Airbnb: Run Don't Walk

An airbnb supervisor just told me that "Customer Support died in the 80's. This is Customer Experience".

Noooo...Customer Support did not die. There are plenty of companies that excel at customer service. Drop your coffee at Peets? They hand you a new one, no questions asked - after making certain you're okay.  Problems with an L.L. Bean shipment? They overnight a replacement and arrange for return of the lost package - without charging your card. Lost your Debit Card? Charles Schwab immediately mails a replacement and offer to overnight at no charge.

"Experience" may be how airbnb managers excuse what they're doing, but as a first-time-never-again customer, I see a company that is in failure. Another poster child in the rise and fall of shared economy. They have lost sight of the fact that without a dedicated customer base, they don't have a business. Booking accommodations 3,000 miles away from home is completely different than picking up a used lawnmower. It's not Craig's List, and trying to justify operating as though the two offer an equivalent connection service is foolish, especially when airbnb collects a service fee from the guest for the booking.

When the I booked this apartment in Boston, the host told me the address was 38 Queensberry St. I looked it up on Google Maps, and went okay! This'll work.

Skip one month, a verrryyy long flight from the West Coast, and one Uber, I'm standing outside this very nice complex with my kid and pile of bags. Waiting. Wondering. Where is the host? Where is 38? I can see 36, and 40, but no 38.

After 15 minutes I checked my 1% phone and found a message from the Host instructing me to go a block away to meet "Eddie" at a Pizza Parlor.

We hauled everything down the street, and waited. Eddie shows up and takes us ANOTHER block down to a large apartment complex at 62 Queensberry St. 

It's was about 8:30 at night. Dark.

Eddie talks a fast talk about the apartment having been on Craig's List, and nobody is who they say they are, so when they moved to airbnb they didn't want to lose the good ratings, so they kept the old address, even though it's not right. (Huh?!) But you'll love this place because it's all professionals. Doctors and lawyers.

It's student housing.

When we got into the apartment, I was pretty shocked to see it was only one bed, not two as advertised. Eddie showed me the kitchen saying there was a little hole under the carpet probably from the dishwasher leaking, but they were going to get it fixed and I could use it if I wanted to, though really; you don't want to cook, do you?

FINALLY he left and I pulled back the carpet. The soft area went from wall to cabinet, was about 2 feet wide and punched straight through the subfloor in spots.

There were other soft spots throughout the unit and large holes in the walls:

The shelf in the living area was falling out of the wall. An ancient window AC could barely kick out air through the crust of dust.

The bathroom looked like it hadn't seen a scrub brush or caulking in years, and the door couldn't close.

The sheets were threadbare.  Pillows disgusting.

I told my son to sleep on the coach and I caught a few hours sleep before looking for a hotel the next morning. 

The first two hotels were booked solid because the Dead were playing Fenway Park that weekend. The third had room, but would have to move us three times, and Saturday and Sunday were going to $695 per night. Fortunately the gals at the front desk told me to check out Hotel Buckminster because they always had rooms - and they did! At a reasonable price. (Great hotel!)

We packed up and were out the door by 10:30 am. I contacted the airbnb Host while standing on the street waiting for an Uber to let him know we'd checked out. He asked why, and I sent the pictures.

The next day, while on a school tour, the Host started sending messages telling me I had no right to leave because all that could be fixed in 20 minutes 0_o

I contacted airbnb as soon as we got back to the hotel. I was scared.  I wasn't exactly certain about airbnb procedures, but at this point, it seemed over the top even for the "unstoppable share economy". 

Technically, this was Day 3, but only two nights.

The support folks were wonderful! Totally focused on the right thing: our safety. Discontinue contact with host. You've done everything you can. 

But I was worried. I contacting support multiple times and ended up with TWO case numbers that got joined.  I filed for a refund for the 5 days we didn't stay plus cleaning fee (cause it wasn't) and service fee (because it shouldn't have been).

Of course the host denied my refund. Per airbnb policy, I had to wait 72 hours before requesting help from the Resolution Center. I submitted the paperwork and photos and called. The support rep was wonderful! She was horrified by my experience and assured me it warranted a case worker who would contact me shortly.

