Airbnb Horror Story Points to Need for Precautions

[summer]

www.nytimes.com/2015/08/15/your-money/airbnb-horror-story-points-to-need-for-precautions.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0

in the evening of July 4, Micaela Giles’s mobile phone started sounding alerts, and a series of messages straight out of a horror movie began scrolling down her screen.



Her 19-year-old son told her that his Airbnb host in Madrid had locked him in the fourth-floor apartment where he was supposed to be staying and removed the key. The host was still there, he said, rattling knives around in the kitchen drawer and pressing him to submit to a sexual act. He begged his mother for help.



When she called Airbnb, its employees would not give her the address and would not call the police. Instead, they gave her a number for the Madrid police and told her to ask the police to call the company for the address. But the number led to a recording in Spanish that kept disconnecting her, she said, and when she repeatedly called back her Airbnb contact, the calls went straight to voice mail.




According to her son, Jacob Lopez, he was sexually assaulted that night. Eventually, he persuaded his host to free him. He returned home to Massachusetts and is in trauma therapy.



His host, who was born male but is living as a woman, denied Mr. Lopez’s accusations. She denied threatening him and said that the sex act was consensual and that he is transphobic. If she is right, filing a false police report and telling the story publicly would be an unlikely way to bury a regrettable experience.



But the central question here is for Airbnb: Just how much responsibility is it willing to assume for the safety of its customers? It refers to them as guests and promotes its security measures and hospitality. But its employees made a choice here that a hotel might not make in similar circumstances. Rather than sending someone to check on Mr. Lopez, Airbnb put the onus on his mother to make that happen.



Airbnb, Uber and their ilk have managed to get people to refer to them as pioneers of something called the sharing economy, a neat trick given that they are in the business of renting out rooms and charging for rides.




What they do share, however, is risk. As I’ve pointed out in previous columns, insurance companies aren’t always fond of everyday individuals running inns out of their apartments and driving people around for money. And an Airbnb listing may not mention the dog that will try to chew off your arm if you get too close, as I chronicled in April.



Still, logic and decency would suggest that when you’re in danger, as Mr. Lopez claimed to be, Airbnb would come to your rescue. And in the wake of this episode, Airbnb said on Friday that it was clarifying its policies to make sure that its employees know to always call the police when someone reports an emergency in progress.



Mr. Lopez found himself in Madrid in the first place because he had such a great experience with Brazilian Airbnb hosts in 2014. His Madrid host told him to meet her at a subway exit near her residence.



When they arrived at her apartment and she locked them in, he said, she repeatedly tried to kiss him. He rebuffed her, and then she ordered him to take off his pants unless he wanted to sleep in the streets without his belongings, he said. As these events unfolded, he began messaging his mother, though by the time his mother realized that Airbnb would not give her his address and that she had to get it from him, he said, his host had cut off Internet access.




His host, meanwhile, began rattling around in the kitchen drawers, and Mr. Lopez said he feared that she had a weapon and concluded that the choice to leave was not a real one. After the sexual assault, it was not clear whether she would let him go, he said, and he began looking around for something that he could use to hurt her so that he could escape.



“I was telling myself that I was going to have to kill her or she was going to kill me,” he said. “Thoughts that should never have to go through anyone’s mind started to come into mine. How are you going to live with yourself the rest of your life knowing that you killed someone? But if you don’t, then you won’t have a life.”



He chose not to try to fight his way out and eventually concocted a story about plans he’d made to meet friends nearby. Those friends knew where he was staying, he told his host, and they would come for him or call the police if he did not meet them. This scared her enough that she let him leave with his belongings.



Mr. Lopez’s description of the episode, which he gave to me in a three-hour interview at his family’s home, matches the one he gave in his police report. The Madrid police would not comment on the investigation, though his host said that they had already visited her and that she expected to be exonerated.




According to Airbnb, this was a unique situation on a weekend when 800,000 people were staying worldwide with an Airbnb host. A number of the company’s safety procedures came into conflict. On one hand, Airbnb wants sexual assault victims to be able to decide for themselves when, how or if to report a crime. On the other, the company wants to report crimes in progress when customers are in danger and will turn over information quickly if the police request it.



