Post by High Priestess on Mar 4, 2019 5:08:05 GMT
One of the things that makes a lot of hosts very uncomfortable, is to hear yet another story of an Airbnb host whose account has been terminated by Airbnb without any explanation.
In this case, the host knew the reason for the termination and/or was given an explanation. What caused the termination? A completely false, defamatory statement made in a public review by that host's Airbnb guest, one that was not only false but demonstrably false. Did Airbnb investigate the guests' assertions, and ask for the hosts' side of the story? Apparently not. They simply believed the guest's false statement at face value.
But this case didn't end like so many other cases. The host fought back, and sued the guest in small claims court. She won handily, and the judge's comments show he was upset by what occurred.
Quite possibly the host will go on and sue Airbnb, because what they did to this host could be viewed in the legal system as egregious and negligent. Her Airbnb income was her only income...which is the case with a good many hosts. It's unconscionable that they should terminate her account without even bothering to ask her side of the story.
As one host explained ... there is a deeper problem revealed here. WHich is that if this guest had privately contacted Airbnb and made the false statement, without having put the false statement in a public review, the host would never have known why she was terminated, and would have no recourse.
The new EU rules codified in the GDPR make it illegal for Airbnb to terminate the account of a host covered by the GDPR rules, eg those in Europe. Really this law should pertain in the US as well. In US law, there is what's called a "Tort" and one of those torts is "tortious interference with business". THis is what happens when someone ruins someone else's business in a careless or negligent way...something that I think could be argued in a case like this.
In the US, when an employer fires an employee, the employee has recourse, and can sue for wrongful termination. Yet Airbnb can essentially "Fire" hosts, and they have no recourse. THeir messages fall on deaf ears, there is no appeal process. This is wrong. They should be given an explanation, and there should be an appeal process. That is only just.
In this case, the host knew the reason for the termination and/or was given an explanation. What caused the termination? A completely false, defamatory statement made in a public review by that host's Airbnb guest, one that was not only false but demonstrably false. Did Airbnb investigate the guests' assertions, and ask for the hosts' side of the story? Apparently not. They simply believed the guest's false statement at face value.
But this case didn't end like so many other cases. The host fought back, and sued the guest in small claims court. She won handily, and the judge's comments show he was upset by what occurred.
Quite possibly the host will go on and sue Airbnb, because what they did to this host could be viewed in the legal system as egregious and negligent. Her Airbnb income was her only income...which is the case with a good many hosts. It's unconscionable that they should terminate her account without even bothering to ask her side of the story.
As one host explained ... there is a deeper problem revealed here. WHich is that if this guest had privately contacted Airbnb and made the false statement, without having put the false statement in a public review, the host would never have known why she was terminated, and would have no recourse.
The new EU rules codified in the GDPR make it illegal for Airbnb to terminate the account of a host covered by the GDPR rules, eg those in Europe. Really this law should pertain in the US as well. In US law, there is what's called a "Tort" and one of those torts is "tortious interference with business". THis is what happens when someone ruins someone else's business in a careless or negligent way...something that I think could be argued in a case like this.
In the US, when an employer fires an employee, the employee has recourse, and can sue for wrongful termination. Yet Airbnb can essentially "Fire" hosts, and they have no recourse. THeir messages fall on deaf ears, there is no appeal process. This is wrong. They should be given an explanation, and there should be an appeal process. That is only just.