William, the case worker, sent me an email days later that succinctly stated the reservation had not been "officially" canceled, and as a result the Host had lost money.

I told William that I HAD contacted airbnb multiple times and not one person mentioned that I needed to "officially" cancel the reservation. That the Host had communicated outside the app when texting my phone directly, and had changed his profile name from Alan to Edward - resulting in ALL the communications within the app being retroactively modified!

William responded that I was still in violation of the 24 hour notification policy, even though there was false advertising, and questioned the location issue, "because nobody else had complained". I sent him the very negative reviews that had posted since I'd booked, and the text message that Alan/Edward/Eddie had sent outside the app which identified the address as 62.

William told me the best he could do is refund the cleaning fee, service fee, and 50% of the nights not stayed because of the 24 hour policy. Regardless of the breach of contract and multiple contacts with airbnb. He refused to provide his last name for "security reasons", and refused to let me speak with a supervisor. 

It's not easy to find a phone number for airbnb. 

1-855-424-7262

The supervisor who lectured me is quite proud of the fact that being a web service they don't have a phone number published on the site.

How was I supposed to contact airbnb the 1st night so they could find another place for us to stay?! 

I will never use airbnb again.

btw - Alan/Edward/Eddie is still a host.

The Value of a Squeaky Wheel and High Client Satisfaction

I recently requested a refund for a productivity app after realizing I was back to my old ways: post-it notes, pads of paper, documents and spreadsheets.

I had high hopes this one would be different - great reviews! Progressive visual paradigm based on research! Access and sync data from multiple devices: iPhone, Windows 8 laptop, and Windows 7 desktop.

I signed up for a free 30-day eval, and purchased a one year subscription after 2 weeks - regardless of all the red flags:

• Rocky Install - The documentation was incorrect. The only reason I was successful was due to educated guesses based on a lot of experience installing software and managing product evals. My feedback to support was brushed off .
• Poorly Accessible Documentation - Local documentation required a separate download, and was formatted as a project. Cute, but time-consuming when trouble-shooting a problem. Other resources available online were equally difficult to wade through: FAQ, blog, and [gag] training videos. 
• Annoying Buzzwords - Instead of a "New To ..." or "First Steps ...", the primary starting point is "Brand X 101 - Onboarding and User Documentation".  Because I was skimming, my first read was "waterboarding". Why would they want to torture me? more so than being subjected to training videos? I had to look up the term because I'd never heard of "onboarding". 
• Quirky [Unintuitive] Interface - Even though there's a nice picture of the Steve Ballmer visiting the office on the About page, with a note that he's the CEO of MicroSoft in case you didn't know, or at least he was...the application is not standard Windows. Among other issues, I got tired of trying to figure out how to change the font size. Not a killer in and of itself, as I've tolerated iTunes for years, but...
• Functionality - This is the clincher. I pictured sharing projects with my husband, but he gave the app a thumbs-down for not supporting drill-down projects. At the time, I thought he was being persnickety. Upon reflection, it is exactly this lack of functionality that led to why I stopped using the system. I was spending more time moving tasks around from project to project, fiddling with "notes", and trying to make logical categories than I was getting shit done.

Because of those "high hopes", it took 4 weeks for me to accept reality and request a refund.

The Product Manager/Co-founder refused to process the refund because the request was made after the 30-day period expired. Instead, he wanted to train me, "to help [me] overcome...and solve the challenges [I] faced".

Support and Client Satisfaction
I know it is hard to make - and keep - happy customers. I've spent many hours discussing the magic of "good" customer support with my husband. We've worked together building products for public safety agencies for over 20 years with four different companies. Public safety is a tough market: budgets are tight, cycles long, and the clients are innately suspicious of bad intentions.

The basic motivation for making happy customers is kind of selfish: happy customers don't need as much support. The time saved can be used developing new functionality and products. Happy customers make referrals to peers and provide good references. Life is good!

But, how do you know whether or not users are "happy"?

Most organizations measure client satisfaction based on "ticket" volume, the total number of calls opened and closed over a period of time. The assumption is low volume and high close rates equates to high client satisfaction - regardless of whether problems are correctly identified or resolved.

