"Free" Car Hire

[andrewmckay5]

Sarah,

To be blunt yes you may be very disappointed with your villa.It is an excellent developent but with the peanuts that tour operators pay owners there is a very good chance the villa may not be up to scratch; the money received is not enough for an owner to maintain the property to a high standard unless they are willing to subsidise the up keep themselves.If you can afford to cancel and then look at booking from this site i would highly recommend you do.The big company has already shown its true colours to you with the rip off "free" car hire. The bottom line is all that matters to the accountants that run these companies.

I have just posted this on another thread but it is very relevant here:

http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/topic_19629.asp

andrew

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by SarahB
Thanks everybody. Now I'm worrying about the villa instead. Do you think I should try and cancel that one too? It was booked through Thomsons, and all I know is that its a 3 bed at Lake Cumbrian Villas. Do you think I'm likely to have problems when we get there? I don't trust Thomsons at all now.
[/quote]

[neild292]

I agree with andrew; Cumbrian lakes is a great community but tour operators pay peanuts and so you do worry what the villa will be like - it might be too late for this time but in future I would just book the villa direct

Neil

[DLB-GOUROCK]

Andrew, Andrew, Andrew,

Please sell your villas on the good points and I'm sure that there are many. Don't knock the competition with a story that is so out of date (4 years). Nobody in their right mind would accept the condition of the villa you illustrate. Are you suggesting that every villa provided by a tour operator is as shabby as this. I didn’t think so.

Sarah, please don’t be scared by this story, others in this community are of the opinion that the tour operator villas will be of a lesser quality that their own homes as they personally look after them and throw in added extras. I believe that this will be true in many cases. The added benefits of these extras may well entice you to book direct.

However the villas offered by tour companies must be of an acceptable standard or they would fall foul of the regulators in the UK.

You may be interested in casting your eye over another thread for another view on the quality of villas.

http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/topic_43862.asp

I’ll say no more on this thread as I don’t want to be contentious.

[steph_goodrum]

David
We're not saying they won't necessarily be as good, but it's a lottery.

"However the villas offered by tour companies must be of an acceptable standard or they would fall foul of the regulators in the UK.


Try telling that to the parents of the 2 children who were killed in Greece by carbon monoxide poisoning, if the latest report I read last week is to be believed the tour reps and holiday firm are both being prosecuted as they had received previous complaints about the unit and not checked it out.

[florida4sun]

Hi,
I worked in the wholesale villa supply trade for villas for 5 years and dealt with all the big tour ops. I can understand the owners not favoring tour op bookings as they are cause for many problems for villa owners and costly to take on board.
The way tour op bookings work is that they are pooled through one agent who farms them out to various MCs. They cannot tell you which villa your in as bookings move around all the time as the system fills up (allocate on arrival). They do try to give you at-least a specific area but unless things have changed in the last 4 years around 50% of arrivals end up on a different subdivision than quoted. They end up where it suits the MC, the tour op has no control over this. In the whole 5 years I never once met an agent or rep from the tour op. No one ever inspected any of the homes we used to use and to be honest when over booked we used to buy in homes we had never seen.
Of course the majority of bookings are fine and you should get a reasonable villa. The problems start if something is wrong with the villa. It can be very difficult for the MC to get work authorized via the owner if they are taking just tour op bookings. Moving people is also very difficult as the MC would have to pay the clean fee on both properties and pay extra for the new home. we were extremely reluctant to do tis and it was often easier/cheaper to simply refund.
The tour op has no control over the home your in, this is down to management company and or owner. You are still renting a private villa, it is just the owner has given the home over to a MC to fill with low rate bookings in the hope of covering costs (does not work). From experience 90% of owners drop out of these schemes so they can offer a more personal service and get more value out of their homes. This in turn gets passed onto the guests in a high quality villa, usually with added extras.
From my time with wholesale I then moved into managing homes for people who did their own bookings. Trust me it is a different world.
I am sure this will go fine for you and will give you the confidence to book your own package next time round. In fact you have already turned to private owners to get information that the tour op does not provide....
Just for the record I no longer own villas or manage properties.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by DLB-GOUROCK
Andrew, Andrew, Andrew,

Please sell your villas on the good points and I'm sure that there are many. Don't knock the competition with a story that is so out of date (4 years). Nobody in their right mind would accept the condition of the villa you illustrate. Are you suggesting that every villa provided by a tour operator is as shabby as this. I didn’t think so.

Sarah, please don’t be scared by this story, others in this community are of the opinion that the tour operator villas will be of a lesser quality that their own homes as they personally look after them and throw in added extras. I believe that this will be true in many cases. The added benefits of these extras may well entice you to book direct.

However the villas offered by tour companies must be of an acceptable standard or they would fall foul of the regulators in the UK.

