from Hacker News

Airbnb: A fan legally constitutes an air conditioner

by forgotmyacc on 9/10/19, 1:20 AM with 50 comments

• by RcouF1uZ4gsC on 9/10/19, 2:18 AM

  There is a saying that goes something like: when you play with snakes, don't be surprised if you get bitten.

  When you book AirBnb vs a hotel you are signalling that you value cost over predictability and oversight. Those hotel fees and regulations are there for a reason. With AirBnb, one of the reasons they can offer stuff cheaply is that they are arbitraging regulation and oversight.

  If you really need to work, book a hotel that serves business clients.

  I view this complaint in the same manner I view people who book travel on RyanAir and complain about poor service. The whole point of RyanAir is about seeing how much misery people will tolerate in exchange for a cheap airfare.

• by mc32 on 9/10/19, 2:01 AM

  So apparently it had A/C in bedrooms but not other areas. Host suggested leaving doors open and having a fan redirect air from bedroom(s) to living area. Looks like guests were looking to work while on a trip, so wanted and expected A/C throughout.

  I can see both sides. On the one hand it did have A/C —just not central A/C. On the other hand it was (they claim 100F) and were trying to “work from home.” On the other hand it was $60/night equivalent...

  It’s kinda borderline. What would judge Judy decide? Split the diff?

• by Twirrim on 9/10/19, 2:05 AM

  As is ever the case, dig in deeper and oh look we see the apartment did have A/C as advertised.

  https://old.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/d1i53n/its_10...

• by bkohlmann on 9/10/19, 3:26 AM

  On the other hand, when an act of god occurs, airbnb holds the host completely responsible.

  My wife and I own an airbnb (with a/c!). At midnight one evening, the a/c went out due to a mechanical failure. The temperature in the texas heat rose to 80 degrees in our condo. Our guests called us to complain.

  We couldnt find any techs at that time of night (and at 1am we tried!), but had one come in at 8am the next morning - and it was fixed by 10am.

  The guests asked for a refund from airbnb based on breach of contract...and airbnb agreed, saying our unit did not match what we had advertised. No matter that we've had over 600 very positive reviews in the past 5 years.

  Maybe we owed the guests a refund despite trying to solve the issue as best we could. But seeing the internal inconsistency of this article angers me (our unit does have two ceiling fans!)

• by Thorentis on 9/10/19, 2:18 AM

  This is intentionally misleading. Sure, "legally" it might be accurate , but is that what a customer would be expecting if a listing says the accommodation has air conditioning? AirBnB should provide accurate representations of accommodation, regardless of the legal definition. The listings are not legal documents - they exist to inform customers what they will be getting for their money. And if AirBnB knowingly misleads customers (despite adhering to legal definitions) then they could (in some countries) be liable under consumer protection laws.

• by bdowling on 9/10/19, 3:25 AM

  From the Airbnb message: > “This is the last that can be said on the subject.”

  Why would a customer service representative be allowed to write something so smarmy and condescending?

• by bastard_op on 9/10/19, 3:24 AM

  My first and last experience with AirBnB was a lack of AC, fan, or anything in a very hot, humid home rental in Santa Monica last year for a month straight during an abnormally hot (go figure) summer. I had to find/invest in as large a box fan I could find, which I left for the next poor bastard.

  Never again. My fault? Perhaps, but still, never again. Thanks for the memories AirBnB.

• by nojvek on 9/10/19, 4:01 AM

  AirBnB is a monopoly in an unregulated market. It can do whatever it pleases with little recourse. What are you going to do? Leave. Great, some other sucker will take the bait.

  In an unregulated market, they make whatever rules make them the most profit. I quit AirBnb 3 years ago when a $400/night place in NY clearly engaged in false advertisement by stating the wrong room size. It had pungent smell and generally was a hell hole. AirBnB would not refund. That’s the last I ever made a booking to AirBnB.

  I really hope governments step up their game and bring some sanity. AirBnB as a monopoly is wrecking havoc to many cities. It’s like a virus.

• by wpdev_63 on 9/10/19, 6:03 AM

  I needed to report an airbnb that was having someone else who's not the host on airbnb site run it. So I was staying in the place with a person that they ran no background check on. They only allow you to make a report from a pre selected list of possible complaints and support wasn't any help. The system was setup to prevent the user from reporting problems that they cannot easily solve.

  Airbnb is just one little step above hopping on craigslist and finding a room.

• by mnm1 on 9/10/19, 9:28 AM

  I had a similar situation with vrbo. The ac was broken and the host installed a makeshift "ac" system that didn't even cool the room it was in. This was in Vegas with temps way above 100. I didn't stay there and they only refunded me 1/3 the cost. I'm waiting for the chargeback to come through.

  Another time in Mexico at the Marriott their "ac" would not go below 73 or so. It was still pretty warm. That time I got fucked.

  Another time I stayed at a holiday inn outside DC with temps well into the 90s. The whole floor had the ac turned off. They said they couldn't turn it on. It was late so we suffered for one night but then hotels.com moved us to another hotel (I had silver membership).

  Another time I stayed at an airbnb in Amsterdam and the ceiling fan was considered ac. It wasn't that hot so that wasn't a big deal and I didn't mind in that case.

  Basically, if you want ac you're taking a big chance staying at an airbnb, vrbo, Marriott, or other hotel. It's a big issue both in and out of the us. There should be regulations. If the temperature can't be regulated to 65 - 68F, sleeping temperatures, then it can't be considered ac. Of course, without regulations it can even if it doesn't actually cool any space down. Scam artists are everywhere.