- 86.6LEGITIMACY SCORE
- 89.1SAFETY SCORE
- 17+CONTENT RATING
- FreePRICE
Couchsurfing Travel App App Complaints & User Negative Comments 2024
Couchsurfing Travel App app received 108 complaints, negative comments and reviews by users. Have you ever had a bad experience using Couchsurfing Travel App? Can you share your negative thoughts about couchsurfing travel app?
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Couchsurfing Travel App for Negative User Reviews
✓ Not worth the money currentlyWhen the app was free it was great in terms of use. I never couchsurfed but I met many great people are kind the word using the meet ups and events. Now that you have to pay, it’s not worth it. The app has a TON OF BUGS. It constantly lagged and collapsed. I had problems with viewing messages and not receiving notifications until a day later. The app has so much potential and if I knew the team was working on solving the issues and improving the app, then I would consider paying once I’m able to travel again. I’ve brought these issues up before and at least a few months ago they were still big problems and have been for years..Version: 5.35
✓ Breaking my heartWith a broken heart I’m posting one start review. I’ve been a host and surfer for many years now and this community is very valuable to me, but this might just be the straw that broke the camels back. Forcing users to pay in this way is totally reprehensible. There are way better ways to ask for funding. Whichever new executives you’ve hired are making the wrong calls lately. Step back is a way forward..Version: 5.35
✓ Great Idea. Horrible companyThey literally locked me out of my paid account with warning or any reason given. It’s such a shame because the whole Couchsurfing concept is wonderfully, unfortunately it is ruined by an extremely incompetent and untrustworthy company.Version: 5.39.3
✓ Not worth itMandatory fees for a terrible interface? lol bye.Version: 5.38.1
✓ Pointless if notifications aren’t up to dateSo the whole point of this app is to connect with people right? Also it’s to crash with people all over the world and plan trips and excursions with your hosts. So why am i getting notifications 24hrs AFTER THE FACT!? I had an issue with one host because they were waiting for my response on a hosting opportunity and come to find out I had received her message the day before but only got the notification the following day. Doesn’t even show up in my email in real time. I would highly suggest that you guys check in with your app as often as possible if you plan on traveling or meeting up with someone because you might be missing messages..Version: 5.38.1
✓ A terrible company that betrayed its values and customersAfter donating for a lifetime access to Couchsurfing I am now locked out of my account and literally blackmailed: either I pay a monthly subscription or I will lose my data forever. There was an option to request your profile data, I did and I haven’t heard anything back. I was also never told about the changes in this. What Couchsurfing did to its user base throughout the years is despicable and wrong and every couch surfers should avoid it and migrate elsewhere.Version: 5.37
✓ Too many dead accountsGreat app and service with one caveat: there are soooo many dead accounts or people who haven’t logged in in 10+ years, who never respond, etc. If those were cleaned up it would be an amazing app and would get my full 5 stars. As is it takes a lot of effort to sort through inactive users and find the ones who are actually hosting. When I was on my road-trip with limited internet time that was a huge problem. I hope the accounts get cleaned up somehow so that the app becomes more usable. It’s a wonderful service and I’d love for the Couchsurfing community to thrive using it..Version: 5.38.4
✓ DO NOT DOWNLOAD THIS APPI had a Couchsurfing subscription for 1 year. Before my account was set to renew, I cancelled it. However, they charged me anyway. The kicker is my account still says I have a free account and says that I shouldn’t have been charged. I was charged and don’t even have access to the service. To make matters worse, I reached out to the company thinking they could provide me with some clarity on why they charged me. They can’t even find the charge in their system. They keep telling me to reach out to PayPal and Apple. The charge was on my CREDIT CARD, not via PayPal or Apple. They don’t even know how their own system works. Extremely disappointed in Couchsurfing and I’ve lost all faith in their company and app. Whatever you do, do NOT give them any credit card information. This company steals money from the people it claims to “help.”.Version: 5.42
✓ SCAMLook at the better business bureau website. They scam people all the time and refuse to give back their money. Be weary of this app and their website, they do not care about the community or what their doing. They only care about money! Find other websites or apps that are more trustworthy. DO NOT RECOMMEND TO ANYONE.Version: 5.39.3
✓ Avoid this pay per view app!!!I was one of the original donors to this app and it was revolutionary when it first came out. I have used it over the years and made some great friends, however in recent years it became a bit buggy and would not always show notifications. COVID lockdowns have killed this app - partly because people aren’t travelling much and hosts are wary of hosting people during the pandemic. The compulsory fees are the final nail in the coffin, as you need to pay to even access the app or previous data from the app when it was free. Even if you pay, the users who are hosts can no longer access the app for free - who in the right mind will pay to host you? So you are paying to surf, but the hosts have all disappeared!! Unless the app is allowing you to access old profiles from before COVID times - which almost renders the app useless ! Goodbye Couchsurfing -‘it was good while it lasted!!!.Version: 5.38.1
✓ Amazing service - terrible appGreat service… this has really opened us up to a world of travelling we have never seen. Spending time living with locals let’s you see a side to places you would never have seen if you stayed at a hostel / hotel. Unfortunately the app is terrible. Crashes all the time, fails to load, ridiculously slow, poor functionality. Needs a total revamp!!.Version: 5.38.5
✓ Some important features missingLike searching hosts or surfers but still whatever is included, it's working fine.Version: 1.4.2
✓ STOP CHARGING!Why would anyone start paying before they even know if there is anywhere available for them? Absolutely stupid, people would be happy to pay after they’ve stayed somewhere and know it works, or even just refundable amount if they don’t stay anywhere… fix it.Version: 5.39.3
