How do you take the deposit?

[Max]

So a booking enquiry comes your way. How do you go about clenching the deal?
Do you take a deposit? How much is reasonable to take? How often do you find the holidaymaker cancels the booking?
Please share your experiences..

[rodomo]

We have launched an early version of an online booking system for holiday letting owners/managers that allows you to set up online booking in 60 seconds and allow customers to place a booking and make a deposit payment.

We will soon have some nice availability calendars to place on your own site to show when properties are available and prices.

We are in beta phase so it is free to use until 18th March 2009 after which there will be a monthly charge.

http://www.booksterhq.com/

[Dave G]

Yes I agree it's great to get the deposit fast and clinh the deal, but £10 per month is a bit steep when you can get dateblocker etc for free. How about one year trial for free?

[PaulineH]

I have been contacted by a couple in Germany and they wish to pay their deposite by ank transfer- which I rufused as I don't give out bank details, however I requested a certified bank cheque in Sterling rather than Euros.

I was wondering if there was a completely SAFE and SECURE way to obtain their payment through online means

can anyone advice me?

I always request 50% deposit which is NON refundable if cancelled unless I can rebook the cottage for the dates they had requested

[Max]

I think the best way is by credit card as it gives consumer protection, immediate funds, low charges to both parties and leaves an audit trail. See this article on http://www.uk-cottage-rental.co.uk/page-accepting-credit-card-payments-31.html
I paid for a spanish villa 2 years ago by a cheque in Euros and I was charged £25 by the bank to issue the cheque.
I think you may loose foreign customers by asking for cheques in GBP.

[gerome]

Yes I agree it's great to get the deposit fast and clinh the deal, but £10 per month is a bit steep when you can get dateblocker etc for free. How about one year trial for free?

Actually, Bookster is more than a simple availability calendar since it does provide online booking, which is why it costs £10 per month. dateblocker only display a calendar on your website, so you can't really compare them...

It would be similar than saying "Why would I book an accommodation when I can sleep outside for free"

[rodomo]

Actually, Bookster is more than a simple availability calendar since it does provide online booking, which is why it costs £10 per month. dateblocker only display a calendar on your website, so you can't really compare them...

Gerome is absolutely correct, Bookster is more than a simple availability calendar.

We now have a free calendar that you can use to show your availability and pricing without going so far as taking bookings. You can register and give it a go without having to pay us anything, you only pay when you want to accept credit card bookings.

See http://www.booksterhq.com/news/new-feature-calendar-widget.html.

Our basic idea is to try and give self catering holiday property owners the quickest and easiest route to online booking.