Problem receiving a booking on HomeAway

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Quiterio
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Problem receiving a booking on HomeAway

Post by Quiterio »

This is the scenario:

I received a request to book in mid August, and replied with 'text only', stating my usual conditions and enclosing a booking form. I explain that that the price includes HomeAway's service fee.

The next communication is the same as the first: a request to book. So this time I 'pre-approve' the request and wait for the payment. I really wanted to amend the payment schedule to 2 payments, but can find no way of doing this.

Then I get a message from HomeAway saying that the reservation is declined because the payment didn't go through. Okay, maybe better that I wasn't dealing direct.

However, my next message is from the enquirer, saying they don't understand why they have received 'this message' (and I can't see what message they have received, but assume it's similar to mine) and don't understand why, as they haven't yet tried to pay.

Could I be doing something wrong? I replied to both the initial enquiries well within 24 hours. Is it simply that the enquirer didn't pay within 24 hours?

Can't wait to dump HA - most of my enquiries are now through Spain Holidays and refreshingly simple to deal with.
AndrewH
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Re: Problem receiving a booking on HomeAway

Post by AndrewH »

Quiterio wrote:...Could I be doing something wrong? I replied to both the initial enquiries well within 24 hours. Is it simply that the enquirer didn't pay within 24 hours?
These were 'booking requests' not mere enquiries. So I think that with the first of the two requests it was you who were doing something wrong in the eyes of HA, because your 'text only' reply to the guest, although within 24 hours, did not count as a firm acceptance of the proposed booking.

You did 'accept' the guest's booking second time around inside 24 hours, so you are in the clear, but it may be that the guest didn't make the requested payment which HA quoted. The required payment being the full rent plus HA's service charge. If HA has not given you the guest's private email address, then I think that this is the most likely scenario.

Too many (probably just three) owner-declines brings in the punishment of having your listing hidden. Merely responding, without accepting the booking request, even within 24 hours counts as a decline. If the guest has paid money in these circumstances, HRP/HA will notify the guest that his/her card will be refunded, or their money will not be taken where it has been marked merely as "pending" on the card statement.

This is from my experience. My listing has now been hidden because of too many declines (for a good reason), and I am not rushing forward to press the button to have it reinstated. It's goodbye! HA/OD in a few days' time - at last!
Quiterio
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Location: Cadiz Province, Spain
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Post by Quiterio »

Thanks for that, Andrew.

After posting this, I phoned HA to ask what was going on. They were unable to tell me, and couldn't see the dialogue that I'd been having with the enquirer. A problem with their system, they said.
Their advice was to resend the acceptance, which I did, but included my encrypted email address.

After that, the enquirer contacted me direct, and things have progressed smoothly, despite HA!

Won't be renewing my subscription.
Sam V
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Location: Villa in Gale, Algarve, Portugal. At home in Fetcham, Surrey, UK
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Re: Problem receiving a booking on HomeAway

Post by Sam V »

AndrewH wrote:
Quiterio wrote:...Could I be doing something wrong? I replied to both the initial enquiries well within 24 hours. Is it simply that the enquirer didn't pay within 24 hours?
These were 'booking requests' not mere enquiries. So I think that with the first of the two requests it was you who were doing something wrong in the eyes of HA, because your 'text only' reply to the guest, although within 24 hours, did not count as a firm acceptance of the proposed booking.

You did 'accept' the guest's booking second time around inside 24 hours, so you are in the clear, but it may be that the guest didn't make the requested payment which HA quoted. The required payment being the full rent plus HA's service charge. If HA has not given you the guest's private email address, then I think that this is the most likely scenario.

Too many (probably just three) owner-declines brings in the punishment of having your listing hidden. Merely responding, without accepting the booking request, even within 24 hours counts as a decline. If the guest has paid money in these circumstances, HRP/HA will notify the guest that his/her card will be refunded, or their money will not be taken where it has been marked merely as "pending" on the card statement.

This is from my experience. My listing has now been hidden because of too many declines (for a good reason), and I am not rushing forward to press the button to have it reinstated. It's goodbye! HA/OD in a few days' time - at last!
So if I/we receive requests via available dates for dates which are in fact already booked (mostly happens with Airbnb), which I have no option but to decline, or the other scenario, they are an agent looking to sell or manage my property or something similar, then I could end up with my listing hidden through no fault of my own
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AndrewH
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Re: Problem receiving a booking on HomeAway

Post by AndrewH »

Sam V wrote:So if I/we receive requests via available dates for dates which are in fact already booked (mostly happens with Airbnb), which I have no option but to decline, or the other scenario, they are an agent looking to sell or manage my property or something similar, then I could end up with my listing hidden through no fault of my own
Where a holiday maker wants to follow up on a listing they have seen on the HA site, he/she appears to have a choice of two means of contact. The first is "Request to book", which means "book now" without further ado. The other is "Ask owner (or manager) a question". It is only with the first of these that an owner or manager can slip up and land in hot water through not accepting too many times. Failure to respond within 24 hours is deemed a decline.

It is up to the owner/manager to be very prompt in keeping his/her HA availability calendar up to date (manually or iCal) to show booked dates from whatever source, e.g. from AB&B. The HA site won't let a person make a "Request to book" if the chosen dates are already booked in whole or in part.

So I think, Sam, you are quite safe in the matter. Someone who might want to contact you, without making a booking, would use the "Ask owner a question" button.
e-richard
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Re: Problem receiving a booking on HomeAway

Post by e-richard »

AndrewH wrote:...It is up to the owner/manager to be very prompt in keeping his/her HA availability calendar up to date (manually or iCal) to show booked dates from whatever source, e.g. from AB&B....
Sadly that is another avenue being closed off to enable Expedia to rule the world.

And its official:

Having had some issues with iCal sync to HomeAway being off by one day at each end, I wrote an email to customer support. This is part of their answer copy/pasted directly (I kid you not).
I would like to inform you that our calendar is not 100% compatible with iCal, that's why the unavailable dates there do not appear correctly on our calendar when you synchronize them.
The email then went on to explain to me how to update my dates manually. DOH!
** Richard
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They say we learn from our mistakes. That makes me a genius !
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