✓ Always loading and difficult to change profile photoI have spent so much time looking around this app trying to change my profile picture and it should be so easy, yet I cannot see any clear, simple options anywhere regarding the photo. Why can’t I just touch it and change it??? Also it loads, so much, all the time... it’s the only app to do so. Maybe you need to upgrade your servers.Version: 5.29.1
✓ Don’t subscribeCouchsurfing used to be an amazing resource for connecting travellers around the world. But now they have tried to monetise it and it’s really really hard (so far impossible) to unsubscribe once they have your bank details. I would not recommend joining them. I’ve been a longtime host and as much as I love helping travellers I don’t want to endlessly pay some company who uses scammer tactics to keep subscribers..Version: 5.39.1
✓ Mostly greatThe most annoying thing about this app is that it required push notifications and GPS to be set to “always” instead of “when using app” to be able to use the Hangout function. This uses way too much battery. It should be sufficient to not have notifications on, and only “when using app” to be able to use the hangout function. Searching and messaging is all the same on the app as the web based version..Version: 5.18
✓ SlowWorks a bit slow in the app.Version: 5.16
✓ Wants payment before any useHaven’t been active on here for years, all of a sudden I get two random emails asking me to resume making contributions - which I’ve never made any to begin with. So I login online and can’t even see my account info, my profile, my reviews, etc. So I download the app thinking most companies invest in their app vs website so it must be better. But no, I am only show a splash screen asking for payment. Alternatively I can also see an option to delete my account. And that is all….How can you ask people to pay for something without previewing it? How can you not show users their content they have already invested in adding? Interesting product choices..Version: 5.39.3
✓ Asks for payment nowNot much point anymore with our borders closed to travel, could work for local travel I guess? Just deleted latest version from my phone as Covid19 has killed international travel..Version: 5.36
✓ Money looters.?Had verified my account (2022) for around $50+ and never got my Tee shirt, as mentioned in mail, as part of promo. Now I have been asked to contribute more $$ and been kicked out of the app now.! Wot da fek.! Can I get my money back.? I don’t need your app. Deactivated it..Version: 5.39.3
✓ Rip OffI am not super pleased with this app. They make you pay for a membership before you can even access anything on the app, but then you go into the app to search for hosts and there are hardly any who are still active. It tells you when each user was last active, and most of them haven’t been active for 6 months or more— a lot of them haven’t been active for 2 years. Most similar apps that you have to pay for (WorldPackers, Au Pair Match, Trusted House Sitters, etc.) at least let you into the site first to see what you’re paying for. It seems like they are intentionally keeping you out of the app until you pay so that they get your money. It was only $14, so not a huge deal, but I’m frustrated and feel duped. I didn’t like the idea of paying before seeing what was actually offered on the app, but it was either that or not get the app at all. Now I kind of wish I had gone with the latter..Version: 5.38.4
✓ No Fee plzAsking money from users was a bad idea. I used CS or many years I I’ve meet awesome people, but none of them including me, is willing to pay fee. What’s the point? Already 95% of users are gone I would be nearly impossible or very hard to find hosts and guests. Doesn’t make sense..Version: 5.39
✓ Ok but needs some improvementWorks fine but there's no way to get to place pages, find upcoming events, and look at emergency couchrequest groups.Version: 1.4.3
✓ After 10 years holding my account hostageThey are blaming covid-19 for their bad business decisions since making couch surfing for profit, they now suddenly locked me out of my 10+ year account unless I pay to support them. Couchsurfing are already making money because people like me open my home to travelers for free! What should I them pay for exactly? You didn’t listen to us when we complained about the beautiful community you destroyed. Taking away the community aspect out of the couchsurfing community, no more groups, or city events, you enforced limits of how many messages can be sent, spammed us with ads and exposed the community to people just wanting a free place crash to instead of true travelers.. I will not support this kind of greedy attitude..Version: 5.35
✓ Greedy and lazyThey haven’t pushed an update in years. The app is buggy and terrible. They just want to milk their market share and don’t care about improving the product. There’s so much that could be done to make it better for everyone but they’d rather pocket every penny rather than reinvest it. Shame on everyone involved in this product. Currently my app is stuck on some login loop bug. Totally unusable even though I pay for this garbage..Version: 5.39.3
✓ Zero respect and customer serviceI installed the app, and in it first run it popped up with an offer to add my credit card for life time identity verification. I clicked and quickly logged in to my PayPal and approved without paying attention to the fact that it is actually charging me $60. Once the transaction got through and I got the payment notification, I created a support case immediately and told them that the purchase was a mistake and unintentional, and asked for full refund. Ever since, they are denying my refund for no apparent reason other than internal policies. I’m really upset and I paid $60 for nothing as I even didn’t want to do couchsurfing and I was just playing with the app. I will never use the app bot trust its developers and their customer service..Version: 5.39.1
✓ They steal your moneyLiterally they stole momey from my pocket. Check your credit cards after a while; they steal money..Version: 5.38.4
✓ ClunkyI can’t see the body of a public trip in the app. It would be great to be able to read what people are doing before offering to host. Such a silly thing, make all the features of your app usable!.Version: 5.39.1
✓ Deceitful and money grabbingI assumed couch surfing would not just be about taking money, but my experience so far has been depressing. Download the app but then to do anything at all you must subscribe which of course costs. Then I follow the verification steps and am charged 56€ even tho the fee is not at all clear. I assumed my card details were being used to verify my identity, not steal my money and then refuse to refund it. Very disappointed..Version: 5.39.1
