It never rains but it pours

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
Giraffe
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It never rains but it pours

Post by Giraffe »

I'm an offsite owner. Last week my visitors had a problem with one of the electric showers. Electrician came the next day and found problems with both showers - switched off for safety. Following day plumber came and installed one new shower. Guests were very helpful and did not complain once about the disruption to their holiday. Their view was that " these things happen". They want to come back next year!

Last Saturday, next guests arrive and Internet not working for them. For reasons I can't explain here the Internet is vital for them. Spent fraught hours dealing unsuccessfully with BT and trying to find alternative accomodation in midsummer. In the end the visitors sorted out the problem with some equipment they always carry with them.
Visitors have ordered similar equipment for me and will set up the Internet for my next visitors. They also had only one shower for 2 days until the plumber returned.

Most of my visitors are great, but aren't some wonderful? :lol:
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

One can make a hotspot from a smart phone to say a lap top. No need to rely on routers if they break.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
Giraffe
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Post by Giraffe »

Thanks casa. Unfortunately we are in a little valley where a number of phones can't get a signal. This was one of the issues in this case.
It's also surprising the number of guests who don't have smartphones, usually among the more mature of us, and who may not be technically savvy enough to use make use of the Internet facilities. I have, on occasions, opened up the landline for guests who need to keep in touch with others. Requires a level of trust, but no one has abused it so far.
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

Totally agree. We had a horrendous summer storm that not only flooded out both the villa and our place but also fried the internet router through a lightening strike.
Telefonica said they'd replace the router with 24 hrs,....of course that was bollox and in the end we were offline for 5 days. Painful for us as that's how we earn some of our income. ....but thankfully both sets of guests were very understanding - thank god.

We love reasonable guests.

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CSE
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Post by CSE »

It's also surprising the number of guests who don't have smartphones
I would have thought that the guests who needed connect would have smart phones.
My mother is 80 years old and she has a smart phone. no one is too old not to own one.
but also fried the internet router through a lightening strike.
The get a surge protection device. Even fridges with circuit boards need protection against all (including fluctuations in the power) electrical surges.
The photo illustration is for English plugs, but the ideas are the same for Spanish equipment.
http://www.judgeelectrical.co.uk/domest ... ction.html
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
Ecosse
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Post by Ecosse »

casasantoestevo wrote:
I would have thought that the guests who needed connect would have smart phones.
My mother is 80 years old and she has a smart phone. no one is too old not to own one.
I suspect she wanted one though. My 77 year old mother is perfectly capable of operating a smartphone, but she hates them. She does not wish to fb her friends, be bugged by constant update suggestions or play Candy Crush so she chooses to only have a basic mobile. She's far from alone in in her choice of communication method - what suits one person doesn't suit everyone.
GillianF
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Post by GillianF »

Hear, hear! We don't all want to be connected to everyone and everything all the time. I'm only just 60 and only got an iPhone (is that a Smartphone?) last week. I can do all I need to do on it and I'm sure it has lots of features I will never use or even need to know about.

We had internet and Satellite TV go down for our last guests and they were very reasonable about it.

Earlier in the season guests (a family) left a note in the Visitors' Book that they had not even bothered to switch on the TV or use the internet. They played ball games and board games and actually talked to one another. A rare group but a refreshing change.
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

Ecosse wrote:
casasantoestevo wrote:
I would have thought that the guests who needed connect would have smart phones.
My mother is 80 years old and she has a smart phone. no one is too old not to own one.
I suspect she wanted one though. My 77 year old mother is perfectly capable of operating a smartphone, but she hates them. She does not wish to fb her friends, be bugged by constant update suggestions or play Candy Crush so she chooses to only have a basic mobile. She's far from alone in in her choice of communication method - what suits one person doesn't suit everyone.
And? Please read again what was said;it was never stated you MUST have a smart phone. The reply was to the comment usually among the more mature of us, and who may not be technically savvy enough to use make use of the Internet facilities. and was to prove that being old/mature does not mean one cannot be technically savvy. PS I do not use FB either, but there are so many great apps other than this.

GillianF wrote:Hear, hear! We don't all want to be connected to everyone and everything all the time. I'm only just 60 and only got an iPhone (is that a Smartphone?) last week. I can do all I need to do on it and I'm sure it has lots of features I will never use or even need to know about.

We had internet and Satellite TV go down for our last guests and they were very reasonable about it.

Earlier in the season guests (a family) left a note in the Visitors' Book that they had not even bothered to switch on the TV or use the internet. They played ball games and board games and actually talked to one another. A rare group but a refreshing change.
Is it not strange that a lot of posts on here are about internet connections. It even got added to the discussion as to whether the owner should pay for topping up the fuel for a Hybrid/electric car. The suggestion was us owners should move forward with this idea as a few years ago we would have be charging for the use of internet The situation now is we do not, however, it is an essential part of our business.
Having a smart phone is now an important part of running a business. How can one keep up to date with bookings/update calendars and read customers email questions when you do not have a smartphone?
When our guests cannot find us with a GPS, because they cannot input coordinates we can give them details on their smart phones. Whether they use it on the house WIFI is a matter for them.

However does this discussion help resolve the problem of connection when the someone unplugs the interweb? I doubt it.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
AndrewH
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Post by AndrewH »

Ecosse wrote:...My 77 year old mother is perfectly capable of operating a smartphone, but she hates them. She does not wish to fb her friends, be bugged by constant update suggestions or play Candy Crush so she chooses to only have a basic mobile. She's far from alone in in her choice of communication method - what suits one person doesn't suit everyone.
That made me laugh! I am one year older than your mother and, like her, I use and want nothing more than the most basic mobile phone. I definitely don't want to play "Candy Crush" :lol:

Regarding Facebook, which I held in extreme contempt, I was told that it was a good idea to join, because I could then have a business page. You had to start with a personal page, but there was no need to do anything with it. What bad advice that was. I joined FB 6 months ago and a load of people whom I knew and liked wanted to be "my friend". Well you can't possibly snub them and say "no" or ignore it, so I had to say "yes".

Well it has gone on from there and I go on Facebook every day to put in my 'tuppenceworth' in my timeline(?) and in groups which I have joined. I have even hit receiving the 500 'likes' badge! As for the business page, well I haven't started that yet!

Sorry to have gone off thread.
COYS
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Post by COYS »

I still have a chunky old BlackBerry for work. It does calls, text & email without a fuss - I like to think it's a 'not so smartphone'
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
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