More Questions!!!

[davhill]

It's full steam ahead on preparing 'Valley View', for launching asap. Sorry to be boring but I've a couple more Qs...

Credit/debit card payments:

I've set up a website, with Google's very useful free hosting. It's at www.valliview.co.uk. I'll need to arrange to take payments online and a quick glance around makes RBS's Worldpay seem tempting. So...

Has anyone any recommendations for other provider?

Do I need to use a merchant account with the associated costs?

Rates:

I think an advisory visit from VB is a bit steep, especially as I can read! However, what's the best way of establishing what to charge? There's a very similar holiday let in the same building as Fiona and my flat, so I have a starting point.

Finally, for now, please try the website, bearing in mind it's very early days!

[kendalcottages]

Hi again David

Have you looked at PayPal for taking payments? It's what I'm using for credit card payments at the moment, although I try to encourage a BACS transfer in preference.

With regards to pricing, I'd definitely look at places offering something similar in a similar location (or comparable location) and see what they charge, but don't assume that they've necessarily got it right. Look at their availability calendar as well if you can.

For website reviews there's a dedicated forum for this which you might find helpful...

Good luck!

[davhill]

Hi again Paul,

Thanks for this. It looks like BACS and Paypal are league leaders in fees terms.

I reckon I'll be using them, when I've finished ripping out old carpets

[kendalcottages]

Sounds like you have your hands full!

We were really busy getting our place ready for this year, but I'm grateful that it was essentially ready to move in the moment we bought...

Do you have a deadline you're aiming towards?

[davhill]

Do you have a deadline you're aiming towards?

Yup! I saw Joanne from Cumbria Tourism today, and showed her the flat. Got some excellent info from her. It turns out we can get Valley View on offer as soon as the pictures are done.

The management at Gardiner Bank plan to redo the exterior paintwork in v. early June. Meanwhile, the carpet fitters are coming on the 27th, by which time I'll have done the interior decorating. Then, there's a shower enclosure to fit/have fitted, after which it's essentially all the little bits and pieces. Then, I can organise the pics and get VB on the case, followed by Go Lakes.

The deadline is that I go for surgery on the 17th June (in 5pm on the 16th). After spine ops 1 and 2, I can sort of work a bit (with added pain) but after op 3, I'll be hors de combat for about 6 weeks. However, If I'm careful, the Spinal Cord Stimulator they're implanting should kill 50 to 70% of the pain.

So, I'm trying to get the heavier stuff done by aboout the 10th June.

[kendalcottages]

Great stuff... good luck!

I'll be interested to hear how you get on with CT. I've refrained for the time being...

And ouch! Take it easy with the lifting, etc. You have my every sympathy there as my wife had back trouble about three years ago which needed surgery. Not easy when you have two very young children. Thankfully she is much better now (touch wood!) but she still needs to be careful, as we all do, I suppose.

Right... I'm still in the office and it's time I got home, so I'll be passing your place in a few mins...

[greenbarn]

Going back to the point about payments in the first post, I've just had an email from Cumbria Tourism on that very subject:

Barclaycard Business, a long standing benefit provider, has worked up a new and improved offering for businesses who take credit/debit card payments. They are offering members of Cumbria Tourism a rate of 1.25% across the board for credit card payments for turnovers under £300k and 15p per transaction for taking debit card payments. There is no joining fee or minimum billing rate and you will also receive a discount on your terminal rental.

No idea how that compares to anything.........

Just had a quick look at the website and trying to picture whereabouts in Kendal you are for next time I'm circling; I also noticed a serious omission from your list of attractions in Kendal, which is the Famous 1657 Chocolate House, where as well as chocs they offer what appears to be several thousand different hot chocolate concoctions and is an essential stopping point (I'm told!)

Good luck with getting it all ready and the op.

[davhill]

Thanks, Greenbarn,

Joanne from CT showed me that joining up gets me a free business bank accoount with Santander (formerly Abbey). It also turned out that I needn't set up a secure payment system on my website - CT does that bit but I need a business a/c to accept Barclaycard payments.

I'm not sure about the terminal thing. I had a shop once and a similar facility was hardly used. So, I'm thinking about web bookings and BACS transfers, after phone contact to give the account no., and sort code. This begs an obvious question: what percentage of bookings are paid over the phone?

