5
Level 5
Level 6
134 points earned
106 points left
Badges received
First post
Conversation starter
Contributor
Snap
About you
Fan
Upvoted
My comments
Yes they are
Hi Mike Evans
we are in the same position as are many from this site so I think it is a fair assumption that the majority of all B.Com's accommodation providers will be taking the same stance i.e. not pay the unauthorised refunds/commissions and only pay what is correct.
What happens next good question for a company that is pleading hardship to all the different governments throughout the world to get the grant funding available if they blacklist us all then they will have no business - we are the link no accommodation providers no customers we on the other hand will still have businesses that customers want. If they remove/suspend us then again the same scenario It is quite clear that all of the OTA's are in financial difficulty there has been another announcement about AIRBNB today. Basically they have all enjoyed the good times (just like us) but unlike us made billions of pounds and goodness only knows where that has been syphoned off to cause they don't pay the correct taxes in any of the countries they operate from. B.Com have applied to the Dutch Government for 4 billion euros to pay their 5.5k staff who are all each paid an average of 47k euros annually as detailed in one of the Dutch Newspapers the other day. Whilst Hungary has just fined them 6 million for bad practice.
There is a new company being launched cobooking.com that you can sign up to (no cost) The parent company is a well know channel manager throughout the UK. It is their aim to set up an alternative to the OTA's they have the technical/sofwear ability. They are well experienced in this industry so I think you should have a look, sign up and see where it goes.
Nothing lasts forever the same applies to the OTA's there is always someone round the corner waiting in the sidelines.
Course I could be very wrong but I am willing to ride this out - nothing now to loose
Hi Hanmer Backpackers - Me again from Loch Ness If it is any consolation we all feel exactly the same, it is not easy and sometimes easier to do nothing than do something but we will keep going I have just received another direct e-mail from someone so things are moving just to get a good meeting point and investigate the Facebook page further and I will have a look also (I am not the greatest at technology, a bit slow but happy to listen and learn)
I am also a small unit (11 rooms) so I do know how you feel
Keep your chin up and keep joining in
Regards CharlotteKilmichaelHouseBandB
Hi Tristan good morning from sunny Loch Ness
I think everyone is of the same opinion and it is finding a gathering place as you say and facebook sounds it might be the one (will check it out later).
The articles were only meant to let you see what is going on in their organisation and that all is not great which could leave them in a weakened position during Covid19 which could be advantageous to us!
Cobooking.com platform is being newly created as an alternative and o.k. it may be in its very early stages but the creators are very experienced and have a good reputation. They are channel managers to many throughout the UK so they also have credibility. They have a fantastic technical and softwear team and from that point of view I would urge everyone to support them it is costing you nothing and more importantly may offer in the not too distant future a real alternative. As you say you are business reliant on an organisation that is going to continue screwing its accommodation provders until they have total control of how your business operates. I am also heavily reliant on them but been with them long enough to see how they have progressed over the years and the stranglehold we have allowed them to have. Sometimes you just have to say enough and I know it is very difficult and has taken a long time for me to get to this stage. you know the old saying No Pain No Gain or you will just have to go with the Status Quo.
A hotelier who owns several properties in Marakesh called me yesterday and he is also in the same boat and refusing to pay the unauthorised refunds. Like me he (as most posting on this site) do not have a problem with the commsion they are paying only the heavy handed arrogant practices being inflicted on us and if we allow this to pass without a stance believe me after we get through this they will add even harsher conditions to their T & C's. As he said enough of us don't pay their unauthorised demands what are they going to do remove all of our visibility from their site - they won't have any acommodation providers if they do that - take us all to court - again they wont have any accommodation providers - therefore they won't have a business. I am quite convinced the majority of their accommodation providers are of the same opinion which is why it is important not to loose site of that.
You say you are actively looking for alternatives then put some support into the organisation I have mentioned above - check them out on the website.
Believe me I want a quiet life but not one with a noose around my neck and from that end am prepared to keep plugging away while looking at new opportunities. So get your tourisim organisations in NZ to get behind you (again many accom. providers are all saying the same thing that the official organisations in their respective countries are all agains the OTA's). I am contantly in touch with the bodies here and also for them to reach out and join forces across the pond.
So keep in touch, talk to your neighbours (colleagues) and competition get them on board. you can contact me direct through my website
CharlotteKilmichaelHousebedandB
We too!!. Great that there are some new postings being made have just found two new ones on the home page underneath Brooke - community manager and suggested they might like to join here so we will see. Also got a direct call from another Eruopean Hotelier just a few minutes ago - very interesting and they are also of the opinion to refuse to pay the refunds so the support is continuing to build. Remember the OTA's pockets will hurt as much as ours but the important point is we will still have a business and there will still be customers and other websites
Hello Jiraporn from the Privilage Hotels - just saw your post and good that you have joined the B.Com community forum. I have a bed and breakfast in Loch Ness Scotland and think you might want to join Brookes (just click on her link above) - the B.Com community managers forum (you can link in above) as there are many, many more establishments with the same thoughts as yours and you might want to join us or if you want to chat you can get me on my website
Anyway hope to hear from you
Charlottekilmichaelhouse
Hi Martin Mihaylov, just saw your posting, where are you located. I have a bed and breakfast in Loch Ness Scotland and thought you might like to check into Brookes link to see what some of your colleagues are posting about unauthorised refund charges etc. and even join in those discussions. You can also get in touch direct through my website (cant post it as B.Com will edit it out) but you will find me through the search engines
Good Luck and hope to hear from you
Charlottekilmichaelhouse.
Hi Hanmer Backpackers from mybed and breakfast in beautiful sunny Loch Ness - Good to read your post and it seems to be the correct interpretation as that of the UK Law translations and that is what I and some others are using in reply to the invoices we are receiving and not paying. The wording is very legal in UK but lawyers will understand it or You would need to get someone in the legal profession if you wanted it re-worded.
I also agree that the alternatives I am offering to my non refundable pre-booked guests is more than sufficient.
You might be interested in the following post from someone yesterday (16hours ago) that B.Com have gone to Netherlands government where they employ 5.5k staff all with annual average earnings of 47k each for a staff grant fund (covid 19) to pay their wages. Ofcourse the governments are going to give payouts for this but this company with the billions of profit they have announced in the past should be funding this by not paying dividends etc to themselves and as they are saving this money should be paying for the refunds themselves and absorbing that themselves. The article in the Dutch News is very interesting
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/04/booking-com-applies-for-help-to-pay-salaries-is-grateful-for-support/
They have also been fined 6 million euro by the Hungarian government (dont have the link but if you google both together you can read the official article.)
Also their practices during Covid 19 are now being investigate by UKgovernment/association bodies
If you are in NZ you should be campaigning around your colleagues/competitors (all in the same situation as yourself) to lodge their discontent on this site but better still to get your government/tourist/hotel associations etc. involved
In addition google cobooking.com and sign up your support it costs nothing and takes a minute you don't have to be a user just support the action
Some of this content will probably be edited by I am based in Scotland and you can get in touch through my website kilmichaelhouse.
As you can read througout these posts there is a common thread of dissatisfication about how B.com has conducted themselves at the outset of covid-19 and highlights that they have absolutely no regard for the accommodation providers without whom they will not exist but we will and so will holidaymakers. However, nothing lasts forever - look at the airlines who have sadly failed in all of this - B.Com may think they are indomitable but as we have all found out in a very short space of time no one is indispensible - their principles/modles are no longer agreeable to us - We put them where they are - up to us to change that - look at that site
good luck
Charlottekilmichaelhouse