Having used only Rentalsystems for payments since I started up, I have now decided to switch to accepting bank transfers instead. I get plenty of enquiries but this year so far only one has turned into a booking.
I suspect that some of the reasons could be:
- I offer only payment by credit card.
- Rentaisystems processing and credit card fee is an add-on to the price that probably a lot of people don't like to see.
- The booking process is somewhat complicated, with Rentalsystems requiring the customer to sign up.
My questions regarding bank transfers:
- How do you handle the charges of sending and receiving banks? For example, HSBC charge a lot for international transfers (around GBP 20). Does the customer usually pay for sending bank's charges and I pay for receiving bank's charges?
Another question:
- Is there a need for terms and conditions to be agreed by the customer before confirming a booking? In my experience, enquiries show that people don't read much, and they often ask about information that is readily available on the website. So is there any point in having a Terms and Conditions text? I mean, people might just ignore it anyway..?
And, the last question:
I've been searching a lot for a simple javascript calendar where the renter can enter Arrival Date and Departure Date. I have looked at JQuery's Date Picker, but it is too technically challenging for me. Please advice if there is a calendar of this kind that is basically copy-paste, without requiring advanced web developer skills.
Thanks
Some questions about bank transfers
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Zur Alten Weinkelter
- Posts: 201
- Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2011 12:22 pm
- Location: Moselle Valley (Mosel) Deutschland
I accept bank transfers direct into my German Bank account a SWIFT transaction
Most of my guests are from the Euro Zone and in most cases they do not get charged for this.
As for the guests outside the Euro Zone
I inform them of the following
Please note that some banks will make a charge for this request ,this is something out of our control and any disputes or concerns should be taken up with your bank directly
I also take payments via paypal and I inform guests of the following
For using this service we have to ask for a transaction fee of xxxx this is to cover charges made to us direct from paypal and is no financial gain to us so please add this fee on to your original quote
At my german bank I have
1: Separate account just for payments
2: Supense account ( for future payments)
And when I receive payment via paypal I transfer into the apropiate account
I find this works for me as we are a small business having a credit card machine facility would be to costly
However on certain exceptions I accept cash on arrival for last minute bookings
Most of my guests are from the Euro Zone and in most cases they do not get charged for this.
As for the guests outside the Euro Zone
I inform them of the following
Please note that some banks will make a charge for this request ,this is something out of our control and any disputes or concerns should be taken up with your bank directly
I also take payments via paypal and I inform guests of the following
For using this service we have to ask for a transaction fee of xxxx this is to cover charges made to us direct from paypal and is no financial gain to us so please add this fee on to your original quote
At my german bank I have
1: Separate account just for payments
2: Supense account ( for future payments)
And when I receive payment via paypal I transfer into the apropiate account
I find this works for me as we are a small business having a credit card machine facility would be to costly
However on certain exceptions I accept cash on arrival for last minute bookings
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rentalagent
- Posts: 93
- Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:32 am
Hi there,
I also use HSBC and have both a sterling and a Euro account with them. Until just a few months ago, the Euro account couldn't be used via online banking so I also had to swallow those £20 charges, but now that their Euro accounts can be accessed and used online in the same way as sterling accounts, my world is a much nicer place. They only charge me €6 per international transfer from the Euro account as opposed to £20 from the sterling account.
My T&C's state that if a client has a bank account in a country other than the UK they agree to cover all charges for bank transfers I make when returning security deposits etc. Equally, if you receive a payment from them and it's short due to bank charges you CAN and SHOULD ask them to ensure you receive the full amount. It's not your fault if a client has a non-UK account and you shouldn't lose money because of it. I've never had a guest say that's unfair or unreasonable.
Yes, yes, yes to the T&Cs before booking! I know most don't read them at all, but on my booking form I have a check-box saying "tick here to confirm you have read and accept our T&C's". I won't accept a booking until they tick it. So what if they don't read them? You're then fully protected and can rely on your contract if needed
Hope that helps!
I also use HSBC and have both a sterling and a Euro account with them. Until just a few months ago, the Euro account couldn't be used via online banking so I also had to swallow those £20 charges, but now that their Euro accounts can be accessed and used online in the same way as sterling accounts, my world is a much nicer place. They only charge me €6 per international transfer from the Euro account as opposed to £20 from the sterling account.
My T&C's state that if a client has a bank account in a country other than the UK they agree to cover all charges for bank transfers I make when returning security deposits etc. Equally, if you receive a payment from them and it's short due to bank charges you CAN and SHOULD ask them to ensure you receive the full amount. It's not your fault if a client has a non-UK account and you shouldn't lose money because of it. I've never had a guest say that's unfair or unreasonable.
Yes, yes, yes to the T&Cs before booking! I know most don't read them at all, but on my booking form I have a check-box saying "tick here to confirm you have read and accept our T&C's". I won't accept a booking until they tick it. So what if they don't read them? You're then fully protected and can rely on your contract if needed
Hope that helps!
Good to hear that HSBC only charges 6 Euros for international transfers. I have a Euro account in addition to Sterling and USD, so I hope that is going to work.
I have added a T&C to my website, and I think it's a good idea to include what you mentioned about bank charges. I have also put a check box before the Submit button on the online Booking Form. I they don't check the box, the form won't be sent.
Any ideas about Date Calendars that are easy to install? I've spent days trying to find good options, but without luck. It could be something similar to what is there on PIMS booking form, but since I get very few customers, PIMS would be too expensive for me.
Thanks both for your very valuable input.
I have added a T&C to my website, and I think it's a good idea to include what you mentioned about bank charges. I have also put a check box before the Submit button on the online Booking Form. I they don't check the box, the form won't be sent.
Any ideas about Date Calendars that are easy to install? I've spent days trying to find good options, but without luck. It could be something similar to what is there on PIMS booking form, but since I get very few customers, PIMS would be too expensive for me.
Thanks both for your very valuable input.