HomeAway - Confused

[waterwitch]

HA/OD now don't release the guest email and phone number until I have marked as paid. So how then do I send them the Paypal link for payment? Do I just mark as paid (even though they have not) and then send the Paypal payment request and confuse my guests even more than they are already.

Nearly without exception, guest think they have paid when I have accepted the reservation and they have the service charge taken off their card.

[FelicityA]

I have seen this question asked several times on the saynotovrbo forum. Yes, confusingly, you apparently have to mark paid before you get their details in order to bill them. Ridiculous isn't it!?

They are phasing out alternative payments (I think you cannot now renew with them as the deadline date was the confusingly vague 'mid-April'). If I were doing this, I would first email the guest first through the dashboard, explaining how completely mad the system is!

[waterwitch]

Thanks Felicity - it is ridiculous! Wish me luck having to try and explain that one. I have a few properties so wonder if the alternative payments option will just expire at renewal time.

[vacancesthezan]

HA/OD now don't release the guest email and phone number until I have marked as paid. So how then do I send them the Paypal link for payment? Do I just mark as paid (even though they have not) and then send the Paypal payment request and confuse my guests even more than they are already.

Nearly without exception, guest think they have paid when I have accepted the reservation and they have the service charge taken off their card.

You can send them attachments - eg contract although only in certain formats. Why not include payment details there including your payment link. We have our bank details there as we offer payment in either euro or sterling depending where the enquirer is based. You can only add one set of bank details

[waterwitch]

Thanks Vacancesthezan - I do send an attachment with the booking confirmation with all contact details, etc. but I need to send the paypal request to their email. If I got a paypal me link I wonder if it would work on a .pdf file? Even so, I like to send a proper invoice with the booking ref, dates, etc on paypal.

Of course, who reads the attachment anyway

[vacancesthezan]

Thanks Vacancesthezan - I do send an attachment with the booking confirmation with all contact details, etc. but I need to send the paypal request to their email. If I got a paypal me link I wonder if it would work on a .pdf file? Even so, I like to send a proper invoice with the booking ref, dates, etc on paypal.

Of course, who reads the attachment anyway

I wasnt sure so have just done a test. We send out a word document with useful links for things to do locally. I converted it to pdf and yippee the links still work. No reason that a link to Paypal wouldnt work also.

People will read attachments if they think it is important. Therefore give the pdf a suitable name (eg "booking and payment instructions - please read") and if you refer to it in the response that you make to the enquirer. - maybe a couple of times so they get the hint! Worth a go anyway!!

VT

[glennd]

At the end of the day this is just another step on the way to a fully cloned Airbnb platform. We are finding prospective guests finding our website after viewing on HA/OD/Abritel and booking direct. The only issue we really have is how to replace the visibility of these major platforms and that the less bookings made the lower we fall in the rankings. They want control, they make more money.

[glennd]

forgot to say you can still send your phone number on a reply message before marking as paid.