✓ Not what it used to beThey introduced a paywall during covid. Personally, I’m not really fond of how the used the pandemic as an excuse to make it a for-profit website. Additionally. When I paid the fee, they did not give me access to my account. I had to reach out to support who asked me to provide my payment info, and then a screenshot of my receipt which includes nothing more than the info they requested. They eventually activated my account after a week-long painful customer experience, with a rude agent. They did not offer to credit or extend my subscription for the days I was not able to get access to my account because of their glitchy system. And my profile still shows payment not verified. They want me to pay again to have my payment method verified. This used to be a good platform. Not anymore. An alternative is needed..Version: 5.38.5
✓ Disappointed they went in this directionI used Couchsurfing a lot to host people about 7 years ago. I jump back on now while I was travelling to meet some locals to see its completely changed. You can’t go 5 seconds while using the app without being bombarded by prompts to turn on notifications or to become a ‘verified’ member(which just means sending them money)..Version: 5.21
✓ ScamForced to “donate” in order to use the app. Dont even let you use the app plus they don’t respond to emails after you try consult with them. Definitely a cash grab at this point. Avoid at all costs, there are way better apps.Version: 5.39.1
✓ App needs minor workDespite being relatively new to CouchSurfing, I love it & am wholly invested! It is a great experience as a host and as a traveler. The CouchSurfing app is essentially a good one. It works well most of the time. I appreciate how we can personalize information about our homes, add CS pictures to add credence to our profiles, give honest reviews of our guests & respond to feedback we have received. My primary complaint about the app is the size of the font is so small & the color of the font is so faint that it is difficult to see. Also, I wish there was a way to edit/add to a reference I’d written for someone. (I had written it before traveling with a girl I knew from work & learned quite a lot about her while CouchSurfing together. I would have written a more revealing review for others who plan to host/travel with her.) My final complaint is that I will often receive notifications for emails that do not appear in my inbox. I’m not sure whether I am ever able to recover those. Other than those small issues, I find the app very functional & it fully compliments/supports the CS website..Version: 5.25
✓ Used to be good but killing itself currentlyIt’s very sad that you have decided to charge to use the app. This doesn’t only mean that travellers don’t sign up, it also means there are lesser hosts and no body in the hangout section. You’ve basically killed yourself and it’s sad to see you die. I will be uninstalling the app today after paying twice..Version: 5.37
✓ Somewhat limitedThe app is a bit quirky. It’s not as intuitive as it could be. I spend a lot of time in menus trying to remember how to do certain things like update my current location. (Why don’t they use , location services to get this info). Sometimes when you create an event, the app will say the event can’t be created. So you hit the button again, and then later find out you’ve created multiple events. You can’t see events in another area, which makes it difficult to plan ahead. There is less functionality than just opening safari and visiting the regular website..Version: 5.21
✓ Don’t provide your credit card info on their website. They will trick you.They tricked me with a $87 charge, which is UNAUTHORIZED. I didn’t agree to pay it. And when I asked for a reimbursement, their excuse was a no refund policy. I sent them the email immediately after it was charged, didn’t use their service, and explained that it is an UNAUTHORIZED charge. After multiple emails, their stubborn answer was still the same and they stopped replying. All I did was enter my card number for “Verification”. It didn’t mention any charges. Then whoop, a charge of $87. Unauthorized! Please give them 1 star to spread awareness of this scam. I’ve seen here multiple similar cases as well as on reddit. Most importantly, don’t provide your card number to those scammers. I will be initiating a dispute through my bank and I know my bank will get me my money back. Such a shame that a nice concept was converted to scams. I will be getting my money back. Justice always prevails..Version: 5.39.3
✓ Why fix something that worked perfectly before?The app got upgraded with the website. Now it's impossible to accept a couch only to cancel. I can't see my requests that were on the home page of the app so I could see my upcoming surfers. Not happy at all. Only started hosting again because the app was so usable, now it's useless..Version: 3.0
✓ Once great product…now ruined forever?Not good experience. Payed for a month after having great experiences previously. Nothing suitable on there at all ( hardly anyone uses now as payed access completely changes the free spirit / generosity vibes that made the product work). I get apps are desperate to monetize fine, but what annoyed me even more was the crazy amounts of pop up’s to pay more for something. Treats users as money pots without adding value..Version: 5.39
✓ IMPO$$IBLE TO CANCELZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE I’ve been direct drafted $2.99 per month for over a year and they won’t stop, won’t cancel, after being contacted half a dozen times. I’ve provided bank statements and a note from my bank for them to quit. Can’t cancel on the app because it never let me create an account and says I can’t create one without, you guessed it, payment info! The first person I reached replied once then never again. I’ve reached out half a dozen times. Can’t rate functionality, never been able to use it! My only option to stop the monthly charge is to cancel my bank account. So sad, I consistently saw and heard it was great, safe and easy for years up UNTIL they started charging. DO BETTER couchsurfing, the community needs this to work!.Version: 5.37.1
✓ Don’t use this trash appI paid third time in the same month and I still can not use it. I am so angry because they never reply me in any way even though I tried to find someone. I am so regards to pay 51 pounds accidentally as my verification. It’s such a trash app and website and I will never use it. If you see this, go to find the other app..Version: 5.39
✓ I’m not paying for thisI mostly hosted people and now I have to pay for that? No, thanks. And the community has been dead since the COVID outbreak, so what should I be paying for?.Version: 5.36
✓ Not freeIt’s not free they want money every month and excuse is due to COVID we want to keep it running.Version: 5.39
✓ Annual payment!When i woke up, i saw an email says if you want to use app, you have to pay montly pr annual payment. I use this platform from 2008 until now and i have really good friends from here. But i am saying goodbye for a while i hope. I understood the hard times but the application is used for travels, meeting and events... When we have to stay at home, why i have to pay something for I don't use. And also this application is mostly use time to time not always. Donations have to be people's choice... So this makes no sense! and i am going to delete until that changes. I hope everything will be ok soon for you too!.Version: 5.35
