Yapstone failing to pay again

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
louiseddie
Posts: 175
Joined: Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:43 pm

Yapstone failing to pay again

Post by louiseddie »

Hi all, just a heads up to check on your Homeaway/OD payments again. On noting my holiday let account was running low I noticed that they haven't put any payments in that I've been owed since early September. I just called them and they 'can't understand why' and say they're going to release them.

Worryingly, not only that but they've also been taking damage deposit refunds out of my account that they haven't ever even given me - turns out that since July 2017 they've been holding damage deposits in escrow rather than giving them to the owner, which is a change of policy I didn't know about, but despite holding them themselves they have also been debiting the damage deposit amounts out of my account after my guests have checked out!! So they not only owe me rent, they also owe me refunds of damage deposits!

I can't believe what a shambles they are. I've had this before about a year ago and it all took a hell of a long time to sort out. It's not only bloody annoying to have them holding on to our cash for absolutely no fathomable reason, but that I've now yet again got to spend the best part of a day going through all their emails, the OD bookings etc double checking absolutely everything and pointing out where they've gone wrong!

May I just say - gaaaarrrrggghhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ManxRed1
Posts: 229
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 9:52 am
Location: Polperro, Cornwall, UK

Post by ManxRed1 »

This would normally be a good case to report to Trading Standards, but as HomeAway/OD always distance themselves from Yapstone, and as Yapstone are not regulated in the UK, there's probably little Trading Standards can do.

Yet another of a long list of reasons as to why I jacked OD in.

Scary stuff. I hope you get the money due to you.
COYS
Posts: 795
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:24 pm
Location: Greek Islands

Re: Yapstone failing to pay again

Post by COYS »

louiseddie wrote:May I just say - gaaaarrrrggghhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You may.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
e-richard
Posts: 5008
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:33 am
Location: Algarve, Portugal
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Post by e-richard »

ManxRed1 wrote:....but as HomeAway/OD always distance themselves from Yapstone, and as Yapstone are not regulated in the UK, there's probably little Trading Standards can do..
IANAL but surely your contract is ONLY with HomeAway and now that payments are part of the contract (non-optional), its part of the deal and so HomeAway have to be responsible.

Think, for example if the HomeAway web servers lost power, would you have to contact the electricity company in Austin Texas ?
** Richard
PIMS: Holiday Rental Management system
They say we learn from our mistakes. That makes me a genius !
ManxRed1
Posts: 229
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 9:52 am
Location: Polperro, Cornwall, UK

Post by ManxRed1 »

I seem to recall that if you activate payments via Yapstone you have to sign up to Yapstone's terms and conditions (which are pretty terrible, as I remember reading them).

Hence, there IS a direct agreement between the let owner and Yapstone, and this gives HomeAway the opportunity to state that any problems need to be taken up directly with Yapstone.

And, as Yapstone are registered in Ireland and are not covered by UK Financial Regulation, they can do pretty much what they want.

http://www.yapstone.com/terms-of-use/en/
e-richard
Posts: 5008
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:33 am
Location: Algarve, Portugal
Contact:

Post by e-richard »

ManxRed1 wrote:I seem to recall that if you activate payments via Yapstone you have to sign up to Yapstone's terms and conditions..
Hmmm, you could well be right, and I could well have missed that.
** Richard
PIMS: Holiday Rental Management system
They say we learn from our mistakes. That makes me a genius !
ManxRed1
Posts: 229
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2016 9:52 am
Location: Polperro, Cornwall, UK

Post by ManxRed1 »

Yeah, I think it comes up on the screen like an iTunes software licence acceptance thing.
FelicityA
Posts: 2816
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:54 pm
Location: Cotswolds
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Post by FelicityA »

I would be inclined to post about this situation on the US community forum for Homeaway louiseddie as they have a person there 'patrolling' and being a sort of middle man for Homeaway. Quite apart from getting answers and action for yourself, I think a wider community should know of the failings of Yapstone.

Here is the discussion page. You have to register to post.
https://community.homeaway.com/community/us
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