'Invalid' enquiries

[kendalcottages]

Like many of you here, I'm sure, I'm getting a lot of enquiries for short breaks in high season, when we only take weekly lets.

How do you handle all these enquiries?

So far, I'm doing what I think is probably the right thing and just replying to each and every one of them and saying "sorry, but we only take... etc. etc."

Obviously, I could just ignore them, but I don't think that is right (or professional) and, who knows, these people might decide to go for a week, or opt for a short break out of season. But my experience so far seems to be that I just don't hear back.

Am I just doing what I should do, or is there another way of tackling this?

[Margaret]

We do as you do: reply to everyone, politely, and apologise for the fact that we are already booked up (we do take short bookings any time of the year). You never know when these enquiries could turn into future bookings and they are far more likely to bookmark your site if you were nice to them. We have had plenty of bookings from people who have said 'we wanted to come last year but you were full by the time we looked'.

Every enquirer is a potential guest, even if only in the future, and (as someone else said recently) every guest is a future regular (or something like that).

[Windy]

How about:

Dear [FirstName]

As you will have seen from the website we have an immaculate and highly specified apartment available for weekly lets.

However, as you didn't bother to read even the basic stuff on the web site, it seems quite likely you won't bother to read the arrival instructions or the instruction manuals either.

Then you'll be on the phone at all hours asking how to find the place, where the fuse box is and how the juice extractor works. That's assuming of course that you haven't driven into the River Kent whilst you are busy not watching where you going. So, you know, on balance, I think I'll give it a miss this time.

Best wishes

Kendal Cottages

OK - we do what you do and normally send them a nice email explaining and suggesting another date.

[windrush]

Like many of you here, I'm sure, I'm getting a lot of enquiries for short breaks in high season, when we only take weekly lets.

How do you handle all these enquiries?

So far, I'm doing what I think is probably the right thing and just replying to each and every one of them and saying "sorry, but we only take... etc. etc."

Obviously, I could just ignore them, but I don't think that is right (or professional) and, who knows, these people might decide to go for a week, or opt for a short break out of season. But my experience so far seems to be that I just don't hear back.

Am I just doing what I should do, or is there another way of tackling this?

I do exactly what you do, we too have a "weekly lets only" policy and I reply to all enquiries for short breaks explaining this. I also take the opportunity to quote them the rate for the week and a couple of times I've got a booking out of it.

[kendalcottages]

Thanks everyone... it's just nice to have assurance that I'm doing the right thing, if nothing else.

Funnily enough, I did take a UK enquiry at 12.40am today (replied within 20 mins ) for a weekend in September. He emailed back at 5.40am (don't these people sleep! - I must confess it took me just over an hour to reply to that one... ) but he was still interested, even on the basis of it having to be a week.

So there's hope yet...

[Musetta]

I do the same - I bite my tounge and answer each and every one politely.

I had a man call from Austrailia a few weeks ago asking all kinds of questions about the house, bed configuration, etc. ok fine.

He then calls an leave me an obnoxious message yesterday saying he has decided my home will be adequate and will be renting it for 2 nights in Summer with 9 people (my max is 8) at $x/night (he divided my weekly rate by 7 and just decided that was what he was going to pay!) as per my advert.

I explained to him via email (as he duplicated the phone message in email) that unfortunately, we do not book for only 2 nights in Summer and that our maximum occupancy was 8 people...he emailed and called AGAIN telling me I was advertising falsely and that he intended to stay at the rate posted and there are beds for 9 people, so he intended to bring 9 people!! Again, I responded thanking him for his interest but, unfortunately, the house was not going to work for his requirements!! (thanks goodness actually - hate to deal with that one!!) We'll see if he finally give up!

[kendalcottages]

What an arrogant b&%$tard...

(I'm allowed to say that here, right...? )

[Normandy Cow]

I've just had a good one:

how far from the sea

That's it - certainly succinct!

I bit my tongue (or rather my finger?) and replied politely. (as we are 30 mins from the sea I doubt we'll hear from them again )

[vrooje]

In our first season of renting, we had a guest who inquired about a 5-night booking in July. When I sent back a response that the house was only available for full weeks, he said, "that's okay, I'll pay full price for the week, but I will only need it for 5 nights."

Ever since then, I always offer that arrangement to people who inquire about short stays in the peak season. I also point out that we do offer nightly rates in the off-peak season. Although no one else has ever paid for a full week and only stayed a few days, a couple of people have changed their dates to just before or just after our peak season.