Hi I'd very much welcome your advice on what to do with this situation.
4 weeks ago I took a booking for our property. As we request full payment 8 weeks before arrival, the family paid us in full immediately. I then sent them our Information pack.
Our T&C form states that if they change their mind and cancel more than 8 weeks before arrival and I can't re-sell the weeks booked then I keep the deposit (1/3 of total rental price). However, there is nothing on the form about what happens if they arrive at the property and they don't like it (or in this case they don't like the track to the property and don't want to drive it).
Our information pack informs guests that there is a 1.5km track to the house, it has pictures of the track and an ariel photograph of the property and surrounding area.
My question is how much should I return of the full payment as the guests have decided to find somewhere else?
I look forward to your advices. Ali
advice please - guests decided not to stay!!
If - as seems to be so - you advise prospective guests about the track and supply photos and details, then I don't feel they are being reasonable in using it a) as a reason not to stay or b) as a reason to expect their money back. At this stage, you can't resell these weeks and they are being unreasonable. I'm presuming here that the information pack and details are provided before they've booked/paid
Are they giving a fuller explanation than they don't want to drive it? Did they ask any questions about it PRIOR to booking/paying?
Are they giving a fuller explanation than they don't want to drive it? Did they ask any questions about it PRIOR to booking/paying?
Acid corrodes the vessel.........
Without seeing it myself I can't gauge...but the above seems to provide enough information so that if anyone was wary they could investigate it further with you. Their fault if they didn't.Our information pack informs guests that there is a 1.5km track to the house, it has pictures of the track and an ariel photograph of the property and surrounding area.
I agree with Montana. On the surface they appear to be being unreasonable.
Mouse
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One martini, two martini, three martini floor!
Re: advice please - guests decided not to stay!!
Sorry - the only thing I am querying is if you sent them this info after they had paid in fullalig99 wrote: 4 weeks ago I took a booking for our property. As we request full payment 8 weeks before arrival, the family paid us in full immediately. I then sent them our Information pack.
If not now, when?
How bad is the track, Ali? Do people regularly drive down it in a non 4x4 car? If they do, then what is the particular problem for these guests?
We have an unmade public road to our house - very common out in the campo in Spain. We have a 4x4 because we would not want the wear and tear on a normal car doing it every day, sometimes more than once a day, but it is perfectly passable in a normal car and no one would do damage to a regular car over a couple of weeks provided they did not drive as if they were on the motorway.
We don't actually tell clients about it before booking because it has not been an issue for any of our friends and relatives or that matter for any guests. We do explain about it in the arrival notes.
We have an unmade public road to our house - very common out in the campo in Spain. We have a 4x4 because we would not want the wear and tear on a normal car doing it every day, sometimes more than once a day, but it is perfectly passable in a normal car and no one would do damage to a regular car over a couple of weeks provided they did not drive as if they were on the motorway.
We don't actually tell clients about it before booking because it has not been an issue for any of our friends and relatives or that matter for any guests. We do explain about it in the arrival notes.
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LMH Accommodation Offers Report
www.villa-rental-andalucia.com
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www.villa-rental-andalucia.com
http://www.fincalaserenidad.com
They may not have had the information on booking but it sounds like they got it shortly afterwards so they've had plenty of time to check the location.
Maybe if they'd checked earlier and said immediately that they thought the location wasn't good for them because of the track, you'd have felt more obligation to refund in total, but arriving on the day and saying it's not suitable leaves you completely unable to rebook.
You seem to be thinking along the lines of refunding them something; maybe 50% would be reasonable.
Depends if you think you were pretty lucky to get this booking with 4 weeks notice and you possibly might not have had any other takers or whether you think you'd have got it booked anyway.
But if you want to stick strictly to your T&Cs and aren't going to lose sleep doing so, then no refund.
Maybe if they'd checked earlier and said immediately that they thought the location wasn't good for them because of the track, you'd have felt more obligation to refund in total, but arriving on the day and saying it's not suitable leaves you completely unable to rebook.
You seem to be thinking along the lines of refunding them something; maybe 50% would be reasonable.
Depends if you think you were pretty lucky to get this booking with 4 weeks notice and you possibly might not have had any other takers or whether you think you'd have got it booked anyway.
But if you want to stick strictly to your T&Cs and aren't going to lose sleep doing so, then no refund.
Nightowl
Forever going one step forwards and two
backwards......
Forever going one step forwards and two
backwards......
The guests haven't emailed us to ask for any money back yet, although they did phone us to and said that we hadn't told them they needed a 4x4 to drive to the house. We said they didn't need a 4x4 as we drive a renault scenic and a smart car and our property people have a little berlingo so we feel a 4x4 is not needed. The oil lorry, the builders lorry, the removal lorry and various other cars come along the track no problem.
The track is good in the summer most of it is a cut through from one village to the next and its a very very frequently used track, there has been talk that the town hall want to tarmac it but with the current financial problems......
We have in our advert with homelidays we state that the property is accessed on a track in fact we used similar wording to another advert of a property just up the track from us.
