Whether you are looking for a cottage for the weekend with your friends or a cozy, charming place for a romantic getaway, Airbnb is often your got to site for finding unique accommodations. The short-term rental accommodation site has especially become really popular in Quebec in recent years. However, all the buzz about the American company isn't always positive. Specifically, an Airbnb class-action lawsuit in Quebec has just been approved and you could claim some money. Back on September 23, the Quebec Superior Court delivered a judgement authorizing a settlement between Martin Preisler, an Airbnb customer and the instigator of the lawsuit, and Airbnb. This class-action suit accuses Airbnb of violating Quebec's Consumer Protection Act. According to the judgement, Airbnb charged customers a higher fee for accommodations than what was originally displayed on the listings and search results on the site or mobile app. Basically, Airbnb advertised accommodations at a certain price, but at the last stage of booking, "service fees" were added, in addition to taxes, making the prices higher. This is against the law in Quebec. In Quebec, the Consumer Protection Act, specifically section 224 of the act, prohibits companies or people charging more than the advertised price for a good. View this post on Instagram 🇺🇸🇫🇷 Winter is coming ! To prepare you next season, show on your social media than your calendar is open for booking with a link to your website👌🏻 • L’hiver arrive ! Pour préparer votre prochaine saison, montrez sur vos réseaux sociaux que votre calendrier de reservation est ouvert avec un lien vers votre site internet👌🏻 • For more tips, follow us and go to our website (link in bio ☝🏻) • • • #interiorgoal #airbnbowner #bedroomgoal #bedroomgoals #bedroomdecor #instaairbnbhost #uniqueairbnb #instatravel #startup #travelpreneur #airbnbdesign #originalplace #instaairbnb #airbnbplus #airbnbquebec #apartmenttherapy #indoor #vacationgoals #bonjourbonjour #airbnbdecor #hostagram #airbnbfrance #airbnblife #airbnbphoto #airbnboftheday #hosttips #instagrammanagement #airbnbbonjourbonjour #airbnbtips #airbnbhost A post shared by bonjour_bonjour (@airbnb.bonjourbonjour) on Aug 17, 2019 at 4:25am PDT As a result of the judgement, the company has changed the way it displays prices on its platform. Airbnb has also agreed to provide each eligible member of the class-action suit with financial compensation. So if you are a resident of Quebec and made an Airbnb reservation anywhere in the world between August 22, 2014, and June 26, 2019, for which you paid a price higher than the price initially displayed by Airbnb (not including taxes ), you could receive up to $45. However, there is a catch. You can't just walk away with some cash. The compensation is in the form of a one-time credit which can only be used "to reserve a property offered for rent by a host on the Airbnb Platform, worldwide," the judgment says. If you are a member of this class action, you should receive an email notification including a hyperlink, which you'll need to follow to claim your Airbnb credit. It will then automatically be applied to your Airbnb account. For more information on this class action, you can visit the Velvet Payments website, the administrator of the settlement, here. This article was originally published in french on Narcity Quebec.