✓ It’s not worth “donating” to this organization that’s not a non-profit.I’ve been a longtime user of Couchsurfing. I’ve loved hosting tons of people and surfing as well. I’ve really enjoyed the community and have over 50 references. However...I’ve got to say I’m pretty frustrated with being asked to “donate” again this year. I budged last year during Covid and paid the yearly membership. Now it seems like this is continuing with no warning. Also this organization is not a non-profit. It’s also extremely frustrating that if you block someone, they can still view your profile photo and location. That doesn’t seem very private or safe at all. I will no longer be using this site anymore, which is a huge bummer..Version: 5.36.2
✓ Meh. . .The app had a peak, that peak was in 2019. it was useful especially when it came to meeting people. But now in this post-COVID era, there are other alternatives available. Hotels in certain countries are cheap to the point that having to beg someone to let you stay at their joint for a few days TOPS has become more of an inconvenience. Constant rejections or last minute cancellations, you name it. As far as encounters, apps like meetup and even non-encounter specific apps like HelloTalk might actually be more useful than this app now. It is unfortunately really, the service was much more useful before slapping this $3/month fee that swears is going to solve their problems even though people have probably moved on because of it. I justified the fee once or twice until July 2022 because it made sense. Now in 2023 when tourism is higher than its even better, I see no reason for them to keeps charging people for a once free service when the hassle of the past are still there and as I digress, there are better alternatives now where paying is an option..Version: 5.39.3
✓ Verification scam $$I’ve used the app 3 years ago and on my recent travel I decided to download it again. I was updating my profile & was prompted that I would have a higher chance of getting approved if I verified my account. They asked for a credit card to verify my account but did not indicate that a charge was to be made or how entering my cc details would result in a $60 charge! I entered my cc details thinking that it was just to verify that I am who I say I am regarding my name etc. Returning home from my holiday I received an email stating that I have been charged $60!!! I emailed their customer support stating my situation - I was unaware of the charge, amount, & ultimately being mislead. Jenny a customer service agent said they do not refund outside of the 7 day window (mind you I was only 2 days outside of the 7 day window) and asked for them to make an exception and she insisted that a refund cannot be processed. Very upsetting considering that I didn’t end up using the app. Terrible customer service! Absolutely Money hungry! *UPDATE* - stop responding to reviews advising them to contact customer service when you know very well your customer service agents will refuse to help out especially regarding any sort of refund. If you actually read my review you would see that I WANT A REFUND! & 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!!.Version: 5.31.2
✓ Feel like being cheatedBack to Aug 2018, I had been mislead to pay for the verification fee, I complained and got email back saying it has been refunded. But it never happened and this not way to contact anyone from this company, no phone number, no customer service, no reply at all. I guess I will never get the money back, but everyone should be careful about this app.Version: 5.24.1
✓ Change neededLET US CLICK INTO PROFILES OF PEOPLE WHO LEFT REFERENCES FFS! How are we meant to check whether those people are real users instead of blank profiles? This is the most CRUCIAL change you need to bring back. Another thing is - why can't we check friend list of other users like we can on the web version? This is important too because some new CSers may not have reference but have some friends who already do couchsurfing - if we can see that it's more likely they are real people and more likely for us to host them!.Version: 5.18
✓ 👎Paid for a lifetime premium account. And not even cannot have access to my profile unless i pay!!! Couch Surfing used to be a good app, but now it’s time is over..Version: 5.37.1
✓ Could be 5 starI completely love Couchsurfing and especially the couchsurfing community, but more the time pass and worst the app and the concept become. Before it was no limit to request you can send, while now you have a limit of 10 which I can see a reason behind, but when your limited request get nullified by a not good system behind it kind of pisses me off as Couchsurfing born to help travelers and people that can give it back, I will explain the issue : after I send a request to a person which had availability on the calendar before sending the request ( host can lock days when they can't host) the system came up with a message saying "the couch is not available" which is ok if wouldn't take out my opportunity to send another request as it was already unavailable. I don't know if is a software issue or what, but unlike when it started as no profit, community based program, nowadays it is becoming a not well supported app. Love the idea, love the community, love the people I met through Couchsurfing, I just wish the development could keep up with the awesomeness that Couchsurfing Vison is..Version: 5.25
✓ Greed, would rate less stars if possibleOnce a community based project to help travellers to connect with each other turned profit seeking and soul selling, holding accounts to ransom, while leaving them active, but can’t respond due to extortion..Version: 5.37
✓ Slow & $$Slow.Version: 5.7
✓ Poorly put together app & serviceI’ve used Couchsurfing for years. The app has always left something to be desired (there are unfixed bugs that have been around since 2018). I’ve had “verified” status because I host often. However, there’s been a pandemic for a year so I obviously haven’t hosted since the last week of February 2020. As soon as February 2021 hit, I could not login. Or rather, when I logged in all that I could see & interact with was a screen saying that I needed to pay a monthly or yearly fee. Couldn’t access my messages, my profile, or anything else on the app. If that wasn’t hostile enough, when I then paid their ransomware fee, I was then greeted by ads. Ads. What? Didn’t even know the app had ads because in my 4+ years of using it I’d never seen not a one. Apparently a free verified user can go ad-free, but a *paid* user still sees ads?! And not just little banners at the bottom or top of the screen either. They’re everywhere. So much so that it breaks the UI of the app wherever they appear (which, again, is everywhere). This is a poorly-coded sorry excuse for an app that is excessively user-hostile and hasn’t been updated significantly in years. It isn’t worth your money..Version: 5.36
