OD: Can't restrict arrival and departure days

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
Renaud2
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Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2014 8:47 am

OD: Can't restrict arrival and departure days

Post by Renaud2 »

I have just started getting enquiries that are not saturday to saturday arrival and departure dates. We were previously able to set this ourselves. I contacted OD and they tell me that there is now no way I can set arrival and departure days.
This means that I am now having to reply to people telling them I can not accept their booking. This is a ridiculous waste of customers time, as well as my own.
Has anyone found a way to get around this?
Our renewal is due in december, and if this does not change before then I will look elsewhere to advertise.
When will OD learn that we can not all bend to their idea of what is best? Never, I fear.
Dusty
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Post by Dusty »

Not easy to find, but I remembered setting mine recently so had a quick hunt and found this:

Adding a changeover date

Sign into your account.
If you have more than one listing, click on the one you want to edit.
Click Edit Property & Rates.
Click the Rates tab.
Select seasonal pricing or standard pricing from the drop down menu.
Click Advanced options.
Enter required rates information.
Select the changeover day from the drop down menu.
Click Add.
Click Save.

Editing a changeover date

Sign into your account.
If you have more than one listing, click on the one you want to edit.
Click Edit Property & Rates.
Click the Rates tab.
Click Edit pricing.
Click the pencil icon next to the rate period for which you want to edit the changeover date.
Select the changeover day from the drop down menu.
Click Done.
Click Save.
Renaud2
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Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2014 8:47 am

Post by Renaud2 »

Hi Dusty, thanks, but I've already set that, a long time ago. But just recently I had an enquiry (and two more since) where the dates selected by the enquirer were not my changeover day (saturday). When I go to my ads and make a test enquiry it allows me to put in any day I like, both to start and finish, providing they are at least my minimum number of nights (7). It makes a complete mockery of entering your changeover day.
Could others please try this, and confirm it's now the same for everyone?
Giraffe
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Location: Cornwall, England

Post by Giraffe »

Ditto. Last 2 enquiries have been outside set changeover days. Will need to get my son to check it out.
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

You are absolutely right! I have just gone to my listing as an enquirer and was able to put in a Tuesday to Tuesday enquiry.
I also have my listing set to Saturday arrival and 7 days minimum.
I have also checked HA and that is the same.
No where on the front page does it mention arrival day.....however there appears to a 'house rules section'. This is new to me. Bizarrely that mentions check in and check out time but NOT day.

As you say....this is just going to frustrate those who enquire not having noticed the Saturday arrival day.

I mentioned it on my prices page....but obviously it could be missed.

I can't see any value to doing this from their point of view as surely we will, as you say, just refuse the enquiry. It is going back to the old days of how OD etc worked.

Off to see if the sector called house rules can be altered in the dashboard.

Thanks for the heads up!

Mouse
x
p.s. my page viewings are now at an all time low.....and I have had only 2 enquiries this year, so I feel things must be quite dire on OD. Not sue if HA views ae included....anyone know?
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

Found it. Go into dashboard and edit details, when you get in to facilities it has a new info box saying that there is a different location for setting max occupancy, children's ages etc.
When you click in to this sector it shows you things like occupancy level, check in and out times, lead guest minimum age etc. It doesn't show you a changeover day opton.
However when you get to the bottom there is an area where you can add 3 rules. So I have added one saying Saturday changeover.

I wait to see if it shows in the 'house rules' section on the advert.

Mouse
x
Renaud2
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Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2014 8:47 am

Post by Renaud2 »

Hi mouse, as far as I can see, adding the changeover day in as a house rule, will not stop people entering their own start and finish dates when they make a "Request to Book", or on the "Enquire Now" button, unless you can tell me differently.
We will still have to reject a "Request to Book" and manually reply to an "Enquire Now", telling them, no you can't have those dates. 3 of my last 5 enquiries have been for odd numbers of days, i.e. 10,13 and 13, with the quoted price reflecting that. All 3 I have had to reply that I only accept multiples of 7 nights, starting on a saturday. I have also added a note to explain that Owners Direct's system is at fault, not mine.
Jenster
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Post by Jenster »

Hmm mine is working fine, just as before. I have online booking and payment. I'm guessing this is yet another way to make life difficult for those without?
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

Renaud2 wrote:Hi mouse, as far as I can see, adding the changeover day in as a house rule, will not stop people entering their own start and finish dates when they make a "Request to Book", or on the "Enquire Now" button, unless you can tell me differently.
We will still have to reject a "Request to Book" and manually reply to an "Enquire Now", telling them, no you can't have those dates. 3 of my last 5 enquiries have been for odd numbers of days, i.e. 10,13 and 13, with the quoted price reflecting that. All 3 I have had to reply that I only accept multiples of 7 nights, starting on a saturday. I have also added a note to explain that Owners Direct's system is at fault, not mine.
That's right Renaud2, it doesn't prevent enquiries unfortunately. As you say, it allows quotes for any given period. I was only suggesting that as it doesn't mentire the changeover day anywhere that the rules might be a good place to put it.

As I said.....it is going back to how things used to be :roll: I wonder if this is a way of getting the enquiries up? I'm sure it's not just myself that have seen them fall of a cliff.

Mouse
x
Renaud2
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Post by Renaud2 »

Hi Jenster, I too have online booking and payment. Have you tried a test booking on your site? Try putting in dates that are not your changeover day, but are longer than your minimum stay for that period. e.g. if your changeover day is saturday the 10th, followed by the 17th etc, with a minimum stay of 7 nights, try a start date of the 9th, and end date of the 20th. Is that accepted? Please post again to let us know your result. Thanks.
Jenster
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Post by Jenster »

So I tried again and it will still only let me select the correct changeover days. I have a min stay of 7nights with a sat changeover, so it will only let me select sat arrival days and 7 nights minimum, although I can select odd nights over 7 nights, eg a 10 night stay. I believe this was always the case. That was on my iPad so will try on a desktop later.
Dusty
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Post by Dusty »

I just tried it with mine, put in a friday to friday date and mine didn't come up, I put in a saturday to saturday date and it came up (my changeover day is set to saturday)
Renaud2
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Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2014 8:47 am

Post by Renaud2 »

In response to those that tested this (thanks Dusty, Jenster and Mouse) I have re-tested my ads, and they are now back to saturday to saturday only. Hurray! And this is after my call to OD's support line, who told me that they wouldn't be changing back to restricted start and finish days. Must have been my threat to take my business elsewhere! Which would have been a first for OD, responding positively to complaints.
I had been thinking of moving to 'Instant Booking', but combined with completely open start and finish dates that would be a complete disaster. I'd have had no control whatsoever. So I think I'll keep well clear of that for now.
However, knowing how OD make changes without telling anyone, they may change things back again, so I'll be keeping a close eye on this.
Thanks again to those that responded.
Renaud2
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Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2014 8:47 am

Post by Renaud2 »

Amendment to the above: enquirers can still select to end on a non changeover day, providing they have selected more than my minimum number of nights, which is 7. So will still continue to receive enquiries for 8,9,10, 11......etc days. I will have a standard reply ready for enquiries that don't end on a saturday, explaining that OD don't allow me to specify fully my letting criteria, and apologise for OD having wasted their (and my) time.
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