Two enquiries for the same dates - help!

[greenfrog]

Welcome aboard!

I don't put our property 'on hold' for someone unless they have confirmed that they want to book it. I then send them the booking form and terms and conditions and mark it as provisionally booked for a week to give time for the deposit and form to be sent.

I do the same. Like so many others, I got burned at the beginning, trying to be nice and being all green and excited that people wanted to book!! Yeah, I'm over that now...

If you send the form too soon, they think it's theirs and they have time to look elsewhere. I send a reply to inquiries stating basic booking conditions and finishing with "Please let me know if you're interested and I will send you my booking forms and conditions".

Like Sarah and others, I only mention to a new inquirer that someone else is interested if they've actually said they really are. Yes, it might fall through but I don't want to send booking forms to two people. I have to say, I've almost always lost the second inquirer once they hear there's another person ready to take it, but at least I've not had two people send cheques for the same dates! (yet... )

Only once did someone say "I'll wait and hope for the best" - and they even shuffled their dates to make it work.

[Sarah]

Sorry Kate, I didn't mean to sound pessimistic, it's a great start to get enquiries after such a short time, after all, every booking starts as an enquiry. I've just learnt myself, the hard way I suppose, not to count all my chickens - we always used to celebrate every enquiry with a bottle of wine, now we just celebrate the confirmed bookings.

[greenfrog]

I didn't mean to sound pessimistic, it's a great start to get enquiries after such a short time, after all, every booking starts as an enquiry.

Agreed! Well put.

Kate, well done on already being in the position to have to think about turning people away!
Long may the inquiries flood in!

[jayvollstedt]

Sarah, I don't think you were being pessimistic. Everyone is simply relaying our experiences in order to help Kate avoid some of the pitfalls we have encountered. Had I seen a thread like this BEFORE my troubles, I'm sure I would've had at least one more booking.

Kate, double (or triple!) inquiries for the same dates is a good problem to have! The key is to know how to handle them. This lowers your stress and anxiety levels tremendously!

I'm not sure I have it down completely myself. Experience, and reading this wonderful forum are making it easier and easier for me to handle multiple inquiries.

Jay

[Giddy Goat]

Hi KateK and welcome to the forum! The following comment doesn't help you much at the moment, but might in the future if you ever think of having a personal website. I have noticed that several on this thread already do. I do too, but not an availability calendar of my own as yet. However if people find me initially on a listing site, they can check availability there, and use the link to click through to our website - or when they contact me, if they haven't spotted the link I give them the website address for more info, and ask them to reserve by means of the printable booking form we have there. I strongly recommend having one, as it substantially reduces the time lapse between the enquiry and the booking.

Like many of you, we also have an (emailable) enquiry form (mostly to cater for those who might have found the site on Google and not through one of the listing sites we're on, and who haven't therefore seen our availability.) And welcome enquiries by phone.

Brooke, your website says you have a booking form, but I couldn't find it. A goat moment perhaps. You have to dig a bit too much to find ours at present, but this is soon to change!

[vrooje]

GG,

I think our reservation inquiry form is also buried too deeply in our site. I'm thinking of making it much shorter and fewer clicks away from the main page.

I've never had much use for a printable booking form, except the rare cases when people send a check and fax/e-mail their contract instead of sending a paper copy with the check. The contract has the clients fill in all the information I need.

However, perhaps I should change the language of our website so that I mention the contract and not the booking form!

I like Sarah's idea... I think I will change our policy for next season and only initiate the hold period after the inquirer responds saying that they're likely to book. And now I'm wondering how many weeks would have booked faster had I not told the second inquiry that there was already a first (when the first never responded to my initial e-mail)...

[Musetta]

I just email the booking form...but I make them fax it to me signed or send it in the post (everyone has just faxed it)...no one who booked complained...actually...it's really interesting...I too was fooled at first with all the "promising" bookings...but now learnig that the ones (so far) who have booked pretty much ask a couple of questions and send me the deposit and signed booking form...within a day or so...it's all the other time-wasters who go on and on and on with emails for weeks and weeks...and then I all of the sudden don't hear from them!

