Last-minute nightmare

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
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AngloDutch
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Last-minute nightmare

Post by AngloDutch »

We currently have some guests staying 3 nights (leaving tomorrow). They booked very last minute and said that they only could pay in cash, as they were already holidaying in the NL and were looking to extend their stay.

They arrived here at 7.30 p.m. on Monday evening (couple with small child). The husband arrived in an extremely battered car, with windscreen taped, saying that he had dropped his wife and child off further up the road, as they had had difficulty finding us. I had emailed arrival instructions straightaway to them, stating that we were the 3rd property down on the left from the supermarket, and he said that he had received the email, so I don’t understand why they were searching for us in the wrong place, they had even found the supermarket. Our neighbour, knowing that we were expecting guests from England, had come over to us saying she had seen a UK-registered car that had stopped outside our property, but had then driven off again.

The husband attempted to call his wife’s mobile, but she had left it in the car. He said that he had no idea where they were, so I went with him on foot to look for them, as our village centre is very small. 15 minutes later we discovered them walking totally in the wrong direction to the outskirts of the village. I asked them all if they had already eaten, as the restaurants close their kitchens at 8 p.m. here. They said no, that they were starving and that their child was ill as well.

So, I took them to one of our restaurants and asked the staff to keep the kitchen open for them. The owner said that they would only do that if they ordered straightaway. So, I went through the menu with them and translated everything into English. I had already given the husband the key during our searching for his family, but hadn't asked him to pay the EUR 400 for their stay whilst standing in the street. I thought that as soon as they had sorted themselves out, they would come round to us (we live next to the accommodation) and settle up. The husband was aware of where we lived, so no excuse there!

They had not come back from the restaurant before we went to bed, so I thought that we would see them in the morning.

The next day, they did not get up until late morning. We were going into the nearest town after lunch and were planning on visiting our bank, and depositing the money then.

So, I went around and asked them the usual – ‘everything OK, how was your meal, is your little boy any better, if I can help with any suggestions for sightseeing….’ and then switched to 'we're going into town today, to the bank, can we settle up now, which will save us from making another trip there’.

Instead of, 'Oh yes, totally forgot....so sorry...meant to give it to you yesterday. Here is the money for our stay, all ready for you in an envelope...', he rather reluctantly fumbled for his wallet and put the contents onto the kitchen table. After searching various trouser and coat pockets, he counted everything together and he said he had EUR 300. I was watching him count it, and could have sworn that he had counted it incorrectly. I counted it too and it was actually EUR 350! I asked him if he had the other EUR 50, but he said that was all they had at the moment and where was the nearest ATM? That was 5 minutes’ walk away, I said.

We didn't see them again yesterday, as we had to leave 15 minutes after this, for an appointment in the hospital. When we returned later that afternoon, their car was still there, but I could see that they were off cycling as they had brought bikes with them. They still were not back by the time we went to bed last night, even though it had been cold and rainy and their child was not at all well.

There has again been no sign of life this morning and, as we have most of their payment, will not bang on the door quite yet, but really do not want to go through all this again with another last minute/cash on arrival booking.

We are used to dealing with Dutch agency groups who have to pay the additional costs on arrival. We would always have the keys in our hand and at the same time take a copy of the agency booking from a pocket, and say, 'I see that I have to collect EUR xxx for the additional costs'. Sometimes they would say, ‘We don’t have the money. The person who booked is responsible for paying and they are arriving later this evening’.
We once had to call the agency’s 24-hour emergency number on a weekend and tell them that after several requests, we still did not have the payment for the additional costs. The agency ended up calling the guests and told them that if they didn’t pay within 15 minutes, then the booking would be cancelled and we could evict them. Now we ask agency guests to transfer the additional cost payment, giving them the option to still pay cash on arrival as well, but with an extra EUR 5 fee added to cover the bank charges for processing cash. That works every time!

But somehow with these guests, we feel that they would rather have paid less, or not at all.

The booking came originally through FK where they had originally commented that they thought the quote was too high for a family of 3 (we have a farmhouse that can accommodate 14 including children….). They specifically pointed to the extra booking fee. We had told them that it was FK's fee and not ours, and we couldn’t do anything about it, as they had come to us via Tripadvisor. They then found us elsewhere and we received a text from them with 'we will book for EUR 400 total'. The original quote on FK was around EUR 515, including the FK fee, so we had decided to accept their offer of EUR 400, seeing it was very last-minute.

