TripAdvisor taking liberties, sick of them!

[Codliveroil]

TA emailed twice this week (before the take-overs) we were originally on both Flipkey and HL) to say they've now changed our terms to 20% deposit & 40 days balance payment, when I look at our listings there is no longer any option to amend those terms nor can I see anywhere on their site to contact them to complain about it other than the annoying bot who understands nothing!
Has anyone got a contact email that gets through to a person?

Unfortunately you will have to go through the annoying bot and jump thru the hoops. You will get success by going via the how to cancel my listing route. You will get one of those annoying automatic replies but at that point you can reply to it or something like that, I can't remember......but you will get there.

[Ele]

Received the email yesterday, for the changes to take effect....7th. I've sent the below complaint via HL online message system, and would encourage others who are affected to as well otherwise they'll continue to ride roughshod.

I received an email yesterday, 7th March, with the heading 'Lower deposits = more bookings' and explaining new policies that you are implementing on 7th March - i.e. with immediate effect, no notification whatsoever.

Firstly, it is totally unacceptable to make this change on my listing without any prior consultation. This change has a material impact on my business terms agreed between me as the property owner, and my (not your) guests.

I previously had my deposit set at 25%. You have now enforced a change to 20%. Whilst I don't agree with your opinion that lower deposits = more bookings, I don't have a major issue with the 5% differential here.

However, you have changed the balance payment timing to 40 days, a change which has significant impact and is totally and completely unacceptable. A holiday rental house is not a hotel room, it cannot easily be re-let at short notice - and 40 days is short notice, just look at our calendar and how far in advance we get bookings. Changing the balance payment to 40 days will significantly increase the risk of cancellation.

We will not accept this change to the timing of the balance payment. Our terms require the balance to be paid 12 weeks in advance, 84 days. It's bad enough that this payment is held by you until after check-in, but at least the guest has made a commitment, and the likelihood of cancellation is minimal.

Kindly adjust our listing back to reflect our terms of business with immediate effect.

I look forward to your confirmation.

[apexblue]

Pen we always get a fast response DM via Twitter

[e-richard]

1. If I really believed that reducing the deposit and cancellation time would achieve more bookings, then I would defend TA.

Because I don't, I won't.

2. Having received zero enquiries for 6 months from TA, I decided not to (bother to) opt out of nothing.
So I should now be getting a flood of new bookings?

You opt out, you opt in, you shake it all about.
Its all hokey pokey anyway.