I find it deeply disrespectful for all those people like me who are on CS only to host people. CS is essentially a small business. Ive been on CS for 14 years, some of them more and some less active. If they are sleeping and youre awake, dont disturb them. Yes, in a heartbeat. Many event organizers will send out an invitation to an event when they think of the idea. Whether or not this is done in good faith, in practice this kind of exit event is a pump-and-dump scheme. Operational costs would be just as high, and they would need to be offset with some form of funding, like member contributions. Couchrequests shouldnt be copy-and-paste can I sleep on your couch? requests. If you need inspiration, browse experienced members profiles. I think your explanations are late and bad, although I do not reproach you for anything, each one runs his business as he wants, badly or well. So stop getting caught off guard when your favorite project sells out! This is a great way to meet locals in your area or connect with travelers passing through. So if youre a hula-hooping Vegan polyglot, show off your hula photos and mention your favorite vegan burger recipe. For example you could have charged a fee, per successful hosting to someone couchsurfing. You can design a price based on ratio of the surfer. Nicely said. See Couchsurfing International's portfolio on LinkedIn at. I had no issue paying, but Im so happy there was an outrage and which this triggered an explanation. Hello It has been mentioned above that converting CS Ltd into a community owned Co-Operative could be a solution. I will particularly wait for the evolution in this year, and later I will see what I do, continue or leave it. Basically, be a respectful guest. We tried for two months to solve this problem in some other way and have had to fund operations with our cash reserves which were limited to begin with. 16th International Couchsurfing Day Discount! Is this a one, two, three year plan? I ended up being hosted in San Francisco by a guy who saw my open request (I DID send out many personal ones) and saw we had a friend in common. If youre behaving as a company selling customers a product and not as people getting paid to administrate and manage a website community oriented I have nothing to do on CS anymore. Some surfers sing a song or bring something from their home country. You seem to think of CouchSurfing only for the time that YOU travel. Humans are dying and other humans are birthing everyday. Im a verified member since 2006, I paid, and count on me to pay again, cos the experience is at 99% always very good (the 1% is just ok;) it will scare away new users I would say work much more on raising awareness (like you do), study hard e.g. This type of behavior is not in line with the Couchsurfing values. Is that okay? The beautiful (and expensive) Couchsurfing office which you can see pictures and videos of online was shuttered at the end of 2018 (it took us over 4 years to get out of the lease). When the day has come I happily will pay for the service they provide, but not in reverse. If your plans change, let your host or surfer know. while this is a good decision to keep CS going i had a suggestion but first i have a Q. my country is under sanctions and it wont let us pay even if we could with all the currency change which makes 14$ a loooot of money here so how do we keep our accounts?and aside from that i know it might not be the thing you want to hear but just a suggestion: so since i have hosted guest before and well i dont know about other countries but we have a custom to take care of our guests in every way like three meals a day and taking them to explore the city and all the rest. The clock is ticking, and you have given yourself one year to redeem yourselves. But kicking in money now with governance and financials as opaque and, obviously, questionable? I hope you will find a way to fund all the costs. The choice is yours. But the CS team refused to investigate these blocks and just suspended my account with no details. Thats insane. Only members of the Trust and Safety team will be able to see your report. Id love to be one of many equal co-owners of this community, keeping it open and active for ourselves as well as for those just trying it out or those not able to financially contribute. I dont use it much anymore but I want others starting their travel adventures to have and enjoy it! We did not sell your data. I dont even use the app, I just had to write something for a friend. What was just written is a great start and so, thank you. Lets see what CS 3.0 turns into. it is a fundamental world view that is being implemented here and it will make all people stay away who support a free model Finally, if there is no other possible solution, I suppose that without a doubt it would be a better alternative to obligatorily request a one-time payment FOR LIFE (real and not the deception that they have made by changing this now for those of us who made that payment for life before). That would at least have given us the opportunity to choose freely between paying or leaving. Couchsurfing is an all-inclusive community, and in the spirit of being a diverse worldwide community, we do not exclude people from membership for controversial views, political activity, personality, communication style, etc. To be a great guest, read these tips. Even if youre busy, sending a quick message in response is a nice gesture. 3) Fees paid annually are $15 ( having the change, is not necessary. We constantly renegotiate our contracts. I would love to pay those 22.99 NOK (who do they thing theyre fooling) to get deleted, but how can I trust they will not charge me forever? That way, when visiting a city, youre visiting a community, not just just one host. If you purchased Verification we are not asking you to contribute for one full year from now. & if you were genuine with helping me out you would provide a specific email and a claim number to ensure that I indeed get my refund!! If ratio hosted/surfed is 10:1 (less people hosted than surfed), you can charge 1$ to the surfer. References help other members make informed decisions. It sounds great when you read it fist, but when you think of it you start to wonder. 