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• The regulator accused Airbnb of advertising room rates in US dollars and not indicating the higher Australian dollars
Australia’s antitrust regulator filed a lawsuit against Airbnb Inc (NASDAQ: ABNB) for misleading users regarding price of their stay.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said in a court filing on Wednesday that Airbnb misled consumers by advertising room rates in US dollars and not indicating the higher Australian dollars.
“Between at least January 2018 and August 2021, Airbnb made false or misleading representations to thousands of Australian consumers by displaying prices on its website or mobile app for Australian accommodation using only a dollar sign ($), without making it clear that those prices were in US dollars,” said ACCC.
When consumers complained about being charged higher, Airbnb told them that it had displayed prices in US dollars because the user had selected the currency, even though users denied doing so, the ACCC said.
“We allege that Airbnb’s misleading conduct meant that consumers were deprived of the opportunity to make an informed choice about whether, and at what price, to book their holiday accommodation on the Airbnb platform,” ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.
Picture Credits: Reuters
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