No $Billion company, or its investors will apologize for such actions.
Further, I agree with the above post - While it seems bad on the surface - there is really nothing wrong with this, they are not misleading the owners to using a shady service. Airbnb is a great service.
Further - It would be time that the AirBnB team actually use this to their advantage.
They need a boilerplate response to CL listings that says:
"ABnB is now the first $1B company with massive reach, appeal and customer satisfaction that is committed to getting your place rented and seen globally. Come check us out - we are XXX% more effective than CL with YYY% more return on your listing with XYZ tools that provide you a service dashboard to see just how well your property is doing."
All of which is NOTHING That CL can provide.
This is another reason, actually, why I am starting to despise CL's lethargy. They could have owned this space, but they sat around claiming higher motives.
The truth is that CL produces an insane amount of revenue for the head, Craig - and he is happy with that.
Have I used Airbnb? Yes. It was a great experience. And I have recommended it to all my friends (until now at least).
But that doesn't mean I think that they should be excused for violating a very rationale Terms of Service policy, e-mailing people explicitly against their wishes (as indicated by don't contact me for commercial services option), and creating e-mails that violate CAN-SPAM policies.
Legality aside, I think it's slimy and in my eyes, taints their grassroots story which I had really embraced and enjoyed telling people.
Further, I agree with the above post - While it seems bad on the surface - there is really nothing wrong with this, they are not misleading the owners to using a shady service. Airbnb is a great service.
Further - It would be time that the AirBnB team actually use this to their advantage.
They need a boilerplate response to CL listings that says:
"ABnB is now the first $1B company with massive reach, appeal and customer satisfaction that is committed to getting your place rented and seen globally. Come check us out - we are XXX% more effective than CL with YYY% more return on your listing with XYZ tools that provide you a service dashboard to see just how well your property is doing."
All of which is NOTHING That CL can provide.
This is another reason, actually, why I am starting to despise CL's lethargy. They could have owned this space, but they sat around claiming higher motives.
The truth is that CL produces an insane amount of revenue for the head, Craig - and he is happy with that.