Australian court fines Airbnb for misleading prices

The Australian Federal Court has imposed a fine of 15 million Australian dollars (9.2 million euros) on rental site Airbnb. According to the authority, Airbnb “misled customers by applying the incorrect currency.”

The consumer watchdog ACCC, which filed the case in June 2022, writes that between January 2018 and August 2021, Airbnb applied the US dollar for its prices instead of the Australian dollar. As a result, 63,000 customers have paid too much for their accommodations.

“By paying in US dollars, these consumers paid more than they expected and were deprived of the opportunity to make an informed decision about their booking,” said Gina Cass-Gottlieb, chief executive of the ACCC.

The rental site acknowledges that it was unclear about the currency used. Since 2021, prices in US dollars have been indicated as such on the platform. In addition to the fine of 15 million Australian dollars, Airbnb will pay another 15 million to compensate the affected customers. This compensation consists of the amount that customers have paid too much for the bookings.