Airbnb sued by Aussie regulator for alleged misleading pricing
Regulator Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is taking action against Airbnb for misleading customers.
It misled them into believing prices listed for Australian rentals were in Australian dollars when many were actually in US dollars.
ACCC is suing Airbnb in Federal Court to refund deceived customers, it says.
It is also seeking damages.
ACCC chairman Gina Cass-Gottlieb said 2,000 customers had complained to Airbnb, but many more were likely affected.
Airbnb displaying prices on its website and app using a dollar sign, but did not make it clear it was in US dollars.
“Airbnb’s misleading conduct meant that consumers were deprived of the opportunity to make an informed choice about at what price to book their holiday accommodation,” Cass-Gottlieb said.
“Some consumers charged in US dollars also found themselves further out of pocket through currency conversion fees charged by their credit card provider.”
Airbnb said ‘a fraction of a percentage of guests are believed to have been impacted.’
The company only stopped pricing it this way when the ACCC raised the issue, Cass-Gottlieb added.
Ray Monty
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements