Booking Forms

Up, down, could be better? How to get more bookings is our number one obsession. Talk shop here.

Insist on booking form

YES
49
74%
NO
17
26%
 
Total votes: 66

Essar
Posts: 3243
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2011 5:24 pm
Location: Bournemouth
Contact:

Post by Essar »

lorca wrote:Fair point Essar - I was mainly referring to them having to be provided in Spain for tax purposes
Sorry Lorca if you thought I was replying to you; I was responding to the topic question really. :)
"Write something, even if it's just a suicide note"
"There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise"
"As for my amnesia, I've had it as long as I can remember"
Real name: Steve
Gender: Male
User avatar
Mouse
Posts: 7277
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:47 pm
Location: Balearics
Contact:

Post by Mouse »

Essar wrote:And when your property burns to the ground and the Fire Officer asks you for the names of all your guests, so that they can be accounted for. How are you going to answer?

And when your third party liability insurance provider wants the guest details confirmed when they receive a compo claim from some unknown. How are you going to answer?
1. I'm on site so would know who and who wasn't accounted for as I know the total number, can't account for visitors though. Names shouldn't come in to it unless it is fatal....which it wouldn't be.
2. If an insurance claim was made then surely an owner would have been approached first? Or at least be made aware by the guests that something was amiss otherwise how would they know who to claim from?

Mouse (being stubborn and still not feeling that the booking form is the be all and end all)
x
One martini, two martini, three martini floor!
Jonathan
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2014 10:17 am
Location: Warwickshire
Contact:

Post by Jonathan »

greenbarn wrote:Even setting aside any legal requirements for having the information, I can't get my head around the idea of letting to someone without having their full contact/address details.
So what would you do if it all goes paear-shaped? Holding the address details is a legal requirement in the UK.

Jonathan
arkvilla
Posts: 277
Joined: Mon May 14, 2012 6:19 am
Location: Highgate Park, Florida (the Villa) we live in Essex, UK
Contact:

Post by arkvilla »

Mine is part of our t&c's and I wouldn't be without it

Sandra
costa-brava
Posts: 689
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2010 11:57 am
Location: costa brava spain
Contact:

booking forms

Post by costa-brava »

Essar wrote:
And when your property burns to the ground and the Fire Officer asks you for the names of all your guests, so that they can be accounted for. How are you going to answer?

I have to admit that sending booking forms has never been my strongpoint. I do agree that it should be done but I have been lax. However the new rules here in Catalunya force us to send passport details of all guests to the police. It's a pain in the butt but I like it because there is a documented list of who is where.

But I have a related question. Does anybody use Hellosign or Agree'nsign or one of the other form-sign sites. They look good and cost about 10$ a month to send unlimited forms, get them signed online, and sent back.
I'm interested in comments from anybody who uses one.
User avatar
Robin S
Posts: 190
Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:24 pm
Location: The Cotswolds
Contact:

Post by Robin S »

Got round to sorting one a few weeks ago

https://onespringlake.wufoo.com/forms/o ... t-details/

Curious for feedback etc. We make guests complete after booking via the lettings sites and / or when they come direct. IANAL but think we'd probably be on rocky ground having two sets of booking conditions... the ones the booking sites provide and then these going over the top... curious for thoughts.
FelicityA
Posts: 2816
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:54 pm
Location: Cotswolds
Contact:

Post by FelicityA »

Should a booking form have a signature to be fully legal or is it enough to have a tick box? Are we all now really 'e-trading' since we take payments online?
e-richard
Posts: 5008
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:33 am
Location: Algarve, Portugal
Contact:

Post by e-richard »

FelicityA wrote:Should a booking form have a signature to be fully legal or is it enough to have a tick box?
There is nothing new about this. I have bought and sold millions of dollars worth of goods and services using just a tick box in USA, UK and all over Europe as well as AsiaPac. Its been checked with lawyers in UK and USA. As long as its clear what you are ticking, then its legal.
** Richard
PIMS: Holiday Rental Management system
They say we learn from our mistakes. That makes me a genius !
FelicityA
Posts: 2816
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:54 pm
Location: Cotswolds
Contact:

Post by FelicityA »

Thanks, e-richard. I think I might change from sending out an agreement requiring a signature to a booking form linked to t and c's and then I don't have to do the filling in of all the details, they do!

But I am wondering at the same time if this may slow up the booking process as instead of being handed something they have to just read and sign, they have to set aside time to fill in a form (and you know how we all love filling in forms...), albeit little more than filling in address details?

Do people with a form method find that there tends to be more of a delay on returning it? I frequently get agreements signed and returned within 24 hours, any delay usually being related to lack of access to a scanner. Am I likely to be waiting longer for confirmations?
ianthy
Posts: 522
Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2006 9:07 pm
Location: Bologna, Italy

Post by ianthy »

FelicityA wrote:Thanks, e-richard.
Do people with a form method find that there tends to be more of a delay on returning it? I frequently get agreements signed and returned within 24 hours, any delay usually being related to lack of access to a scanner. Am I likely to be waiting longer for confirmations?
Hi Felicity A
I moved from the paper based form to using the online form with PIMS and find the forms are returned a lot quicker. If I do need to prompt a guest I can use the text facility within PIMS to remind them. I just can't imagine how I managed with paper based forms for all those years, we only have 2 properties but process approx 45 bookings a year.
User avatar
greenbarn
Posts: 6146
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 6:41 pm
Location: The Westmorland Dales, Cumbria

Post by greenbarn »

I use a customised PIMS form; it collects all the essential information - name, address, dates, property etc and has tick boxes for eligibility to make the booking (over 18, agree to terms, lead guest) end of. If the boxes aren't ticked the form isn't submitted - thanks be to PIMS.
The whole lot is automatically entered into PIMS, any mistakes that I don't happen to spot are down to the guest; arrival and departure dates are the most likely to cause grief if they're wrong, and the dates the guest enters on the form are automatically inserted into all template responses from then on.

Compared with completing information online, which is something I must do at least once every day, I'd be far more likely to put off the faff of signing hard copy, remembering how to work the scanner, and emailing the copy back.
FelicityA
Posts: 2816
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:54 pm
Location: Cotswolds
Contact:

Post by FelicityA »

Thanks both. I signed up for the free Wufoo forms a while ago and really must get down to this as I spend ages filling in names addresses dates etc. on letting agreements and would rather let the guests, as you say, Greenbarn, make the mistakes! I just have to convert the wording of my letting agreement into a terms and conditions document now ( and trying hard not to make it too wordy) and get them both online.

Costabravarent - I did also sign up for a (Germany based) electronic signature thing but I decided it would be too complicated for some of my less technical guests to manage so I never used it in the end. Ticking a box will be easier!
Post Reply