Booking errors and double bookings

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Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

After an error in transcribing dates from PIMS to a Google Spreadsheet I had been sharing with my apartment manager for several years, I gave her limited access to my PIMS booking information last August, so I no longer needed to use the spreadsheet. I hadn't noticed that the guest had booked different dates via my website to those he originally requested, and completed the spreadsheet in haste with the original dates. He arrived a day earlier than we expected. No problem, as the apartment was ready, but we had to arrange for someone else to meet him with the key, as M was down at the lake on her boat. It has taken her until yesterday to realise that the list she is presented with on log in to PIMS can be clicked on to open booking information for each guest. Goodness knows how she got through the winter not knowing how many people were staying, how many beds were needed etc etc.
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pete
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Post by pete »

wrong post
aasta
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Post by aasta »

so aside from FC, we seem to be one of the very few who still use an agenda...good old pen and paper.....our 5 rooms are color coded.....and it has worked fairly well....did double book last year....because i forgot to transcribe a booking into the next years agwenda...was able to find guests a place at a B&B nearby and, since the mistake was noted months in advance it was OK
aasta
COYS
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Post by COYS »

Once so far & believe me that's more than enough. I personally made an entry mistake & overlapped guests by a day, slap bang in the height of season, not realising until a few weeks before when going through physical booking forms. Absolute panic ensued as I rang around the neighbourhood in the vain hope that somebody local had a gap before informing the unfortunate guests. The main problem being that A) we needed a 2 week gap or B) that somewhere similar locally were willing to accommodate 4 guests for just 24hrs whereupon they would be free to move to us. A or B never worked out!
However, (this was back in the day of community spirit etc) we were fortunate that our neighbours, their friends & so on put the word out & a lovely local boutique apart-hotel stepped in with the 24hr solution, which the guests accepted after endless apologies & the pitching of various solutions, full refunds etc. etc.
With complimentary meals on us & a refund for the missing day, the transition worked out okay if a little painful for us financially but it was a relief to get it sorted satisfactorily & a mistake I am at pains to avoid ever again (fingers always firmly crossed)
A little old school for many, but now I always back up online data with coloured markers onto a great big ugly wall chart, much to my wife's chagrin.
Not really in keeping with today's faultless (!!) automated algorithms but so far, so good.
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Sam V
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Location: Villa in Gale, Algarve, Portugal. At home in Fetcham, Surrey, UK
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Post by Sam V »

A couple of points worthy of note, still bugging me following my OD double booking.

This is probably the major factor I ended up with an unknown booking/double booking. I only ever received two emails from OD in relation to his booking with me; the first was a copy of the email deposit payment request to the guest. The second (sent while I was away in NY and not paying too much attention to all my emails anyway!) again a copy to me of the email sent to the guest, this time a final balance request. No email was sent to me at any time to confirm any payment had been made, booking confirmed, etc. I have just recalled I have previously been in the situation earlier this year where these same emails have been sent, I've received the same request copies, and there was no booking made, just an irate person emailing me p'd off at receiving these emails from 'me'/OD!

The 'Reservations' in my dashboard is something I rarely look at, but maybe I should but I'm not interested in it as I manage my bookings in PIMS and I had not checked it at all, and as I had not received any info from OD confirming a booking had been paid for I wasn't likely to either!
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