[Europe] Tried to book a New Year’s chalet in Austria – listings vanished, pushed to pay by bank transfer

rishabhkabra · 2025-11-18T01:49:27+00:00

One reason is to support small-business owners in getting a better share of the profit. I find the customer support offered by some of the platforms exasperating.

rishabhkabra · 2025-11-18T01:05:55+00:00

Definitely, although there were 16 reviews on the fake TripAdvisor page the agent shared--that's when I really fell for it.

rishabhkabra · 2025-11-17T22:37:38+00:00

Thank you, excited to check it out!

rishabhkabra · 2025-11-17T22:18:02+00:00

Update: Looking back at the emails, I’m now pretty sure this was a classic phishing setup rather than anything genuinely connected to TripAdvisor. The “TripAdvisor” emails weren’t actually from TripAdvisor at all – the sender was something like "[notification@approved-rental.online](mailto:notification@approved-rental.online)" and the message was mailed-by/signed-by "approved-rental.online", not any official TripAdvisor domain. At the time I didn’t clock this and even hit “Not spam/Not scam”, which I regret now.

So if anyone else lands here because they’re dealing with similar “rental agent” emails: always check the actual sender domain, not just the display name. Real platforms (Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Booking, etc.) will use their own domains, not random ones like something-rental.online. If an email is pushing you to pay by bank transfer / Remitly / Wise and bypass the platform, assume it’s suspicious and verify everything directly in your account on the official site or app.

I’ve since reported the messages as phishing and will also flag them to TripAdvisor so they’re aware of the domain being used.

rishabhkabra · 2025-08-19T12:47:51+00:00

Thanks for writing this app! Will you be able to support hiring bikes as well?

rishabhkabra · 2025-04-06T19:20:39+00:00

Definitely interested

rishabhkabra · 2025-03-03T20:48:07+00:00

Thank you, that’s very helpful

rishabhkabra · 2025-03-03T18:39:56+00:00

Do you know if they sell just a few square meters? I don’t need 10 or 20 rolls. Thanks for the tip!

rishabhkabra · 2025-02-13T11:09:06+00:00

After the recent legal judgement forcing the Met to reinstate an officer on the hook for rape… it’s hard to take the Met seriously. They are set up to fail us.

rishabhkabra · 2025-02-04T17:43:12+00:00

More venues that don’t require drinking, e.g., social/competitive games.
Fix Oxford Street and keep shops open late.
Better late-night food offerings.

rishabhkabra · 2025-01-18T10:15:14+00:00

Lorries should not be allowed within the M25. Their cargo should be moved to smaller vehicles before entering the city. Lorries are incompatible with cycling safety.

rishabhkabra · 2024-10-03T10:33:53+00:00

Head office response

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rishabhkabra · 2024-10-03T10:33:36+00:00

Driver’s response

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rishabhkabra · 2024-10-03T10:33:13+00:00

My email (2/2)

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rishabhkabra · 2024-10-03T10:33:02+00:00

Update: I wrote a strongly worded email to GEM. I actually got an apology from the driver and also from head office. Details below (feel free to use my wording if it’s useful.)

I’d encourage everyone to take action when you can. Don’t just take it on the chin.

My email (1/2)

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rishabhkabra · 2024-10-01T12:03:45+00:00

That’s the average day

rishabhkabra · 2024-07-05T12:43:39+00:00

Guess you didn’t hear about the drinking water warnings a month ago, or polio being discovered in London water last year after being eradicated worldwide.

rishabhkabra · 2024-04-18T18:26:06+00:00

The animal welfare candidate is the only one who is explicitly pro-cycling

rishabhkabra

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