Fellow travelers - Hopper and Airbnb are scam apps
I think the people in the tech industry need to come together and come up with better digital traveling products for people, with an emphasis on customer service and experience (beyond just basic digital experience). As glossy as the app interface and design looks for each of these travel apps, what they are selling is a total ripoff. Even from a UX standpoint, Hopper is particularly buggy. Most consumers and travelers are better off using their rewards credit cards, Google, booking directly with airlines and hotels, or even for longer term stays, using Craigslist. What do these apps actually give people other than the illusion of choice and better prices? And when will the media and bad economy come for them? TC: $400K YOE: 7 #hopper #airbnb #turo
I don’t disagree with some of your complaints, however these companies exist for a reason. Google does the same thing as Hopper with small nuance of referral instead of booking fulfillment, ultimately all these companies are compensated by suppliers a sliver of the travel cost in return for volume. The consumer in return gets one place to compare prices. In a travel industry where the supply is fragmented (this is even more true for hotels / experiences / Homes than it is for flights), the aggregation service that OTAs and Metas provide is indeed valuable. And the competition created by having multiple suppliers instead of one is also valuable. Also can’t help but poke.. Consumer value argument coming from a Facebook employee… 🙃
What I've found about hopper is that it's the convenience and illusion that you are getting a better deal that drives people to book there. They want to search out that better deal, but they don't want to go to every website individually.
Capital one portal is hopper. Chase and citi are also 3rd party providers. Craigslist works when you want something for a month. If i am going for a day or so, i am not spending hours emailing someone on craigslist.
Yeah i said Craigslist specifically for long-term stays. Next please.
Yup.. like snowflake said.. credit card portals are powered by these companies too so your hypothesis is a bit off..