I have a guest who wants to book for May 2005. A couple of months ago they emailed and said they wanted to use the payment plan. I did not receive anything on the agreed date and then got a message saying they had been in hospital and apologising etc. They said that they were then going on holiday and would start the payments the next month. Next an email a month later saying that they were back in hospital . A few weeks later another email they were out of hospital but going on holiday and would send 2 cheques for the payment in January and March. I wrote to them saying as they had not started the payment plan then they would need to pay a 25% deposit immediatley to secure the holiday and the final payment 8 weeks before they were due to go. I then get an email from apparantly their daughter who said her mother was still in hospital but still wanted to go. Confused I am, she emailed me to say she was out of hospital and on holiday but now her daughter says she is still in hospital. Obviously if any one wants those weeks I will sell them but I am trying to figure out what the scam may be.
Any opinions on this.
Potential Dodgy Guest What should I do?
Potential Dodgy Guest What should I do
Always Learning
Hanorah,
I guess they will keep putting you off till May when they will say that they are coming and will give you cash on arrival. When they arrive they will say they couldn't get cash but here is a cheque. The cheque will bounce, perhaps after they have enjoyed their holiday. That's what I would do anyway!
I guess they will keep putting you off till May when they will say that they are coming and will give you cash on arrival. When they arrive they will say they couldn't get cash but here is a cheque. The cheque will bounce, perhaps after they have enjoyed their holiday. That's what I would do anyway!
Paolo
Lay My Hat
Lay My Hat
Hanorah,
The first year we rented out, Paolo's scenario ("they couldn't get cash but here is a cheque") happened to us. I refused to take the cheque and let them go somewhere else,figuring that life was too short for stress & hassle in something as relatively straightforward as a holiday let. We haven't had any problems since: no booking is confirmed until I have acknowledged receipt of the deposit and the address is not given before receipt of final payment. When someone books at the last minute they SWIFT me the money or, yes, I agree to cash: I wouldn't accept a cheque, unless - perhaps - it was a French one. In principle, French cheques can only be stopped after loss or theft - I don't, though, want to be the plaintiff in a court case where the tenant has lied to the bank in order to have the cheque stopped......
The first year we rented out, Paolo's scenario ("they couldn't get cash but here is a cheque") happened to us. I refused to take the cheque and let them go somewhere else,figuring that life was too short for stress & hassle in something as relatively straightforward as a holiday let. We haven't had any problems since: no booking is confirmed until I have acknowledged receipt of the deposit and the address is not given before receipt of final payment. When someone books at the last minute they SWIFT me the money or, yes, I agree to cash: I wouldn't accept a cheque, unless - perhaps - it was a French one. In principle, French cheques can only be stopped after loss or theft - I don't, though, want to be the plaintiff in a court case where the tenant has lied to the bank in order to have the cheque stopped......
Best,
Alexia.
Alexia.
I can't really see how being in hospital stops someone from writing a cheque, unless they are suffering from quite severe psychiatric problems. If this person was genuine, surely she could have written a cheque and got her daughter to post it? I think you should go with your gut feeling, and cancel the booking. Would you want tenants who had caused you worry and concern even before the start of the holiday?
Whatever you decide, I hope it works out for you.
Maggie
Whatever you decide, I hope it works out for you.
Maggie
Hanorah,
A reminder to you or anyone reading this thread - DO NOT send them money! Scams usually involve the scammer sending more than you are owed and asking for the balance to be returned. Their cheque will be fake, yours will be real. As long as you don't send any money (and you don't let them in when they turn up at your door with a cheque made of rubber) you'll be OK.
A reminder to you or anyone reading this thread - DO NOT send them money! Scams usually involve the scammer sending more than you are owed and asking for the balance to be returned. Their cheque will be fake, yours will be real. As long as you don't send any money (and you don't let them in when they turn up at your door with a cheque made of rubber) you'll be OK.
Paolo
Lay My Hat
Lay My Hat
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Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
I run to fairly strict rules, which are made abundantly clear from the outset.
An enquiry only becomes a booking once I have received payment of the 25% deposit and, if payment is made by cheque which is the usual case, the cheque has become "cleared funds" in my bank account. My bank confirms both receipt and actual clearance of cheques. Until the cheque has been cleared the property remains available for booking by someone else in which case it is "first come - first served".
The 75% balance is due at least 6 weeks before the start date of the booked holiday. I chase up anyone who does not pay on the dot. I am not prepared to accept promises of payment on arrival, whether by cheque or in cash. I would rather cancel the booking and re-advertise.
Fortunately, these things happen very rarely.
If the booking is made within 6 weeks of the holiday then I require immediate payment in full.
