Villarenters/Rental System changes

[Hells Bells]

Has anyone else received the email about the changes?
Reduced fees (1.25%) with renter picking up the remaining 2.5% credit card fee.

Early payment option changed, immediate payment having a surcharge of 1.5%, 4 weeks delay 1%, after booking completed will be free.

Payment of your money by cheque discontinued, bank transfer fees reduced.

Direct payment phased out, so your guests will have to pay Villarenters, not you.

Breakage deposit (direct quote from email)-The current authorisation of cards for breakages will be phased out as too many cards were out of date by the time of the holiday. Renters will be offered a choice of paying a breakage deposit in full or opting to pay a non-refundable breakage waiver to us. We will indemnify members for any claims when the damage waiver is chosen by the renter.

Surcharges will be re-introduced so that members can charge easily for extras.

[Guest3]

Sorry Helen..can't comment as I looked at their site ages ago and didn't like the way Villarenters 'control' deposits and payments which was the main factor why I didn't register with them.

[Hells Bells]

I listed with them before I'd read thrrough the t&c's properly, but have never activated my listing (as I read them before i did so), I got the emails though, and thought I'd pass it on. My reasons for not activating were that they keep the money until the guests have left, or charge you to send you your own money. No good for the cash flow. No-one has given me a valid reason why I should activate my property.

[Normandy Cow]

Renters will be offered a choice of paying a breakage deposit in full or opting to pay a non-refundable breakage waiver to us.

Do the owners have any choice on this? I would not want anyone only paying a damage-waiver instead of a normal deposit, as their attitude would then be "Oh well, we've paid the damage waiver, we can more or less do as we please as it won't make any difference".

NO WAY!!!!

[Hells Bells]

It appears the the renter/guest gets the choice of the refundable deposit or the waiver, not the property owner. I haven;t looked into it fully though, as I haven't got an active property.

[Lesblancs]

Helen

I did exactly the same as you, aren't we a couple of sillies!

Amazingly my reasons for not activating my account are also the same.

Is it really just us two, or don't they ever learn from their stats. Villarenters - read LMH asap.

Robert

[Hells Bells]

If anyone wants a copy of the email, PM me your address, it seems some of us didn't manage to get it

[Fraise]

I signed up with Villarenters when they used to send you the money earlier-as soon as they changed their T and C's so that you didn't get the money until after the guests had left I withdrew. I didn't like their all or nothing approach either- you got some silly score that didn't bode well for people looking at your website.It didn't work for me- I am just about to sign up with a site that has some of the Viallerenters elements but not the bad ones ( hopefully).I'll let you know when my ad is up and running and if I get any interest

[Hells Bells]

Ooh,let us know if it is any good!

[Hanorah]

Let me know too I love Villarenters functionality but as you say its seems to be case of there way or the highway. They even moderate the forum now so you even express any disatisfaction freely.

Looks like they are going back to the old method of early payments and doing away with direct payments must mean that too many people either left or went with this option (which was free for your own bookings ie no commssion for them). If they had listened to us in the beginning instead of forcing this on us they could have avoided a lot of problems.

Hopefully a lesson might be learned. For Villarenters if you are reading, your customers have valuable input to give you if you would only listen. For the forum to be useful it should not be moderated as it is obvious that only posts you want to be published are. A moderated forum might be necessary for teenagers but is very insulting for owner renters.

[Hells Bells]

I've just had a look at the forum. They refuse to answer any awkward questions, or totally ignore them.

[Hells Bells]

I had a quick look on the forum. They cannot answer anyones questions properly either. They have ignored some questions entirely.

[Hells Bells]

I have deleted my listing now.

[Angel]

Well here's one happy bunny Villarenters customer since I started renting my 2-bed apartment in south-eastern Cyprus over a year ago. I believe my target market is now a commodity market - it's highly competitive and supply far exceeds demand.

VR gives me the edge with the online 'instant booking' and credit/debit card facilities. Today's clients don't want to have to email or phone, they want it there and then. People are into DIY holidays... a booking is not definite until the deposit is paid, which gives them time (under my control) to find their flight bargain. And I can still decline the booking if I wish.

Also, I don't need to run my own admin system. The automated email system is reliable and it works.

Yes, there are downsides. I don't control the content of the emails, even though VR say I do. And I have to wait for money... no big deal. All worth it, IMHO.

And the clients themselves have all been lovely people. The only problem clients were those originating from 'agents' in Cyprus.

I already have 15 weeks booked for May-September next year. Six of those weeks came through VR channels at 10% commission; the rest are through other channels at 3.25%.

YMMV, as they say.

[Hells Bells]

Waiting for the money is quite a big deal for some of us though.Especially as peak weeks are booked so far in advance. The deposits help the cash flow until the balances come in.