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Comment by jmpman | Hacker News Reader

First Airbnb use, I booked a week just outside a national park. While driving, just before I arrived, the host cancelled, leaving me with an option of cancelling my trip, or a $400/night Best Western. Airbnb should have compensated me for that one. I’ll never use them.

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Airbnb is simply a listing service. If you have a problem, blame the host, not the platform. My advice: book with superhosts or listings with at least 4.5 stars. Maybe you just don't like the idea of vacation rentals in general? If that's the case, go to a hotel instead, but don't advocate taking away this option for everyone else.

I’ve used VRBO. Worked exactly as it should have. My first experience with AirBnB, I ended up spending $1000 more for a single hotel room compared to the cabin I thought I’d rented. Digging in more, the host had dozens of listings, and there was likely fraud involved by the host. I blame AirBnB because they should have detected the fraud and banned the host. Policing their listing service is their responsibility, and them not doing it, impacted me financially, and they didn’t compensate me.

All too common.

Was this something that happened recently amid the pandemic?

No, two summers ago.

Then it's irrelevant to the OP. Just because there's an article about a company doesn't mean the comments need to be filled with random unrelated grievances from years past.

I think it’s relevant that the company doesn’t have as excellent of a track record as people may think.

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