57 While we dont use maps as much as you all would like, we do leverage location data across every aspect of the Couchsurfing application. Thank you for publishing this awesome article. When was the last time you spend $12 at Walmart, yet you cant contribute to the CS community. In fact, I tried to make a donation, but couldnt figure out how, using the link from the CS needs your help email. Could you simply deactivate tools like requesting and hosting, but leave access to the community? The benefits we get from couchsurfing, and the groups where we can communicate with people from all over the world are certainly worth that in my opinion. They are never going to host What are references? Im very glad about this choice. I am the same. Whether its being sensitive to staying with a host of a different gender or learning the proper table etiquette, doing a bit of research before Couchsurfing can reduce the risk of miscommunication. If I write to Couchsurfing about a problem with another member, will my report be confidential? Honestly, I understand why you need to be charging a small amount. Then maybe that is also an opportunity that people who are not here for the right reason can simply redirect, find something that feels better. From our hearts. 8. This means unmarried men get few opportunities for female companionship. If you receive a message that is outside of our Terms of Use, use the Report Abuse button to alert us to it and we will read it to determine if it is in fact against our guidelines. I would agree to support it if I was offered something in return. I feel like this trust was seriously damaged if not totally destroyed by this unilateral decision. 2) Monthly fees are a set $2 and start in September. When checking your account from public computers, be sure to sign out before closing the page. Obviously, charging by countries is not completely fair because there are homeless people in Canada and Switzerland, and there are millionaires in Bangladesh and Burundi. If youre able to host, why not test the waters and welcome a traveler into your home? PS: If possible remove the other social networking links like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. Keep your things in order and always clean up after yourself. References help other members make informed decisions. This is about going to the heart of what Couchsurfing is. Perhaps a free trial period for new users? Teach your kids about your Couchsurfers home country: show them where it is on a map and teach them a word or two in a new language. A host should never ask a guest to pay for their lodging, and a guest should not offer. You have shown us the depth of your passion for Couchsurfing, for the community, and for the friends you have made here. If you are in a dispute with someone in a group, we recommend trying to resolve the issue privately or simply ignoring their posts. I appreciate the clarification that this blog post provides. Can you verify this by checking my messages? This latest quick fix cash injection is not going to rescue the CS service in the long run. This member contribution is required to access the Couchsurfing website and mobile applications. If the first impression you give is a wild shot of you drunk and shirtless, expect to only be hosted by those who share your values. This was not the intention we had in trying to rally the community around saving Couchsurfing. But one thing that someone talked about and really concerns me is that genuine new people who cannot afford will be pushed away by this fee. But since the same paywall still exists, its hard to believe that it really was. There are many members who only host and almost never surf. If you actually read my review you would see that I WANT A REFUND! Does your host need to do any childproofing? I personally have no issues with a subscription model as it probably is more ethical than relying on advertising, but doing this without any warning is incomprehensible. I appreciate all of the work that you do that I have benefited from. Couchsurfing Review Couchsurfing is a great app for those looking to travel and save money on accommodation. We have over 1,000,000 users and companies will listen to us. CS-events with option for inviting all people, splitting the invitations in groups. So be confident because its the life. But honestly, I think you raise a lot of valid points there. There is a bunch of better ways to monetize the website without turning sporadic users off. Some families may prefer not to receive gifts and others might disagree with certain types of toys or candy. After accepting a couchrequest, exchange phone numbers, especially if your Internet is unreliable or nonexistent. ** Ask opinions from members; Create Polls; Run a challenge; Members will submit sample designs and you can choose the best possible outcome. Then there is a risk Members how were not active for while, will delete their profiles. Aware that many countries have problems paying. How much would it be worth for you? Same for me. Couchsurfing is dying, and sure others good things are dying. Follow Couchsurfing International on Twitter at. When you make a contribution to Couchsurfing, you are helping to create a space where you and others may safely experience the joy of travel and Couchsurfing's unique, global . All these accounts need to *not* be on the site. Instead I get a response stating no refunds will be issued. References, even negative ones, share information with the community. So the ones who pay will feel quite stupid soon. Genuinely. Travelers benefit from experiencing rural areas and new ways of life that are often overlooked. Or for someone who has lost their job for example even if they live in a country where one is required to pay. Leave truthful references that describe your experience with another member accurately. Quite the contrary. Couchsurfing is the best way to stay with amazing locals, make lifelong travel friends, or host travelers coming to your hometown. Arm, Ive been a member since 2006 and I agree completely. Special thanks to Couchsurfing Support and Safety, and to all of the Moderators who donate their time . The money we earn at Couchsurfing has always gone straight back into the product. They are responsible for this mess, and I am 100% they will lose so many users now. Give them something specific to do on arrival like presenting your host with a drawing, gift, or introducing themselves in the hosts native language.