ID problem with Airbnb

[colincostello 127]

So  I tried to book some cheap accommodation with Airbnb. There was a new ID check. I had to upload a copy of my passport. Well , I tried but I could not do this as the file size was too  large. So I took a screen shot and that was accepted. But why?

To make matters worse , all of a sudden the language switched from English to German. Again , why?

Oh, for a simple life.

[tor 15,651]

Try to upload a pic bigger than a postage stamp on this site :)

[LeonG 14,544]

So they did not have a live operator asking you to show your passport, tilt it, cover parts of it with your finger etc?  I had one of those recently.  The guy quickly announced that my cell phone camera was not good enough and hung up.  I tried again, got someone else and it was fine.

[colincostello 127]

On 5.11.2021, 23:25:24, LeonG said:

So they did not have a live operator asking you to show your passport, tilt it, cover parts of it with your finger etc?  I had one of those recently.  The guy quickly announced that my cell phone camera was not good enough and hung up.  I tried again, got someone else and it was fine.

This all sounds very familiar. I had similar trouble with a betting company. It was difficult to prove my ID with them. Note that they only wanted an ID check when I wanted to withdraw some winnings. They were not bothered at all as long as I was depositing.

I checked on the web and a great many people are having trouble with Airbnb ID. So it is not just me and my poor IT skills

[colincostello 127]

After several futile attempts , I gave up on Airbnb and went with Trivago. No problem at all.

[colincostello 127]

Where are we going with all this technology?

[LeonG 14,544]

2 hours ago, colincostello said:

Where are we going with all this technology?

 

Hopefully to more security where they actually check that you are you and not somebody who stole your credit card.  I haven't had to ID for booking.com yet though.

[colincostello 127]

The problem seems to be that they will not accept copies of my passport , of which I have a few in my computer.  The only way therefore is to take a photo with a smart phone and upload that directly into their website. But i do not have a smart phone and I never will.

It is their loss , not mine.

[LeonG 14,544]

13 minutes ago, colincostello said:

The problem seems to be that they will not accept copies of my passport , of which I have a few in my computer.  The only way therefore is to take a photo with a smart phone and upload that directly into their website. But i do not have a smart phone and I never will.

It is their loss , not mine.

 

You say that the file size was too large. If you are on a Windows computer, you can fix it with paint.

 

[El Jeffo 41,853]

6 minutes ago, LeonG said:

If you are on a Windows computer, you can fix it with paint.

 

But if he uses paint, he won't be able to see what's on the monitor!

[LeonG 14,544]

Just now, El Jeffo said:

 

But if he uses paint, he won't be able to see what's on the monitor!

 

Sorry, I meant to say to use only water soluble paint so you can wash it off.

[colincostello 127]

Very funny, you guys.

[Dembo 368]

I recently applied for a credit card, something I've been putting off until I got my Aufenthaltstitel and could use the E-Ident feature. Of course nobody uses that, but the card I applied for would only accept an Aufenthaltstitel for us ex-EU citizens anyway. They told me to use the ID Now! app, which recognised the front of the card fine but insists the back is from a different document!

 

The alternative is to email or post. It doesn't sound like a great idea to email a scan of my card, although I've done it before with my passport and nothing bad happened. So maybe I'll post a photo copy, but will they accept that? 

 

At first I was pleased not to have to go through the video Ident thing again, but now I think that's probably the lesser of two evils.

[LeonG 14,544]

23 minutes ago, Dembo said:

The alternative is to email or post. It doesn't sound like a great idea to email a scan of my card, although I've done it before with my passport and nothing bad happened. So maybe I'll post a photo copy, but will they accept that? 

 

Do they offer Post Ident?  I've used that before and it's pretty painless.  You just fill out the form and show up at the post with your ID and they will verify it for you.

[Dembo 368]

32 minutes ago, LeonG said:

 

Do they offer Post Ident?  I've used that before and it's pretty painless.  You just fill out the form and show up at the post with your ID and they will verify it for you.

That's a good suggestion thanks. I don't think they do, or at least nothing says that, but I will ask. I did that for my bank account when I first arrived in Germany, and as you say it was very easy.

[LeonG 14,544]

38 minutes ago, Dembo said:

That's a good suggestion thanks. I don't think they do, or at least nothing says that, but I will ask. I did that for my bank account when I first arrived in Germany, and as you say it was very easy.

 

As I recall, the company requesting the ID would have to send you a Post Ident form for you to fill out and bring to the post.  Maybe this company doesn't offer it but it doesn't hurt to ask.

[jeba 4,164]

On 6.11.2021, 01:25:24, LeonG said:

So they did not have a live operator asking you to show your passport, tilt it, cover parts of it with your finger etc?  I had one of those recently.  The guy quickly announced that my cell phone camera was not good enough and hung up.  I tried again, got someone else and it was fine.

That was my experience as well. I had to try 4 times though. Annoying.