Alan
An enquiry only becomes a booking once I have received payment of the 25% deposit and, if payment is made by cheque which is the usual case, the cheque has become "cleared funds" in my bank account. My bank confirms both receipt and actual clearance of cheques. Until the cheque has been cleared the property remains available for booking by someone else in which case it is "first come - first served".
The 75% balance is due at least 6 weeks before the start date of the booked holiday. I chase up anyone who does not pay on the dot. I am not prepared to accept promises of payment on arrival, whether by cheque or in cash. I would rather cancel the booking and re-advertise.
Fortunately, these things happen very rarely.
If the booking is made within 6 weeks of the holiday then I require immediate payment in full.
Alan
Hanorah,
Am I to understand that you haven't received any money from these people at all? If so, I would send them an e-mail giving them e.g. one week to pay at least the deposit. Then I would cancel their booking if they haven't yet paid. Period.
If they have paid just some small sum, I would probably send the same e-mail as above except offer to refund their initial payment. I might even make up another client who has offered to pay full price or something. Whatever it takes -- you should definitely go with your instincts on this one.
In more general terms, I never give a client the full directions to my house or the directions for key retrieval until their full payment has been received. That way, if they don't pay, at least I know they can't get to the house, and even if they could, they can't get in.
Am I to understand that you haven't received any money from these people at all? If so, I would send them an e-mail giving them e.g. one week to pay at least the deposit. Then I would cancel their booking if they haven't yet paid. Period.
If they have paid just some small sum, I would probably send the same e-mail as above except offer to refund their initial payment. I might even make up another client who has offered to pay full price or something. Whatever it takes -- you should definitely go with your instincts on this one.
In more general terms, I never give a client the full directions to my house or the directions for key retrieval until their full payment has been received. That way, if they don't pay, at least I know they can't get to the house, and even if they could, they can't get in.
Brooke
I have not received any money and I have also not confirmed the holiday. I have said that if the deposit is not received by end of January then I will sell the weeks to other guests if they are interested.
The funny thing is from day one I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach about this guest and mentioned it to my husband.
It was just something about her manner and then in future correspondence she was either going into hospital or going on holiday.
I will not accept any thing other than standing order payments each month or a despoit and the balance paid 8 weeks before the holiday is due. If she is trying to play me she will be disapointed.
The blatent lie in the last email is the last straw. I imagine it was her pretending to be her daughter saying that her mother was still in hospital, obviously having forgot in the previous correspondence she said she was out of hospital and going on holiday until the end of Jan.
I wonder though if all the holidays she is allegedly going on have actually been paid for or not, so watch out she might be a serial holiday scammer about.
Of course I could be totally wrong and she may have been taken back into hosptial but my instincts tell me otherwise
The funny thing is from day one I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach about this guest and mentioned it to my husband.
It was just something about her manner and then in future correspondence she was either going into hospital or going on holiday.
I will not accept any thing other than standing order payments each month or a despoit and the balance paid 8 weeks before the holiday is due. If she is trying to play me she will be disapointed.
The blatent lie in the last email is the last straw. I imagine it was her pretending to be her daughter saying that her mother was still in hospital, obviously having forgot in the previous correspondence she said she was out of hospital and going on holiday until the end of Jan.
I wonder though if all the holidays she is allegedly going on have actually been paid for or not, so watch out she might be a serial holiday scammer about.
Of course I could be totally wrong and she may have been taken back into hosptial but my instincts tell me otherwise
Always Learning
Hanorah,
At the very least you know they are dishonest and make promises they don't keep. This would make me very uncomfortable about letting them anywhere near any property I owned. If the decision were mine, I would withdraw the offer to rent to them and be thankful I found out how unsuitable they are before they had me locked into a legally binding contract I couldn't break. Imagine the nightmare they could be once they actually get there. Is it really worth the risk? Go with your first instinct.
Regards,
Joanna
www.southold-beach-house.com
At the very least you know they are dishonest and make promises they don't keep. This would make me very uncomfortable about letting them anywhere near any property I owned. If the decision were mine, I would withdraw the offer to rent to them and be thankful I found out how unsuitable they are before they had me locked into a legally binding contract I couldn't break. Imagine the nightmare they could be once they actually get there. Is it really worth the risk? Go with your first instinct.
Regards,
Joanna
www.southold-beach-house.com
I agree entirely..sling and hook are two words that spring to mind! seriously do not hand over keys to these people....you've worked hard to get what you have - you don't need to be fleeced by someone else who isn't even clever enough to tell good lies! It takes a very clever person to be a good liar - to remember what they said last!
