Flipkey Automated Payments

[wallypott]

Flipkey have now jumped on the wagon. Paypal payments, variable cancellation policy, load your own terms and conditions, but... payment 24hrs after the guest has arrived. No opportunity to have a booking deposit either or security deposit. Not ideal.

[Essar]

Just cancelled my free trial; just coming up to 4-months, with two properties I had 61 page views, 1 enquiry and no bookings.
The payment system is poor to say the least, I don't like the Escrow system described by Wallypott and the TripAdvisor freebie achieved nothing either.
I am also with HL and get the TA freebie with them too and this has been much better; I have no idea why as both TA listings were almost identical.
No doubt I will now be offered the 3% commission based system instead (or maybe not now I've said so).

Steve

[wallypott]

The response from FlipKey about my concerns. Slightly better than I first thought, and response within two days.

Thanks for your email and sorry for the confusion. FlipKey does allow you to collect reservation deposits and security deposits for your rentals. These deposits will be collected from renters in any schedule that you dictate, but the money will be held by FlipKey until the day after the scheduled check-in date. If you request that payment is made up-front and you receive notification that the associated payment request has been fulfilled, you can be confident FlipKey is holding these funds for you. Please note that you are also able to operate in accordance with any agreed-upon cancellation policy. If your cancellation policy dictates that a portion (or all) of the funds will be retained in the case of cancellation, we will still deposit the appropriate funds in your account on the day after the scheduled check-in, even in the case of a cancellation.

I hope that this helps clarify the issue. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Best Regards,

Conor
Owner Services Specialist

[gogalicia]

I'm flabbergasted that they've intentionally gone this way.

They were just starting to get me results too - but there is no way we'll be letting them hold our funds until clients check in. Ridiculous to give them such power. We've 2 properties and it is our family business which is dependent upon cash-flow. We can't give that element of control up to a company that only accepts PayPal and is based in the USA.

Who comes up with their marketing ideas?! Rubbish.

They'll lose existing customers (us for sure) and scare away any potential new ones.

[aussiefrog]

I'm flabbergasted that they've intentionally gone this way.

They were just starting to get me results too - but there is no way we'll be letting them hold our funds until clients check in. Ridiculous to give them such power. We've 2 properties and it is our family business which is dependent upon cash-flow. We can't give that element of control up to a company that only accepts PayPal and is based in the USA.

Who comes up with their marketing ideas?! Rubbish.

They'll lose existing customers (us for sure) and scare away any potential new ones.

Agree! They have emailed me several times but I've hesitated about listing with them. This puts the nail in the coffin as far as I'm concerned. I handle all my own bookings and payments and won't be handing any power over to any company.

[Harborfields]

Holding the payment until the day after the guest's arrival is the model that airbnb uses. Yes, from the owner's perspective, not very good for cash flow! But from a guest perspective, it probably gives them some sense of re-assurance against being scammed -- they know their money is being held in escrow by the agency (airbnb, flipkey), so if they show up at the rental and it is not as advertised, then they can get it back.

Flipkey is not just competing with other listing sites to get properties listed, but it is also competing with other listing sites to get travellers to use them to search for vacation rentals!

[gogalicia]

There are a hundred and one other ways companies like FlipKey can give their customers confidence in the properties that they show on their site.
I think the world of property scams via paid for advertising sites is a very small one indeed. Any smart traveller will do their research on the property that they are going to rent out.

This simply strikes me as corporate greed. We'll hold onto your fee (under the guise of customer confidence/security) - and whilst we do so - we'll put your funds in our bank account and enjoy the interest as well as the 3% cut.

What companies like FlipKey don't understand is that WE - the holiday-owners are their customers. If we don't like the way they run their site - we move on, their property numbers dwindle and customers looking for properties will go elsewhere where there is a better choice.

There are plenty of good websites out there that deliver without trying to control the payment methord. If FlipKey thinks that is their Point Of Difference in ensuring customer confidence...they are sadly mistaken. If I were a customer looking for a rental property - the last thing I would want to do is give my money to a 3rd party Website based in another country to hold on to until my arrival. I would simply want to deal directly with the house-owner.

[PlazaMayorFlat]

For me Flipkey is the rental listing most profitable for my business. Almost 80% of my 2012 bookings came from Flipkey inquiries. Of course I am not interested in their payment system because I have my own, but this is always an OPTION...

[la vache!]

I've just been called by FK and signed up for their 3% commission model. They were expensive for me to list with 3 properties, but I'm more than happy with the 3% commission.

[tavi]

In one day, today, I have had a letter from the US, and an email (another, sigh,) telling me they're offering me a special, exclusive, free, limited group invitation to reactivate my advertisement with them.

They're beginning to sound desperate.

[croatian_villa]

You don't have to use the rental listings payment system. Payment to the owner after the guest has checked in doesn't work for me. I prefer to be in control.

I prefer bank transfers personally.