In this instance, Airbnb’s employees believed that the assault had already taken place, according to Nick Papas, a company spokesman. Ms. Giles said she warned of an imminent assault when she first called but later, after hearing from her son, told the company that it had already happened.



“We realize we can learn a lot from this incident and we can do better,” Mr. Papas said by email. “We are clarifying our policies so that our team will always contact law enforcement if we are made aware of an emergency situation in progress. Safety is our No. 1 priority, and we want to get our hosts and guests as much help as possible.”



This brings their policies closer to what a hotel might do in a similar situation. At Starwood hotels, which include the Westin and Sheraton brands, hotel operators often get requests from third parties to look in on a guest. According to a company spokeswoman, K.C. Kavanagh, the hotel does not tell the caller whether a guest is staying there but does immediately send security or other staff to investigate. “If we reach the person, we let them know they should contact the concerned loved one,” she said.



A spokesman for HomeAway, another short-term rental company, declined to comment about its policies in such situations.



Mr. Lopez’s family had a few suggestions for other Airbnb travelers. The guest and a family member or friend should always have the host’s address easily accessible. Make sure your phone has international service and that you know how to call the local emergency number; Mr. Lopez did not realize his phone would allow him to call and said he would have been scared to speak out loud into the phone in any event. Also, a few details on his host’s profile did not match her Facebook page. In retrospect, he wishes he had been more suspicious, even though he said that she had good reviews on Airbnb. The listing has been removed.



Cindy Southworth, an executive vice president of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, who serves on an advisory board for Airbnb, suggested a question that travelers should ask. “Is there a deadbolt that only I can turn,” like the locks and latches in hotel rooms. It’s probably also worth asking — or at least looking — to see if a host or someone else could lock you in.



The company’s clarification of its policy, meanwhile, should help, too. “I’m so proud of Jacob’s courage,” his mother said. “And as a family we’re thrilled about the change.”

[wise_rita]

I'm getting supremely bored with these "OMG UNSAFE" articles about the new sharing economy. Yes, there's risk. Yes, insurance coverage can be called into question. But my GOD, people, the sky is not falling here! There is "danger" whenever anybody steps outside their front door.

Ways of doing things changes, tastes change and someone will always be there to cater to those tastes. Quit acting like any change is scary and life threatening. And quit adding the tiny footnote "millions and millions on transactions go perfectly smoothly" and then rail on about this ONE bizarre-ass case that is alleged this and alleged that, that probably involved a shit ton of cocaine to begin with.

Signed,
Laying in my Airbnb bed as I type, enjoying the free ("free") wifi.

[ttt]

This story is horrific but I don't understand why the son couldn't tell her the address himself?

[ttt]

Aug 16, 2015 14:26:44 GMT -5 1234FIF! said:

I've never used it, just hasn't worked out for me and I can get the friends and family rate for Marriott properties, but I would never want to rent a room in a place with a stranger in another country. I want the whole place.

Me neither. I've used AirBNB a couple of times but they were for longer-term stays (4+ weeks) where a hotel would be too expensive but an actual apartment rental isn't possible. Both times it's worked out well - one time, exceptionally well and I still stay in touch with our host. 

[ttt]

Aug 16, 2015 17:32:22 GMT -5 @koko said:

Why do I feel like if it was a woman reporting being raped by a male landlord, we wouldn't be making snide ass quips about there being "tons of cocaine involved"?

Uber had men calling female passengers without their consent. And more than one report of rape. So yeah, they had some shit they needed to fix and they probably never would have if the media hasn't thrown it into the spotlight. Couching this in "There's danger when you step outside the house!!" is some lazy ass justification.

Agreed. Saying "well things are risky" does not absolve the company of the responsibility to do better and make things safer for their customers. Because Airbnb takes a significant cut from every booking so yes, these people *are* customers.

[katietornado]

I'm 32 and staying in an AirBNB place for the foreseeable future. A month before I checked in, I sent my parents and husband every detail of my stay, including confirmation #, address, names and phone numbers of landlords, etc. WTF was this kid doing traveling in Madrid alone without anyone knowing where he was?

I realize this isn't entirely the point, but come on.

[ESF]

Aug 16, 2015 14:19:55 GMT -5 ttt said:

This story is horrific but I don't understand why the son couldn't tell her the address himself?