You may be interested in casting your eye over another thread for another view on the quality of villas.

http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/topic_43862.asp

I’ll say no more on this thread as I don’t want to be contentious.
[/quote]

My two pence worth[msnwink]

I am not a villa owner but I am someone who has rented directly from owners for 20+ years[msnsmile2]

Personally I don't use tour operators as I am ex BA crew we have always had the confidence to book direct[msnsmile2] I do feel that the benefits of doing that far out way any so called protection from any ABTA or ATOL bonded tour operator. I have very little faith in tour operators, but I do have faith booking with an airline direct and booking a villa direct[msnsmile]

I like to pick every last detail of my villa, I like to look at all the photo's and virtual tours and see every detail of the villa I am going to stay in, I like to choose whether it's south facing, not overlooked, got internet, a games room, free calls etc etc and by booking direct I can do that. I get to know the owner and by the time I go I know that if anything goes wrong or if we need anything whilst we are out there they are on the end of the phone or email[msnsmile2]

Also over the last 20 years there have been occasions when we have wanted a few 'extras' and being in a villa booked direct we are able to organise them quickly directly through the owner[msnwink]

A few years ago we regularly stayed on a communty where there were 2 villas opposite who rented to tour operators and I have to say they were of very poor standard - I know as I had to go into one once (but that's another story)[msnscared][msneek]

So Sarah and David, please don't feel that owners are trying to put you off tour operators villas because they see them as competition (they really don't as they are in a different league) they really are just trying to point out the possible pitt falls in the most gentle way possible[msnsmile2]

[ujpest doza]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by CERICROWLEY
Sarah

I wouldn't tell them you are cancelling it, as sometimes the price is dependent on booking it as a flydrive, rather than flight only. If its free and the cost of the flights is cheaper this way than booking flights only, stay with the flydrive option BUT book the car hire with OV link above and just not turn up for the car hire.

That's what I have done in the past, book flydrive, and not bothered with the car, but booked it with USCARHIRE instead.
[/quote]

What he said. Don't cancel the "Free Car", just don't collect it and book one yourself.

First time in ages i used the car that was part of the fly drive package in October, paying the upgrades etc in the uk to Airtours as there wasn't any significant difference in price when i booked.

Right faff on at the Dollar desk (always had car's from Alamo in the past and got much bigger cars than booked and no hassle at all), we'd paid to upgrade from a compact to an Intermediate car and the girl allocated us a Chysler PT Cruiser (horrible funny little car often seen in the uk as well.)I asked one of the people giving assistance if it was an Intermediate and he said no its an economy car, go back in to guest relations and they'll sort it. I did that and after a wait i got sent back out to another car which this time did look like an intermediate, but when we opened the boot could only fit 1 suitcase in (we had 3 plus a stroller and hand luggage). Back inside and this time was sent back to the girl who originally gave us the PT Cruiser. It took ages, she said satudays the busiest day of the week we have hardly any cars! Eventually got a 6 seater Pacifica SUV but it cost me an additional £199 which i did not realise at the time (i'd signed the form but thought i was getting a free upgrade, but the small print re-read properly when i got my credit card bill said otherwise!). Upshot was that we landed at 12.30 and didn't leave the airport until well after 3pm after clearing immigration and customs by 1.30pm and had to pay an extra charge that we weren't expecting to pay.

[ujpest doza]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by steph_goodrum
David
We're not saying they won't necessarily be as good, but it's a lottery.

"However the villas offered by tour companies must be of an acceptable standard or they would fall foul of the regulators in the UK.


Try telling that to the parents of the 2 children who were killed in Greece by carbon monoxide poisoning, if the latest report I read last week is to be believed the tour reps and holiday firm are both being prosecuted as they had received previous complaints about the unit and not checked it out.
[/quote]We've only ever booked a Villa through a tour operator once, every other time has been direct with the owner.

The time we booked with the tour operator we couldn't fault the villa itself as it was lovely and brand spanking new. It was in Westridge, which was still under construction at the time (1995) and was before any real development had taken place on US27. At the time trying to find it we thought it was too far away and a little isolated particularly as we hadn't had a chance to research where it was beforehand.It wouldn't be too far out now due to the development that has taken place on the 27.

Problem with the air con was sorted by the MC quite quickly, but they were less helpful in providing us with a second key to the villa. We had 2 cars and were one extended family of 3 married couples and a small child. Me and the missus wanted to do our thing a lot of the time and also went out to a couple of late night trips (Church street, Mickeys backyard BBq, pleasure island) on our own so needed to get back in the house when everyone else was in bed. We only had 1 key to the villa and it took 4 or 5 days to get the MC to give us a second key.

When having booked direct we haven't had any such problems with keys etc and any issues have been sorted very quickly.

[SarahB]

This will be our first trip to Orlando for a few years, but previously when we travelled there with my parents we always booked the villa privately. I obviously don't know what the villa is going to be like that we have booked through Thomsons this time - but surely if it is bad we can be moved? The previous three times we stayed in Orlando in private villas we had two bad experiences - the first villa we stayed in hadnt actually finished being built when we arrived late at night and we had to find alternative accommodation ourselves and apply for a refund from the villa owner afterwards. The second time we stayed it was great - nice villa, nice location, etc. BUT the last time was the worst. We were far further out of Kissimmee than we were led to expect and the state of the villa was disgusting. Everything was dirty - there were holes in the screening that was meant to keep wildlife out which meant seaching the pool area every day to get rid of scorpions and other unpleasant looking creatures and the bullet hole in one of the front windows was a little unsettling to say the least!! I am not exageratting I assure you, and though I am absolutely sure non of you would rent your villas in these conditions - it still shows that there is always a risk whether you book these holidays yourself or through a tour operator.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Just a quick note before this thread goes any further:

We're very proud of the homes we have advertised on our sites and all are up to a very high standard and would be perfect for anyone's vacation. We would never, ever, advertise any home that is like one referred to in the last posting.

Any of our owners who mis-represent the villa in any way would like that alluded to in the last post would very quickly find themselves not advertising with us.