Post by Inanna (Shaun) on Jul 20, 2016 3:50:49 GMT
So, over in my Chicago hosts Facebook group, several hosts this week have posted reservation inquiries that were pretty sketchy. We all get them sometime, but this was a sort of a blizzard of the exact same kind of inquiry.
First off, what are the red flag inquiries for any experienced host?
New account, profile not filled out, local person. No reviews.
Ridiculous or threatening profile pic (or none at all, of course)
and most certainly, tone.
"hi. I want to book your place. Is it available?" Decline.
"your place having parking?" Decline.
"I want a home away from home your place looks nice." Decline.
Or all of the above as a reservation request with no note.
Several hosts this week posted their reservation requests in the group and they were all alike, the kind of requests you just have to decline. Now, I'm in Chicago too and I have gotten maybe four inquiries like this a year, so it isn't really common. Then as of last weekend, everyone was getting them. (Not me because I don't have any open rooms due to moving.)
I have a theory and I hope I am wrong, because this could be very bad for Airbnb.
All of the requests were Demanding. In the profile pictures, the people looked angry, stoned, strung out or were making ridiculous faces and hand motions. They were all locals with no profile details.
Last week was a week of long overdue, justified political protest over how black people have been mistreated. For the record, I fully support the BLM and I am from Dallas, where I know the police to be a very progressive force with a black police chief involved in community policing and a lesbian Latina sheriff, so that was awful also.
So, what I fear this blizzard of unacceptable reservation requests was was that some incompetent activists were doing activism to show how white hosts decline them. Yes, all the requests were from black people. But from the tone and pictures and red flags, there is no way any host would have accepted them.
People in in the group were very upset and I suggested that they put their screen shots together in an email and send it to Airbnb because if these hosts, who aren't being racist, but just experienced hosts, are being targeted by people to prove racism, but in this unfair way, then, well, it's a big waste of everyone's time and causes a lot of unnecessary anger at a time when we all need to be more understanding.
what do you think?
This is a very uncomfortable issue, and hard to get right when writing about, so please feel free to delete this post or make it private if it is offensive.
First off, what are the red flag inquiries for any experienced host?
New account, profile not filled out, local person. No reviews.
Ridiculous or threatening profile pic (or none at all, of course)
and most certainly, tone.
"hi. I want to book your place. Is it available?" Decline.
"your place having parking?" Decline.
"I want a home away from home your place looks nice." Decline.
Or all of the above as a reservation request with no note.
Several hosts this week posted their reservation requests in the group and they were all alike, the kind of requests you just have to decline. Now, I'm in Chicago too and I have gotten maybe four inquiries like this a year, so it isn't really common. Then as of last weekend, everyone was getting them. (Not me because I don't have any open rooms due to moving.)
I have a theory and I hope I am wrong, because this could be very bad for Airbnb.
All of the requests were Demanding. In the profile pictures, the people looked angry, stoned, strung out or were making ridiculous faces and hand motions. They were all locals with no profile details.
Last week was a week of long overdue, justified political protest over how black people have been mistreated. For the record, I fully support the BLM and I am from Dallas, where I know the police to be a very progressive force with a black police chief involved in community policing and a lesbian Latina sheriff, so that was awful also.
So, what I fear this blizzard of unacceptable reservation requests was was that some incompetent activists were doing activism to show how white hosts decline them. Yes, all the requests were from black people. But from the tone and pictures and red flags, there is no way any host would have accepted them.
People in in the group were very upset and I suggested that they put their screen shots together in an email and send it to Airbnb because if these hosts, who aren't being racist, but just experienced hosts, are being targeted by people to prove racism, but in this unfair way, then, well, it's a big waste of everyone's time and causes a lot of unnecessary anger at a time when we all need to be more understanding.
what do you think?
This is a very uncomfortable issue, and hard to get right when writing about, so please feel free to delete this post or make it private if it is offensive.
