Is it a bit much to call a guest at work?

[edinburgh]

Of course you could try snail mail with a final ultimatum.

Good plan. I think, for speed, I shall get a friend in the US to send that!

[SandyBeaches]

Thank you all for your comments. I think, on balance, I shall not contact her at work for some of the reasons stated by others.

The guest has already been given a "just say the word and you'll hear no more" get out, so I'm inclined to believe that she isn't getting my emails.

Last week she was given until this coming Wednesday to make contact. I'll therefore re-open the dates on Thursday and email her to let her know that she can reclaim them if they remain available.

Thanks all. What a strange situation it is!

I agree with your decision. I'd be bit annoyed if someone tracked me down and rang me at work if I hadn't given them the contact details. You've tried to get in touch and gone above and beyond what you've agreed in the contract by keeping the dates open thus far.

I'd re-open the dates asap and email her to say you've done that. How did she originally book. By email or phone?

I had a couple of late payers last week and I just got fed up with it last week and emailed to say that their balance was overdue (despite 2 reminders) and that I was opening up the dates. Cheques arrived the next day.

[kg1]

If she didn't want to be contacted on her work number she wouldn't have given it.

If I'm reading correctly she didn't provide her work number, edinburgh tracked it down.
If that's the case I'm not convinced about the ethics of using that information to call her at work.
Having tried all the means of communication provided by the guest without response, the only remaining move is to notify the guest, using the means they supplied (including postal address), that as the balance is now x weeks overdue you regard them as having cancelled the booking, then try and reduce your losses. If you're feeling generous you could include a deadline giving her say another week before you regard it as cancelled.
I don't think there's anything more you can reasonably be expected to do.

Sorry - I misread!

[barbersdrove]

f I'm reading correctly she didn't provide her work number, edinburgh tracked it down.
If that's the case I'm not convinced about the ethics of using that information to call her at work.
Having tried all the means of communication provided by the guest without response, the only remaining move is to notify the guest, using the means they supplied (including postal address), that as the balance is now x weeks overdue you regard them as having cancelled the booking, then try and reduce your losses. If you're feeling generous you could include a deadline giving her say another week before you regard it as cancelled.

+1

I would be very miffed if I thought someone had been researching me and found out information about me that I didn't give them voluntarily. Thankfully I have a J Smith name so they wouldn't have a cat in hells chance of finding me but if I had an unusual name and that was how they found me I would definitely not be happy.

[JaneV]

Personally, I wouldn't be offended at all if someone rang me at work, especially if I were at risk of losing a holiday and there were genuine reasons why I hadn't seen the emails. It's hardly the same as being cold-called by a salesman, after all, she contacted you in the first place to book the holiday. If someone had gone to the bother of trying to contact me at work, I would take the view that they were merely using their initiative to try and resolve a difficult situation which may cause a lot of upset.

[Casscat]

If it was me I'd just release the dates back onto the calendar and wait for her to contact you. It's extremely unusual for someone to be wholly out of email contact - even in hospital if you are not actually in a coma you will be checking your mail and posting updates on your health to your FB page! It looks like she has gone to ground and it is perfectly reasonable that you should invoke the terms of the rental agreement.

[Bassman]

If it was me I'd just release the dates back onto the calendar and wait for her to contact you. It's extremely unusual for someone to be wholly out of email contact - even in hospital if you are not actually in a coma you will be checking your mail and posting updates on your health to your FB page! It looks like she has gone to ground and it is perfectly reasonable that you should invoke the terms of the rental agreement.

+1
You could send her a short letter explaining you had no alternative but for me the important thing would be advertising the dates again.

[PW in Polemi]

A guest is three weeks past her balance due date (for a booking in two months) and has been out of contact for a month.

I appreciate that I am entitled to advertise those dates again, but I'd sooner not mess up someone's holiday. However, this is a business, and I need to ensure maximum occupancy.

The guest won't respond to emails either directly or through HomeAway. HomeAway have also kindly sent her a message themselves. I've tried phoning her landline on several occasions, but it just rings out. There is no answerphone.

