Hey Booking.com - Mind Your Own Business
For Booking.com ..... you refuse to take damage deposits from guests in the same way that other booking channels do, so we have to take them by bank transfer.
This takes a lot of our time to check that the damage deposits have been made, and to chase guests who haven't paid. Many of them ask "Why do we have to do this? Why don't Booking.com do it like AirBnB?" and of course, that takes more of our time to answer.
And then we have the hassles of refunding them, only to find that half of them don't provide correct bank details. We get lots of phone calls and emails from guests wanting their damage deposits back.
And to top it all, Booking.com start phoning us too.
Well Booking.com, as you refuse to take damage deposits, these are transactions that are nothing to do with you, so please, mind your own business. Keep your noses out.
Agreed, BdC have zero business involving themselves, if a guest moans about a deposit return refusal.
And all the Partner has to do is make sure to record everything , photos etc.
It's not even about damage .... it's that taking damage deposits by bank transfer is time consuming, refunding them is even more time consuming, guests don't like it, we don't like it, and a lot of guests are impatient ....
Can't you take damage deposit by credit card?
Couldn't agree more. Somehow one of our properties has qualified for the BdC 'pilot' for damage deposits and the other three do not. How does this help our business provide consistent service to our customers?