I tried to use AirBNB a couple times in NYC but my experience boiled down to (a) people not replying when I contacted them about their property, and (b) people trying to get me to pay them cash directly instead of via AirBNB. Glad to hear they're doing well, but I haven't had any luck with them.
NYC may be an anomaly - I've had some people not reply promptly (that's pretty much to be expected and their loss), but never yet seen an attempt to cut out AirBnB. My experience has been pretty uniformly positive.
