Let´s force Booking.com to Change its descriminating Policy!

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Dear hosts,

Booking.com has just changed its policy making it more difficult for home-owners to ask their clients to pre-pay a certain amount to secure their reservation.

As a private home owner, and not a hotelier, I have been using the pre-payment option with sucess, but now booking.com wants to limit this feature.

The pre-payment is very important for someone that rents a private apartment. If a guest does not show up at a big hotel where he has a reservation, no damage is done. If a guest does honour its reservation for a private apartment the owner loses real money. And it is no use having a cancellation policy if you cannot enforce it.

I understand that Booking.com is reluctant to allow new hosts charge pre-payment before creating a confidence track. But I have two other properties in the same town for more than 2 years and dozens of 5 star reviews. I have always used the pre-payment policy in these cases with no problem at all. This should count for something.

Booking.com argues that they want to visit the apartment before allowing a pre-payment policy to be implemented. Although this might work in Europe, where their offices are located, it will now work in more remote place, thus becoming a descriminatory policy. I ask them how soon, and with which regularity, are you planning to come to the islant of Santiago in Cape Verde where I happen to live? There was no answer but I guess not very soon, and not heat often, and that poses a problem for us.

Finally, Booking.com policy does not define a specific period after which the pre-payment will be allowed. It can be 2 weeks, it can be 2 years. This is particularly annoying and unfair, as the process of certification is not a transparent in any way.

LET’S CHANGE THEIR POLICY NOW! FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO customer.service@booking.com NOW:

Dear Booking.com,

As a private home owner, I ask you to change your policy and allow home-owners to implement a pre-payment option now.

The possibility to ask guests to pre-pay a certain amount of the reservation as a requirement to reserve your property is very important for someone that rents a private apartment. If a guest does not show at a big hotel with a 50/ occupancy rate, no damage is done. If a guest does not show up in for a private apartment the owner loses real money. And it is no use having a cancellation policy if you cannot enforce it.

You say say that your collaborators need to visit the apartment before allowing a pre-payment policy to be implemented. That might work in European cities, but what about more remote locations? This requirement actively discriminates these group of home-owners.

Finally, your policy does not define a specific period after which the pre-payment will be allowed to ask for pre-payment and does not take into consideration previously built reputation of home-owners. This is particularly annoying and unfair.

Based on these points I kindly ask you to review these aspects of you policy and allow home-owners to implement a pre-payment policy now.

Best regards,

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What about you take clients credit card information with CVC?

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Hello Sylcainbg,
Thank you for your interest.

How does that work for a normal person renting a second home? I thought you needed to be a shop to be able to handle credit cards… Do you know good solutions?

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You don’t need to be a shop to handle credit cards. I am a private

I am using stripe with a app on my phone : Paynow for Stripe

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Can you charge an initial amount via a credit card, then?

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Yes you can but it’s againt the no prepayment policy of booking.com. I am using it to test the validity of the client card.

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So booking.com now has a noprepayment and instant booking policy? Why would any host use them?

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You can charge the client is they cancel with your cancelation policy. For me if it’s cancel 5 or less days before I charge the client. The same if they don’t show.

Well I have most of my booking from booking.com with a higher price than air bnb clients (we are only 2 offering appartment in our city, all other is hotels with booking.com so higher price)

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Can you explain what this no prepayment policy is?

I have been listed with Booking.com for several years and have always had a policy that I will charge at least 50% immediately and it is non-refundable. I honestly haven’t looked to see if Booking.com has gone in and changed my terms and conditions.

I know they consistently try to push me to sign up for not requiring guests to enter a credit card, and maybe allowing guests to pay upon arrival. That will NEVER happen. But are you saying this is a new policy that is not optional??

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New booking.com can t have prepayment policy:

“Because we’re dedicated to being a safe platform for both customers and partners, we’ve temporarily disabled non-refundable and prepayment policies. As soon as we can give you access to them, we’ll let you know.”

it’s in my rate policy

Edit: Since I have the CVC code and testing the card I have no problem of no show clients.

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I am still not understanding.

What exactly is the no prepayment policy? Is booking.com saying that hosts are not allowed to require payment until the guest arrives?

Is this only for new listings? Or are they applying this to old listings also?

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I have no ideas if they apply to old listings, I think it’s only for new clients.

Basically I am not allowed to require payment until the guests arrives

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Have you ever had an issue with charging a guest for being a no show?

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Since i have the compulsory CVC and testing the card (so wrong card I can get the reservation cancel). I had never had a no show.

If no show I will charge the valid card (said when clients are booking)

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For now properties, they do not allow pre-payment immediately after you list it. You have to wait a certification process and that they do not specify how is the certification made or how long does it take.

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FOR NEW PROPERTIES ONLY

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I started booking.com in april 2016 and I have still this no prepayment…

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Wow…Booking.com is really full of you know what.

What cancellation policy are you and sylvainbg using?

You mention that you have been using the pre-payment policy with success. So do you have some properties that allow pre-payment, and then only your new properties don’t allow it?

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I have 5 days policy like the flexible on air bnb

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Do you jnow if Paypal doesthe same?

Exactly. For almost 2 years now I ask my clients to pay the first night in advance. It works good. Now I have a new property in the same town and booking.com does not allow the same process.