OD: finally had enough. Please suggest alternatives (non HA)

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
Renaud2
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2014 8:47 am

OD: finally had enough. Please suggest alternatives (non HA)

Post by Renaud2 »

It seems that OD (and I presume other HA sites) are changing their software almost daily, without informing us, their customers. Some weeks ago they made it possible to choose any start and end date, thus generating useless enquiries for dates I don't offer (see my other post). Then the "Enquire now" button disappeared from under the "Request to Book" button. Yesterday it came back. And today its been relabelled as "Ask Owner a Question". Now I've been sent an email saying my ads are at risk of being deactivated, without explaining why.
I can't be bothered any more to trawl through my ads every day checking for changes.
I spent £2100 on advertising and credit card fees, and my renters paid around £2500 in 'sevice fees'. OD are getting around 5 times what they were getting just for the ads, but all we get in return is constant fiddling with the web site, in order to make it as difficult as possible for renters to escape paying direct and coughing up the service fee. Personally I don't care if renters want to pay the service fee or not, just so long as they book. And I'll pay the credit card fee, if they book. But, increasingly the OD method is not working for renters or owners, only OD.
So, when my ads expire in december I would prefer to go elsewhere.
Please suggest alternatives that work, but do not have the same problems as OD/HomeAway. I am not interested in AirBnB, Trip Advisor, or Booking.com. There must be somewhere else!
VillaAntonioLanzarote
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue May 03, 2016 4:59 am
Location: Nazaret, Lanzarote
Contact:

Info

Post by VillaAntonioLanzarote »

Hi

Where is your place ??????

larry
Villa Antonio Lanzarote
a place to relax & unwind
www.villaantonio.co.uk
gardenboy
Posts: 283
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 2:14 pm

Post by gardenboy »

I m on ha and meet all my guests on arrival. I love to hear their experiences. Most are q savvy and book directly to save the fees, i d say 25% just suck up the fee and say they are getting security by paying online.

So then i ask what sort of security do they think they are getting...some think that they can phone ha on a saturday evening and transfer to another villa if they are not happy.

Ha will just continue getting more expensive for both parties, customer service is appalling.
Renaud2
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2014 8:47 am

Post by Renaud2 »

Two large and one small property, in same hamlet in SW France. We do not do B&B, or daily rental, only 7, 14 day or more. Market is families or other large groups, or couples in the small property. It's a typical old house in the country with swimming pools etc.
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