loft area” upstairs… with an “lol” closing one sentence, just for good measure. The creepiest part of this is that the renter was sending cheerful emails during the week’s rampage:Īll the while, Dj Pattrson was sending me friendly emails, thanking me for being such a great host, for respecting his/her privacy….
#TWITTER TRAPPED IN A CLOSET MOMENT FREE#
Whoever these people were, they were living large and having one hell of a time for an entire week inside my home, unwatched, unchecked, free to do whatever destruction they wished. Various pairs of my gloves were strewn about – leather, dishwashing and otherwise – I imagine in a weak attempt to cover up fingerprints. The death-like smell emanating from the bathroom was frightening (and still is) and the bathroom sink was caked with a crusty yellow substance. Comet Cleanser was dumped everywhere the kitchen counters, wood furniture, my gorgeous new bed frame, my desk, my printer… all were doused in powdered bleach. The kitchen was a disaster – the sink piled high with filthy dishes, pots and pans burnt out and ruined. Yet they were stupid and careless enough to leave the flue closed dirty gray ash now covered every surface inside. Despite the heat wave, they used my fireplace and multiple Duraflame logs to reduce mounds of stuff (my stuff?) to ash – including, I believe, the missing set of guest sheets I left carefully folded for their comfort. They found my coupons for Bed Bath & Beyond and used the discount, along with my Mastercard, to shop online. They rifled through all my drawers, wore my shoes and clothes, and left my clothing crumpled up in a pile of wet, mildewing towels on the closet floor. They found my birth certificate and social security card, which I believe they photocopied – using the printer/copier I kindly left out for my guests’ use. They took my camera, my iPod, an old laptop, and my external backup drive filled with photos, journals… my entire life. They smashed a hole through a locked closet door, and found the passport, cash, credit card and grandmother’s jewelry I had hidden inside. Walls were cut through to get to locked valuables, including her grandmother’s jewelry. The facts: Last month “EJ” wrote a long blog post about how a renter spent an entire week carefully robbing and trashing her home. It turns out that when something like this happens, Airbnb isn’t financially responsible. Airbnb’s response so far has been tepid at best. But now the story of a trusting Airbnb user who’s had her home sacked (it’s the only way to describe it) is starting to spread. And they’re now a part of the billion dollar valuation club. They’ve been cloned by the Germans, which is always a mark of success. The company launched in 2008 and has grown rapidly. Until now everything has been just great for Airbnb, a service that lets people rent out their homes and become a sort of mini-hotel.
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