Airbnb has said that it intends to verify every single property on its platform by the end of next year.
Following the scam report from a news website and the recent shooting in an Airbnb rental in California, the company is working to ensure that its customers do not lose trust in it. The Chief Executive of Airbnb, Brian Chesky said in a series of tweets that the company is in the business of trust. “Airbnb is making the necessary moves in designing trust on its platform since its original design in 2008,” Chesky wrote.
Sometime in October, a news website reported that Airbnb had a pattern of false property listings posted on its site. During the investigation, the news website reached out to many people who had booked accommodation on Airbnb but were scammed. The report revealed that sometimes when guests get to the accommodation they had booked online, the landlord would call saying that the property was no longer available. The excuse was either an emergency or double-booking.
The guest would then be taken to another property which often lacked the amenities listed in the original booking and was located in a different area. Left with little or no option, the guest who in most cases arrive at the lodge late at night would have to spend at least one night at the accommodation provided for them. But they never got a refund from Airbnb.
In the light of this, Airbnb has promised that all guests whose accommodation does not meet accuracy standards would get a refund if the company is unable to find another property that is of the same standard as the original booking.
The company also pledged to verify every listing on its platform by December 2020, reviewing both the home and host. It also said that it is launching a phone line for its customers so that people can call at any time and from anywhere in the world to make inquiries and lay their complaints. Airbnb says it would ban “party houses” in all of its rented accommodation after a shooting occurred recently at one of its rented homes in California.