✓ Just badTeribble app. Location sharing is not accurate. Notifications are not working. Address look up is horrible..Version: 5.39.3
✓ Awesome concept, needs some improvementsI looooove couchsurfing. It's changed my life and I'm so grateful for this app and what the connections it assists in creating. Howevvvveerrr... Technically some things need work. For example, sometimes I get notifications and sometimes I don't, making it difficult to correspond with surfers/hosts. Also, unless I accept/decline a couchsurfing request, I cannot send a message back to a person, even if the request has expired and I didn't have a chance to accept or decline.. I cannot send any messages at all!! Very stressful, as I would wish to reach out to some people I didn't have a chance to respond to in time. I also do not understand the point of paying for "verification," but luckily not being verified has not negatively impacted me yet. Also through the app the age range when looking for hosts is a very weird gap, it would be great to be able to put in ages yourself..Version: 5.15
✓ Sucks NowWas great before mandatory paying now, i’m not paying or using it anymore.Version: 5.36.2
✓ Once great, now no longer the sameThis was such a community focused and led project that was purchased by a major corporate and turned to make a profit. Such a shame as it was beautiful. More so, they could at least justify charging if it was at all functional but it isn’t and is unfortunately run by developers who have been found guilty of repeatedly overcharging or not even giving access to the system. Definitely do not use ever again.Version: 5.39.1
✓ Forcing subscriptionsI been using this app since 2017 and had met nice people from all around the world. What frustrates me now is after updating my home address, it’s asking me to pay for subscription if not to logout. It’s a shame after using this app for so long, now I have to uninstall it. I don’t see the point of insisting the existing users to subscribe even after using it for years. Shame.Version: 5.41
✓ Extraordinarily shady and disgusting business practicesI made an account on month ago to provide a reference for a friend who was on the verge of homelessness. Upon visiting the website I was asked to “donate” a certain amount of money to even be able to access the site. This red flag should have dissuaded me from even registering, but I wanted to make sure I could help my friend however I could. I “donated” (paywall) thinking that was all, and promptly finished setting up my account. Fast forward one month later I see another charge from Couchsurfing. I never authorized this transaction, and emailed support asking for a refund and to remove me from any kind of automatic payment system I may unknowingly be on. Instead I get a response stating no refunds will be issued. They ambiguously worded the entire “donation” protocol and never explicitly state that the “donation” will be a recurring fee. I don’t even use the app, I just had to write something for a friend. Congratulations, the measly $2.39 you guys refused to refund after effectively stealing it from me is now a chargeback and a report to the Better Business Bureau and FTC..Version: 5.35
✓ Time to move onBeWelcome and TrustRoots are great community-oriented platforms. CS is over..Version: 5.35
✓ Stealing MoneyI have paid for the annual membership to verify my account, despite that the money already was taken from my account but I can't use my CS account and every time will ask me to pay again! I contacted the support team who marked my requests as solved without solving the issue or getting back to me! It's such an unprofessional!.Version: 5.39
✓ **FRAUD**SCAM**BEWARE**Their verification is a SCAM! I urge you to read up on the many articles written about it online & many threads on Reddit related to the verification page being confusing, charging automatically before having an opportunity to read the page (price/charge isn’t even listed on this page as per the articles!). The page is intentionally designed to be confusing & have the ability to take payment without reading any info. My Apple pay automatically completed the payment in error. I contacted support within 11 minutes (after reading their “policy” about no refunds & other FAQ info on their website). They just quote the “policy” & advise they won’t give a refund. I’ll be seeking a chargeback through my credit card provider & opening a dispute through Stripe (their processing host). BEWARE!.Version: 5.39.1
✓ UnfortunateIt’s unfortunate the way they are now doing “business “. If they don’t change this donation thing, it will continue to go down. I’m not saying not to ask for donations but manage it better. If someone is going backpacking and will be actively traveling and sending requests then do ask for a mandatory “donation” but if someone is just at home and would normally host people every now and then but now have to pay on top of that? Makes no sense. If I decide to pay now I’m sure that my options to stay at peoples places are way way less than before because of all the people that decided not to pay while at home and not traveling. Do something!!.Version: 5.38.4
✓ Improved my social life but app needs workThis app helped me meet amazing people all over the world! I’m thankful for CS and the CS community. However some improvements and comments - it’s a shame that you cannot see past hangouts as it would be good to keep in contact with the people you’d just met without sounding like you want clout for your Instagram. The notifications on the app sometimes work and sometimes don’t... I was in Budapest not long ago and I got all of the messages through 1 day after I left telling me that people were waiting to meet me places. As for dangerous people, I’ve definitely met more GOOD people than BAD. However, there’s not much I can really secure in terms of safety other than being judgemental and looking at references and photos but even then people can lie, which has happened. I think as a suggestion, it should be easier for CS’ers to become verified without paying or hosting someone as many people just want to hang out. Right now, I’ve just created an album on my page of creepy guys messages and situations and this seems to have toned it down a bit..Version: 5.31.2