He may not have had it memorized. he may have thought his mother had it. He may have only had a few seconds to place the call before his assailant attacked. The connection could have been bad. His mother could have been in a place where she could not write it down, like in a moving car and/or without a pen and paper, and figured she could call Air BnB.  

Or perhaps neither of them thought he needed to tell her the address because they didn't think Air B&B would be so ridiculous.  He probably said, "mom, call AirBnB now and have them send the police here" as both figured that giving AirBnB a name would be enough. 

[RoxMonster]

Yeah, sure, there are inherent risks in a lot of activities, but that doesn't make this OK or justifiable. AirBnB did not react appropriately here. They should not have put this on the mom to try and figure out his address, etc. It said in the article that by the time she realized she couldn't get the address, the host had cut off his Internet, so he couldn't text it to his mom.

AirBnB should be held accountable for their actions here. And by that I mean, called on it, change their ways, etc. It may be ONE instance, but it's one too many. Sure, they and other companies like them, such as VRBO, Homeaway, etc., cannot possibly guarantee that EVERY single host that rents through them is on the up-and-up, but they CAN be responsible for how they handle calls such as the one from this man's mom.

[AJL]

He was sexually assaulted, y'all. What is wrong with some of you?

Yes, sure you weigh your risks and options in every decision you make but when choosing accommodations organized and managed by an internationally known company, I doubt not one person genuinely thinks, "Hmm...what does AirBnB's policy dictate if I'm to be sexually assaulted by a host?"

This young man's ASSAULT is not his fault because he accepted the risks of staying with an AirBnB host. This young man's trauma is not his fault because he didn't know the address to his location off the top of his head (and if you've been through a trauma, you're likely to forget a lot of important details) It's not his fault at all!

AirBnb's protocols grossly mismanaged the situation. Stop blaming this young man for what happened to him.

[ESF]

Aug 16, 2015 14:14:38 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

I'm getting supremely bored with these "OMG UNSAFE" articles about the new sharing economy. Yes, there's risk. Yes, insurance coverage can be called into question. But my GOD, people, the sky is not falling here! There is "danger" whenever anybody steps outside their front door.

Ways of doing things changes, tastes change and someone will always be there to cater to those tastes. Quit acting like any change is scary and life threatening. And quit adding the tiny footnote "millions and millions on transactions go perfectly smoothly" and then rail on about this ONE bizarre-ass case that is alleged this and alleged that, that probably involved a shit ton of cocaine to begin with.

Signed,
Laying in my Airbnb bed as I type, enjoying the free ("free") wifi.

I completely disagree.

You are really missing the point here.

People are concerned about this new economy not because of a couple sensational stories, but because of what they signal they point to an emerging shift in corporate responsibility and this country's regulatory scheme. Certainly, I think their innovation should be applauded, but let's not pretend it doesn't come at a cost. There are absolutely some disconcerting takeaways from how these businesses have decided to operate, and these issues absolutely need to be discussed.

It doesn't matter that these are one-off nightmares amidst thousands of successful transactions. These stories inform the public of the risks of these transactions.  They change behavior, in that the might make some people decide that the traditional economy with its regulatory and legal protections, is superior.  They might make people elect to go the riskier route, but change their behavior in how they interact with those companies and service providers to do more to take responsibility for their safety since they know the company will not.  They help businesses who play by the rule by helping demonstrate that corner-cutting isn't always worth it.     Sweeping these horror stories under the rug is going to result in damage to businesses who play by the rules.  

These are all necessary discussions and I really take issue with your dismissal of these concerns as hyperbolic bullshit.

And don't even get me started on your second to last sentence.  

[AJL]

Aug 16, 2015 14:14:38 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

I'm getting supremely bored with these "OMG UNSAFE" articles about the new sharing economy. Yes, there's risk. Yes, insurance coverage can be called into question. But my GOD, people, the sky is not falling here! There is "danger" whenever anybody steps outside their front door.

Ways of doing things changes, tastes change and someone will always be there to cater to those tastes. Quit acting like any change is scary and life threatening. And quit adding the tiny footnote "millions and millions on transactions go perfectly smoothly" and then rail on about this ONE bizarre-ass case that is alleged this and alleged that, that probably involved a shit ton of cocaine to begin with.

