My e-mail to a no-show!

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Stu
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My e-mail to a no-show!

Post by Stu »

After a few of these last season, and a couple more already this season, I decided to draft an e-mail to these people for them to read upon their return. It may well make some of them re-think "their often callous actions.

Whilst I agree that there may well be mitigating circumstances, I find myself wondering whether we'd actually want these people staying with us.

If anyone wants to use/copy/plagiarise, be my guest!


H****,

Syb & I were very disappointed that you didn't show up here at Le Chant d'Oiseau for your holiday booked with us as per the e-mail below.

While we appreciate that there may well be extenuating circumstances behind your decision, we would have appreciated more a call to let us know. Then we would have stopped worrying and checking the road reports for accidents. Then we would possibly have been able to let your allocated pitch to one of three sets of couples that turned up unannounced asking to stay. We would then not be facing a loss of income.

We are a very small campsite here, we exist totally on the income we derive from our business. Syb and I, along with our children devote more hours in the day to the well-being and comfort of our guests that we possibly should. We enjoy it immensely, even though sometimes we're exasperated at the lack of consideration we're given in return.

We trust M*** & yourself are alive and well, and hopefully enjoying your time in France. We wish you well, but ask you to consider calling ahead whenever you don't arrive at your chosen destination. If only to put to rest the minds of those you're staying with.


Kind Regards,

Stu & Syb Bradley.
www.loire-gites.com"
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The Moles Mother
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Post by The Moles Mother »

Stu,

I like it! I may use a version for our no-shows. I doubt it will make such people think at all but it will make me feel better.

MM
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Moliere
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Post by Moliere »

Love it Stu - I mean, how thoughtless can you get?

One question though - having just been brushing up on my Harry Potter - which particular curse did you embed in the email? There does seem to be something of a range available.

Mols
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Post by guest 4 »

Hi Stu and Syb,

I think your email is great, if it helps them to be more considerate. If not at least it makes you feel a little better by getting it off your chest.

Forgive me as I know nothing of running a campsite in France, Don't you take a hefty deposit or full payment before arrival to help with costs in such an event?

Ruth
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Post by Stu »

Ruth,

normally we take a small deposit on the pitch of £25/week. 99.9% of the time this works. When we have people like this couple e-mail us just a week or so before they'd like to come though, we don't bother. We trust them. Especially after 5 e-mails, the last of which said:

"Hi Stu & Syb,

I am just writing to confirm our booking for 5 nights from the 29th June to 4th July.
I just thought I would confirm our booking as we are leaving for France in two days.

Kind regards

H****"

We're now thinking of revising our deposits policy for the 2008 season by asking for 50% of the total as a deposit. That may dissuade some of the more thoughtless ones who seem to think that a £25/week deposit is a 'lost-leader'. Forgive me if I'm sounding a bit hard-headed lately. Just sick & tired of thoughtless, selfish people.
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Post by guest 4 »

I don't blame you at all Stu, I don't think anyone would mind you having a rant under the circumstances.

Ruth
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Post by Hells Bells »

It's a shame for the people you have to turn away, and the loss of your income is very unfair. Rant all you like.
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

Stu I would definately go with the 50% - as you say, you are a small campsite and no-shows are depriving you of income, particularly when you are turning people away.

No-one who is serious should balk at paying that. It's sort of a standard thing in our area to ask for 50% and no-one has ever refused.

Your regular (trustworthy) customers could carry on giving you the £25, so it wouldn't effect them.

Love to know if you get any replies...do let us know if their conscience was pricked.

mouse
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cromercrabholiday
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Post by cromercrabholiday »

Stu

A very balanced response - I think that the disappointed approach works well, as if they've got any decency, they'll know that you are spitting nails!

John
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Post by Stu »

Cheers for the vote of confidence all. It really saddens me to think that there are people out there who just do this kind of thing. We've had our fair share of them here. I suppose it's the nature of the beast when running a campsite. They don't tend to do it with the gites (too much to lose).

We've had a bad run of cancellations of late both on the campsite and a couple in gites. When I e-mailed a guests that she was 2 weeks overdue with her balance payment she blithely informed me that they weren't coming now and how much did she owe for cancelling. Our policy stated on the T&C's is that within her cancellation time frame she has to pay 35% of the total holiday cost. When I mailed her with this she deducted the deposit from this amount and said she would forward a cheque for the balance. I pointed her in the direction of the relevant clauses which state that the deposit in the event of cancellation is forfeited, and that 35% of the TOTAL cost must be paid. Heard nothing since. I'll wait until Mondays post for the cheque, at which point I'll give them a call to ask why they think we're rich enough to be able to withstand this loss of income. Now we're faced with an empty gite for that fortnight or a drastically reduced price to fill it at such short notice. We've offered all the assistance with her holiday cancellation insurance company, but of course, contrary to our advice in the T&C's, she hasn't taken any!

Not having a terribly good week really! Hope it gets better. Still, it could be worse. My folks all live in Tollbar, near Doncaster Yorkshire which some of you may have seen featured on UK national news with their floods lately?
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Post by Hells Bells »

Stu, I have had to cancel our one nights, bed and breakfast accommodation for our trip in July, we don't need it now, as you may know from my posts, my niece has broken her ankle , so our apartment will be empty. I have offered to pay for the rooms, but haven't even had a reply from the guy in question. I feel really bad cancelling. He didn't take a deposit (although I did offer one) which makes me feel even worse.
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Post by guest 4 »

Stu and Syb, how awful for your folks, tollbar has been in the news every day here. I feel so sorry for those affected.

Ruth
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Post by Stu »

Helen,

no reason for you to feel bad about it. You've offered and there's the difference. You've cancelled for a genuine reason and told the owner with a fair amount of warning. Good on you. Not only are you an owner who cares, you're also a caring guest too!
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Post by Big Sis.. »

Hi Both :wink:
..Im so sorry that youve been treated this way :( ...You cant believe some people can you..[well you can when you read some of the posts on here..I thought your email was just what was needed and yes if I were you I would increase you deposit, at least then you will have something if people let you down..
What with this and the refund that you had to give that other Idiot[tents on a campite whatever next]..
Hope the rest of the season goes better for you..Take Carexx
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J&J
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Post by J&J »

So sorry about your lost booking. I think you're right when you say maybe these sort of customers probably wouldn't be the type you'd choose anyway. People seem to be more fickle these days, but there is still such a thing as common courtesy. I sympathise with you. In our previous business some children who had reserved a place at the school just didn't turn up on the first day of term, which meant we had turned away another child or in one case had employed an additional teacher to split the class when there was no need. Often there was no reason or explanation given, just "changed their minds."
Judith
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