Ensuring against Fraud - Payment in Full

[canarypam]

Hi Steph , whilst I agree with part of your comments I meant it to mean 'once a booking is made' or a ''telephone number is provide', which by default means they are open to a call.
Most of the enquiries on OV do not contain a contact number.

I still can't get my head round owners not phoning people who have actually made a booking. It is politeness at the very least.
I think Diane (Madabouttigger) has given a view as a renter/potential renter.
Others will just end up posting like Fancy42 ......concerned.

GEORGE

[E. Cosgrove]

I don't think every guest wants to be called, some find it intrusive.
i always ask my guests if they would like me to call them. Many prefer to keep it on the more formal basis of email and I respect that.

[steph_goodrum]

Sorry Pamela I thought you were meaning to follow up each response with a phone call. I play it by ear and can sometiimes judge if there are a few questions whether, if I have a phone number, it is appropriate to call or suggest they call me. I thought the original question was referring to assurances before they paid their money and confirmed which is when they could be open to lots of calls which could be a nuisamce.

I think between all the suggestions hopefully we can give you confidence as a Guest that you are going to arrive to a home which "does what it says on the tin".

One other thing I would add, although we are individual owners, we do work as a form of co-operative in the respect that, if an owner has encountered an unexpected problem and their home become unavailabe, there is a network of owners who are all ready and willing to help each other.

[kitch50]

When we rented for the very first time from this site back in 2001 we were very skeptical as well. What if we have paid out all this money and when we get there the villa is nothing like the photos etc... we went through all the same questions in our minds before booking but I spoke to Caroline and she put our minds at rest and the villa when we eventually arrived was beautiful and the photos really didn't do it justice. Over the years we have come back to Caroline's villa again and again and I would now consider her to be a friend (even though we have never met) and I have been able to ring her and we have had some very long chats !! if I have had any questions. I can only vouch for the villa that we have stayed in over the years but this is a very reputable site and I personally would not rent from anywhere else.

I hope this helps you make your decision.

[caroline]

When we rented for the very first time from this site back in 2001 we were very skeptical as well. What if we have paid out all this money and when we get there the villa is nothing like the photos etc... we went through all the same questions in our minds before booking but I spoke to Caroline and she put our minds at rest and the villa when we eventually arrived was beautiful and the photos really didn't do it justice. Over the years we have come back to Caroline's villa again and again and I would now consider her to be a friend (even though we have never met) and I have been able to ring her and we have had some very long chats !! if I have had any questions. I can only vouch for the villa that we have stayed in over the years but this is a very reputable site and I personally would not rent from anywhere else.

I hope this helps you make your decision.

That's so lovely Wendy, thank you. I regard you as a friend too[high5]
We'll have to rectify the never having met part!

[lafifille]

I often read this forum but don't contribute much anymore. Here I feel a guest's opinion could help as I would have been happy to have some "back when" [msnwink].

We rented a villa from this site a few years ago and I remember feeling extremely nervous about the whole thing too. But we exchanged so many emails with the owners, asking sometimes probably ridiculous questions, that we felt the trust building slowly. BTW, as a guest, I didn't think odd the owners didn't call us (although I'm sure they wouldn't have minded if I had asked for it). Spending time on this forum and getting help about everything helped tremendously too.
Renting a villa from here was the best idea ever. We haven't been back to Florida since but I have helped some friends to rent villas on this site, different ones each time, and it was great every single time (I've become very popular as a Florida vacation planner ).

I also recommend renting a car with UScarhire, which we (and friends) have used many times since our trip to Florida: absolutely perfect service (many thanks for your patience Roulla). Park and attractions tickets are great deals too, they'll send them or you can pick them up at their office, they even deliver to the villa I think.

Have a nice vacation whatever you decide.

[cmcruck]

HI I would say if you feel uncomfortable about parting with your money and the condition of the villa on arrival, then ring the owner and after all questions you would like answering if you are still not sure then ask for a copy of their licence. As for the condition of the villa look through the owners guest reviews and how long the owner has been successfully renting for, ask if they have repeat guest bookings, that speaks for itself. As an owner I do not ring my enquirers as they may find it intrusive but I am happy to talk to any potential renter and answer all sorts of questions and help with their trip. This site also checks all owners details on an ongoing basis so this is a secure site to book through. Regards Cindy

[Tonish]

Hi, what is the policy to avoid being scammed? We worry about paying in full 8 weeks in advance before we even see proof of the house... What is typical? What can we do to protect ourselves?

There are no guarantees and you are taking a risk. You do need to understand that. However, if you are booking through this site for example, you can see that care is taken by the site to check the bona fides of the owners and the properties, plus, over and above that, you can see the thousands of comments from satisfied customers.

We have booked properties through here for years with never any problems, as have many, many others who have shared their experiences online. But you are still taking a risk. We booked for Christmas this year and paid a deposit. The owner contacted us and said they had sold the property, but had found us a replacement property owned by a friend in the same development. I had booked with this particular owner before, so trusted them and accepted the replacement property. They arranged to make sure I got the same deal (even though it was a larger property) and the deposit was passed over to the new property.

We paid the full amount, but a few weeks later, the new property owner called to say they had now sold it on to someone else, who would also now honour our booking and they would pass on our payment.

Any of these circumstances could have gone wrong for us. Had the owners been selling because of financial difficulty for example, it's entirely possible that we could have lost the deposit or the full payment. Curiously, because of our many years of experience dealing directly with owners, and the tone of the email exchanges, none of it has bothered us at all and we still expect to be in the villa at Christmas with no problems. But, it could have been very different and you do need to realise that there is definitely a risk. I would say it's a small risk, but you can't ignore it. Just be aware and trust your instincts.

[Andrena]

One of things to be aware of is that you need to be prepared pay a reasonable price. The old adage that if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. I saw an enquiry today where the guest asked for a villa in high season for $450 per week. I just deleted but wonder what they expect for this price. If it was me I would be very wary. But we are not all the same of course.

andrena

[Father]

There are sites where, if you pay a little extra, you are covered for a refund if you turn up and find that the villa you thought you had booked, doesn't exist or is already occupied. It may be good for the owners of this site to consider such an arrangement as well as the 'proof of ownership' thing.

I'm really interested in the suggestion that we, as renters, could ask to see a copy of a villa owner's rental licence before we commint any money. I've never considered this. Would other villa owners agree that there is no valid scenario where owners would refuse this request?