No-Show (Or, no good deed goes unpunished)

[happykeeper]

Carrying over a deposit for someone that cancelled has never ended well for us..

IT took us a couple of times to figure out that what worked for us was to complete the reservation paid in full and provide a separate credit that can be used later but that does not change the responsibilities of a new reservation. We have very few of these, but when it does happen, we found it was critical to complete the transaction and let the guest initiate any future transaction.
I guess it must be a little different when you take deposits. Most folks expect they will just lose the deposit and move on. Extending it in some way seems like a losing proposition for the innkeeper.
.

The problem I've found is that once you've allowed someone to carry forward a deposit they keep changing their mind and think they can keep carrying forward.
its not something I've done often.
.

that's why we end a reservation and let them initiate a new one. They accept responsibility for both. Of course, they have just one year to use any credit they may have.

 

[happykeeper]

The last minute cancellation was due to the second in a line of three very big snow storms. It is not unusual to have a snow storm in Massachusetts in February, but February 2015 proved itself to be VERY unusual.
We thought easy policies were called for.
They are out the bucks. They haven't called us even though we left two voice mails. Oh well, right?.

That's something else we have changed over time. I make sure that I contact them and ask them to respond with how they would like to proceed. I ask them a question that must be answered. I have learned that we must have that conversation if we are going to avoid trouble later. Since that change, we have not had a dispute or chargeback. It all gets handled before.
In one case where they did not respond, I sent an email detailing our communication and explaining that we will proceed with the payment they previously authorized when they made their reservation. Reminding them that they had agreed to our policies was enough to generate a response and get there approval in writing.
These things are rather rare for us, but they do come up. It always feels better to know exactly what to do when it happens, rather than coming up with something each time.

 

[JBloggs]

Carrying over a deposit for someone that cancelled has never ended well for us..

Carrying over a deposit for someone that cancelled has never ended well for us.

Same here

 

[JBloggs]

Carrying over a deposit for someone that cancelled has never ended well for us..

IT took us a couple of times to figure out that what worked for us was to complete the reservation paid in full and provide a separate credit that can be used later but that does not change the responsibilities of a new reservation. We have very few of these, but when it does happen, we found it was critical to complete the transaction and let the guest initiate any future transaction.
I guess it must be a little different when you take deposits. Most folks expect they will just lose the deposit and move on. Extending it in some way seems like a losing proposition for the innkeeper.
.

The problem I've found is that once you've allowed someone to carry forward a deposit they keep changing their mind and think they can keep carrying forward.
its not something I've done often.
.

that's why we end a reservation and let them initiate a new one. They accept responsibility for both. Of course, they have just one year to use any credit they may have.
.

that's why we end a reservation and let them initiate a new one. They accept responsibility for both. Of course, they have just one year to use any credit they may have.

Amen to that.