Advice needed

How to communicate with your potential renters - how to turn site visitors into enquiries, and enquiries into bookings.
love2corgis
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Advice needed

Post by love2corgis »

Hi All First post after many months of lurking

I have an apartment in Spain and am starting to get a lot of enquiries via Niumba site. One lady has said today that they are very interested but I have asked for the usual deposit ( which they are happy to pay) and then the balance 6 weeks before but she says she has never done this and wants to pay the balance on arrival to my keyholder.

Has anyone done this? Is it advisable?

BY the way has anyone got a handy terms and conditions in Spanish I can borrow/see? My Spanish is fine for replying to clients but not good enough for such a document- and my friendly Mexican friend has gone to the US for two weeks!!

Thanks

Laura
brenda
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Post by brenda »

The Spanish, like many of our French guests, are often reluctant to pay before viewing the property.

This usually works OK but leaves you open to problems if they don´t turn up or find somewhere they prefer at the last minute. Think how you would feel if you had a 2 week booking fail to arrive - you couldn´t refill it with no notice and a large chunk of your rental income would disappear.

We don´t request a deposit on short stays and take payment during the stay but we are on site and the majority of our bookings are only for a night or two - we do B+B - so it is not the end of the world if we get any no shows (had 3 last year); we do insist on a 20% deposit for longer stays or if both of our Guest Rooms are booked by the same party. I certainly wouldn´t risk accepting money on Arrival if my bookings were all for 7 nights or more; even having a ´Meeter + Greeter´ to take payment before handing over the keys is no help if guests just do not arrive.

I would just tell your clients that, as you state in your advert, pre-payment is the way you operate and they need to do the same. Am sure they will comply if they are really interested; if they refuse it may be a blessing as they could be difficult guests once they arrive.

By the way Laura, please put a link to your property on your profile.
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fincafern
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Post by fincafern »

Hi Laura and welcome.

I use Niumba and am Spain based like you.
I get similar requests from the French as well as the Spanish and having explained my reasons, most go ahead with the conditions of booking. If they don't wish to comply, I am afraid I don't take them.

I cannot afford the risk of them not turning up and 25% deposit is not compensation for a no show. We also increased the time of the balance to 2 months as opposed to one month.
love2corgis
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Post by love2corgis »

Thanks both- having talked it over with my friend and ex-boss this morning, I have come to the same conclusion.

This Spanish lady said they would have no guarantee that the property would be there for them? But I don't have a guarantee that they will turn up and as it's for the first two weeks of August that's not a period I want to miss out on a confirmed booking.

I just wondered if it was normal for Spanish guests.
Laura
love2corgis
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Post by love2corgis »

Brenda- funnily enough the same thought crossed my mind that these people are going to be difficult all the way through.

Thanks
Laura
lollybeth
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Post by lollybeth »

Hi

I get the same thing everytime I get enquiries through Niumba. It drives me insane :evil: I even state on the ad now that it is a privately owned apartment and I dont have means of accepting payment on arrival and state it in my initial email but they still ask. :roll:

I got really upset last year (1st year) when I was blatently accused of ripping people off after a day of sending emails backwards and forwards. I've had several get to the point of filling in the booking form and then backed out. Hardened up a bit now and think if thats your attitude I dont want you anyway!

On a positive I did find that if you offer to phone them/let them phone you, the spanish then become more trusting. We had a good laugh but using my lousy spanish and their not so good English but it worked!

I was also told that they didnt know if the apartment would definately be available to them. Told them that once they paid the deposit I would issue a written Booking Confirmation (in English and Spanish) and that that secured the dates for them and no one else would be able to book those dates. That one worked aswell.

Liz
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fincafern
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Post by fincafern »

That's an important comment, Liz, ref. the telephone.
I find our Spanish potential guests always like to telephone rather than email, unlike most other nationalities I deal with. I had forgotten that.
love2corgis
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Post by love2corgis »

Thanks both

I need to ''employ'' my Mexican friend to phone them !!

I've replied saying I must have the balance beforehand otherwise what guarantee will I have that they will turn up. Don't suppose I will hear from her again but I cannot tie up two weeks in August hoping they will arrive.
Laura
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Post by Holiday Almeria »

We have a friend in Spain that processes our bookings from Niumba and Segundamano. We haven't had a problem with asking for payment on arrival, they all paid up 6 weeks prior to arrival last year. The big problem is that they want to hand over the security deposit on arrival and have it returned when they leave. Some clever "hiding" caught us out last year with the broken toilet seat. I want to use Paypal this year or cash returned after inspection as with UK guests, but have been told by our friend that the Spanish don't like to operate in this way.

Mark
bilito
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Post by bilito »

Hi lovetocorgis, I have had a lot of payments on arrival, no problems! visit this site: http://es.rentalia.com/owner/legal.cfm
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pepsipuss
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Post by pepsipuss »

I have been doing bookings on my own behalf and for various friends for several years and find the Spanish (and French) generally do prefer to pay on arrival. Usually we allow them to do so and so far (fingers crossed), like Bilito we have not had any problem. Spain is still a very cash-based economy and it is the way they like to operate. I also used to help out an English agent locally with his Spanish clients (before he learned the lingo) and most of them paid the balance in cash on arrival rather than in advance, although the terms do state it should be paid in advance 'unless we have agreed otherwise in writing'. I certainly would not turn down business unless collection of the cash on arrival presented a problem for the keyholder.

When queried as to why they prefer to do it this way usually they say that in the past there have been a number of instances of people advertising properties which are not actually their own or showing pictures which bear no relation to the actual property. (Personally I have a feeling it is more to do with cash flow!) I think after one has had a fair bit of contact, either by phone or email or both (I never take a booking without some kind of written communication including obviously the T&Cs which represent a contract) there is a degree of trust on both sides. Provided the property is as described I think it very unlikely that they are going to risk losing their deposit and having to find somewhere else to stay in peak season.
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roxytoo
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cash on arrival

Post by roxytoo »

Half the bookings I take from the French and Spanish are cash on arrival. I always send the contract for the balance 6 weeks beforehand, those that don't like it don't answer, others question it and I relent! Out of 56 bookings this and last year I had one that didn't turn up on the day but she did send me an email to say she was at the hospital with her baby...........not sure how true that was!!

I do it but I don't like it and always keep my fingers crossed but it is def the way these countries work and in this present climate I too do not want to turn down business!
love2corgis
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Post by love2corgis »

Thanks for all the advice- as it's my first year I have decided not to go down the route of cash on arrival- maybe I will feel happier about doing that next year.

Thanks again
Laura
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pambon
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Post by pambon »

Interesting reading :!: I have never had any French guests and only one Spanish family of 3 who paid the balance 2 weeks prior to arrival (as it was then in 2007) with no quibbles at all.

However, I have had a minority of both Americans and Brits asking me if they could settle up on arrival and I have always said yes and never had a problem; and one Italian family of 3 last autumn who also asked to settle the balance on arrival - no problem.

Last Minute bookings I also accept cash on arrival.

I think you have to go with your gut feeling on each request.
If I ever had any doubts I'd say, no way.
love2corgis
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Post by love2corgis »

Gut feeling is right-there was something about the tone of this Spanish lady who quite frankly, was a little rude in her email- and was certainly curt in her final reply to say they weren't interested- with her use of bold letters and underlining LOL

So I just replied Excelente.

There you go- live and learn
Laura
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