✓ They took money from me only to suspend my account for other people’s behaviorWe need a better alternative. I was forced to pay $3 every month to be able to use the application but that’s not the main problem. I largely enjoyed using the application because I met many people from all over the world who I have become friends with and had good experiences with. But the administrators of the application have a very poor management style. I once hosted a guy at my house who ended up causing many problems, including stealing my keys. I made sure to complain to the CS team about this, and provided videos. All they did was suspend his account for a week. There were also multiple instances of people using the application to sexually harass people including myself. The application allows anyone to block you for any reason and with no follow-up. That’s not what’s problematic. What’s problematic is that after taking your money, the team suspends your account if “too many people” block you. There are people with multiple accounts who have blocked me because they either wanted to cause trouble at my house or sexually harass me. It’s common for people to abuse the block function. But the CS team refused to investigate these blocks and just suspended my account with no details. I have invested in my account and built up over the years, and it’s sad to see how one can get victimized like that..Version: 5.37.1
✓ Great for the right peopleI like the idea very much, and I’ve hosted some amazing people but the majority of requests now are from people who arrive very late, just want a place to crash and shower and takeoff the next day early morning. They don’t want to interact or spend time with the host. This usually affects hosts who live in a somewhat smaller town that happens to just be in the way of the couchsurfer and they have no option but to stay there. Couchsurf needs to add a feature or disclaimer, or something in the way we rate others asking if that person understands the spirit of couchsurfing or wants to use the app for the sole reason of saving money. Definitely saving money is a big motive but it shouldn’t be the only one, otherwise you feel you’re being taken advantage of rather being thanked..Version: 5.28.3
✓ App for IOSWhat a useless app, moving backwards all the time. Try bringing a upgrade for a change, stop giving us downgrades..Version: 4.1
✓ Covid didn't kill thisThe owners did. They own other interests in competition with CS so they torpedoed it. terrible when and app interfaces completely ruined the immediacy of connecting with others, and nothing ever got done about abusers and spam for almost a decade. They ruined what they had so thoroughly that it just doesn't makes sense to use it when you could use a Facebook group or....anything else..Version: 5.37.1
✓ Payments is not goodIt’s not good to pay just for registration, because someone like me use this app about 2 times in a year! And I have to pay like someone which use this app 20 times a year!!!.Version: 5.39.1
✓ New user here trying to check it outThis app wants money right away without even letting you see how the community works. Not cool..Version: 5.38.5
✓ Total scamCS used to be an amazing community, but now it is just the shell of a company that has been gutted by greed. If you had an account prior to the recent changes, then you aren’t even allowed to access your own photos and data without paying a ransom, which unless they respond to my email in the next 18 days, is going to result in a violation of GDPR. As much as these corporate frat bros might not like to admit it, they don’t have a copyright on the concept of hospitality. Plenty of other apps do the same thing, and will gladly take all of the previous members of this community who cannot get their data and leave soon enough. Instead of acknowledging that they screwed up, this company has made every attempt to deny and distract, but I for one am leaving, and I hope their soulless money grabbing adventure fails miserably. Try TrustRoots or BeWelcome, or literally anything else, because this app is garbage..Version: 5.35
✓ They trick you to pay $87 for lifetime verificationI used to be a big fan of this application. Recently I thought I want to get back on this app after the pandemic. I was asked for credit card for verification like lots of all the other applications, but I didn’t know that I have to pay for this. The payable amount was only shown in a corner, very small and it was kinda faded in gray color, so people cannot notice what they’re paying. I only noticed that amount just when I clicked on submit. And when I asked them to refund the amount and cancel the verification literally after two minut, they refused to do that. They said it’s a digital product that cannot be undone, which is literally a lie! Modern days robbery!.Version: 5.39.3
✓ Account suspended without any reason!I have been using Couchsurfing app for more than 7 years. I was expecting a visitor and confirmed their stay. Suddenly couchsurfing suspended my account without any reason. I have been using the app for more than 7 years and I have never done anything wrong and I have never received any negative feedback. My guest had to stay outside and couldn’t contact me because of what Couchsurfing did. When I contacted to support, they only say that the account deactivated and we can’t tell you why because of the privacy. Actually you have to tell people the reason. If you can’t tell the reason it means you don’t have any reason to tell and you are suspending accounts without any reason and that’s not right. You are doing wrong..Version: 5.41.2
✓ App is glitchy, and they just demanded more moneyMy yearly renewal $payment just went through literally a week ago and I log on today to respond to a Couchsurfing request and they won’t even let me in to my account unless I immediately pay MORE money. I don’t use the app because it’s glitchy and I couldn’t see messages, so I use the website. This Couchsurfing app is on the way out. They sold out to corporate greed and ignored the members and people wanting to help make them great. If you want to know what happened, there’s this great article on “bootsnall “. Lost Roots: The Failure of For-Profit Couchsurfing. I will most likely be deactivating my account as soon as I am enabled to sign back in. I have been a member for probably six years..Version: 5.36
✓ No thanksWhy do I need to pay? The Covid is gone! SCAM!.Version: 5.39.1
✓ Brilliant service, frustrating appForced me to pay a contribution (don’t mind this, great value!) and then didn’t allow me to log in. Super frustrating to pay for an account I can’t access. When I try log in again, I have to pay again. Probably not intentional, but VERY frustrating..Version: 5.38.1
✓ Useless unless you pay pay payTrying to help my partner find somewhere to stay and remembered Couchsurfing from back in the day. Expected to be able to see listings of what’s available and what people are looking for, then maybe would need to create an account to contact others. But instead you have to create an account as soon as you open the app, sharing personal information like your full name, email and date of birth. Once past that stage, you have to chose to pay monthly or annually before you proceed. No thank you..Version: 5.39
