No more Mrs Nice Guy!

[Nightowl]

just having a rant really because I know you guys will understand.

My January / beginning Feb bookings are a bit sparse. I took an enquiry 30th November for 4 nights in January which was in the middle of a block of free dates but usually that's the kind of bookings that fill January/early Feb anyway.

Guest seemed not very internet savvy - couldn't seem to complete the enquiry form (you have to either hit reply and scroll down and fill in the details or copy and paste the form to a new mail and complete details, either way, straightforward, no she couldn't do it, couldn't seem to print it out so I had to send a PDF which she wrote in the details and scanned it back.

I give 2 days for receiving deposit, like most of us here. After day 3, no deposit arrives, I get an enquiry for a 30 night booking which this guests booking is in the middle of! Can't do the dates in the other flat cos some dates already booked there also.

Moral dilema ensues in my head, but no, guest has booked so I tell other enquirer that I have a provisional booking in place which clashes so unlikely I can do them.

4 days later, still no deposit. Write to guest and send a paypal invoice, remind them that no booking exists without reservation deposit. Also send a Paypal invoice so that she can make immediate payment.

All our communications are in French so every time I have to mail her I have to translate it all in google.

I know she's read my email because I have tracking software.

Day 6 today, I mail guest and say you've had 6 days to pay; either pay today by paypal or I will release dates to other enquirers as I have other interested parties.

she comes back.. sorry, the uncle in their group is ill and they can't come now.

I know it's unprofessional but I mailed her back and said, I wish you had told me earlier because I turned down a 30 night booking because I had promised dates in the middle of that request to you and I am a person of my word and therefore I'm not very happy right now. I also wished her uncle a speedy recovery (I'm not THAT churlish!)

But really pissed off right now and now mailing the other enquirer to say dates ARE available but no doubt they have booked elsewhere by now.

Next time this happens, I'm not going to give people the benefit of the doubt. 2 days with no deposit and if I get a better offer, they are GONE! This has happened too many times now. I have now learned the lesson that if they aren't in a hurry to pay the deposit, there's an agenda somewhere..

[Nemo]

Sympathies as always. It's right to stick to your T's and C's. I find if the money doesn't hot foot shortly after the arrival of the form, or notifying me that the cheque is in the post, the likelihood is it isn't coming.....

[revdev]

Sympathies, always frustrating.

If they aren't in a hurry to pay the deposit, I'm never in a hurry to close the dates.

[edinburgh]

Sorry to hear this.

I know I'm a newbie to this game, so I am possibly lining myself up for a fall later... but I don't actually hold dates for people (except where I'm forced, such as in HomeAway's system).

If I haven't received funds, it's open for someone else to book.

[kg1]

Rant away. Very justified in this case. I hope they felt guilty. I would be furious. As you say 'no more mr nice guy' I'm running a business here!

[Nightowl]

Guest 1 came back to me and said

sorry but (uncle) is in hospital and I have to put my family first'

(yea, and I'm going to put mine first next time but it would have been respectful to just let me bloody know you weren't booking after all)

and Guest 2 has come back to me and said

Sorry, I booked somewhere else yesterday but I really liked your place and will try and book next time I am in London.

damn! So had No 1 let me know earlier, i probably WOULD have got a booking from No 2. Very grumpy now!

But thank you for your sympathies!

[Essar]

"no money no stay"

When I get a completed reservation form the booking becomes provisional - when the money arrives the booking becomes confirmed. If I have a provisional booking and someone else reserves and pays faster, then they stay and the others get a nice "Sorry but.." email. I learnt a long time ago not to be sentimental and that I'm in charge and my rules apply - I have a "provisional" reservation at the moment for next summer; the guests have completed the reservation form but have not yet paid, they have been reminded and I have no intention of chasing them further it'll remain on file. No dates have been blocked off and if I get another for the same dates then the provisionals will be cancelled.

[tavi]

sympathies...it's the kind of situation I'd find myself in - trying to be Mrs Nice. Infuriating!!!!!!

[barbersdrove]

I always confirm to people that the dates cannot be held until the deposit is paid though I usually say something along the lines of 'I will take the dates off the online booking calendar for 24hrs then they will be made available again. Though circumstances may alter that, ie payment by cheque in which case I allow longer for it to reach us. Though I have to say I don't think I've had more than 1 cheque payment this yr and then it was from someone who comes regularly so I knew it was OK.

In your situation I think I would have asked for a few hours to go back to the original booker to ask them for the payment within 24hrs and then told the second enquirer I had done that and would get back to them 24hrs later with a yes or no.

I suppose the beauty of being your own boss is you can alter your response according to circumstances so long as you are keeping people informed.

[Nemo]

I'm in this predicament with New Year. Bookings where payment doesn't materialise, definite bookings that then aren't so definite. I've had five or six enquiries but most want 2/3 nights so I was hoping the four nighter would commit. I'll be sending out more emails today but I never want a double booking, so once the booking form has been filled I don't offer the dates elsewhere until I've chased them for non payment. It's such a waste of time when people mess you around.

[Bunny]

I never want a double booking, so once the booking form has been filled I don't offer the dates elsewhere until I've chased them for non payment.

This has always been my dilemma too. I'm currently in dialogue with two parties for the same dates right now. If payment does not materialise, you get into dialogue with and offer it to someone else who then starts the booking process. In the meantime, the original guest's payment appears in your bank account. So, do you honour the original booking and upset the 2nd, or do you honour the 2nd and tell the original one, sorry but you were too late in paying? Either way someone ends up upset. It's a very tricky situation to be in and happens to me quite a lot. So far, I've not ended up with a double booking but it's always been hard to manage the situation.
You have my sympathies Nightowl. It's infuriating.

[Beachcondo]

Oh Nightowl,
I feel for you!

Don't we all say that we will toughen up, but somewhere inside there's this soft spot that messes things up?

[amandajane]

My sympathies too!

When similar has happened to me I've tried to say to the second enquirer , "give me until xxxxx and I'll check with the first person and get back to you."

My problem with this approach is that if the first enquirer says no thanks, will the second be put off because they might think the others have spotted something they haven't? And if you say that the others haven't paid up so you can have it does it make you look hard-nosed and not very pleasant?

Always hard trying to smile through gritted teeth!