Rental home help

[FLeisure]

100%Disney,
If you are coming at Christmas then the chances of finding a house to move to if you are unhappy are very low. Having said that, the chances of you being dissatisfied are also very low !

Have to say that already a lot of our larger homes are being booked for Christmas so you'll have to move quickly if you want a 5, 6 or 7 bedroom home.

Elite - there are about 30 companies with the name Elite all doing the same thing.......do you have the precise name ?

 

[100%Disney]

FLeisure- We are looking for 5/22-6/2, the email address of this company is Elitevacationhomes.com. Thanks for the info.

 

[Shardeblil]

I thought that you said you wanted Christmas dates?

Have you thought of going direct to an owner, this is a personal service, admittedly they cannot move you from one home to the other, but if you ask all the questions that you feel that you need to know and most owners love talking about their properties, and then decide on a home that suits you best, you would not need to change homes.

Just a thought

 

[100%Disney]

Thanks, I am looking into both options. I was hesitant about not having a management company at first, but by reading the boards I feel much better. My only real concern now is about what the crowds will be like over the Memorial week, since our stay will fall durig that time. Any advice would be appreciated. Will we need to be concerned because we will be driving instead of using the Disney buses?

 

[BonnieA]

I have rented twice from elitevacationhomes. Both times it was a positive experience. The homes were beautiful. At the time I needed a liberal cancellation policy and they have that.

 

[FLeisure]

100%Disney,
Have to confess to being a bit confused as your original post was talking about Christmas !

As regards MC v homeowner...it really makes little difference who you book with as long as you check everything out. Personally I think you are better protected if you use an MC but it is essential that if you book with a homeowner that they have a local MC in case of problems.

Having checked out the elite site I can inform you that they are a reputable company. Although we are competitors to some degree, it is nice to be able to recommend them.

Crowds.....have no fears ...even at the busiest time of year getting around is really easy. Sound to me as if someone is trying to scare you ! Having your own vehicle gives you more flexibility and you won't be having to wait around for a bus ! Memorial weekend can be busy but you won't experience any problem...and remember...there's more to this place than Disney !

 

[FLeisure]

BonnieA,
Interested in your comments and I am always open to listening to ways to improve my business. Could you explain what you mean in regard to the cancellation policy ?

The way we operate is that we take a $200 deposit and if you have reason to cancel then we hold the $200 open for a year so that you can rebook. I'd really be interested in everyone's opinions on this please.

In giving your opinion, please bear in mind the need to be fair to everyone. These homes are all owned by private indiviudals and any cancellation means that they lose out twice....a) by the lost income from the booking and b) by losing the chance to book to someone else.

We've considered many ways in which to handle this delicate matter and would really appreciate any feedback on our policy.

 

[BonnieA]

With elitevacationhomes you pay one night deposit and if you cancel with 7 days notice you receive the deposit back. That's it, pure and simple. You pay for your complete rental when you arrive.
I had elderly parents and couldn't risk a large deposit or not getting it back if something unexpected happened.
I do understand that private owners can't always extend such liberal policies so that's why I chose elite.
About your policy of holding $200. I wouldn't risk that. If I had a legitimate excuse for cancelling I would want my money back. Who knows when I would be able to schedule another trip.

 

[FLeisure]

BonnieA,

Thanks for that - much appreciated. Please note that we always refund the deposit if a guest has a legitimate excuse no matter how much notice is given. What happens if you cancel within 7 days with Elite ? I think we may be able to review things based on 7 days as we then have time to rebook the home out.

 

[BonnieA]

FLeisure:
Not sure what happens with less than 7 days but if you are a no-show you are only charged one night. I was just thankful that I didn't have to cancel and if I had to cancel with only one day I would have gladly given up my one night deposit ($75).

You say your company might be flexible about the deposit if it is 7 days away but if you don't state that on your website people won't know it and it will chase some like me away. But then maybe you wouldn't be so flexible in slow times like early Dec or January when I usually go because the house may not rent again.

Just my own thoughts.

 

[FLeisure]

Bonnie,
It's a difficult one to be honest. We desperately try to be fair to the guest, the homeowner and ourselves but sometimes it's not always possible.

I will review our policy as a result of your post as we do need to keep ourselves flexible.

 

[100%Disney]

Sorry my original post confused you, our last trip was this past Christmas, that is when we experienced the problems with being crunched into a tiny hotel room. Our next trip, hopefully will be in May. We are also looking at another Christmas trip for 2003, my parents live in Tampa. As far as cancellation policies, I understand that homeowners need to be compensated, I have a 2 year old right now, they get sick and you can't drive 10 hours with a very sick child. If she were older, I wouldn't be so concerned about the deposits. I've even looked at a few that offer trip cancellation insurance, if you cancel you are only out the cost of the insurance. I have no intentions of cancelling if I can help it. Both my husband and I are dealing with members of our family who have been gravely ill over the past few years also. It's nothing personal, I just need to be flexible.