Airbnb to verify listings after investigation uncovered scams

Thursday, 07 Nov, 2019 0

Airbnb claims it will verify every single one of its advertised properties after a news website found a series of scams.

In October, Vice News claimed to have uncovered a pattern of false or misleading property listings on Airbnb.

Now Airbnb says all properties will be reviewed by December 2020.

It has also promised to refund customers if they are misled by inaccurate listings.

The Vice News investigation found several guests had received last minute phone calls from landlords claiming the properties they had booked weren’t available due to an emergency or double-booking. They were moved to another property, sometimes in a different area and without the promised amenities.

The guests claimed Airbnb refused to give them a full refund despite the misleading listings.

In a series of tweets, Airbnb chief executive Brian Chesky said: "Airbnb is in the business of trust. We are making the most significant steps in designing trust on our platform since our original design in 2008.

"We are introducing the Airbnb Guest Guarantee. Starting on 12/15/19, if a guest checks into a listing and it doesn’t meet our accuracy standards, we will rebook them into a listing that is just as nice — and if we can’t, they will get 100% of their money back."

He said Airbnb would review every property and aim to verify every listing by December 2020. Guests will also be provided with a phone number to call Airbnb 24/7 from anywhere in the world.

Linsey McNeill

Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk

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