Signed,
Laying in my Airbnb bed as I type, enjoying the free ("free") wifi

That's a dick thing to say.

[Deleted]

I will say I'm not the best at telling my parents the details of my travels. I should be better about this. I remember having a distinct thought when I was in Semongkong Lesotho, literally in the middle of nowhere that if something happened to me, I'm sure it'd take weeks for my parents to figure out where I was. So this is a good reminder as I'm traveling overseas in a few weeks.

Anyway, I think AirBnB's response was completely inappropriate and they need better systems in place to deal with safety. Couch surfing and the like isn't a new concept but if they're going to be a company with policies in place and making a profit they need to have their shit together.

[tictac]

Aug 16, 2015 14:14:38 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

And quit adding the tiny footnote "millions and millions on transactions go perfectly smoothly" and then rail on about this ONE bizarre-ass case that is alleged this and alleged that, that probably involved a shit ton of cocaine to begin with.

[NewOrleans]

Aug 16, 2015 14:14:38 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

I'm getting supremely bored with these "OMG UNSAFE" articles about the new sharing economy. Yes, there's risk. Yes, insurance coverage can be called into question. But my GOD, people, the sky is not falling here! There is "danger" whenever anybody steps outside their front door.

Ways of doing things changes, tastes change and someone will always be there to cater to those tastes. Quit acting like any change is scary and life threatening. And quit adding the tiny footnote "millions and millions on transactions go perfectly smoothly" and then rail on about this ONE bizarre-ass case that is alleged this and alleged that, that probably involved a shit ton of cocaine to begin with.

Signed,
Laying in my Airbnb bed as I type, enjoying the free ("free") wifi.

[secretlyevil]

Seriously, this kid was sexually assaulted and all some of you can muster is outrage AirBNB is under scrutiny? Wow, just wow.

ETA: Victim blaming, if this was a woman would the outrage for the company still be there?

Something needs to change. Like an emergency contact or something o file so airbnb gives information.

[vanillacourage]

Is the criticism of Airbnb that they didn't a) call the police on the young man's behalf, B) tell the mom the address, or c) both?

[AJL]

Aug 16, 2015 22:02:18 GMT -5 vanillacourage said:

Is the criticism of Airbnb that they didn't a) call the police on the young man's behalf, B) tell the mom the address, or c) both?

Both would be my criticism of AirBnB.

[vanillacourage]

Aug 16, 2015 22:04:19 GMT -5 AJL said:

Aug 16, 2015 22:02:18 GMT -5 vanillacourage said:

Is the criticism of Airbnb that they didn't a) call the police on the young man's behalf, B) tell the mom the address, or c) both?

Both would be my criticism of AirBnB.

Hmmm. Airbnb absolutely, positively should have called local police and conveyed the address and the emergency. But given that they have no way to confirm the mom's identity I don't know if they're wrong to not have given out the address. 

Although, it's obviously very specific to know he was a customer and the general details of his reservation, and not have it be a real scenario.  I was trying to play devil's advocate, like what if a domestic abuser or stalker called up Airbnb posing as a family member of their target and Airbnb gave out their exact location at that moment. But I guess it would be unusual to know someone was an Airbnb customer on that night of all nights and be able to take advantage. 

[kwynn]

I'm a small business owner, and on the one hand, I love stuff like Air BnB and Uber. It lets people run their own (sort of) small business. It creates opportunity and jobs in America.

On the other hand, as a small business, I hate how legally gray all of this stuff is. A company is super happy to take your money, giving it the air of legitimacy. They take a big cut and it sort of mentally gives the seller and buyer peace of mind - hey, this has to be legal - a big national company is in charge.

You'd never get in a random unlicensed car on the street - you'd never stay with a random person online in an unlicensed rooming house. Yet that's what these companies are. My township would fine me immediately if I used my house as an unlicensed hotel.

And this whole thing, on the whole, leads to ppl cobbling together 3-4 income sources, all non-traditional, all that take up WAY more time than they actually think of $-wise - rather than have security and safety of a traditional job with benefits.

I say this as someone that does run a licensed, legit business.

There is no help with these companies - you are basically taking a risk. That's not okay when they are accepting money!

[nsuhomer]

I'm going on a girls weekend soon, and we are using AirBnB for my first time. This is a good reminder to leave all my info with my H.

