🧓Ok Boomer! Airbnb Scams, And Hardware Subscriptions!

Gen Z Vs. Baby Boomers

Greetings my friends! It’s the first true week of November (Here we come Thanksgiving and Black Friday) and we’re already seeing 30-degree temperatures here in Nashville. 😅

We’ve got a lot to cover this week (Seriously - it was hard for me to pick which articles to cover) but I’m really excited to discuss!

Ok Boomer! - A Gen Z makes a Quick Buck

A fascinating trend has emerged over the past month or so. A TikTok trend making fun of Baby Boomers has been making the rounds. It’s based on this song (you really only need to listen to the first 15 seconds or so).

Rather than get into the obvious cultural implications - I am far more interested in the work of a young entrepreneurial girl named Shannon O’Connor. She heard the phrase, and turned it into a Cash Cow. She made a design, uploaded it Redbubble (At least I think it was Redbubble) and has made over 25k just from t-shirts and other items. (Read more here)

Dang! 25k from one design - but she took advantage of a cultural trend at exactly the right moment. That’s something we all wish we could do - and we can if we take advantage at exactly the right times.

Every trend has a moment of peak interest - and it is at that moment that you can make a profit (whether cash or clout). Think about Silly Bandz - there were a couple weeks that year where flipping those little bracelets could turn some quick cash.

So - next time you hear about a trend - take quick action and think of what you (and your unique skills/ideas) could contribute to it. You could just capitalize! 💲💲

Scams on Airbnb

I’ve personally never used Airbnb, so I don’t have any particular biases. However, when I read this article, I got downright freaked out.

Basically, this poor lady got a call just a few minutes before she and her friends were supposed to check-in - and the host said that there was an issue but he had a backup location. Of course, the backup location was horrible - dirty, poorly furnished, and weird. That wasn’t the end of it . . .

The bad news, which went unstated, was that I had unknowingly stumbled into a nationwide web of deception that appeared to span eight cities and nearly 100 property listings—an undetected scam created by some person or organization that had figured out just how easy it is to exploit Airbnb’s poorly written rules in order to collect thousands of dollars through phony listings, fake reviews, and, when necessary, intimidation. Considering Airbnb’s lax enforcement of its own policies, who could blame the scammers for taking advantage of the new world of short-term rental platforms? They had every reason to believe they could do so with impunity. (source)

It’s a really riveting tale of horrible airbnbs, fake listing deception, LLC’s, and sketchy corporations. The worst part is that Airbnb has an intense refund policy. Amazon - it is not.

Airbnb’s refund policy is based on a complicated rubric that doesn’t say guests need written evidence in order to obtain a full refund but does note the company has “final say in all disputes.” It’s easy enough to see how a scammer might exploit the policies as laid out. If a guest stays even one night in a rental, for example, it is difficult to obtain a full refund, according to Airbnb’s rules. If a host asks a guest to stay at a property that’s different from the one they rented, Airbnb advises the guest to request a cancellation if they’re “not okay with the switch.” In both cases, the rules favor a would-be scammer and place the onus on guests who have just parachuted into an unfamiliar locale with their luggage and have nowhere else to stay that night. (source)

In other words, in Airbnb’s world, the customer is not always right. You’re at a disadvantage - and the host has all of the psychological advantage. (hard to get refunds/you’re stressed out in a different place/you just need a place to stay/ etc. etc.) I really recommend reading the entire article - It’s a well written cautionary tale. My biggest takeaway is to treat Airbnb with the good ole’ mottos - “Trust, but verify” and “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Don’t get scammed! 😃👍

Mainstream Hardware Subscriptions

Remember the good old days when the only thing you got a loan for was your car? Then, you did that with your phone. Now, Microsoft wants you to do that with your Xbox.

For real!

I know this program came out in 2018, but I hadn’t heard of it before this week. (I probably heard about it because Apple is apparently planning to roll something out similar for the Iphone).

It’s called “Xbox All Access” and you get a Xbox one, controller, and two years of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The catch? You pay 20 bucks a month (or more depending on which Xbox you got) for two years. It also includes the ability to upgrade to the new Xbox after 18 payments.

It’s a pretty brilliant marketing strategy - I have to admit. For the low price of $20 a month, you get someone into the Xbox ecosystem. Since they are “subscribing” they’re unlikely to move over to the PS4 any time soon.

And - by the time their two years are up, they are unlikely to switch over - especially if you’ve sweetened the deal by upgrading them to the next Xbox. Well, then they need to pay monthly for that too - and there you go - Boom! for a measly $20, you’ve gained another Xbox convert who will buy Xbox games for years.

I imagine that this program has appealed to a lot of parents . . . especially around Christmas time. Why spend $300 all at once when you can just spend $20 a month for a couple of years?

It seems as if Apple is considering a similar route for the iPhone. With all the cool new Android phones coming out, it could be an easy way to lock people into Apple - especially if you roll Apple Music/Arcade/TV into the mix.

Sure sounds like SAAS (Software as a service) might turn into SAHAAS (Software and hardware as a service)?

The Land of Random (And Cute Clickbait)

This is cute clickbait. This Bride and Groom ordered Dominos Pizza because they couldn’t decide what to order. Cute! 🙂Heck, Dominos should have created a marketing campaign for it - I imagine a video of this could have gone viral. Too bad!

Remember our beautiiiful Razr flip phones? Well, it sounds like Motorola is bringing back the nostalgia, but as a smartphone - the one true inheritor to our beloved Razrs of yesteryear. Check out these leaked images!

Looking for a savage restaurant review to read this morning? Well - say no more. I got a good one for you. A NYT writer wrecked the Peter Luger steakhouse with a 0 star review. You will enjoy such savagery as “Was the Caesar salad always so drippy, the croutons always straight out of a bag, the grated cheese always so white and rubbery?” and more! (source)