Am I a Victim???

[CorFL]

I booked a villa in Esprit yesterday, After the internet booking They advised me to call them for my credit card details..(MastreCard)
Maybe I'm stupid, but I gave them my name address and credit card details.
Then they wanted the 3 digit number on the back of the card...
They needed that for creditcard verification...

I wrote them an email today asking for an confirmation of the $300 charge for the deposit.

But they don't reply...

Their availabilty calender hasn't changed either, my booked days are still available..

Now I'm wondering, am I a victim of a Credit Card sceme...???
What shall I do...
Your opinions ??

[SunLover]

If you have booked through OrlandoVillas.com or any of it's sister sites, then all properties and owners are verified, and you should have nothing to worry about.

Bear in mind that most owners have regular jobs, kids to take care of, family crisis here and there, as we all do, and the delay in replying to your email may not be at all sinister, just logistical.

[CorFL]

No I've booked ... well booked... through [website link edited]
I couldn't book there, I filled out an inquiry form with the desired dates, and the owner of the villa I wanted, contacted me through email
with the rates, and asked me if I was interrested, I should contact him at the tel. nr. (0877) Toll Free.
And that he needed my credit card details. which I did
But the thing that bothered me afterwords that he needed the 3 digit verification code, and as I'm not familiar with the US way, how to handle with Credit Cards, I gave that as well...

Not to be picky, but in europe everyone says never to give the verification code...

[athurstance]

I would try to contact them again - if it was only yesterday chances are they just haven't had time to check their email. As Sunlover says if you booked it through here then I wouldn't worry as we are all verified and above board.
Its also quite normal for people to ask for the 3 digit code when you pay over the phone so that isn't an indication that anything is wrong. Let us know how you get on.

[Nostromo]

Would it not a wise move to inform your credit card company of your misgivings without actually stopping the transaction? You can ask them to verify with you befor paying out when the rental company make their demand . If you still have not heard from the rental company at that time, you will be in a position to decide what to do.

[Herbie]

The idea behind quoting the three digit number on the back of the card is that it confirms you actually have the card in your possession at the time of the transaction.

[Cruella DeVilla]

Check with your credit card company, anything involving those three digits on thr back it is better to check, no harm if it is genuine.
CDV

[zx6r]

We had a similar experience last year where the availability calander was not updated - this was on 2 sites that the owners advertised on. We had various friends e-mail them for availability on the dates that we had booked & the replies were no availability - although their sites still showed no bookings for those dates. Everything turned out really well, but to be on the safe side contact your card co. to check

[ctgirlscout]

The three digit code on the back of the card has become a common way in the US to verify that the owner has the card, and it is not someone just using a card number off a receipt. I would just be a little more patient, and try to contact the owner again. As others have said, the owner may be unable to answer your email for a variety of reasons. Sometimes I have such a hectic day, that I don't get to mine for over a day!

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I'm sure it's ok and the fact the availability calendar is not yet updated could be for a multitude of reasons. I have taken quite a few bookings whilst we have been here in Florida for my villas but do not have access to update my availability calendars as I only have access to that from home in the UK (to prevent people trying to hack my site).

It could also be that the owners are out of town for a few days or a host of other reasons.

As others say, try to contact the owners over the next few days and see what happens.