Australia’s antitrust regulator has filed a lawsuit against Airbnb, accusing the accommodation-sharing website of misleading users into paying more than advertised for their stays, widening its scrutiny of global technology platforms.
Airbnb refused to refund users who complained about being misled, saying they had chosen to view rates in US dollars even though users said they had not, the ACCC said in the filing. Airbnb also refused to refund currency conversion fees, claiming they were banks’ responsibility, the regulator said.The lawsuit puts Airbnb in the company of several high-profile targets of a regulator bent on reining in the power of big technology firms.
In the Airbnb lawsuit, the ACCC said users “were deprived of the opportunity to make an informed decision about whether and at what price to book accommodation”. Airbnb stood to benefit unfairly over competitors because the “false and misleadingly low prices conveyed … made the accommodation available on the platform appear to be more attractive”, the ACCC said.
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