We're Live!!!

[davhill]

Hello all,

Just a note to say that Valley View is now on the self-catering market.

Fiona and I have worked hard for the last few weeks and received one of our rewards this afternoon...three rosettes with VB!

So, the apartment is available, the pics are done (a weather window on Saturday let me shoot them) and we're all set.



Now all I must do is master the the CT software 'Guestlink' to sort out the pricing for low season and short breaks.

[greenbarn]

Congratulations from not very far away!

Good luck with it all - keep us posted how it all goes.

[kendalcottages]

Good luck, davhill... there's a lot of work involved in getting 'ready', isn't there? Hope the bookings go well. I'll be interested to hear how you get on with CT as I've refrained for the time being.

[davhill]

Thank you, folks

The website activity's beginning to warm up and Fiona and I await our first booking.

CT has been pretty good so far. Snag is, they're going to start pulling 10% on web bookings (in Oct, I believe). But for the moment, the facilites they offer are enticing and their booking engine (Guestlink) is proving pretty intuitive.

I'll keep you posted on developments as they happen.

DB-H

[kendalcottages]

Good luck with that first booking. It'll be landing sure, I'm soon. Always a nice feeling when the first one comes in.

[davhill]

The booking has landed...first of many we hope

First week in September, two for 7 nights.

[barbersdrove]

Well done! May you have many fully booked summers and winter walkers galore.

[kendalcottages]

Great stuff! That didn't take long...

[davhill]

It turns out that CT, who advised me to acquire Barclays Epdq, cannot actually make web bookings happen using it. Result - 1st booking lost - the client wasn't happy with paying by cheque.

Also, Google sites doesn't offer side scripting. Result - can't make Epdq work with that either.

I've temporarily put a Google Checkout facility on our website.

Choices now include...

Move the site to a host that allows integration. This will cost, as will the input of a web developer to make it all work.

Bin Epdq, rely on Google Checkout and add Paypal (costly).

Keep using CT Gold membership, 'cos I could manually enter peoples' card details.



Thinking on it but CT'll have to compensate me for wasted time and effort

[Windy]

A belated welcome from Troutbeck

Sorry to hear about your CT woes.

We take credit cards using a mobile Handepay terminal that we got a good deal on via CT, but it would be easier to have it web based so that we didn't have to be on the phone to take the details. I'll be interested to hear how you get on with it.

Have you looked at http://www.lakedistrict-stay.co.uk/ for marketing - they are the only paid site we use now.

Good luck with the bookings!!

[davhill]

Thanks, Windy,

And thank you for the tips. I'm noting down a range of options!

I specifically avoided having a terminal, not wishing to be 'on call', as it were.

As matters stand, I could key in a booking to Epdq manually...just need a booking now!

In the meantime, I'm working on which options to choose:)

[kendalcottages]

Sorry to hear that davhill. I can't help think that there could have been other reasons (eg. they'd changed their mind, perhaps) besides just not being able to pay by credit card, but they opted for that by way of an excuse.

We use PayPal for credit card payments, but only take the deposit by credit card and state that the balance must be paid by cheque or bank transfer. Nobody seems to mind this and so it means we're not missing out on to much of a %.

I also don't openly advertise that we'll take payment by credit card. I try to push cheque or bank transfer more, and most seem so far seem to be happy to pay by this means.

Hope the (new!) first booking arrives soon!

[davhill]

Good points there! Thanks.

Yep, it could have been an excuse. The lady also whinged about the damage deposit (which I've taken off now). Funny how she'd agreed to it by ticking the T&Cs box!

I'm working on a rehost of the web site, so that I can get Barclay's Epdq linked in. It depends on how much it costs but meanwhile, there are other ways of taking payment.

It turns out that CT is clearly under review (cuts and redundancies). They'll be taking 10% on bookings in Oct (so I understand) but the up front costs will reduce. For now, the CT page is getting me quite a bit of traffic.

So, awaiting developments but I'm not worried yet...I've been in business before

[kendalcottages]

I was in two minds whether to join CT, primarily for its potential for bookings rather than the other benefits. Increasing their commission to 10% helps me make my mind up!

[davhill]

Fair comment

As I said, the upfront costs will come down when the commission comes on. But to be fair, they've been fairly good, with both face-to-face and phone advice. Moreover, they're clearly very sorry for the faux pas over the 'web terminal' thing!

I have a contact for integrating the merchant account so I'm working on that. Not quite rocket science but apparently not so very far from it. Still, it takes more than this to put me off