Evidence of client satisfaction may be established via survey - which typically results in "proving" what "everyone" knows via poorly framed, biased questions.

Users stop reporting problems and do not respond honestly to surveys when there are:

• Barriers: Forms/paperwork, required authorization, etc.
• Lack of response or long delays between reporting and interaction
• History of problems that don't get fixed
• Fear of being a Squeaky Wheel: that onerous label applied to "complainers" that results in anything said being dismissed with thinly veiled, behind-the-back eye-rolling and social stigmatization. 

The perception is "they" (technical support, management, etc.) don't care, so why bother?

Complaints are Valuable
Even though it can be hard to listen to, the criticism and complaints from unhappy customers are some of the most valuable information available to building great products and solutions.

The squeaky wheel is not your worst enemy. That customer is still vested and giving information that can identify the top priorities: that areas where applying limited resources will produce the biggest bang for the greatest number of users.

But, you probably already know what's wrong...which is why hearing about it can be so irritating. The problem may be impossibly expensive to fix, not very fun to work on, or politically delicate.

On the rare occasion someone reports a problem you don't know about, kiss their feet and do everything you can to encourage this behavior! These folks are your golden canaries in the coal mine.

So who is the enemy? Users who don't talk. "Lieutenant, your men (products, relationships, etc.) are already dead." It's just a matter of time. They don't need what you got...

Good clients talk. What they have to say may be hard to hear or deal with, but each contact is an opportunity to show you care for that person, that you value their experience - especially when it differs from your own - and appreciate their time. You many not be able to fix every problem, but most users when approached with timely response, sincere respect, and honesty become enthusiastic supporters and partners, helping to trouble-shoot and resolve problems, buying time when you need it most.

Training is Not the Issue
One of the few things that makes me more nuts than hearing someone whine about "needing training", is being told that I need it. Training is a lame excuse. It's a defensive maneuver that demonstrates lack of commitment and  motivation.

I'm perfectly capable of identifying the information I need, and taking whatever I'm working on to the next level. I learn most effectively by organically gathering information and testing. I have a hard time sitting still in classrooms and meetings.

Although I've produced training videos to make users happy, I hate sitting through them. What I want, is well-written searchable text that I can hit from either inside a help system or a search engine, and an intuitive user interface that adheres to basic application standards for that operating system.

Admittedly, I'm not most users. Nor am I like most trainers. I started tutoring one-on-one when I was 8 years (teachers in the US deal with bored gifted kids by making them tutor their classmates), and have been teaching ever since.

Based on my experience working with adults and children, both as unwitting volunteer and tech professional, if we are ever to nurture the innate talents of individuals, we need to stop training people. 

Instead of assuming the problem is the user, open your mind and listen.

The Screen Door
20 years ago, we replaced the screen door with a screen curtain. Our dog, Katana, invented this solution. She was a wonderful dog, and but unfortunately, the proverbial bull in the china shop at 78 pounds of pure exuberant muscle.

After replacing the screen door for the third time, we started to realize...there is no "training" this dog. She doesn't mean to run through the door; it just happens.

On one charge through the closed door, Katana did not bend the frame, but instead tore the screen along the edges. Ah hah! We cut the fabric a little higher side and bottom and voila! A real solution.

Watch and Listen
Even when support comes from the right place, when users are regarded with compassion and respect, it's a constant battle to crawl out of your own personal shit and listen instead of blaming the user.

The other day, my mom mentioned the house was cold. She was having problems using the new thermostat to turn on the heat. I went over to her house the next day, and patiently demonstrated again how to use the system.

Then I asked Mom to show me how to make the heater turn on. She stared at the panel for awhile, and asked "what does override mean?". Having been down that question-and-answer before, I realized: Mom doesn't need more "training"; she needs an on/off button.

There are few things more gratifying than building tools and deploying systems that users love. The only way to get there is to create a partnership based on trust, where users spend time explaining what they need. Often, the conversation starts with a problem or complaint. Don't shut down the information you need with ticket systems, surveys, and assumptions.

"Them that know, know what they know, and them that don't know, don't know they don't know" - Maria Muldaur