In case she is "hiding from me", I have made it clear in my email that if she wishes to cancel, then I will not require payment further than the deposit, and that if successfully re-let I will return as much of the deposit as is possible. So she has a get-out.

She has a very unusual name, and lives in a smallish town in Washington State. A Google search reveals she works for the US Federal Reserve, and gives an email address and office number.

I really don't want to cancel this woman's holiday, but I really need to act soon if I am to re-let successfully.

Would it be out of line for me to attempt to contact her at work, or would that be acceptable, considering she risks losing her holiday?

Edinburgh, I've highlighted in red the salient points from your opening post on this thread. I presume that your initial paperwork (whether actual paper or email) specified the "pay by" date. She is now out of time. You're running a business. You don't think Thomas Cook would hold a holiday for her 3 weeks after the due date, do you? So why should you? I know you don't want to cancel her holiday, but the ball is in her court. It is up to her to pay the due amount on the due date. The longer you give her, the less time you have to try to re-sell those dates.

Oh, and I wouldn't contact her at work - it smacks to me of a little stalking

[Essar]

If it was me I'd just release the dates back onto the calendar and wait for her to contact you. It's extremely unusual for someone to be wholly out of email contact - even in hospital if you are not actually in a coma you will be checking your mail and posting updates on your health to your FB page! It looks like she has gone to ground and it is perfectly reasonable that you should invoke the terms of the rental agreement.

+1 & move on.

[Pendragon]

Personally, I would be very wary of phoning anyone at the Federal Reserve. The fact that you googled her might have sent up a red flag. You do not know why she hasn't replied, perhaps she is being investigated. Could be she is ill. But leave it alone. This isn't 'normal American' paranoia, the Feds at the moment are a bit twitchy and the Federal Reserve is a high security establishment.

Good job you came on here instead of just going ahead. That was close. My advice would be to back off.

[edinburgh]

Thanks for all the replies.

The "absolute deadline" expires tonight, so I shall release the dates from that point.

I have taken the view that I've done my best, she knew the dates, and frankly, I can't do anything more. So, sod it. If they reply while the dates are unbooked, then they're welcome to them

However,

Personally, I would be very wary of phoning anyone at the Federal Reserve. The fact that you googled her might have sent up a red flag. You do not know why she hasn't replied, perhaps she is being investigated. Could be she is ill. But leave it alone. This isn't 'normal American' paranoia, the Feds at the moment are a bit twitchy and the Federal Reserve is a high security establishment.

Good job you came on here instead of just going ahead. That was close. My advice would be to back off.

If you don't mind me saying, this seems awfully paranoid. I mean... what do you think they might do?

[Normandie]

Personally, I would be very wary of phoning anyone at the Federal Reserve. The fact that you googled her might have sent up a red flag. You do not know why she hasn't replied, perhaps she is being investigated. Could be she is ill. But leave it alone. This isn't 'normal American' paranoia, the Feds at the moment are a bit twitchy and the Federal Reserve is a high security establishment.

Good job you came on here instead of just going ahead. That was close. My advice would be to back off.

No kidding.

The Federal Reserve has thousands of employees and if an employee name and contact number is freely available via Google (as I suspect Edinburgh didn't go to the 'dark side' to obtain it) I really don't think flags would be raised or black SUVs with tinted windows would have materialised outside his home if he'd gone ahead and... phoned that number.

I like a good conspiracy theory but I think that's going just a bit over the top...

I've been having a 'challenging' morning so thank you for giving me a chuckle.

[Pendragon]

I am not in the least paranoid, I'm not really American, but since the Patriot Act it is amazing what the security services in the Us get up to. I doubt that they will send a Black SUV around, as cool as that sounds. But they have long arms and do have a reputation of being more humourless than the CRS here.

Had he gone ahead and phoned the number... A fellow calling from abroad with a funny accent would have had every antenna going. If he wanted to go to the US anytime in the next twenty years he may we'll have found there were problems with his visa. Or it would be just a little thing like being strip searched at customs.

[edinburgh]

Or it would be just a little thing like being strip searched at customs.

Oh gosh, it sounds like you're encouraging me now!

[Pendragon]

I did wonder about that


It might be OK , you might get the guy from cell block three to search you.