Airbnb, we're done. For real.

Oh, the community. Uber, Lyft, Yelp, Airbnb... all of these platforms meant to facilitate business transactions across an organically-grown "community" of people, who may otherwise not have the opportunity to realize their dream of being a driver on-demand.... a small-time bed and breakfast host... a travel writer.

The idea of these services has turned into a multibillion dollar industry. And as a semi-urbanite who *should* love the disruption they create for traditional hotels, taxis, and concierge services, I swiftly reject them as fast as I would an Amazon Echo.

After a recent trip to Sopot, where our only viable options for staying were airbnb (though after our trip, I'd now suggest to other people: find another city where you have more than airbnb to choose from), I'm done. Our host was fine, the flat was not. The cost was absurd for what we got, especially once you add in the unexplained fees and inconsistent experiences across different hosts. But the market prevails, as they say. Here's what irks me the most:

1. Hosts always win.
• The review system encourages a host to review you - a PAYING GUEST - as if you were someone they had personal knowledge of. This has never made sense to me because it is about the property, not the people. Why should someone get my money and have the right to publicly opine about how "clean" I am?
• I've heard of several stories, including our own experiences, where a place wasn't as advertised. Airbnb customer service is so hesitant to get involved that you're on your own - if you can afford to find a replacement accommodation, it'll be hard to get airbnb to facilitate the cancellation and cost unless something is really bad. Beyond moldy (ew) sheets, broken stoves, etc. 
2. There's never a consistent rulebook
• Guidebook, check. Rulebook, it's the wild west. Many hosts require a deposit, but I've stayed in several where they don't tell you what to do on checkout to get the money back. And even if you ask (as I have), you may not get a straight answer (though at least that part is in writing). 
• It's not that hard to write a short list of requests, if you have them, for guests to complete on checkout. Without it, it can leave guests in a rush to leave but fearing a bad review, flurrying to try and figure out where the heck they're supposed to take out the trash. Every single time I've used VRBO, I have had a clear rulebook. Points to VRBO. 
3. The service fees.
• What am I paying for? I know, VRBO has a service fee too. But I have never heard of nor had the same problems I have with airbnb, as with VRBO. Whether their fee is better used or the company is better run, they simply execute their service more effectively. Airbnb has some good press, I'll give them that. 

Our apartment in Sopot along with a previous one in Copenhagen taught me that hosts are allowed to have a sense of entitlement. They don't need to tell you the whole story about their accommodation. They can have mini-empires, renting and managing airbnbs on behalf of other people (which wasn't really the idea of airbnb, was it?), taking advantage of the platform without having the requisite licensing a true multi-housing operator might need. 

Frankly, I applaud cities who regulate airbnb and airbnb should put better standards on their rentals as well. Regulation is not a bad thing. Having a consistently pleasant vacation experience will usually result in repeat customers. As for me, I'll be off using other websites, of which there are plenty: VRBO, wimdu, onefinestay, home exchanges, and so many more.