✓ Scammers and racistsI started using this app back in 2015 it was good at the beginning while I was travelling. Since I wanted to keep meeting people I decided to pay for the verification which was $60 by then so my profile would be more legit. I got to travel many countries around the world and met interesting people, once I was in Berlin where I met a group of guys (Muslim religious) which they had their own “friends group” on WhatsApp and it was a huge community with up to 1k people one of them seemed to be friendly and I told him I was gay, after that he went telling people on the WhatsApp group that I was hitting on him and so on -not true at all but you know religious people- then this guy asked all people on that WhatsApp group to report my CS profile-of course they were 1k and my account was suspended without reason. I have been trying to contact CS since that incident in 2018 and they never replied my emails. Worst than that is that they took my money from the verification I paid for. CS did not contact me whatsoever they just believed a bunch of religious people in a WhatsApp group without actually asking me or anything. I hope someone reads this and give me my money back, this was so racist..Version: 5.35
✓ Most Search Results are UselessA new policy of Couchsurfing is not to allow members to access their accounts unless they start paying a fee, which most members have declined to do. So, almost all of the search results are of hosts who cannot access their accounts (which are still active) to accept a request..Version: 5.37.1
✓ Took my money but no accessPaid the “contribution” and still no access to the app. Getting email notifications that spam people are messaging me from all over the world..Version: 5.39.1
✓ Hangouts discussion very badWhen are you planing to fix the hangout discussion? Its very annoying ! Can’t press send if the message is past 1 line ! I bet i am not the only to complain of this.Version: 5.16
✓ DO NOT SIGN UPThis appears to be a big scam. Upon signing up, they insist on a donation without offering an option to skip, essentially coercing payment. Additionally, if you choose to pay, they charge over $100 for a lifetime subscription without clear information on the charges or what is included in the subscription. I recommend to be cautious and consider reporting such practices..Version: 5.41
✓ Mandatory feeI’ve heard about this app and just wanted to know more about it. As soon as you download the app it requests to pay. Excuse me I have to pay for what?! I don’t know even how this app works. Horrible marketing!.Version: 5.38.5
✓ ReportI don't know why I can’t report this app. I’ve actually paid in the past (to be a host!) and if you download these days you have to pay before you’re allowed to do anything. I know we’re all struggling but this is a company, and why it’s allowed to insist on payment whilst being classed as a “free app” with no mention of in app purchases, let alone a complete inability to use the app without prior payment shouldn’t be allowed. There are plenty of actual charities that wouldn’t get away with this..Version: 5.35
✓ ThievesYou literally can’t even access your profile without paying, on top of that a “lifetime verification” costs about 100$ and gets you nothing, you still have to pay more to access your profile. Which by the way these transactions are very seamless, the verification charges you before you can even read a billing checkpoint and didn’t even tell me an amount. The interface has gone downhill, and the majority of hosts aren’t active because they too cannot access their profile and probably do not want to pay just to host people. On top of all that getting any refund is impossible. So yeah, thieves..Version: 5.38.1
✓ Great idea , low quality app, bad managementI think Couchsurfers deserve an app better than that. Can’t see groups on the app, neither verify my ID because the app always crashes. Plus in the beginning of the Pandemic, they locked me out of accessing my account for the sole purpose of paying money, imagine. Like there was literally any service that I had to pay for, even though because I like the idea and wanted to help the company, I paid $15 which was supposed to be for verification, but guess, they made it just a contribution and the worse thing is that it says it’s an annual contribution and they may charge me for the coming year too. Ok! Verified my account for $60 which I see that at some point they’ll take it away too with their poor management. They state “not set to expire soon” Lol, ok you can end it anytime I’m sure, I didn’t read the policy but it can also change without any prior consent or agreement. I’m not telling anybody to stay away tho, my message is for the developers and managers to respect their users. Couchsurfers deserve better than that. Good luck.Version: 5.36
✓ Has it’s problemsVery hard to write a positive review when I getting there was a problem loading data. Please try again..Version: 5.18
✓ Rip offI paid for the verification too hastily but then did more investigation and didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of it anymore so then, before even beginning my travels, decided to delete my account and they refuse to refund the verification price even though I never used it at all. Their reason: “I am paying to keep their service up and running” - I thought I was paying for MY use of the site, not their ability to keep the site running… I’m not your investor, this is truly a rip off..Version: 5.38.1
✓ I feel this used to be a great app before CovidI love the idea of couchsurf act however think it needs a big update. People who are more active and have a higher % response rate should come up first and people who haven’t been active maybe their accounts should be Biden to surfers as you spend a lot of time fishing people out. Also now the only way to get verified is through paying $70?! Just because I paid money how does that make me more trustworthy? It used to be through ID confirmation etc but now you can’t do that. Idk this app needs to be worked on since Covid no one used it so it’s not changed since then I guess.Version: 5.39.1
✓ Delay of messagesHi, well done for providing this great platform to all of us. But I want to say that this app has experience significant delay of messages, at least in the message and hangout group chat section. I have missed a lot of potential meetups. Most of the time the app doesn’t give notification to the screen and sometime even after opening the app interface..Version: 5.31.2
✓ Great for communicating, average for searchingWorks really great when you've already sent a request to manage requests and talk to people, but when searching it is a lot clumsier than the website and seems to miss key information like reply rate and average time..Version: 1.4.2
✓ This app is overGood days are over. This app was great and not I cannot even connect to my account without paying. Good night sweet prince!.Version: 5.36.2
