Lay My Hat

I have a sneaky feeling I may be in a minority in that I still use La Poste to dispatch my rental docs (contract, T&Cs, directions, covering letter). It gets me out of the house (and away from the PC ), but I can't immediately think of any other advantages...

What does everyone else do? And assuming you're all emailing, do you worry about signatures on docs, (create a jpg image and insert into your doc??) and should I convert everything from Word to PDF format or just assume everyone can open Word docs? Do you still get punters who prefer the plop of an envelope through the letterbox? Or are they all screaming for email?

Hi Rabbitt
I was the same as you last year but these year Ive mostly emailed it all.....
I do check that they are agreeable to this though, and so far everyone has been.

Take Carexxxxxxx

I send mine by post, like you.

I am no techie and the contract i have is in a pdf file and dont know how to fill it in and save it and send it off.The file will not let me enter any details in it

This year i did a couple of times complete the contract and then scan it and emailed it to the guests as it was a last minute booking and got them to sign it and post it back to me

I always used to post but then this year I started having problems with my printer so out of necessity I had to email a couple of times and found it so much easier (not to mention cheaper when you think of the cost of printer cartridges) that I think I may just stick to email in future.

All my documents were actually in microsoft works format as that was standard on my PC when I bought it but I did find that many couldn't open it so now I have word documents and no-one has had a problem so far.

I've transferred all the documents that don't need filling in to .pdf files, and use Word documents for the booking form, contrat de location etc. I must get my signature done on a jpg, though, although UK guests don't seem to want it but a couple of French people do. I think most people have scanners now, so they can scan back a signed document to me. I'd like to get rid of the Word docs completely, does anyone know of a pdf form fill option? I use the free version of Cute pdf for all my word to pdf files at the moment.

I email. The covering email counts, as far as I am aware, as your `signature` of contract. Like Big Sis, I always check if they are happy with that approach. Occassionally people want it sent hard copy and once someone has wanted me to send the signed copy back to them after they have sent it, but on the whole it is fine. They then print and send back by snail mail with the cheque (we hope)

I send the instructions about the house (after the final payment) by snail mail as it helps just check their address is accurate plus it saves sending big documents by email which, even in PDF, sometimes don't arrive.

I think it might depend, in part, how people find you - all of our enquiries have come through the web (not suprising as our non-internet marketing is very limited) so they are all email savvy and even if someone doesn't have word they should be able to open a word document, print it, hand write in and send it back snail mail.

But I haven't found any problems and it means they get it as soon as they enquire which I hope helps to cement the deal!

You see LV - that just sounds like a foreign language to me and one I can't ever imagine being able to speak!!!

Yes, I haven't moved with the times yet either, though someone's just sent me a completed booking form by email as a PDF. A first, if I recall.

BTW, at the foot of the form we ask people to fill in any special requests (and ask again closer to the dates) - lovely American lady has put "None. We're low maintenance!"

All my documents were actually in microsoft works format as that was standard on my PC when I bought it but I did find that many couldn't open it so now I have word documents and no-one has had a problem so far

When the odd person has had trouble opening any of my files I just copy and paste it to them..........

Like LL I dont know all the jargon, I just do it by trial and error.[which will surprise noone :least of all me ]

I use e mail but I'm split about this year - I think I'm going to send a quck e mail confirmation then send the letter with all the info including travel by snail ail - then I can put a few brochures etc in the envelope - I just feel that it's a different experience togeta taste of your holiday in the post.

We only use email but have a much simpler system than most people: anyone who wants to book fills in the form on our website which arrives as an email. One we have received payment (credit card or bank transfer), we email them our booking confirmation (which includes T&Cs), maps and directions, all as Word documents. That's it. (That's a counts as a contract in Germany)/ We don't require anything to be signed. I have sent out 2 confirmations by post this year - one where we had problems with our emails being deleted by guest's server as spam and one where it was friends of previous guests who didn't have email.

We started out in 2005 sending everything by email and post but that didn't last long!

All initial stuff via email but I post out an envelope (recycled paper) with a nice letter confirming dates. I'm thinking of getting a picture on this as I was hoping that if it looks nice enough, it might get put up on a noticeboard somewhere...

I also include printed directions and maps as these are really handy.

And I stole the idea of a stamp from GG! I have a couple, and this beauty which I couldn't resist

And I stole the idea of a stamp from GG! I have a couple, and this beauty which I couldn't resist

Love it

I love it too Martha! Cool - just found it!

http://tinyurl.com/6gv2cr

I have to say that I really like a bit of postal contact for the reasons already given - a chance to enclose leaflets of interest eg, plus convey the more personal touch - something handwritten, and hand held. The booking form is something else - anything one can do to simplify the booking process has to be a good thing.

Isn't it ace!? I got mine from Etsy

(If you ask, they will post outside the USA)
along with some other very pretty ones of birds and so on. I got some freebies sent too, which was kind - some lovely dragonflies, which I've used.
I agree, GG, it seems to make it more personal and I cling to the faint hope that it makes them less likely to trash the place