The information pack is sent 8 weeks before arrival and after clients have paid in full but we do ask them if they have any questions. If at that stage they said they didn't like the drive to the house we would be prepared to give them back their money in full. This family booked only 4 weeks before arrival so was required to pay in full . I did turn down another booking which came in a day after the payment was received by this family. So we didn't send our information pack until they paid the full amount because it is so close to the date of arrival but in every communication we ask them to contact us if they have any questions about what we have sent. This family did not ask any questions.
We send the information pack only after they paid in full as it has the full directions to the house, arrangements for the keys and full details of everything in the house. If we sent this to them with the deposit I always worry that they then know where the house is and when it is empty from the website. Any suggestions for alternative solutions to this would be most welcome.
We are thinking of giving back 50% of their booking fee, if they ask for their money back if they ask for compensation, would that be reasonable?
thanks for all your responses so far. ali
The track is good in the summer most of it is a cut through from one village to the next and its a very very frequently used track, there has been talk that the town hall want to tarmac it but with the current financial problems......
We have in our advert with homelidays we state that the property is accessed on a track in fact we used similar wording to another advert of a property just up the track from us.
The information pack is sent 8 weeks before arrival and after clients have paid in full but we do ask them if they have any questions. If at that stage they said they didn't like the drive to the house we would be prepared to give them back their money in full. This family booked only 4 weeks before arrival so was required to pay in full . I did turn down another booking which came in a day after the payment was received by this family. So we didn't send our information pack until they paid the full amount because it is so close to the date of arrival but in every communication we ask them to contact us if they have any questions about what we have sent. This family did not ask any questions.
We send the information pack only after they paid in full as it has the full directions to the house, arrangements for the keys and full details of everything in the house. If we sent this to them with the deposit I always worry that they then know where the house is and when it is empty from the website. Any suggestions for alternative solutions to this would be most welcome.
We are thinking of giving back 50% of their booking fee, if they ask for their money back if they ask for compensation, would that be reasonable?
thanks for all your responses so far. ali
It's a difficult balance. Make too much of the track to your house and guests might be put off. Too little and you risk the problem that you've experienced. And some people (Brits especially) are soooo precious about their cars. We're fortunate that our commune maintains our isolated track in good condition with overspill blacktop from local road maintenance projects, but some guests (always the blokes) still peer anxiously under their vehicles as soon as they arrive.
When I worked in Lesotho (South Africa), construction contractors drove massive 4x4s pick-ups with huge all-terrain tyres and vast road clearance over the bumpy tracks. The local people had ancient Hillman Avengers and Morris Oxfords with most of their extended family stuffed in the vehicle, goats in the boots, tyres worn down to the fabric and exhausts diverted onto their roofs. But you couldn't help but notice that the locals got around just as quickly as the contractors.
Jim
When I worked in Lesotho (South Africa), construction contractors drove massive 4x4s pick-ups with huge all-terrain tyres and vast road clearance over the bumpy tracks. The local people had ancient Hillman Avengers and Morris Oxfords with most of their extended family stuffed in the vehicle, goats in the boots, tyres worn down to the fabric and exhausts diverted onto their roofs. But you couldn't help but notice that the locals got around just as quickly as the contractors.
Jim
subject
It seams that you had advised & have been up front about all and sundry.
The truth is people do not read the details properly. I never rush the guest & even insist that they discuss all issues concerning the property with the fellow guest.
The invoices that I raise clealry states that " by making the payment they confirm that they have read the terms & conditions & agree with them " I also advise them to check all the details of their booking i.e. dates, no of guest, children etc and contact me if found to be inaccurate or incorrect.
I have around thirty photos covering all aspects of the property, its vicinity & the road leading to it. The photos are taken by myself, show a fair reflection & representation of all & sundry.
I have a feeling that they have had change of plans & are finding an excuse. I will not refund any amount & sugguest you ask them to make a claim on their travel Insurance.
The truth is people do not read the details properly. I never rush the guest & even insist that they discuss all issues concerning the property with the fellow guest.
The invoices that I raise clealry states that " by making the payment they confirm that they have read the terms & conditions & agree with them " I also advise them to check all the details of their booking i.e. dates, no of guest, children etc and contact me if found to be inaccurate or incorrect.
I have around thirty photos covering all aspects of the property, its vicinity & the road leading to it. The photos are taken by myself, show a fair reflection & representation of all & sundry.
I have a feeling that they have had change of plans & are finding an excuse. I will not refund any amount & sugguest you ask them to make a claim on their travel Insurance.
Just to let you all know the outcome of the situation I described. I sent an email to the customer saying something along the lines that you said you liked the villa but not the track although I had provided lots of info on the location and track and could not be responsible for his decision of not wishing to drive the track. I offered as a gesture of goodwill 150 euro in response to his requesting full refund. I got another email going over same ground but this time asking for 600 euro, the cost of his alternative accommodation. I drafted my response but decided to wait a couple of weeks before sending it. Lo and behold just before I sent my second response I got an email saying he hadn't received his 150 euro refund! which naturally I sent straight away. I'm happy with this result. Ali