[Giddy Goat]

Yes, that's been exactly my experience with 99% of people too Musetta. And faxing speeds the process up even faster, I agree Brooke. Don't have fax facils, but most of our bookings come from the UK so if they mean business, the form arrives in a couple of days, which I'm happy to hold. A different ball game if the form was being posted from Oz! If someone is dragging their feet, I do call and let them know if we have another enquiry, and explain to the second group. As soon as the uncertainty is resolved I also let people know immediately so they can resume their search/book their second choice.

[Mouse]

Yes - welcome Kate! And a nice position to be when you're just starting out

Gosh - reading this I must be the only one who doesn't email a booking form before booking
In fact I don't really have one...and I'm not sure why.

What I do is reply to the enquiry and tell them if they want to book to let me know and I'll email my bank account.
If I do send bank details to someone it is on the understanding they're booking & I should have the deposit within 4 days by bank transfer.
If anyone enquires I tell them I am awaiting a deposit but will contact them in X days if it doesn't materialise.
Nothing is put on hold and the calendar isn't blocked out until I get their deposit, however I do ask them to notify me when the balance has been transfered.
Once I have that I then email a 'confirmation of booking' receipt which contains;
details of dates
lead booker info
balance of payment (inc payment stages)
next due payment date
& my T&C's.

What are the benefits of sending a booking form out before they transfer the money do you think?
And do you all then send a receipt plus staement of account?

Mousie (who hopes she isn't missing a trick!)
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[KateK]

Wow! I knew this was a great place to be. Thanks for all you help and advice, and your words of welcome. I realise I shouldn't get too excited about enquiries but I can't help it - it's all so new to me - and we didn't really expect to get much in the way of bookings this year so anything will be a bonus.

For what it's worth I emailed both parties to say I had another interest (if that makes sense!). I said I would accept the first confirmed booking and urged them to let me know if they wanted it as soon as possible. The first enquirer reponded to say that she wasn't ready to book so I should give it to the other person. I replied to say thanks for letting me know and suggested once she's sorted to get in touch again. And she has said she will. Even if it doesn't turn into a booking I feel I've got the "customer service" bit right this time! Needless to say I've not heard anything from the other guy but it's early days and I'm still hopeful.

Thanks for the comments about faxing - I hadn't thought of that. I don't have a fax machine, but our ISP has a fax to email service that I use for other things so I'm going to add that option.

[alifrank1]

What are the benefits of sending a booking form out before they transfer the money do you think?
And do you all then send a receipt plus staement of account?

Mousie (who hopes she isn't missing a trick!)
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Firstly, good luck Kate with your bookings

Mousie, I send the booking form and terms & conditions out before they transfer the money. I do this so they can read through everything as I don't have them on my website. I just feel it makes people aware of what I expect from them and then if they don't agree with my terms & conditions, they wouldn't book. So far, no-one has queried anything as it is fairly standard, but I know that if I were booking a holiday I would want to read the 'small print' first.

Once the deposit has been paid and I have received the signed booking form back I then send an email confirming I have received it and also confirm the details of their holiday.

Hope this helps
Alison

[Guest3]

Mousie...my procedure is similar to Ali's.

As soon as someone decides they want to book, I send a booking form (T&C's attached) and details on how to pay the deposit. This enables them to read the T&C's and come back with any queries. There is also a declaration on my booking form which they have to sign stating that they have read and fully accept the T&C's.

I request that they send me a completed booking form via email (for my records to file in my booking folder) and the signed copy through the post. When I receive the signed copy I replace it with the copy in the folder....this system also prevents me double-booking!

When the deposit clears I send them a e-receipt...and an
e-statement 10 weeks before departure. My signed receipt for the full payment is sent with the keys.

Hope this helps

[Giddy Goat]

Exactly Ali/BP - in fact we have a link to the Ts and Cs on our website as well as the printable booking form. So the guests print off the form, on which they sign that they confirm they have read and accepted them.

[Guest3]

...we have a link to the Ts and Cs on our website

Ditto that GG!

[Mouse]

thanks for the comments....I'd never actually thought about sending it before they transfer the deposit - but I can see that allowing them to read the T&C's (although it's standard stuff) is probably the best way. As then if they're unhappy with any they can query them before paying

See - 3yrs in and still finding stuff to re-think and learn about!

Thanks!
Mousie
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