Paid deposit for Villa and now very nervous

[thistle1314]

I paid a deposit for a villa through one of the sites on here in January for 29 October for 15 nights. In April the owner emailed to say they were selling and gave the new owners name and that the management company will be in touch regarding the balance nearer the date when it was due. As I hadn't heard from them I emailed them to ask if my booking was still ok etc and was assured by the management company that it was and that they'd be back in touch with me nearer the date my balance was due. It was due to be paid last week and no one got I touch with me so I emailed the management company again and she said they'd thought the owner would have contacted me before now.

The owner has now been in touch by email and sent a another booking form for the balance. There is a difference in price from the original agreement for pool heating and refundable deposit which I've sent to them and asked them to agree to the prices in the original (lower) contract. Also I paid my deposit by UK cheque (as was originally asked for) now I'm being asked to pay in dollars by money orders or bank draft which I've never done before. Also in the original email there was a website address for the villa which is now no longer active. The villa name has also changed from time of booking. I'm a wee bit nervous about all of this. I'd appreciate any advice you can possible give. Thank you.

[E. Cosgrove]

I'm sure someone will be on yo reassure you soon. My only comment would be that this seems very early to be paying a balance for Jan 2015. Most owners on here ask for the balance 10 - 12 weeks before arrival 5 months seems an awful long way in advance.

[christhear]

Hi Helen

I take it the villa is no longer advertised on this site. As far as I can see you would be within your rights to ask for a full refund if you are nervous about this owner as their terms and conditions have changed, as for increasing the price I am sure this is not legal once a contract has been signed. The contract you signed was in UK £'s so they should still accept this especially if its the original owner asking you for payment. Trust your instincts and cancel (with full refund ) if you are not happy.

There will still be villas available for these dates, just put out a new enquiry

[christhear]

I'm sure someone will be on yo reassure you soon. My only comment would be that this seems very early to be paying a balance for Jan 2015. Most owners on here ask for the balance 10 - 12 weeks before arrival 5 months seems an awful long way in advance.

Liz I think they booked in January for end of October this year, so its quite late for the full paymnet

[steph_goodrum]

It looks as if the new owner is operating differently to the old, but nontheless that should not be your problem, you have a contract ith the original owner who should have ensured that their choice to sell was not going to cost you any more money. I would try and get in touch with them as well and ask what agreement they made with the new owner ie whether bookings were going to be honoured at the rate agreed. If they were not then you should have been given the option to cancel and get a refund of your depoist. At this stage to come up with a new booking agreement and extra costs is not really offering good customer service imo and hopefully they will work ith you to resolve it. You agreed a price in UK pounds and the exchange rate could affect how much the holiday is costing.

Regarding the website that wouldnt me uncommon for it not to be active as the new owner may not have wanted to take over the old website (and possible villa name etc. ) so you may find a completely different one.

[CERICROWLEY]

With Rental homes, this type of thing happens from time to time, and I am sure some agreement was made between the original owner and the buyer. It maybe the original owner is unaware of what has transpired now. As a lot of owners on here that have gone on to sell their homes, have made sure the guests are either re-accommodated satisfactorily or the buyer is happy to proceed with the booking and all the agreements that come with it, otherwise the original owner would have said something. The forum still has a lot of ex owners still coming in for their daily dose of the forum, you may find out the owner is still here and is totally oblivous to what has now transpired. Unfortunately it seems on this occasion the new owner and/or for that fact the MC have decided not to honour the original terms. Maybe if you have the details of the original owner they could speak to the new homeowner. Or if you feel unhappy that proceeding with any annomocity in the rank, that you agree to have your deposit returned as your original terms have now not been honoured and you can proceed in finding a new home for your trip. There will be still a number of homes that can help you for your dates

[ujpest doza]

I'd be inclined to ask for your deposit back due to the change in ownership and re-book.

This has happened to us twice and both times we got sorted no problem, with a complete new booking first time and the owner transferring us to a neighbours villa the second time.

[Lesley S]

If you are feeling uneasy, ask for your deposit back, you don't want this to spoil your holiday. If you then put a another enquiry out, there will be still be other villas available.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Could I ask for the original owner's name or villa ref by email to john@orlandovillas.com please so I can comment further.

[thistle1314]

Thank you all so very much for your understanding and indeed great advice. I really think it's all sorted out now. Maybe I was a bit too quick to get nervous and reacted negatively. I got in touch with the previous owner and the new owner as you suggested and they have now clarified everything out and my initial contract will be honoured and apologies have also been given for confusion. I've booked about 6 villas through this site and everyone has been fantastic and easy to do and of course the villas are beyond compare. Maybe that's why I got a bit jittery.

You really are quite an amazing team of people and I'm very grateful for everything you do on here. My sincere thanks for your reassurance and guidance.