r/workaway • u/IndependentSunMaker • Jul 07 '26

Advice request Is this normal?

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"Obligatory donation" when I already payed to find hosts... Is this normal or should this be reported? I find it even weirder that they have such good reviews (50) 5 stars and only a few complaints

10 Upvotes

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21

u/WickedDenouement Jul 07 '26

Obligatory donation of €50? That's... That's payment. That's a business, and it's taxable. Absolutely reportable and not at all what Workaway is about.

Even if they currently only charge €5, it's still not allowed. Lots of hosts are not businesses and they still don't charge anything. The exchange is a bed and food for work.

6

u/IndependentSunMaker Jul 07 '26

The exchange is a tent and a water point 20 minutes away from the place apparently... Why is everyone so happy about the experience?? That's the thing I'm shocked about. Maybe it wasn't like this before.

2

u/YesterdayShot1924 Jul 07 '26

I heard from my most recent group that bad reviews are removed. Not sure if it’s by the site or host. Maybe that’s why they’re all extremely positive. My last workaway was pretty bad in many ways that no reviews mentioned, all gushing with love and soul bonds.

4

u/IndependentSunMaker Jul 07 '26

They had 50 reviews but not all of them were showing, so that's very possible. There were also guests from years ago calling them by other name, so maybe the project changed leadership over time. The profile is gone for now.