Ownersdirect - another rip-off

[MartynE]

I will stick with HL ,    who have not yet gone down the OD route unless you choose to i.e let them fully manage for a % fee    or simply pay upfront for the advert  and have no fees levied on renters or owners

Yes, on the face of it that's one way of getting round it but.... there's a big BUT... they actively discriminate against owners who pay up-front and don't take online bookings. You will find that owners with on-line booking enabled will appear higher in the listings. Sneaky, but true. They'll catch you every way they can.

[kalkan4eva]

I will happily trawl through hundreds of properties so hopefully others will do the same to reach the owners who don't play by the bully boy rules...and are stuck at the back
Because we will most likely be looking for new accommodation next year, its a good idea to call at properties whilst we are there - thanks BL. We have been so lucky with our current rental/owner but all good things come to an end, they say.

[Charlie]

OD will only charge the fee if you book via the online link.  If you use this method the owner does not get the money until after you have arrived at the property and are happy with what you have booked.  It is a way of protecting your money.  It works exactly the same with holidaylettings if you use their online booking system.  Alternatively if the owner pays an upfront fee you can get their contact details from the ad and contact them directly it just means your money is not protected if you liaise directly with the owner.

[BeyazGül Apt.]

Charlie your statement is correct re-booking through the online link but regarding checkin payments the owner has to accept that also as an owner when you are enrolling for online payments owners direct will  enrolee your property into checkin payments if you have not provided them with proof of ownership.

[brian j p]

Charlie  re "Alternatively if the owner pays an upfront fee you can get their contact details from the ad and contact them directly it just means your money is not protected if you liaise directly with the owner."  This is incorrect  >>

payments are still protected for renters booking through the HL management system,  even   if the owner has not set up  the fully automated  on line booking system  option . You pay a % off booking fees if you let the system fully manage everything  including acceptance of bookings.   We pay up front for the advert and deal with renters direct,  so long as the renter sends   funds via the HL management system ( USING PayPal  and they do not need a paypal account ,  this is a deal with paypal & HL  ) the renters are protected , there is a paypal fee you have to accept when setting up   and I think it is 1% for the owner . We opt to manage all communications with renters ourselves   using this system and we get the payment protection logo on our advert as we only allow payments in this  way - everyone wins ! . There is a   snag however as "Martyn E" pointed out earlier  those not taking up the fully automated option where HL get a fee  tend to have their adverts via searches  put behind those where owners are paying the HL fees

[Charlie]

I meant if you liaise directly with the owners and the money exchanging does not go through the holidaylettings or OD system ie they send directly to your bank account or send a cheque, then you are not covered by holidaylettings.

[brian j p]

Total agree Charlie ,  We used to accept payments direct into our account via bank transfers etc, but decided best to go via the booking system using paypal options only  so guest get the protection  with no extra fees .  Also allows us to keep track of all money exchanges  for  working  out what we owe in tax on any bookings we get

[Kalkan Magic]

Another thing I have noticed with OD is that in order to discourage would be renters contacting owners directly, they have effectively 'buried' the owner's website address under 'facilities'!! It was always shown clearly on the front page so this change is another example of gheir 'benefits to owners and renters' - you couldn't make it up!

[Chris S]

It may be of interest to some owners, that OwnersDirect are refunding my subscription (pro rata from the date of cancellation) in view of their unilateral changes which amount to breach of contract.  They unilaterally added £99 to a 2 week booking, expecting guests to pay it, calling it a service charge!
I am now advertising with Martyn at Kalkan Secrets instead.

[BeyazGül Apt.]

You could have cancelled online bookings.

[Chris S]

The last time I looked you could not cancel online bookings, only online payments.  They may well change if enough people vote with their feet
The potential guest is quoted a rental inflated by OD's service charge, even though they could not collect it. Only when potential renters proceeds to 'Book Now' do they find out about a service charge.  Before that, they only see the inflated price,which may well put them off.
Seems to fly in the face of logic to increase quoted prices in the face of seriously reduced interest.

[BeyazGül Apt.]

Online booking can be cancelled I did it last week. Your statement is strictly not correct guests do see the service fee if they click on more details button on the quoted cost, and then the renter/traveller pay's the service fee if the owner clicks on accept booking which then hooks the renter into online booking.

[Chris S]

As you say, BeyazGul apt., the guest only sees the 'service charge' after they have clicked on the 'more details' button on the quoted cost pop up not the main pages.  They may well have gone elsewhere by then in view of the inflated price if they are on a limited budget or looking for bargains on an alternative site (hopefully Kalkan Secrets).
What would you do if you saw the same or near identical property on two different sites and one was £99 cheaper?
It is not my intention to mislead, only to inform and to suggest that people investigate for themselves.

[msr]

Interestingly I rang up Owners Direct pretending to be someone wanting to book a property in Spain.I asked why there was a discrepancy in the price quoted by the owner showing a 6% increase. The answer: it is a charge made by OD that the owners pay so that if there is a problem with accommodation in the resort this charge guarantees  OD will find you alternative accommodation. What a load of rubbish! The man I spoke to was very hesitant and didn't really know what he was talking about.
Dreadful, dreadful site, made all the worse as so many owners remembered it when it really was Owners Direct.

[BeyazGül Apt.]

Hi Chris s,
I have sent you a PM.

[AgainstGossip]

I agree with MSR. I VERY successfully advertised with OD a year after it started. It was a wonderful user-friendly site where customers could literally contact the owner direct (and visa versa) as the name suggests. It wouldn't be quite so painful if they'd at least re-name the company to Owners Indirect. I no longer use it.