Pranks are fun. (When executed properly!)
This one, was at the expense of the enormously successful company Airbnb.
British people have a fine sense of humor, and it was on full display when a couple of Brits trolled Airbnb with a faux listing.
The pranksters put up a nice-looking property, attracting thousands of dollars in booking requests before the lark was revealed – and more than 350,000 YouTube views.
Turns out the property, with a listing describing it as a “Luxurious London 18th Century Townhouse,” was a dollhouse.
Archie Manners and Josh Pieters, London residents known for online hijinks, were just operating in the quality-control sphere.
Pieters was simply wondering whether “Airbnb check their listings,” he said in the YouTube clip.
“Archie and I thought we’d advertise one of the world’s smallest properties on one of the world’s biggest websites,” Pieters said.
They did not go about the tom-foolery half-heartedly.
The pair used their photographs of the interior of a 1700s dollhouse created by famed designer Emma Waddle.
This thing was legit, including “readable books” and “real paintings,” Pieters said in the video.
Here’s the kicker: The two intentionally placed counterintuitive clues throughout, just to test Airbnb security.
A picture of Pieters’ mother as the property host.
A bank card in the bathroom.
A full-sized water bottle in the hallway.
Their own reflection in one of the house’s mirrors.
Alas, Airbnb gave the rental opportunity the OK, and $3,000 worth of reservations followed.
Though Archie and Josh didn’t collect any money, fun was had by just about all.
The New York Post’s request for comment went unanswered, but the Post used the term “AirbnBarbie” to further underscore the prank’s success. So that was funny, too.
“Maybe it’s worth checking before booking something online, after all it’s the little things that matter,” Pieters said.
The “luxury house” was rented by two men, who Archie and Josh met when they arrived, thinking they were staying in this beautiful Victorian mansion.
The YourTube video shows Archie and Josh telling the men it was all a prank, and they did not actually rent a real house. So the pair handed the men two envelopes. One contented their money for the booking back, and the other was a one-night stay at a 5-Star hotel in London, complete with dinner, parking and everything else paid for. #greatprank!
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