Sources of distrust : airbnb guests' perspectives

Abstract

The present study explores sources of distrust in the Airbnb context. The study focuses on Airbnb customers'negative reviews posted in English on Trustpilot's website. The search for posts was employed with the keyword‘trust’tofind online narratives from customers who had negative experiences of trust with Airbnb. Of the 2733online reviews screened, the study concentrated on 216 negative reviews. The data analysis followed thegrounded theory approach, which resulted in two themes that reflect the sources of distrust: Airbnb's poorcustomer service and the hosts' unpleasant behaviour. The managerial implications are that Airbnb should investadditional resources into minimising customers' negative experiences by focusing on trust-based relationshipsand maintaining quality in its core service elements. When customers report their complaints, their concernsshould be addressed with prompt apologies, positive actions, and a willingness to compensate these customers toneutralise their distrust in the company