The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), has directed Airbnb Ireland UC (Airbnb) to pay $30 million ($15 million as penalty & $15 million as compensation to the affected consumers) for misleading its consumers about the currency of the prices on its accommodation platform. The ACCC noted that between 2018 & 2021, Airbnb made false or misleading representations that the prices on its accommodation platform were in Australian dollars, when in fact for about 70,000 consumers the prices were in US dollars. The ACCC further held that, by paying in US dollars, the affected consumers were charged more than what they expected to pay, and were deprived of a chance to make an informed decision.