When we first met the husband, we had asked him whether they always just setoff and then looked for accommodation on arrival. He told us that they had stayed the last week in a 5* property and had haggled the price down considerably. We had noticed that they had a tent with them, so obviously they were prepared to camp if they were unable to secure any last-minute bookings with holiday-home owners here.

As for the last EUR 50, I will wait until around 12:00, giving them an hour once they wake up like yesterday, before I again go around and ask for it. I currently have a broken wrist and am not up for confrontations at all!
:cry:
e-richard
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Re: Last-minute nightmare

Post by e-richard »

AngloDutch wrote:...I will wait until around 12:00, giving them an hour once they wake up like yesterday, before I again go around and ask for it. ..
I'd knock on the door earlier if I were you :shock:
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Beachcondo
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Post by Beachcondo »

Same here,
these people don't give me a good vibe! :cry:
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

I agree. No need to feel embarrassed or that you are putting them out...after all it is them that owe you.

I think in this situation we always hope that the guest will approach us and so feel we are being pushy to be the one that asks....but some people really would try and get away with not paying you the final 50 euros.

You have been patient enough.

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AngloDutch
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Post by AngloDutch »

I now have the final EUR 50 after cornering them. From our sitting room, we can see the car lot and noticed that they were placing their bikes back on their roof rack and loading their car up with the same luggage they had when they arrived (backpacks). 'No you don't!' I thought and walked (quite fast!) out to them.

'Hi, did you have a good day yesterday. Where are you off to today?' I thought that the wife might slip up and say 'the ferry port' but they said they were going to the national park south of us.

As that is a little further than the one that starts in our village, they could be driving first and then cycling. But their car looked pretty full in the back and I still didn't trust it. 'We've got a fantastic map of the park in the farmhouse, did you see it? You can borrow it if you like. Ah..but I don't have the front door key on me. If you come with me, I'll show you where it is...' I escorted them back to the house, got them to unlock the door and was relieved to see that they still had unpacked possessions in the rooms and that the LCD screens were still there!

'Did you find the ATM in the village? As the tourist season has begun, it sometimes runs out of cash, but hope you managed to withdraw money OK?' Husband still quiet. OK, you're forcing me to be very blunt here. 'Do you have the last EUR 50 note?' I said.

'Yes, I'll have a look in the car', the husband said. Maybe there's one under the seat, I'd thought he'd say.....

His wife and child were already buckled up when I went with him to the car, where he began to rummage through piles of messy things on the floor of the back seat. With the little boy screaming his head off, finally he pulled a wallet from somewhere and a EUR 50 note come out.

Right, I thought, up to the supermarket to ask one of the staff to check if it's real.....
Beachcondo
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Post by Beachcondo »

Good job AD,
I don't think I could have been that diplomatic, I probably would have said: "where's the money?!?" before I even reached the car.

But then I was never one for small talk.... :?
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Ecosse
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Post by Ecosse »

Good on you, AngloDutch - they sound like total chancers and cheapskates... the type that would then return home and boast to all their friends how their 'amazing' negotiation skills managed to get them a cheap holiday. Well not this time... :lol:
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AngloDutch
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Post by AngloDutch »

Actually, the restaurant to which I brought them on Monday evening was not exactly cheap. After I had done my best to translate everything, they ended up ordering tomato soup and chips. The cheapest things on the menu! :lol:
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edinburgh
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Post by edinburgh »

Oh good grief. What a frustrating experience.

I must say, my alarm bells would be ringing over the whole Flipkey conversation. Maybe I'm lucky enough to be able to do this - but I always refuse to negotiate my prices. I do, however, negotiate dates. For example - "No, that is the middle of the Edinburgh Festival, it's more expensive then - but for the same price, I can offer you a week in November".

It might sound a bit sarcastic, but I always offer cheaper dates when someone tries to negotiate price, and sometimes people accept the offer. So, if you're in a position to be ruthless about negotiations, that might be less stressful.
Bunny
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Post by Bunny »

Well done for not letting them get away with it AngloDutch. I'm sure that if you hadn't pursued them they would have conveniently forgotten all about it and tried to leave with coughing up. Chancers! Clearly no shame!
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