Felicity
10+ Posts
Have a look at this! https://staysavr.com/ I have tested it as a guest. It is quite magical! You know how the big sites are hiding the owner information from you? All you get is a first name and a scrambled email address unless they are part of a dying breed who have managed to hang onto this information on the site (but probably only until mid-2018 on the Homeaway sites) by being grandfathered in as those who do not take direct bookings through the site and paying a hefty 'ransom' subscription price for the privilege.
You install this on your computer (a matter of seconds and BTW it doesn't work with Safari) and it means that you don't have a giant (aka Expedia) standing between you and the rental of your dreams. Of course, you need to be able to trust that the owner is all that he/she purports to be. These sites have been playing on the not completely unfounded fears of the guest that they are going to be scammed. But scammers represent a tiny proportion of the market. Project fear has meant that people are willing to pay up to 12% (they are testing out raising it from previous high of 9%) extra on Homeaway thinking Homeaway/VRBO/Owner's Direct etc. are going to cover them in the event of a place not existing. The reality (see sites like Trust Pilot for Owner's Direct) is, allegedly, somewhat different. They advise you that you have to claim through your credit card (well, you were probably going to do that anyway, or use your travel insurance). And if you arrive in the middle of rural France, for example with a couple of toddlers at 11 pm at night, only to find the advertised house does not exist, is the person on the helpline in India or the Philippines really going to be able to find you a similar rental property, just like that, possibly in a high, fully booked season?? That is what they appear to "guarantee", at least for the first three nights.
This app is is two fold in its use. It gives you direct contact details through revealing a phone number and a name (and also a website and email address if the owner has installed the app as well). I think a name and phone number are crucial to checking out whether a place is legitimate. No genuine owner is going to object to a phone call to ask for more details/get an email contact address to proceed, without the middle man taking a slice of the cake.
Also, by booking direct, you avoid paying large and useless (in my humble opinion!) service fee.
You install this on your computer (a matter of seconds and BTW it doesn't work with Safari) and it means that you don't have a giant (aka Expedia) standing between you and the rental of your dreams. Of course, you need to be able to trust that the owner is all that he/she purports to be. These sites have been playing on the not completely unfounded fears of the guest that they are going to be scammed. But scammers represent a tiny proportion of the market. Project fear has meant that people are willing to pay up to 12% (they are testing out raising it from previous high of 9%) extra on Homeaway thinking Homeaway/VRBO/Owner's Direct etc. are going to cover them in the event of a place not existing. The reality (see sites like Trust Pilot for Owner's Direct) is, allegedly, somewhat different. They advise you that you have to claim through your credit card (well, you were probably going to do that anyway, or use your travel insurance). And if you arrive in the middle of rural France, for example with a couple of toddlers at 11 pm at night, only to find the advertised house does not exist, is the person on the helpline in India or the Philippines really going to be able to find you a similar rental property, just like that, possibly in a high, fully booked season?? That is what they appear to "guarantee", at least for the first three nights.
This app is is two fold in its use. It gives you direct contact details through revealing a phone number and a name (and also a website and email address if the owner has installed the app as well). I think a name and phone number are crucial to checking out whether a place is legitimate. No genuine owner is going to object to a phone call to ask for more details/get an email contact address to proceed, without the middle man taking a slice of the cake.
Also, by booking direct, you avoid paying large and useless (in my humble opinion!) service fee.