spain-holiday

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
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roxytoo
Posts: 1701
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 8:23 am
Location: Spain Costa Blanca

spain-holiday

Post by roxytoo »

Hi Just noticed this on my advert, does anyone know how long they have been doing this?

Price guarantee
You can claim a refund for the difference if you find your reservation cheaper on another website.

Contact us after booking with us and a maximum of 48 hours after you have made the booking. You'll need to provide us with the link to the other offer. The offer must be online and available.
Marks
Posts: 2930
Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 10:16 am
Location: Costa Blanca

Post by Marks »

I noticed it yesterday when I received their email about cancellation policies, none of theirs match mine so I have to keep it as 'other'.

I have asked whether not having a cancellation policy will affect search result positioning.

They are particularly keen we should offer this:

Always full refund (our current recommendation): The guest can receive a full refund up to check-in.

rather than this:

Running against the travel landscape, expect to receive low or no bookings for this summer:
• Strict: 75% refund if cancelled 8 weeks before
• No refund: No refund for cancellations


I wonder what their refund policy is for my advert this year?
Some guests just need a sympathetic pat. On the head. With a hammer.
Sunbeam
Posts: 198
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2015 5:24 pm
Location: Spain

Post by Sunbeam »

So offering a full refund up to the day before a booking is "recommended" otherwise we'll get no bookings.

So guests can

- book multiple properties and choose which one they want on the very last day.

- book holidays next summer and block out the calendar for over a year, until they decide the day before whether they want to come or not

- or do both of the above

Edit: just noticed it's actually right up to check-in - so you can slog your guts out to get the property ready and 1 minute before they are due to arrive, they can cancel!

Brilliant!
volcano
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:24 am
Location: Lanzarote

Post by volcano »

well, that is an own goal. You can't boost the business with it, you can totally mess it up.
I think SH will soon be bought by Abb. too much nonsense happens there. Whose super brain did it come from?
Block calendar, do not renew listing. Point.
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Vera
Posts: 439
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 4:45 am
Location: Vera,Almeria, Spain
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Post by Vera »

I contacted them a few weeks ago and suggested that they keep the standard refund policy as normal and that they add a covid19 specific policy in addition. This would only apply if travel restrictions were put in place.
They replied that this was too much work for them.
Sunbeam
Posts: 198
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2015 5:24 pm
Location: Spain

Post by Sunbeam »

Vera: I think that's a good idea and can't see how a simple check box "tick" is so hard to put into the system.

Even if it was just a tick box for the owner to say "we have a covid-19" policy and a text field to describe it.

We are thinking how we can put together some wording for our contract to offer flexibility if there are problems with covid-19 at the time of the holiday.

It's tricky though as it could be so open to abuse from people who are just disinclined to travel.
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