booking.com

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mccaigs
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Location: Ohlos de Agua. Albufeira
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booking.com

Post by mccaigs »

Hiya,
Hope I am posting in the correct place, my first time
we have been advertising on through booking.com for our 3rd year, we have always received deposits and payments as soon as they got paid. This year they suddenly decided that we only get paid a month AFTER the guest has been. We had no notification or discussion, only found out when we enquired where payments/ deposits from December where!
Besides being unethical, I have to wonder if its legal that they change our contract terms in this manner.
Any and all comments will be appreciated.
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Ben McNevis
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Post by Ben McNevis »

Hi, and welcome mccaigs!

Payment to host after check-in is increasingly the way things are done, where an intermediary takes payment. I recon it's a good thing as it rules out various kinds of fraud. It's bad for cash flow but we just have to face it that for guest peace of mind it's probably worth it.

I still much prefer direct dealing between host and guest, but that's not an option with any commission-based site.

There might be something in your existing contract that allows BC to change the way of working without your consent. Even if there isn't BC are big enough and bold enough to ignore minor details like that. BC has never been big on ethics!

It might be worth checking up on whether this change affects your cancellation terms. BC and others like them are trying to move to a universal "free cancellation".

I departed from BC nearly 2 years ago but we are still in a bit of a wrangle with them as they are "cybersquatting" our cottage name in order to offer other accommodation in the same village.
Cheers, Ben
www . scotland-cottage.com www . scottish-cottage.com


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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

Welcome to the forum. I think most of the listing sites do change things as and when they like and sometimes it's hard to spot the change. They may present you with new terms and you struggle to find something new in them because they are so long.

I don't have much time for booking.com though as I struggled, then gave up advertising with them myself.
Essar
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Post by Essar »

Hello and welcome to the forum.

You say that BC collect the payment - my arrangement with them in the UK means I process the payments though my channel manager FreeToBook.

I am not aware that BC take payments on owners behalf.

Your BC advert says "This property only accepts cash".
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petitbois
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Post by petitbois »

same here, we don't take a deposit, but accept payment by credit card during guest's stay. When booking is made there is a message at top of form where you can state when guest payment is to be made...I select Guest to Pay during Stay.
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

Booking , late last year asked us if we wanted to be partners with them where by they took the reservation charge from the guest. There were a number of questions we thought about asking them; like when how and how would the guest have the reservation charge returned if they decided to cancel the booking? Another question was when would we get the money due to us? We thought that we could end up having no control of the money that Booking kindly holds for us.

We never bothered to ask these questions as we have our own card machine.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
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