Booking.Com problems

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
explodingaardvark
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:48 am
Location: Cyprus -Paphos - peyia

Booking.Com problems

Post by explodingaardvark »

I have set up my booking.com (b.c) listing so that the minimum rental period is 4 days. b.c have taken a booking together with the money for a 3 day booking. This would only just cover costs. There doesn't seem to be anyway to reject a booking, especially as they have already taken the money from the client.
Any advice?
User avatar
CSE
Posts: 4414
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 3:34 pm
Location: Galicia

Post by CSE »

advice? Phone them to ask what happened and why the reservation is not in accordance with your T&Cs.
Even if you took your own deposit is is still not possible to reject a reservation. Unless it is agreed with the bod on the other end of the line.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
Tournesol
Posts: 74
Joined: Thu May 18, 2017 11:46 am
Location: Charente
Contact:

Post by Tournesol »

Have you checked that it DOES actually specify that on your listing?
What you've never had you never miss!
explodingaardvark
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:48 am
Location: Cyprus -Paphos - peyia

Post by explodingaardvark »

I did check on the website and it appears that the minimum rental period was 3 days, despite my being confident that it was 4 days. It is definitely 4 days now. Thanks for following up on this. One piece of advice I could give to all Booking.com customers is to make sure your advertised rates, calendar, minimum let periods etc. are as up to date as possible as, if not, bookings could be made using incorrect details.
explodingaardvark
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:48 am
Location: Cyprus -Paphos - peyia

Post by explodingaardvark »

The minimum number of days the property is to be let is specified on the calendar pages. It appears that the minimum number of days the property should be let has to be set for each day. I.e. you cannot, in one action, set an overall period for your property for the whole year, but have to set individual days. You can set this period for each month on that particular month's page by 'painting' all the visible dates.
At least that is what I think. There may be a quicker and more comprehensive method, but I haven't found it.
Ecosse
Posts: 812
Joined: Thu May 29, 2014 10:40 pm
Location: Saint Gervais les Bains, France
Contact:

Post by Ecosse »

explodingaardvark wrote:The minimum number of days the property is to be let is specified on the calendar pages. It appears that the minimum number of days the property should be let has to be set for each day. I.e. you cannot, in one action, set an overall period for your property for the whole year, but have to set individual days. You can set this period for each month on that particular month's page by 'painting' all the visible dates.
At least that is what I think. There may be a quicker and more comprehensive method, but I haven't found it.
While I haven't had to do it recently, so it may have changed with the introduction of the new dashboard recently, I think you still can, by setting the period as 'indefinitely'. I can't look now, but I'll have a look later and see whether it still exists and if so where, this function is on the new dashboard.
explodingaardvark
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:48 am
Location: Cyprus -Paphos - peyia

Post by explodingaardvark »

With booking.com I have it set up so that clients have to pay in full (non-returnable) 60 days before arrival. Before that clients can make a reservation without paying any sort of deposit and I am finding that a few days before the 60 day period starts these clients cancel. As I block the reserved dates on other booking sites in addition to B.Com I am losing prospective clients for the blocked period for what could be a rather long period. Any advice how to avoid this?
User avatar
CSE
Posts: 4414
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 3:34 pm
Location: Galicia

Post by CSE »

You cannot. Happens all the time, fake CC details challenge the CC details via Booking; cancellation, just before the money fees are due: cancellation.
If you increased it to 60 or 100 days it would still happen. It is the right of the customer :wink:
or to really avoid it do not use Booking?
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
User avatar
Cymraes
Posts: 519
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2015 3:31 pm
Location: North Wales

Post by Cymraes »

explodingaardvark wrote:With booking.com I have it set up so that clients have to pay in full (non-returnable) 60 days before arrival. Before that clients can make a reservation without paying any sort of deposit and I am finding that a few days before the 60 day period starts these clients cancel. As I block the reserved dates on other booking sites in addition to B.Com I am losing prospective clients for the blocked period for what could be a rather long period. Any advice how to avoid this?

I only use them for last minute hard to fill spaces.

The last few have paid via BdotC's virtual credit card. BdotC have actually taken the money from the guests credit card to load the virtual credit card which I then charge. No fake CC details!
User avatar
CSE
Posts: 4414
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 3:34 pm
Location: Galicia

Post by CSE »

Cymraes wrote:

I only use them for last minute hard to fill spaces.

The last few have paid via BdotC's virtual credit card. BdotC have actually taken the money from the guests credit card to load the virtual credit card which I then charge. No fake CC details!
But you never see the money until after the guest has arrived. Booking hold your money, which is to their advantage. You have no control. Having your own CC machine is the only way to do. If it is a fake we also find out right away. If it is good the money is ours right away. Win Win for us.

PS do not Booking charge you you taking CC payments? If so how much is it?
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
User avatar
Cymraes
Posts: 519
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2015 3:31 pm
Location: North Wales

Post by Cymraes »

casasantoestevo wrote:
But you never see the money until after the guest has arrived. Booking hold your money, which is to their advantage. You have no control. Having your own CC machine is the only way to do. If it is a fake we also find out right away. If it is good the money is ours right away. Win Win for us.

PS do not Booking charge you you taking CC payments? If so how much is it?
Not at all. I bill the guests myself so Bookings don't hold any of my money. The guest that booked late last night paid by virtual credit card. I billed the virtual credit card this morning and the money is already in the banking system and will hit my account on Monday. The guest arrives in 10 days time.

Normally I'd just get the guest card details and bill their card direct. Again I get my money immediately.

I get monthly invoices from them for commission due so actually I am holding their money! And no they don't charge me for the cc payments. I pay my normal merchant account fee.

Not everyone has Booking collect the payments for them.
User avatar
CSE
Posts: 4414
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 3:34 pm
Location: Galicia

Post by CSE »

so that has changed then, some good news for once. But that must have happened recently.
We do not rely on Booking for business so we want our own ( or should that be the banks?) card machine, plus guests can pay for extras that way. :D
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
newtimber
Posts: 1945
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:57 pm
Location: Brighton
Contact:

Post by newtimber »

Cymraes wrote: Normally I'd just get the guest card details and bill their card direct. Again I get my money immediately.
How does that work? You may have the card details, but you don't have all the necessary 3-D secure details which you need to accept online payments.
User avatar
Cymraes
Posts: 519
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2015 3:31 pm
Location: North Wales

Post by Cymraes »

newtimber wrote:
How does that work? You may have the card details, but you don't have all the necessary 3-D secure details which you need to accept online payments.
Sorry I don't know what you mean? I have a merchant card processing account.
newtimber
Posts: 1945
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:57 pm
Location: Brighton
Contact:

Post by newtimber »

Cymraes wrote:
newtimber wrote:
How does that work? You may have the card details, but you don't have all the necessary 3-D secure details which you need to accept online payments.
Sorry I don't know what you mean? I have a merchant card processing account.
So do I, but if the card transaction is online rather than face to face or over the phone, you still have to follow the PCIDSS rules. What details do booking.com provide to you? For a card-not-present transaction, you'll have no defence against a chargeback if you haven't used 3-D secure.
Post Reply