Offline first payments - how much time do you allow?

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AngloDutch
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Offline first payments - how much time do you allow?

Post by AngloDutch »

We've been pretty casual - actually too casual - about this for far too long. We allow 7 days to make the deposit payment.

Many of our guests coming in via OD and our own sites choose to pay via bank transfer.

But hardly anyone seems to transfer payment immediately. Many seem to wait until day 6 before they transfer monies (same really as with the balance payment - we ask this not later than 8 weeks before - and normally get it 8 weeks and 1 day before arrival!)

We took two separate bookings last Monday. One emailed yesterday to say that they were paying the deposit and we did receive it at the end of the day. The other is a last minute and still nothing has come through to us. We have had email contact with them but no mention that they have transferred the money (more than €1,000).

We are in the firm belief that the longer we give guests, the greater the chance that eventually someone will never pay because they found another property in the week that they had to transfer a deposit. So, we want to reduce this time frame.

I think we are being much too generous with 7 days - not knowing if the payment will actually come in almost a week after guests have agreed to book is becoming quite irritating...

As we are talking offline payments here, with many bank transfers coming from out of the NL (Germany, for example, which take a few days to arrive), what do other LMH'ers who are in the same situation allow for first payments (deposit or full last minute)? We wish it could be instant, but many of our guests do not own credit cards.
FelicityA
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Post by FelicityA »

I say payment must be initiated within 48 hours. I ask them to tell me when they have done it so I can look out for it. I say nothing about when it must be received but I also warn them that I get enquiries all the time so i can't promise it will still be there if they are slow (but I word it in a less aggressive way).
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Post by NeatandPicky »

Could you ask for a screen grab to confirm that a bank transfer has been made?

(It's not an issue we face as virtually all our guests are based in the UK like us, with Faster Payments being almost instant.)
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AngloDutch
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Post by AngloDutch »

FelicityA wrote:I say payment must be initiated within 48 hours. I ask them to tell me when they have done it so I can look out for it. I say nothing about when it must be received but I also warn them that I get enquiries all the time so i can't promise it will still be there if they are slow (but I word it in a less aggressive way).
Thanks, Felicity. 'Initiated within 48 hours' plus a few extra days if coming from within the Euro zone, that should have our payments here not later than 4 days after booking. That sounds like a good idea :)
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AngloDutch
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Post by AngloDutch »

NeatandPicky wrote:Could you ask for a screen grab to confirm that a bank transfer has been made?

(It's not an issue we face as virtually all our guests are based in the UK like us, with Faster Payments being almost instant.)

We have a UK bank account as well and are always amazed at how fast bank payments are received.
Here in the NL it's much slower, if you do an online transfer before 11.00 in the morning (Monday - Friday) it is normally received by the end of the same day (bank account within the NL). Saturday and Sunday transfers are not done until Monday. Exceptions are if you are transferring to the same bank as your own, then it's a bit faster.

Yes, we normally do get screen grabs from our German guests (without even asking). I think Dutch guests would be less willing to do that, because they would see it as an invasion of privacy.
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Post by CSE »

We are surprised to read about delays in on line payments. Since the introduction (21 Nov. 2017) of EBA transfers are now done in real time.
https://www.ebaclearing.eu/news-and-eve ... ystem-rt1/

https://www.ebaclearing.eu/
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
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AngloDutch
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Post by AngloDutch »

casasantoestevo wrote:We are surprised to read about delays in on line payments. Since the introduction (21 Nov. 2017) of EBA transfers are now done in real time.
https://www.ebaclearing.eu/news-and-eve ... ystem-rt1/

https://www.ebaclearing.eu/

Good news then.
Payments from our UK PayPal account appear in our Lloyds account in a matter of seconds. Whereas it has taken around 2 days for a Dutch PayPal account payment to arrive at our Dutch bank account.
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Post by FelicityA »

I got a payment from the USA yesterday in ONE HOUR!! I was astounded as normally I only get instant payments if someone who is booking banks at the same bank as me. This was a credit card payment made through the currency transfer service, Transferwise. I did not even know you could use credit cards on there (the guest said it was 'just a small fee') so that has solved my problem of taking credit cards and paying the processing fee.
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AngloDutch
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Post by AngloDutch »

