Iāve been a member of HE for 7 years and for the most part Iāve truly enjoyed it.
But something has changed in the last 1-2 years, perhaps due to increase in membership. I live in a highly desirable destination (San Francisco) and until recently when I was able to respond positively to a message, weād exchange a few emails answering questions, perhaps do a quick WhatsApp call, and the visit would get approved.
But recently each and every time I respond positively, the guest has already found another place. Messages, usually from Europe, tend to arrive in the middle of the night local time, and I respond as soon as I check my email in the morning, so within 2-6 hours after the message was sent. Yet, each time theyāve already found a place. My home is attractive, and the cost of 130 GP is certainly reasonable for a couple or a single traveler. So the issue is not in my posting, nor in my response time. It seems that perhaps there are commercial interests, who pay someone to stay on top of early AM messages and respond as soon as they pop up.
I canāt think of any other explanation. Thoughts anyone?
Are people experiencing a similar trend elsewhere?
Can HE do anything about it?
Hi Micha! Iām sorry to hear that youāve had this experienceā¦ I personally havenāt had this issue so Iād be curious to hear what othersā experiences with this are!
Maybe there are more members in your area now, so more ācompetitionā.
nothing to worry about. its just many other people around you,that may suit your guests more.Personally as a guest,i take my time to decide to which place ill go,maybe others finalise the same time!
Would be interesting to hear from more people, but to clarify my main point: only 3-4 hours after the message from the guest was sent, and when itās just 9-10 AM local time, Iām told on each occasion that the guest has already found another home. In the past year this has been constant.
I wonder if it turns out that very few properties are getting the bulk of hosting in San Francisco because a professional outfit has staff tasked with responding to HE queries immediately, even when they arrive in the early AM hours.