Constant last-minute bookings that are no-shows
Hi everyone! I'm running a new property on Booking.com and ever since we opened availability, I have been receiving - sometimes on a daily basis fake bookings from Berlin, with names like Lonely Today or Ten Equila (read - Tequila). In the beginning I would have maids come over to prepare the accommodation, I would get supplies to greet the guests, get everything set and ready, only to have no one show up. I once waited a whole Saturday until late at the property - no one showed up. Ever. And because I am a new listing, booking said that I can't have credit card information or request prepayment. But this is really ridiculous, I message every new booking just to receive radio silence. Booking is not helping at all, all they say is that I need real stays in order to be able to actually have guest credit card information. Has anyone else faced this? I feel that this may very well be our competitors sabotaging our business.
Hi
sign up for payment by booking, dont take no for an answer, enable prepay an gueat info (address and phone number mandatory)
this has been the general response given in the past by other partners when BdC are being thick.
just say if you cant have it you will close account and use airbnb.
dont take any bullcrap from them.
also another thing is enable deposit so when a booking fails to do so you can quickly cancel it.
even its just a nominal amount its not via BdC, its direct.
but it is a deterent for fake booking.
reservation details page,
request cancel
option 1 , submit.
kind regards
Hi Natalia, I'm not sure to understand, in your case, who take payment of the reservations? You or Booking? Because if it's Booking then the payment for those reservation are confirmed no? Otherway if the credit/debit cards do not work they will cancel the reservation automatically I guess.
Then if guest no show, just mark it as "no show" to confirm that they didn't turn up and that's it no?
Sometime competitors play really dirty.
Regards
Fran Alvarado
Thank you! That's really helpful, I will reach out to them yet again. My listings are through a channel manager, so I feel that some options are not available in my particular case. How do I sign up for payment by Booking? At the moment I stated that we take cash (well we have a POS so I can charge their cc upon arrival)