Another load of rubbish out of B.com

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
Frenchlady
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Another load of rubbish out of B.com

Post by Frenchlady »

Yes it is rant time ... B.com are a shower of shit. One of our policies is that guests must provide a home address and phone no. Just had a booking with no phone number provided. Have chased the guest (only can do via B.com) with no response. We need this info in case we need to contact our guest prior to arrival. B.com have now said that the info has been supplied but they will not let us see it until 14 days prior to arrival. Also some crap about not passing on the info until we have had so many bookings. Have been with them since July 2018 and phone numbers were supplied in 2018. This is just another ploy to prevent us from contacting our guests direct (in case they cancel and book direct). Now, if the guest has supplied their phone no., I look a total idiot for chasing them. God give me strength. B.com seem to forget who is their customer, it is the host who is paying 16.1% for this so called customer service.
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

The more personal information you gather the more you have to comply with GDPR.
If you do not like the website de-list. Just have to give them enough notice and ensure you have no more reservations via the website.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
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Cymraes
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Location: North Wales

Post by Cymraes »

How odd.

I have the same requirements. I have had to click on the "show phone number" for a few months now but I'm still getting all the details I require.
LotBoy47
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Location: SW France

Post by LotBoy47 »

B.com do seem to be an utter shower.

Originally, they told us to set up our three gites as separate properties. Three months later, they change their minds and we have wipe it and start again, losing 2 good reviews in the process as the entities they related to ceased to exist.
Frenchlady
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Post by Frenchlady »

I am still picking away at them and they are still refusing to take this "new so called restriction" off. They are saying it is applied to new properties and is all to ensure security to the guests??? What about our security. Address could be false. I have signed up to the policy they allow which is a guest must supply address and phone number at time of booking. But now this is being with-held and they say they will release this info to me 14 days prior to the guest's arrival. All sounds rather odd. Especially as I have pointed out that I have been with them for over a year and phone numbers were being supplied. Nobody has informed me of a restriction. One satisfaction this year is that most of our bookings have been direct (some via Facebook) or smaller French companies. Gives me great pleasure to go into both B.com and Abnb and block out dates where they will not get any money from us. Another odd thing is that I have been messaging 2 guests asking for a mobile number and they are not answering which is not like the French. I suspect B.com are blocking these messages. Roll on retirement!!!
ianh100
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Post by ianh100 »

Do you take payment via b.com?

We take payment ourselves so they have to complete our online booking form and make payment immediately after placing the booking with b.com. This can be a pain as they have already given a card number to b.com so does cause some confusion at times but has worked overall
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

I also take payment direct, but use the credit card details provided to BC to input it into my Stripe account. You can get BC to also request the 3 digit security code so you can complete the payment.
Frenchlady
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Post by Frenchlady »

B.com take payments from our guests as did not want "no shows" and it has worked so far. Have kept on at B.com and their final answer is that this restriction on phone numbers cannot be lifted manually (oh yes!!), it is applied to all new properties until they reach 25-30 bookings!!! Phone numbers are being shown 14 days before the guest arrives but all sounds rather suspicious to me. Don't want direct communication with the guest in case I convince them to cancel and book direct. Who knows. We have had a lot more direct bookings this year as have been pushing on facebook and I have much pleasure blocking out the nights on B.com knowing they are not receiving a penny from me. Airbnb this year has been a total waste of time, only 1 booking.
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

As a general rule, BC guests are the hardest ones of all to contact, even if you do have a phone number for them. I have resorted to getting Booking.com to contact them instead on occasions. One case it was the morning of their arrival and they had not been in touch with either me or my aparment manager to confirm arrival time. I did not know if they had even seen the BC messages I'd sent. I suspect sometimes they don't.
Frenchlady
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Post by Frenchlady »

Totally agree with you Hells Bells, I send messages and it is as if those guests do not want any communication with their hosts. I often have to send the same message several times. Do not get that with the Book Direct customers. My OH said this morning (we have B.com guests in situ), why do they seem like a different sort of guest ... could not answer that but I am starting to see it too.
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