I am absolutely horrified this happened to this young man, and at AirBnB's response.

[ttt]

Aug 16, 2015 22:02:18 GMT -5 vanillacourage said:

Is the criticism of Airbnb that they didn't a) call the police on the young man's behalf, B) tell the mom the address, or c) both?

Both, but mostly a. If I am running a hotel, and someone calls me to tell me that a guest is being assaulted in room 508, I'm going to call the police myself and have them go there to check it out. If I own a rental property and I get that call, I'd do the same. I don't see why Airbnb shouldn't be held to the same standards. 

Telling the mom the address is the LEAST they should have done. 

[ESF]

Aug 16, 2015 22:15:07 GMT -5 kwynn said:

I'm a small business owner, and on the one hand, I love stuff like Air BnB and Uber. It lets people run their own (sort of) small business. It creates opportunity and jobs in America.

On the other hand, as a small business, I hate how legally gray all of this stuff is. A company is super happy to take your money, giving it the air of legitimacy. They take a big cut and it sort of mentally gives the seller and buyer peace of mind - hey, this has to be legal - a big national company is in charge.

You'd never get in a random unlicensed car on the street - you'd never stay with a random person online in an unlicensed rooming house. Yet that's what these companies are. My township would fine me immediately if I used my house as an unlicensed hotel.

And this whole thing, on the whole, leads to ppl cobbling together 3-4 income sources, all non-traditional, all that take up WAY more time than they actually think of $-wise - rather than have security and safety of a traditional job with benefits.

I say this as someone that does run a licensed, legit business.

There is no help with these companies - you are basically taking a risk. That's not okay when they are accepting money!

This is exactly what I was getting it. It's just not fair to companies playing by the rules.

That's not to say these new companies all need to be shut down. Just that more information about their models and practices is better.

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2015 22:15:07 GMT -5 kwynn said:

I'm a small business owner, and on the one hand, I love stuff like Air BnB and Uber. It lets people run their own (sort of) small business. It creates opportunity and jobs in America.

On the other hand, as a small business, I hate how legally gray all of this stuff is. A company is super happy to take your money, giving it the air of legitimacy. They take a big cut and it sort of mentally gives the seller and buyer peace of mind - hey, this has to be legal - a big national company is in charge.

You'd never get in a random unlicensed car on the street - you'd never stay with a random person online in an unlicensed rooming house. Yet that's what these companies are. My township would fine me immediately if I used my house as an unlicensed hotel.

And this whole thing, on the whole, leads to ppl cobbling together 3-4 income sources, all non-traditional, all that take up WAY more time than they actually think of $-wise - rather than have security and safety of a traditional job with benefits.

I say this as someone that does run a licensed, legit business.

There is no help with these companies - you are basically taking a risk. That's not okay when they are accepting money!

Actually these businesses like airbnb and uber are thriving because people have for many years gotten in to unlicensed random cars and done things like couch surfing with random people.

Maybe it's just an urban thing, but "hack cabs" which are essentially random people driving people around have been a thing since I was young. And with the emergence of the Internet couch surfing became really popular.

So the whole omg safety thing does get old when these type of things have been going on for many years. But like I said above if you're a business making a profit you need to have proper protocols in place and I think airbnb messed up on this one. There is no reason they couldn't call the police and follow up.

[summer]

I just don"t understand not calling the police here. Why wouldn't they? Whether it's happening, has happened, about to happen, call the police if someone asks you to.

[eclaires]

Aug 17, 2015 5:20:10 GMT -5 summer said:

I just don"t understand not calling the police here. Why wouldn't they? Whether it's happening, has happened, about to happen, call the police if someone asks you to.

Yep. And then it's on the police if they go and think nothing is amiss. It's not their call to make; seems pretty obvious to me that you call the police and let them - in theory, the experts - decide what is going on.

[iammalcolmx]

I am perplexed by the person who didn't call the damn police.

[ttt]

Aug 17, 2015 5:20:10 GMT -5 summer said:

I just don"t understand not calling the police here. Why wouldn't they? Whether it's happening, has happened, about to happen, call the police if someone asks you to.

I really think the people at Airbnb just couldn't be bothered.Maybe they didn't believe her or take it seriously, but I think they just didn't want to make the effort.