Would this make you suspicious or wonder???

[CrazyDisneyMommy1]

We are interested in renting a house. We have done this 6 times before with no problems. We found one this time and I was going to do a bank transfer but couldn't do it as I am in Canada and the owner is in the UK. I then asked if I could pay by credit card as it is on the vrbo website that they take it and it gives me more security. They said no they don't take credit card and they need to take that off the website.????? They asked if I would send a check. I said no and it also cost me $30.00 for each check that I will have to send to them do to the currency exchange. They said they would do paypal very recutantly, but are letting me know what it will cost them each time. But isn't it a right off for them and part of their business???? I don't know???

 

[MAKHayes-DisneyDiva]

We are interested in renting a house. We have done this 6 times before with no problems. We found one this time and I was going to do a bank transfer but couldn't do it as I am in Canada and the owner is in the UK. I then asked if I could pay by credit card as it is on the vrbo website that they take it and it gives me more security. They said no they don't take credit card and they need to take that off the website.????? They asked if I would send a check. I said no and it also cost me $30.00 for each check that I will have to send to them do to the currency exchange. They said they would do paypal very recutantly, but are letting me know what it will cost them each time. But isn't it a right off for them and part of their business???? I don't know???

Hmmm...sounds weird. Even if they are honest, they don't seem to be very easy to deal with.

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

I'm sure you can find a comparable house with much more accomodating owners. It this economy people should be willing to accept your money more easily

 

[CrazyDisneyMommy1]

Thank you for your posts. I was wondering if it was just me, but it seemed odd.

 

[Brian Noble]

I don't think it is at all unusual---I've rented from owners before who strongly preferred checks.

But, if you'd rather not then you'd rather not. There are plenty of fish in the sea.

 

[gqchicago]

We prefer checks and would give a discount for someone who pays by check, but also take Paypal, Credit Cards, you name it, the name of the game is being easy to do business with! Plus, Visa will protect you, if something happens and you had a problem, they would be on your side if say, the home wasn't there or the owner ran off with the funds, send a check and you are on your own. And good luck trying to collect from someone in another country! I'd use a credit card or Paypal (paypal = same thing basically), and if they complain about the fees, well, too bad. Oh, it's illegal in Florida to pass along credit card fees to a guest so don't let them do this to you! (but perfectly legal to offer a discount for check / cash payment which is why we do this instead) Paypal and credit card companies charge the owners 3-4% of every transaction, which is expensive, and why owners prefer cash or check. However, you are right in saying it is a write off, and it is a cost of doing business. Same thing happens to a store merchant every time you use your credit card, how many stores do you shop at these days that don't accept credit cards though? (and debit cards are cheaper for the merchant, so I'm usually nice and try and use debit instead of credit if given the choice, it costs the merchant less).

 

[CrazyDisneyMommy1]

We prefer checks and would give a discount for someone who pays by check, but also take Paypal, Credit Cards, you name it, the name of the game is being easy to do business with! Plus, Visa will protect you, if something happens and you had a problem, they would be on your side if say, the home wasn't there or the owner ran off with the funds, send a check and you are on your own. And good luck trying to collect from someone in another country! I'd use a credit card or Paypal (paypal = same thing basically), and if they complain about the fees, well, too bad. Oh, it's illegal in Florida to pass along credit card fees to a guest so don't let them do this to you! (but perfectly legal to offer a discount for check / cash payment which is why we do this instead) Paypal and credit card companies charge the owners 3-4% of every transaction, which is expensive, and why owners prefer cash or check. However, you are right in saying it is a write off, and it is a cost of doing business. Same thing happens to a store merchant every time you use your credit card, how many stores do you shop at these days that don't accept credit cards though? (and debit cards are cheaper for the merchant, so I'm usually nice and try and use debit instead of credit if given the choice, it costs the merchant less).

Well that's what I thought. I had my own retail business for years and never asked a customer to pay the fees for me. I feel more secure with using Paypal or Credit Card... like you said.

Now I am not sure what to do....
We don't leave till May... but would like to get this house thing done as it gets overwhelming.
We have rented a few 6 bedroom homes when we had a larger group and a couple 3 bedroom condos. But this time we wanted a house with private pool. There is only 5 of us, so I only needed a 3 or 4 bedroom. Once we find someone we like I like to stay with them, but have never had a 3 or 4 bedroom house yet.

Hope we find something that we feel comfortable with. I really appreciate customer service and this one has left a bad feeling, so I am pretty unsure about it.. Gut feeling says keep looking.

I need to stay in a budget as well as this was a spur of the moment trip.
We just went in July and Christmas, but thought one more time out of our first time AP'S.

Now I feel like we have to start house hunting again........