OT: Being charged a Paypal fee by a VRBO owner

[deedeetoo]

This is off topic because the villa isn't in Orlando but I know lots of people here use VRBO so I'm hoping you can give some advice.

We have agreed to rent a villa at a very good price and the contract is signed. We were told we had the option to pay using paypal and when we told the owner we wanted to do this, he told us that we would have to pay an additional 3% fee on our payment.

We are a bit unhappy since this is the first mention of any fee. Also we looked at the paypal rules and it says sellers are not allowed to charge fees. Now the price that we are paying is so good that the 3% really doesn't amount to much. If the original price had been 3% higher we still would have rented the villa. But we feel lied to and that is not a good feeling when you are sending money to someone you never met.

So should we make a big deal about the fee and risk angering the owner and losing the villa, or do we just stay quiet and pay it?

 

[Disney*Dreamer]

I had this happen to me too, but the fee was high enough to make me cancel the reservation. I would either just pay it, or cancel and report them to paypal.

 

[Justsyd2]

The easiest thing to do is not pay them through PayPal if they want to charge you a 3% fee to do so. Find another payment method and save the 3%. Surely there is another payment option.

 

[djm99]

If the price is "a too good" price - I'd keep it (the Villa) - other than that, I'd cancel. Owners IMO, should factor the Paypal price in regardless. The last mention fee sounds a little suspicious to me.

 

[sympatico]

We have always had to pay the fee when using Pay Pal and even credit cards. Sometimes they state it in their info and sometimes they don't.

 

[AllesonWonderland]

Iim researching villas for an upcoming stay at WDW. Some owners state upfront that there is a 4% charge for credit cards. You could send an email to the owner politely saying there was no mention of any extra fees in their contract to see if they will take it off...never hurts to ask!

 

[Freaky]

I'm sure the owner will accept a check instead of payment via PayPal but this may delay confirming your dates. Another guest could take your dates before the check gets through. Even if you offer a deposit by PayPal, paying the fee (which will be pretty small on a deposit) and then send a check for the remainder.

If they don't accept checks, or you would prefer to pay via credit card, their Management Company may take the payment directly. However most MC's do charge a similar fee on credit card payments - in fact most airlines, travel companies etc also charge for credit card payments these days so owners aren't much different taking credit cards via PayPal.

 

[dougsmom98]

I may be in the minority here, but I have never been charged a fee to send a payment through paypal. I have done it twice. I also thought it was illegal to charge people an additional fee to use a credit card - if my memory serves me correct, there was a news story about this during the holidays. That being said, if you have your heart set on this home, then either pay by check to avoid the fee or I guess pay the fee. It all depends on how much you want it and if you had similar offers. I would be irritated if I were you too.

 

[Brian Noble]

It's pretty common for folks to explicitly charge fees for using a credit card (paypal or not)---even though most markets "forbid" it. Also, most VRBO owners (and similar folks) are doing this on a side, it's not a "real business", so I'm not surprised that, from time to time, they don't have everything actually on their contract.

Just look at the total price---if it's still a good price, pay it. If not, walk away. Pretty simple.

 

[djm99]

I hear what many of you are saying, but if a owners takes paypal, the price should be clear upfront. No one should be 'slapped' with extra fees - later. Even if it’s in the contract, it still looks sneaky. Be clear. Make up your price to reflect the 4% fee upfront. That way it's not confusing.

 

[spiceycat]

maybe the owner did not expect you to use Paypal - so agreed then found out they would charge him 4% - so he is just passing the costs to you.

lots of paypal people do this.


if you want to use paypal and you are going not with a business - but an individual expect to pay extra.

 

[Brian Noble]

if a owners takes paypal, the price should be clear upfront.

Well, sure, and I do. In fact, I just pay the fee out of my end of the price I quote, assuming that that's how people pay---and I don't discount if someone writes a check, because frankly, I'd rather not deal with checks.

But, each person does this a little differently, and some are more experienced than others---it doesn't mean they are being sneaky. The question is only: is the price a good one. If the extra fee makes the difference between a good price and a bad one, tell the owner that, and move on. If not, enjoy your bargain.

 

[deedeetoo]

Thanks for all the replies. It sounds like charging the fee isn't that unusual. The owner of this villa had been using a management company for several years and just started renting it out on his own. I think he just hadn't thought ahead to figure in the paypal charges. Since the price is still good, I think we will still rent this villa though I am going to recommend to him that he either increase the price to include the fee or disclose this fee earlier in the process.

 

[LegoMom3]

I may be in the minority here, but I have never been charged a fee to send a payment through paypal. I have done it twice. I also thought it was illegal to charge people an additional fee to use a credit card - if my memory serves me correct, there was a news story about this during the holidays. That being said, if you have your heart set on this home, then either pay by check to avoid the fee or I guess pay the fee. It all depends on how much you want it and if you had similar offers. I would be irritated if I were you too.

It is the person/business receiving the money that is charged a fee by PayPal, on their PayPal account. It's just part of using the service, but as others have said, the fee should just be built into their price and not added as an "Oh and by the way" at the end.

.

 

[seashoreCM]

You should not make an issue about it unless you cancel out completely and permanently also.

You don't want to get the owner upset and run into problems after you get down there.

I don't like to do deals of this kind with private parties where I have to pay up front.

 

[Brian Noble]

That's a fair position to take, but it will rule out the vast majority of direct-from-owner rentals, either houses or timeshare units. And, my experience has been this is where the best deals are. In exchange for those great prices, you have to take on a little more risk. Some are happy to take on that risk in exchange for savings, others are not.