Cottages.com and discounting ...any advice please?

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Beerwulf55
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Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2017 8:45 pm
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Cottages.com and discounting ...any advice please?

Post by Beerwulf55 »

Hello all, just up and running with cottages.com but already I can see some pricing issues which worry us..first I hadnt really clocked the booking fee they charge (currently £39)...they badge it up as a charge to customers but as it comes off the headline price of the rental it feels like another 7-10% commission on top of the 20%-odd plus VAT they already charge. I suppose all the other agencies do the same?
Second they have gone straight to discounting prices by over 20% for August and September already which means the income we get after all the deductions is likely to be a lot lower than expected. I had read about people negotiating with them to stop these big discounts being applied or at least to reduce the period ahead before they do it and would be interested in any advice or shared experience on this ...if they do it in the winter months there will be no income left by the time our costs have been taken off. Can I tell them not to apply discounts in winter for this reason?
newtimber
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Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:57 pm
Location: Brighton
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Post by newtimber »

When you signed up with them, what was agreed and what is in your contract? Why not phone them and ask them and let them know of your concerns? Others who use them say they are very helpful.
zebedee
Posts: 1270
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: yorkshire dales

Post by zebedee »

When we started out we signed with an agent that was part of the original group that you are now with (saw the logo on your advert).
You have my sympathy, as the booking charge plus commission does hurt. Short breaks in the winter are lucrative for the agency because the booking charge applies at the same rate and when heating costs and changeover costs are taken in, there is not much left, and we had a mortgage to pay as well.
We were not shown the advertised price before signing with them, rather we were given a list of prices that we would be paid for specific week bookings throughout the year. At the time, you could chose whether or not to have short breaks, but there was a clear message that if you didn’t you would miss out.

I cannot remember if you could negotiate about the late availability discount, but I used to get regular emails after a booked a disasterous holiday through them (funnily enough, in Derbyshire where I wanted to take my elderly mother away and booked a cottage advertised as 4* which it wasn’t and the place was filthy, but that’s another story!)

The emails out to their guest lists make a big thing about the discounts - so much so I started to think anyone who booked at the standard rate was being mugged, why not just wait until the 20% off was being advertised and book something then??
I’m sorry, but I know this won’t make you feel better. I would suggest you contact them and see what they say.
One note though, you can not anticipate any money coming in for a holiday property until you achieve the bookings.

(PS, it’s a pity you don’t accept dogs, your property is in a lovely location and I would book if you did!).
Beerwulf55
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Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2017 8:45 pm
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Post by Beerwulf55 »

Thanks for the replies. Yes I will contact them, but I wanted to see what other experiences people might have had first. Of course you can do owner bookings in the winter but then you meet all the issues about heanding the bookings, depositsm refunds, cancelaltions and orther legals and it could I assume get very time consuming. We're not in this to make loads of cash (fortunately!) but one doesnt want to go through loads of aggro to post a loss!:-)
zebedee
Posts: 1270
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: yorkshire dales

Post by zebedee »

It’s not rocket science.
Do you get copies of letters from cottages.com that they send to your guests? I used to and used them as a basic template which I later developed into my own style.
You get very few cancellations (in my experience). This forum has a huge amount of advice and information that would help with managing unusual circumstances.
You need your own website, which can easily be started on a Promote my Place template.

We had an unlimited owner bookings contract with the cottages.com for runner. They dumped us without notice when I was seriously ill and had a large mortgage on the property. I managed to get everything up and running on our own whilst having debilitating and long term treatment so I have every confidence you can manage owner bookings in the winter.
You will acheive more money. Don’t let the big guys tell you it’s too complicated. Go for it!
Tillee
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2016 4:03 pm
Location: Devon

Cottages.Com

Post by Tillee »

I had the rep from Cottages.Com in to view my property this week. I did tell him that the prices he proposed would not give me very much profit & in the winter months, probably none, & I was not running a charity.

He also admitted that he books his holidays abroad through Airbnb despite rubbishing them when I mentioned that they charge a lot less in commission & fees. He said I would end up with a lot of a certain type of foreigners for 1 night, to which I replied that you can insist on taking only 7 night bookings.

The only good thing I can say is that Cottages.Com prices were higher than Sykes, which I laughed at.

As yet I haven't advertised anywhere at all but need to very soon.
Sunny Devon Is A Good Place To Be
COYS
Posts: 795
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:24 pm
Location: Greek Islands

Post by COYS »

Good advice as always from zebedee.
Never put all your eggs in the one basket or you might just end up sidelined as the agency/OTA caretaker. Keep a measure of control & get involved, you’ll get the hang of it soon enough & might even have a few quid left to boot!
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
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