I've visited the Choc House professionally as it were, to do a piece about it for a magazine. I'll add it to my list!

Valley View is in Gardiner Bank, just off Caroline Street, about 100 yards from Kendal Green. GB is a Victorian school that's been converted.

Thanks to both of you for the good wishes re. the op. I'm getting to be an old hand at them!

[kendalcottages]

When Joanne came to see me, she also mentioned some payment method where they'll pay your CT membership for the first year if you use them. I hadn't heard of them before (nor had she, I don't think!), but if you need details digging out, I can....

It also turned out that I needn't set up a secure payment system on my website - CT does that bit but I need a business a/c to accept Barclaycard payments.

That's presumably for bookings they take via their own site?

This begs an obvious question: what percentage of bookings are paid over the phone?

For me so far... zero (but maybe because I don't offer the facility - that could be a factor! ). I can't really say what's the preferred method for us so far as it's early days, but we seem to be getting a fairly even distribution of cheques, credit cards and BACS transfer at the moment.

Criminal, I know... but I've never been in there other than to do deliveries many years ago. I did go into a mint cake factory this week which was interesting...

[davhill]

I don't think Joanne mentioned a 1st year freebie but I may be wrong.

Yes, it is bookings at CT's site that use their secure server. Apparently, you get access to a software via which you can update booked/free slots immediately. There's a way of improving your ranking in the listings too.

I'll be pondering the phone terminal at length. I'm disinclined to shell out just under £140 pa for something that may be an also-ran booking-wise.

Never been to the mint cake factory. I did go to the pencil museum in Keswick, to produce a piece for the magazine I was submitting to at the time. Happliy, I was the editor of a touring supplement, so I could dictate what was published. However, in respect of the pencil museum, I could scarcely contain my...yawns

[kendalcottages]

I don't think Joanne mentioned a 1st year freebie but I may be wrong.

I came across the details when sorting paperwork recently. It was these people: http://www.handepay.co.uk/

I haven't studied it but apparently if you went on board with them, they would pay your CT membership for the first year.

Never been to the mint cake factory. I did go to the pencil museum in Keswick, to produce a piece for the magazine I was submitting to at the time. Happliy, I was the editor of a touring supplement, so I could dictate what was published. However, in respect of the pencil museum, I could scarcely contain my...yawns

Yes... I went there many, many years ago. IIRC, the highlight was this.

[davhill]

Thanx for this - I haven't had time to study the CT stuff...yet! Fiona and I will have to do a spot of small print reading but it's decorating today! I like the idea of a freebie - excpet it won't be, but you get the drift.

I'm also looking at the business of setting prices. The concensus is essentially about testing the market in the first year. However, having a trawl through the equally sized/specified places on Go Lakes is giving me ballpark figures.

Fiona's haridresser reckons we should include an Ipod docking station/speakers thingy. Being aged I don't know much about them so I'm investigating. We've decided to have Valley View as a 2-person let and dial in attractive stuff (big TV/DVD, possibly with 5:1, picnic bench/parasol outside, etc.) As they say, the plit thockens; the spec will go on the website in due course.

(Yes... I went there many, many years ago. IIRC, the highlight was this.)

This link pompously 'declines to show the web page'. Is it the giant pencil? Bet it is The pencil museum came in useful as I could take the pics inside - it was a foul, wet afternoon. Had much more fun at 'Cars of the Stars'.

Well, to horse...brushes and rollers await (after the errands beforehand)

[kendalcottages]

Sorry, don't know why that link's not working now, but yep... you guessed right.

As for a docking station, I would agree. We got a Denon one which takes iPods and iPhones, but there are cheaper brands available.

[greenbarn]

If you're setting prices to test the market, and decide to aim on the low side, I'd suggest billing it as Special Introductory Rates, or something similar, so that a) people can see (maybe ) that they're getting a quality product at a reduced rate, and b) the rate's likely to get a biggish hike in the future, so they won't expect the same deal when they all want to re-book .

I've still got no idea whether our rates are about right or not......

[kendalcottages]

Without wanting to undersell ourselves, we priced ours on what I thought might be the fractionally high side in the knowledge that I could always discount if necessary. As it turned out, I *think* we got it about right... the bookings seem to be coming in OK for a first year, I think, anyway. (I'm anticipating a booking for June being confirmed this evening, and that will mean about 80% occupancy from beginning of May to mid July.)