• @Mr_Blott
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    771 year ago

    Host fees

    They love to make it look like the fees are being charged by anyone except them

    Stop using Airbnb FFS

    • @WhatAmLemmy
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      101 year ago

      I don’t get it. Are you saying these fees are from Airbnb, but made to look like the host? (Apart from the fact this is an obvious bug)

      • @Mr_Blott
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        201 year ago

        I actually work in this industry, looking after properties for owners when they’re not being rented.

        I will not work with Airbnb properties.

        On every single other property rental site, the fee you see is the fee you pay, it includes everything from the booking agent’s percentage to the property owner’s cut of the rental

        Airbnb try to split it up to make it look less, and they can shove their site up their arse.

        Use local rental agencies in the place you’re staying. Cheaper for you and more money for the owner.

        Stop feeding billionaires!

        • @[email protected]
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          91 year ago

          Can you give some pointers on how to find these agencies? People keep using Airbnb because it’s the only one they know (aside from traditional hotels)

          • @Confused_Emus
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            81 year ago

            They key term you want to Google for is “[city name] vacation rentals”. Some alternatives include VRBO, booking.com, FlipKey, HomeStay, 9flats…

            • @Mr_Blott
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              61 year ago

              Yep, they’ll be on the first search page along with Arbnbullshit

              Go to the second, third and fourth pages for the actual local agencies. People who live there and know the area.

              The days of “If it’s not on the first page of Google, I’m not interested” were five years ago. Now the first page or two are paid ads.

              Try Kagi search. New but getting there

              Also, find the area on Maps and search for rental agencies “in this area”

              • @Buddahriffic
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                31 year ago

                Yeah, I’ve got a few different sites that I avoid using that are often high up on searches, but I haven’t had issues just scrolling past them.

                Going with a top result just means your results will be biased towards sites with good SEO. Bad SEO or ignoring it doesn’t mean the product, service, or site will be bad. IMO they could be better because the owner isn’t obsessed with doing everything they can to maximise money.

        • @WhatAmLemmy
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          31 year ago

          Ah, fair enough. That’s actually illegal in many countries because it’s considered false or deceptive advertising.