Homeaway Coronavirus Refunds

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explodingaardvark
Posts: 36
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:48 am
Location: Cyprus -Paphos - peyia

Homeaway Coronavirus Refunds

Post by explodingaardvark »

Anyone any idea of what Homeaway's policy is regarding refunds of payents made in full and cancelled by myself due to the coronavirus situation. I have bee able to refund that part of the payments made due to myself, however this obviously does not amount to the full amount the client has paid. I assume part of the amount not refunded may be the security deposit but this would not account for the full amount of the shortfall.

I would also like to take this up with Homeaway but can't find any way so to do.

Any ideas?
aloneifly
Posts: 70
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2012 2:20 pm
Location: Glasgow
Contact:

Post by aloneifly »

I think that if you have received a payment and then agreed a cancellation, then they are not taking it out of your bank but holding it against any future payments due to you from new bookings.
I have had 2 bookings in the last week for essential workers but no schedule in the reservations to show when I will be paid whats due for the reservations. Both reservations are a few days in to the booking so I should be getting some sort of advice to say when payment will be made into my bank account.

So I assume they are deducting what I am due from what I had already been paid. I had quite a few cancellations which I agreed to refund in full.

I will have to try contacting them as at least I would like to receive some sort of statement showing income and deductions.

020 8827 1971 is the UK no

if anyone else is in the same boat and knows more please advise

thanks
Janev1000
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2016 3:08 pm
Location: Rye Harbour
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Post by Janev1000 »

I've had one cancellation so far where I had already received the deposit from the guest. The guest has now received her deposit back but I have had nothing taken back from my bank account, which is what is supposed to happen according to what they say on their site. I rang them on that number and got through very easily. The agent also confirmed that they will retrieve the payment from my bank account but nothing has happened as yet. Given that the cancellation was about 1 month ago now, it does seem a bit strange! At least the guest has received their money though, which is the main thing.
aloneifly
Posts: 70
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2012 2:20 pm
Location: Glasgow
Contact:

HW refunds

Post by aloneifly »

After sending an email I got a statement back from them.
It showed me what I had received and whathad been refunded.
As I had 2 recent bookings then I did receive a small amount being the difference between what I should have received less the cancelled bookings that I already had been paid or.

I have had another cancellation since then so I still owe them!
Janev1000
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Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2016 3:08 pm
Location: Rye Harbour
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Post by Janev1000 »

Ah that's interesting. Completely different to what I was told then! As I still haven't had any money retrieved from my bank account, I'm expecting them to do the same as you then....whenever that other booking arises!
Cotto
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:35 pm
Location: Tuscany

Post by Cotto »

Have you checked the amounts are corresponding to the money you have received or the money the guest paid to HA?
Are owners expected to be paying the HA/Abritel fee that was charged to the client that cancelled?
We have two cancellations this month that have the same situation, Abritel asks us to refund the guest the total amount, they specify it's 488 euro while we received from them only 385 Euro :? . So we should refund the guest also the "HA service fee"? We have to pay for the money that HA received. It seems unacceptable to me.

We refunded the first guest 385 Euro directly, but with doing so this refund does not get registered by HA and they do not give credits for it.
Janev1000
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Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2016 3:08 pm
Location: Rye Harbour
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Post by Janev1000 »

I wouldn't expect to be covering the service fees. If I agree to a cancellation beyond the standard cancellation window then I believe they will lose the service fee.
newtimber
Posts: 1945
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:57 pm
Location: Brighton
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Post by newtimber »

Janev1000 wrote:I wouldn't expect to be covering the service fees. If I agree to a cancellation beyond the standard cancellation window then I believe they will lose the service fee.
You have not provided the service so the CMA says that you should "in most cases" give a full refund regardless of the terms and conditions. HA have not provided the service either - or at least very little of it - most of their "book with confidence" guarantee has not been provided and all they have done is take a payment and refund it again which does not cost anything like what their service fee is.
Cotto
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 6:35 pm
Location: Tuscany

Post by Cotto »

The problem is that the owner is asked to refund to the client the "service fee" that HA received. That is if you go automatically with the default option "100% refund".

With a 100% refund you pay to the client:
- the amount of the rental you received;
- the service costs that HA charges to you to receive the payment;
- the service costs that HA applies to the client.
Nigel Goodwin
Posts: 707
Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:50 pm
Location: Newquay Cornwall
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Post by Nigel Goodwin »

Cotto wrote:The problem is that the owner is asked to refund to the client the "service fee" that HA received. That is if you go automatically with the default option "100% refund".

With a 100% refund you pay to the client:
- the amount of the rental you received;
- the service costs that HA charges to you to receive the payment;
- the service costs that HA applies to the client.
It's called robbery.
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