Hidden Camera

[Kevin-s0]

There has been an accusation that there is a hidden camera in one of our suites . Without any proof, Airbnb suspended one of my listings.

Guilty until proven innocent.

i host in Japan.

I immediately had a good idea of who had done this. It was a couple who had initially been reluctant to give us the information we need to host as a legal guest house. Then she complained that she had been verbally  harrassed due to racism  at the local supermarket and in the city. I’m also a visible minority here but it rarely happens to me, and never directly. Maybe a few times in 30 years but not twice in one week. So I was suspicious. She is  a little  paranoid maybe.

She mentioned that she complained to Airbnb about another guest house with a hidden camera in another part of Japan.

So ours is the second one she has suspected and reported.

 I was having a good day, we had survived the recent typhoon, the guests and guest houses had too, and I was greeted by a message from Airbnb support saying my one listing had been suspended because someone suspected we had a hidden camera.

I suppose it is possible, but highly unlikely.

I feel that either myself ir my staff would have noticed.  I also feel that suspending our account without any proof is very unfair.

Be warned, that for all the props Airbnb will tell you, how much they value you etc. that when there is a mere whiff of controversy you are guilty until you can prove yourself innocent.

It doesn’t matter that you are a superhost with three listings who kept your guests safe in the recent Katrina like storm, nor that you have hosted thousands of guests over the past few years successfully.

One such unproven accusation can get your account suspended.

I get a phone call tomorrow from support. I suppose this is where I plead my case. How do you prove that something you are accused of having doesn’t exist? I have told Airbnb that they can come and check out the suite anytime.

I hope I can get back to business soon.

[Kevin-s0]

I am the OP. We are back in business!!!! Yay! I got a phone call from support and convinced him based on the guests own comments that there is no hidden camera. The guest wrote to me saying she was not sure. She also mentioned that she had reported another unit in Japan. So this is a regular thing for her. Sadly, I feel she needs help.

i feel this was simply an act of revenge because of a somewhat negative review of the guests that I had written. It was difficult to get the required information from them, we need in Japan, so I mentioned this in my review.

To be Proactive:

I am going to regularly sweep all units electronically to keep guests and our business safe. And to have ammunition in case an unsubstantiated accusation like this happens again. “We just did our own sweep and found no cameras.”

I was ready to make a video proving we are safe, but now we don’t have to.

What I find very disturbing is how quickly Airbnb was willing to shut us down. You too are vulnerable. It just takes one guest.

I will continue with Airbnb, but I plan to host with

Booking.com, Homeaway and others as well.

[Sarah977]

@Kevin-s0  Yes, any accusation of undisclosed cameras, racial or gender or disability discrimination, bedbugs, rodent infestation, or sexual harrasment will cause a listing to be immediately suspended without prior investigation. They don't even bother to look at the guest's past history of accusations, or the host's history of satisfied guests. Savvy and vindictive guests know this and use it to "get even". 

I'm glad you had a speedy and successful outcome, not all hosts are so lucky.

[Kevin-s0]

Maybe that’s why hosts write so few negative reviews.