I've just had a little scare - loads of US Forces people suddenly found me and I got a flurry of bookings in...2 ladies in Germany were trying for the same week both for Utah Beach house...so I suggested the 2nd one take our other house on the west coast. Then the one that wanted Utah Beach first then says she has to wait to see if her husband was going to be back from Iraq afterall. The other one than piped up the same. So I go back to the first one - she tells me that the baby is 10 months old and her husband hasn't even seen the baby yet & this is going to be their big reunion holiday - so I tell the other one that if the first lady did want it she was having first refusal but the other house was available...following it? I was a bit lost too!
It then turns out the 2 ladies are very close friends both on the camp in Germany - both the husbands in Iraq - both didn't know that each other was booking in Normandy.
So I agree a really low price with them both (my bit for the serving boys - even if I don't agree with it - it's not their fault!)...send them the booking forms, terms etc etc. Then they say they both have a computer problem they can't open attachments - both computers? This goes on for ages - so I said I'd post everything - after 16 days still nothing back from them...so a few terse emails went out last night - now I feel guilty because the husbands in Iraq now are emailing me with huge apologies that their wives hadn't managed the IT side of things etc etc. And they are really looking forward to their holiday by the sea!
So - my instincts are telling me they are bone fide but there is still a little worm there...I'll let you know ...they are due here in March! So to go back, it is difficult sometimes - but your story is one I would knock in to touch!
Hope it all works out.
I've just had a little scare - loads of US Forces people suddenly found me and I got a flurry of bookings in...2 ladies in Germany were trying for the same week both for Utah Beach house...so I suggested the 2nd one take our other house on the west coast. Then the one that wanted Utah Beach first then says she has to wait to see if her husband was going to be back from Iraq afterall. The other one than piped up the same. So I go back to the first one - she tells me that the baby is 10 months old and her husband hasn't even seen the baby yet & this is going to be their big reunion holiday - so I tell the other one that if the first lady did want it she was having first refusal but the other house was available...following it? I was a bit lost too!
It then turns out the 2 ladies are very close friends both on the camp in Germany - both the husbands in Iraq - both didn't know that each other was booking in Normandy.
So I agree a really low price with them both (my bit for the serving boys - even if I don't agree with it - it's not their fault!)...send them the booking forms, terms etc etc. Then they say they both have a computer problem they can't open attachments - both computers? This goes on for ages - so I said I'd post everything - after 16 days still nothing back from them...so a few terse emails went out last night - now I feel guilty because the husbands in Iraq now are emailing me with huge apologies that their wives hadn't managed the IT side of things etc etc. And they are really looking forward to their holiday by the sea!
So - my instincts are telling me they are bone fide but there is still a little worm there...I'll let you know ...they are due here in March! So to go back, it is difficult sometimes - but your story is one I would knock in to touch!
Hope it all works out.
Tansy be careful, my dodgy potential also had computer prolems, and then they did not have a printer so asked finally if could I post all the doucmentation out to them. It seemed to be a stalling tatic at the time. Is there any way you can check their identities and have they paid a desposit.
Always Learning
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sazzleevans
- Posts: 290
- Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2005 10:48 am
- Location: costa de la luz
- Contact:
Hi All
You have a police officer in your midst and I am used to dodgy types. My tip to you is if you ever has a funny feeling about someone or something your basic instinct is usualy right. Nice people get fleeced because they are just too nice!
Sarah
www.islacanelaholidays.com
You have a police officer in your midst and I am used to dodgy types. My tip to you is if you ever has a funny feeling about someone or something your basic instinct is usualy right. Nice people get fleeced because they are just too nice!
Sarah
www.islacanelaholidays.com
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Yvain
- Posts: 34
- Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2005 10:01 pm
- Location: St Fort Sur Gironde & Mortagne Sur Gironde
- Contact:
We've had a few obviously dodgy enquiries but one I had recently was intriguing - from someone who claimed to be working between the UK and France and wanted our place for 6 months. We could only offer a couple of months but he accepted. Trouble is, his written English is a not perfect and he has said his "representative" in France will pay me the deposit.
I'm, pretty sure that even though he's given me his telephone number this is a money laundering scam where he asks for his money back on cancellation. I can't get hold of him on the number and he hasn't called me despite my asking him to.
I may be turning away good business but I'm not going to accept the booking. Anyone else had a similar experience recently and want to share the name of the individual (privately)?
I'm, pretty sure that even though he's given me his telephone number this is a money laundering scam where he asks for his money back on cancellation. I can't get hold of him on the number and he hasn't called me despite my asking him to.
I may be turning away good business but I'm not going to accept the booking. Anyone else had a similar experience recently and want to share the name of the individual (privately)?