Australian regulator sues Airbnb for allegedly misleading customers on pricing By Reuters

(Reuters) – Australia’s competitors regulator on Wednesday mentioned it had initiated proceedings in opposition to Airbnb Inc within the nation’s Federal Court docket for allegedly deceptive customers on pricing for lodging within the nation.

Between January, 2018 and August, 2021, the U.S.-based trip rental firm misled customers in Australia by displaying costs for lodging utilizing solely the ‘$’ signal, with out clarifying that the costs had been in U.S. {dollars} and never within the native forex, the Australian Competitors & Client Fee (ACCC) mentioned in a press release.

Airbnb didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark.

ACCC mentioned it’s in search of pecuniary penalties and orders to compensate individuals who had been misled about pricing, amongst others.

The regulator added that when Airbnb acquired complaints on pricing, they instructed prospects that costs had been displayed in U.S. {dollars} as a result of the person had chosen that forex, which was usually not the case.

“Airbnb’s deceptive conduct meant that buyers had been disadvantaged of the chance to make an knowledgeable selection about whether or not, and at what worth, to e book their vacation lodging on the Airbnb platform,” ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb mentioned.

“Along with paying larger costs than anticipated, some customers who had been charged in U.S. {dollars} additionally discovered themselves additional out of pocket by way of forex conversion charges charged by their bank card supplier.”