Lay My Hat

I have just been offered 7% of the rental price for 2 weeks in August...via OD...I have asked if he's left a zero off the offer price...it's the most polite reply I could come up with!

Zingara wrote:I have just been offered 7% of the rental price for 2 weeks in August...via OD...I have asked if he's left a zero off the offer price...it's the most polite reply I could come up with!

"i would be delighted to welcome you for 7% of your requested dates in August........."

Fair's fair and all that!

Seriously, I think your response was more than polite.

HA enquiry: I have 1 week left in August - peak week saturday to saturday - "Hello, I definitely want to book but as I want to leave a day early I will pay you 10% less".

So, with Ann's voice ringing in my ears "be nice" - DECLINE (button used) "This property is unsuitable for your needs, I do hope you find something more suitable in your continued search".

7%!!!!



Mx

So an email enquiry comes through my website. It is from "two elderly people" from the Netherlands who want to visit North Yorkshire in September.

The enquiry is lengthy and includes a need to have two bedrooms, reliable wifi provision (needed for work, apparently) and an unusual question about our dining table, which I respond to with a photograph, as well as assurances about the other requirements.

A 13 night stay in my 4 star cottage is requested and the dates are available.
As the 13 nights fill a gap beautifully, I calculate the cost of the 6 nights by deducting from a weekly price the cost of a changeover, dividing the remainder by 7 and multiplying by 6, so in all I quote for a full week & 6 nights pro rata, which I thought was pretty fair of me??

The " prospective guests" have other plans. They have proposed that they stay for 13 nights at £40 per night.......

I replied with an email confirming the price I quoted first time round, but on reflection, I won't accept the booking now even if they come back to me.

Beware anyone with a property in Yorkshire, someone is looking for quality accommodation for the cost of bunk house prices. Initials are JM.

I'm coming up to the Dales tomorrow & it wasn't me

We are paying well over £100.00 per night in guest houses.

I've had a couple of 'chancers' this week.
One enquiry via french website for one of the peak ski season weeks in February. I return a quote, only to receive a reply that this is twice the amount he was expecting to pay, and apartment X which he is renting for other members of the family is only Y euros. As i know my manager M does their cleaning, I found it a bit cheap, so enquiries then get to a price 300€ more than he'd said. One further email sugggesting he would pay me Y euros, but not my advertised rate. Replied saying fat chance of anything for that price, and then found an apology and a booking at full rate in my inbox the following morning.

Kyreniagirl said

I'm coming up to the Dales tomorrow. We are paying well over £100.00 per night in guest houses.

Arrive as early as you possibly can. The weather is beautiful and forecast to continue ....

zebedee wrote:Kyreniagirl said

I'm coming up to the Dales tomorrow. We are paying well over £100.00 per night in guest houses.

Arrive as early as you possibly can. The weather is beautiful and forecast to continue ....

Looking fwd to it. Masham, Grassington then Whitby.

I'm curious about the question of the dining table

Sam V wrote:I'm curious about the question of the dining table

Me too. The mind boggles.

As for last minute extreme negotiators, it's short-shrift from me, I'm afraid. I'd rather the place was empty than priced at hovel rates.

Sam V wrote

I'm curious about the question of the dining table

I think I will disappoint you. I've checked the wording in the enquiry and they said one of their essential requirements was for "a normal dining table with chairs
They said they could not see the dining table on the website, but there are photos of it, dressed with glasses and or plates etc. but not stand alone with the chairs.

I've never had this mentioned before in an enquiry hence the "unusual"..... but who knows what they wanted it for???

zebedee wrote: Sam V wrote

I'm curious about the question of the dining table

I think I will disappoint you. I've checked the wording in the enquiry and they said one of their essential requirements was for "a normal dining table with chairs

I imagine if they are elderly they might not be able to cope with a settle (difficult to get in and out of) - or high stools which some people have round their breakfast bar.

Or benches. Benches are popular in this part of Normandy and maybe elsewhere for all I know and I find them very uncomfortable as I like to tuck in close to the table but you can bet whoever else is on my bench will want it pushed away.

I can't beat a 7% offer but I did get a 50% offer a few weeks ago for what the inquirer called "a last minute booking". For a week in mid-August which showed unavailable (booked) on my website and was booked at full price (obviously August) back in March. I briefly informed the inquirer of that news and got a sharp retort that there was no point us having a website if the house wasn't available. Go figure.

He (or she, it wasn't evident) may have confused us with a cottage with availability of course or just confused available / not available shadings but it was a very sharp one liner with no salutation or signoff.

I had somebody the other day, wanted my 2 bed apartment for 3 days for around £200. I pointed out that this was well below the rate, and cleaning/linen costs alone cost £90.

Their response was that I must have very dirty guests!