FelicityA wrote:I got a payment from the USA yesterday in ONE HOUR!! I was astounded as normally I only get instant payments if someone who is booking banks at the same bank as me. This was a credit card payment made through the currency transfer service, Transferwise. I did not even know you could use credit cards on there (the guest said it was 'just a small fee') so that has solved my problem of taking credit cards and paying the processing fee.
That's very useful to know, Felicity. We have regular Canadian guests who used to pay Euro cash on arrival. We began to ask them to pay a deposit as our cashflow was taking an enormous hit due to ABB, VR and TA paying us after the guests have checked in. These Canadians now transfer Euros from their Canadian bank to our Dutch account. It takes several days to get here and we get landed with a fee at our end, but much less than it would be if they sent the funds via PayPal...
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Post by FelicityA »

I've got Canadians onto Transferwise too, AngloDutch. They all love it as it is much cheaper than the banks and of course the money arrives in YOUR currency (being peer to peer so it is a domestic transfer not cross border) so no fees to pay at the receiving end.
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

AngloDutch wrote:
casasantoestevo wrote:We are surprised to read about delays in on line payments. Since the introduction (21 Nov. 2017) of EBA transfers are now done in real time.
https://www.ebaclearing.eu/news-and-eve ... ystem-rt1/

https://www.ebaclearing.eu/

Good news then.
Payments from our UK PayPal account appear in our Lloyds account in a matter of seconds. Whereas it has taken around 2 days for a Dutch PayPal account payment to arrive at our Dutch bank account.
We give up :roll: You have not read the links posted. Nothing to do with paypal or to do with Banks outside of the Euro Zone.
You was the one, in particular, writing about delays in bank transfers. Thought the information might have proved helpful for you.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
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AngloDutch
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Post by AngloDutch »

casasantoestevo wrote:
AngloDutch wrote:
casasantoestevo wrote:We are surprised to read about delays in on line payments. Since the introduction (21 Nov. 2017) of EBA transfers are now done in real time.
https://www.ebaclearing.eu/news-and-eve ... ystem-rt1/

https://www.ebaclearing.eu/

Good news then.
Payments from our UK PayPal account appear in our Lloyds account in a matter of seconds. Whereas it has taken around 2 days for a Dutch PayPal account payment to arrive at our Dutch bank account.
We give up :roll: You have not read the links posted. Nothing to do with paypal or to do with Banks outside of the Euro Zone.
You was the one, in particular, writing about delays in bank transfers. Thought the information might have proved helpful for you.
Sorry, I thought you were referring with the links to improvements in the speed at which Dutch interbank transfers are processed here in the Netherlands. I did check them but must admit didn't have time to read through them fully.

My reference to PayPal was used as an example only to show that the UK has up until now had much faster transfer possibilities with its 'Faster Payment Service' (FPS), which we hope will materialize here at some time.
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

Please read the links. The UK will never be on par with the system that the Euro banks are offering. We believe it is not obligatory to join, but like most things that are voluntary and benefit, this will grow fast. Obviously the Euro zone is far bigger than the GBP.
Nothing is settled but that "divorce" may get in the way of the UK having a joined up system with the rest of the EU. But that is a totally different issue. :wink:
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
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Re: Offline first payments - how much time do you allow?

Post by Jonathan »

AngloDutch wrote:We've been pretty casual - actually too casual - about this for far too long. We allow 7 days to make the deposit payment.

Many of our guests coming in via OD and our own sites choose to pay via bank transfer.

But hardly anyone seems to transfer payment immediately. Many seem to wait until day 6 before they transfer monies (same really as with the balance payment - we ask this not later than 8 weeks before - and normally get it 8 weeks and 1 day before arrival!)

We took two separate bookings last Monday. One emailed yesterday to say that they were paying the deposit and we did receive it at the end of the day. The other is a last minute and still nothing has come through to us. We have had email contact with them but no mention that they have transferred the money (more than €1,000).

We are in the firm belief that the longer we give guests, the greater the chance that eventually someone will never pay because they found another property in the week that they had to transfer a deposit. So, we want to reduce this time frame.

I think we are being much too generous with 7 days - not knowing if the payment will actually come in almost a week after guests have agreed to book is becoming quite irritating...

As we are talking offline payments here, with many bank transfers coming from out of the NL (Germany, for example, which take a few days to arrive), what do other LMH'ers who are in the same situation allow for first payments (deposit or full last minute)? We wish it could be instant, but many of our guests do not own credit cards.
So far as I am concerned they don't have a booking until I receive the deposit. BUT if someone else is interested for the dates I do let them know. Seems to work.

Jonathan
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oasiscouple
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Post by oasiscouple »

I imagine it also dépends on the country. Payments in the UK seem to arrive the same day, but here in France it depends on the day of the week. If someone sends me a transfer on a Friday it will only appear on my on line bank statement the following Tuesday (if all goes well). Therefore I have learned to be patient but I do tell the guests the booking is only confirmed on receipt of the payment.
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