✓ Verification ScamPlease be careful of their verification scam. They ask you to click a verification button to verify your identity without mentioning any amount of money to be deducted. Upon clicking, your card gets charged $87 without asking for your confirmation! Of course, they refuse to refund this amount and stop responding to your emails. This has happened to many people everywhere and apparently they are continuing with this scam. AVOID THIS APP. They are scammers..Version: 5.39.1
✓ Worst Costumer ServiceI paid $60 for an app I never used to get verified. You still have to pay $1.99 a month to use the app but, I mistakenly thought the $60 would cover an app that used to be free. I emailed about my confusion (since they do not have a phone number) and asked if I could possibly get a refund of the verification fee that is optional so I could use it to pay the mandatory $1.99 monthly fee. I got a generic response back explaining the difference between the two while my refund request went unanswered. I emailed again only to never receive a response. I don’t like that I can give money to a company I can’t even contact via the phone and I can’t get a response on the one form of contact they offer. Just use AirBnb..Version: 5.36.2
✓ Needs work!Overall this is not a bad app and it could be great but it is let down by a few bugs at the time of writing. The worst offender is the messaging in the Hangouts section: the message bar is almost off the screen on the iPhone app which makes sending a message very awkward, it is also impossible to send a message of more than one line. This is incredibly frustrating - please fix it guys!.Version: 5.16
✓ Corrupt corporate thieves own CS nowTrying to squeeze whatever $$ they can out of the asset they robbed the community of several years ago and fumbled from greatness into near insolvency. A’int getting a penny from my pocket and you can block the value you’d be extracting from my couch to your hearts delight you corporate stooges!.Version: 5.37.1
✓ Not worth it.Be careful when you first create an account. First, they charged me $87 for "verification". Secondly, I wasn't even aware until today, but I was subscribed monthly to pay $4. "Couchsurfing Contribution Membership"? Come on, I never agreed to subscribe to a "membership". Whoelse would charge $87 for "verification" then say it's a "lifetime" thing so it can't get refunded, and also automatically put me into a monthly subscription? This is so stupid..Version: 5.39.3
✓ RefundAlthough the design is good It costs me 84$that I don’t know and I have no idea how to refund my money back !!hopefully. Can help.Version: 5.18
✓ They charged me for a subscription I didn’t wantI used couchsurfing a year ago a handful of times. Apparently when I purchased the membership it was set to auto renew a year later but I didn’t notice this. I haven’t used this app and not planning to do so in the future. Just received a charge for the yearly membership even though I have no intention of using this app. I informed customer support to see if I could get a refund but they have declined it. With other yearly subscriptions when I got charged by surprise I always got a refund, but not in this case. Seems like their business model consists on charging people without them noticing. Oh, and before charging for the yearly membership maybe it would be helpful to send an email beforehand to customers so they are aware of this and they can make a decision. But I guess their whole business model would go down..Version: 5.41
✓ Be careful with verificationI install the app to try it out and verified myself and was your price to be charged a significant amount to be verified not knowing the amount until its already done. there is no feature to request refund.Version: 5.38.3
✓ $$$$$$ abonnement $$$.Version: 5.39.1
✓ Their system is scam once signedYou will be directed to fill your credit card info after signing up. A life time warranty shows and the amount will be deducted directly without a notice. It s a total scam 83$ they charge. Their costumer service never respond !.Version: 5.39.1
✓ Stay away! Scam to get your money! No longer operating properly!Couch Surfing (CS) has gone completely downhill, everyone is abandoning it and with good reason! I recently got locked out of my account (I’m a paying user, but no longer will) for sending a link to a CS event to another CS user, using the CS app. After contacting them to unlock my account, I still haven’t heard anything back from them after almost 15 days (and counting!) My suggestion is to join the WhatsApp groups that used to be for CouchSurfing, but are now filled with ex-CS’ers. These are much better, and don’t have weird policies (you can actually chat with people, not like in the CS app), even if you have paid..Version: 5.38.1
✓ Doesn’t workAs soon as I started travelling in New Zealand, the app doesn’t load hangouts. Really sad because everywhere else in the world it’s worked perfectly..Version: 5.32.1
✓ Don‘t download it!App was good years ago….Version: 5.41.2
✓ Good became worst!Hi Couch Surfing! Hopefully you can read this review as you guys have been making this the worst experience ever. From a free to be a commercial one and also when I wanted to delete my account, it was annoying to complete that procedure. Totally bunch of a s s!.Version: 5.38.4
✓ Terrible AppThe whole idea of this app is excellent. Unfortunately the app itself is the worst performing app I have ever used. Notifications for messages and hangouts come through many hours late, which is pretty annoying at 4am when you are trying to sleep. Hangouts are buggy and you can never be sure if anything you do has actually gone through. I was with another Couchsurfing tonight who had joined the same groups as me and we were getting the same notifications at the same time for things that had happened 5 hours earlier. I’ve been waiting for an update to fix this since 2018 but obviously they don’t care as this is the only app for this kind of thing. They must realise that we have no choice. Pretty disgusting for an app that boasts about how many people got “verified” at 60 quid a go. You are the only app I’ve ever used that works this bad. Sort it out. There is no excuse in 2022!.Version: 5.38.1
✓ Amazing Idea, Bad InterfaceI’ve been on couchsurfing already a while and made wonderful friendships around the whole world. Unfortunately the app itself isn’t up to date and a bit buggy. Here are some things that would be awesome to improve: - Better algorithmic for finding hosts - False message notifications/badges and many other bugs - Many dating related adds (as seen on other phones aswell). Makes the app seem like a dating app, what’s really annoying.Version: 5.32.1
🙂 Couchsurfing Travel App Positive Reviews
Couchsurfing Travel App works most of the time. If it is not working for you, we recommend you excersise some patience and retry later or contact Couchsurfing Travel App.
⛔ Couchsurfing Travel App Problems
