If you go to “View your Descriptions” they let you request a correction (their phrase, not mine) to your main text. On mine, its indicating that the average processing time is six days.
You can also change the Room Descriptions.
JF
That’s the same they told me years ago. It had to be something not factual. But they would not let me change anything else. They had even included as one of my major attractions a tiny museum 15 minutes away that I had never heard of. Just because it may be close in mileage doesn’t mean people are searching for it! Craziness…
I’ve got no idea what criteria they use when judging what’s acceptable and what’s not, but I did see one recently (while checking out the competition) that I thought was a lot better than the standard text:
Featuring a stylish central courtyard, Apartamentos Sherry Center is located in Jerez de la Frontera, 900 yards from the Cathedral. It offers duplex apartments with air conditioning and free WiFi.
All apartments have modern décor and parquet floors throughout, as well as a private bathroom with a bath or shower and a hairdryer. Some also have a private terrace. Bed linen and towels are provided.
The spacious living area includes a sofa, flat-screen TV, and a dining table. An oven, dishwasher, microwave and coffee machine can be found in the open plan kitchen. This property also offers private parking.
A variety of shops, bars and restaurants within 650 yards of Apartamentos Sherry Center. The nearest beach is a 20-minute drive from the property, and Sierra de Cadiz Hills is 24.9 miles away.
This is our guests’ favourite part of Jerez de la Frontera, according to independent reviews.
Couples particularly like the location — they rated it 9.4 for a two-person trip.
This property is also rated for the best value in Jerez de la Frontera! Guests are getting more for their money when compared to other properties in this city.
I get a feeling the standard description is machine generated, using the property info and a few variations of the opening paragraph.
Changing ours to something similar is on my to do list, this might be the prompt to actually get round to it!
JF
In your example above where it says coffee machine, they used “coffee making facilities” and “barbecue facilities” in mine. So yes, that is the universal text I was referring to. They wouldn’t let me say coffee maker, or outdoor grill. Barbecue facilities could be anything. There are some places in my area that have a community picnic tables/ and barbecue area that is shared.
And I just looked at my description and they have obviously gone in to edit it and add things to try to get guests to book. Just noticed they made a very noticeable typo. I guess I get to email them tomorrow. sigh…
Oh…and they also say people come to the area to hike and fish in the “North Carolina wilds” - like we are in the jungle or something! lol
1 Like
You have to face it - some users just book your unit to have sex. We have a regular couple - he li8ves locally she lives 50 miles away - they just come to watch Netflix, drink and screw. They are happy we get paid and that’s it. I guess it goes with the territory.
1 Like
I have same feeling about booking.com
Guests seem less respectful they think yo are a hotel
You can’t put rules and policies or screen people before accepting
Fee system is bizarre and contrary to te way it works on other platforms you have to input the full price with their fees included
People use booking to be able to book and then easily cancel in an impersonal way if they find better at the last minute
They do not handle damage deposit you have to get it cash separately and they won’t help if a guest abused your property
So my policy is: my property is on booking with a super high price and sometimes I lower the price slightly for last minute if I’m free.
I have gotten some good bookings but people seem less respectful.
I was trying to get over my cold feet with BDC. I was just tweaking the policies on my unpublished listing and discovered this. So I can’t vet my guests, nor can I collect my normal damage deposit.
My toes are suddenly freezing again.
It sounds like the more successful BDC bookings you get the higher deposit you will be able to collect though.
“should”
pretty vague
1 Like
Very true. I was trying to give benefit of the doubt. Maybe if you called someone there they could tell you the requirement thresholds.
1 Like
I think I’m actually going to ride out the rest of this year and see how it shapes up on the HA family and Air. I think we give up enough (too much) control to Air as it is. I don’t need to give up even more to someone new.
2 Likes
It’s all instant book. I always try to call guest immediately after booking if possible to go over the reservation and make sure they read max number, etc. Sometime they think they can just invite whoever they want. Then I offer to let them cancel and I will waive fees if they do so immed.
Not sure about the damage deposit. Never had one that high so not sure if max would increase.
Keep in mind they have a relocation policy if your place suddenly could not house the guests. If you cannot resolve with your guests and they contact BDC - they will implement their relocation policy and charge you the difference if it is more to rehouse guests.
I know. It’s another in a long list of strikes against them. I think it’s just not a good fit for me.
2 Likes
I’ve said this before, BDC isn’t for everyone. That said, if you can work within their parameters it is an excellent source of business.
Around eighty percent of our July/August came from BDC and at a higher rate than we’d have got from Airbnb. In the main, lovely guests who appreciated our product and left good reviews.
I suspect the damage deposit limitation is a security feature for a new property, i.e. to avoid a scam claim against guests. I’ve just tried entering €1,000 and it accepted it, but we’ve been using them for a year or so.
JF
1 Like
Every time I see one of their commercials on TV I wrestle with myself on the inside a little. 
I’m on BDC as well, and I like it, the vast majority of my reservations come from there. That being said, it’s not perfect.
One of the great advantages of BDC is that marking the credit card as invalid is a great way to “cancel” guests you’re not comfortable with. If you’re not comfortable, get the card info, but don’t even try to charge it. Just enter it as invalid. If the guest updates the information, just mark it as invalid again. After a certain amount of time has passed, you will be able to cancel the reservation without penalty.
1 Like
I’m not on BDC but what a great hack. I’ve never seen this posted here. This is the kind of info that’s worth the price of admission.
1 Like
I’ve put my prices up on BDC - trying to wean myself off it
Well that will me banned sine die, our BDC prices are always 10/12% higher than ABB.
A year or so ago our BDC guests were different to ABB guests, a bit more entitled and a bit standoffishy. After the past four months I have to say they’ve been (purely in my opinion) great, much better than the ABB guests.
JF