Is it just me

[Boiling a frog]

Guest wishing to book:

Initial enquiry     Will we be able to hear the baby if it is in the house and we are at the swimming pool

Enquiry 2          If we are on the patio or living room can we see the children playing on the swings in the garden.

Enquiry 3         Are you on a flightpath

Enquiry 4         What king of dogs do you have ,our children are frightened of big dogs.

Answer           Swimming pool about 5 metres from living room,swings are easily seen from patio,no we are not on a flightpath unless you count 38000 ft

                       Small dogs yorkshire terriers..

 

They then book.

This week    send them directions         latest enquiry       What kind of cot is it a travel cot or proper cot,are sides enclosed,what height are the sides,what size is it can you send a photo.

Photo sent   

Latest enquiry  what type of mattress, how thick is it[:-))]  

I just wonder what the next question will be.

[cassis]

Good luck, Boiling a Frog.  I'm sure I turned these people down when they were looking for a one night stopover (groan) en route to the Charente.  Has she mentioned being allergic to anything yet and specified the contents of the welcome basket she expects?  [:D]

[woolybananasbrother]

No experience of BnB of course but you haven't had any questions about types of materials as "My child is allergic to ... wool, cotton, man made fibres, latex, food except spaghetti sloops, sex ....." . Happy people really.

[cassis]

Have you been asked to recommend local restaurants and quizzed over distances, BAF? 

What's the cost of a meal for 5 and what will be on the children's menu?

Can children eat free?

You do provide a free babysitting service, don't you?

Do you disinfect your gite BBQ daily?  Someone's bound to get food poisoning and it'll be your fault. [:-))]

[Boiling a frog]

Now you mention it we were asked in the initial enquiry how far the nearest supermarket was.

We have also been asked,by other guests, for a hotel recommendation between Calais and Paris,as a stopover on their way to us.After all only about 400miles away ,just round the corner.

[Russethouse]

Some of these questions seem to be relevant to the Madeleine McCann case. I think someone is being very, very cautious

[Val_2]

Bring back the good old days when you got what you booked via a description and enjoyed the "challenge" of something a bit different or not quite upto scratch. People are far too fussy now and have litigation first and foremost on their minds if its not what they dreamed of. Glad I don't rent holiday property, I would have battered someone by now I think.

[Just Katie]

Val, I was thinking the same.  Someone would definitely get the frying pan.  You have to be the right type of person to run this sort of business and dont they earn every penny.

RH,  I would hardly call these people cautious and agree with puzzled.  I remember getting mine bathed and in their babygrows  to go out in the evening whilst on holiday. They always came with us.  I remember the great feeling of freedom when they fell asleep and we could spend the last few hours in peace [:)]

[oscar]

I have a rule.  If I receive more than 5 emails asking questions (new ones each time) I suggest that they find somewhere more suited to their needs.  I just don't need the hastle that this type of person invariably gives you.

[Gastines]

A fiver they were English.

Having now finished with B&B and de-registered ,we used to have about 50% French 40% Italians 6%Europe elsewhere and the remainder UK. The 96% from Europe were less trouble.

Regards.

[Callie]

We have simplified our life :  we don't take young children (roughly not under 8 yrs !)  Those that we have had up to now have been delightful, like their parents.  We don't have a pool of any description so I guess that helps.....

However, what we have learnt is that the more seemingly 'searching' questions that are asked before booking (the type you mention, BAF) the more likely they are to be, er, a bit difficult. [:(]   Sometimes it seems that no matter how clearly you state what is and what isn't included in the price, there will always be someone trying to get something extra.

Life was a lot easier when people weren't trying to travel first class with a second class ticket !

[cassis]

[quote user="oscar"]I have a rule.  If I receive more than 5 emails asking questions (new ones each time) I suggest that they find somewhere more suited to their needs.  I just don't need the hastle that this type of person invariably gives you.[/quote]

Blimey - another graduate of the Miki school of B&B!  [:D]

Recently applied this rule and was told by the lovely lady that she was going to report me to Gites de France, the AA and anyone else she could think of for our appalling customer service, including reporting us to a mysterious body to which she referred as "the chambre d'hotes web site". 

Worst of all, she said she would not be recommending us to her friends.  Bums.  To think I'll be missing out on her friends as well.

I'm crying in my cups as I type. [B]

[cassis]

[quote user="Callie"]

However, what we have learnt is that the more seemingly 'searching' questions that are asked before booking (the type you mention, BAF) the more likely they are to be, er, a bit difficult. [:(]   Sometimes it seems that no matter how clearly you state what is and what isn't included in the price, there will always be someone trying to get something extra.

[/quote]

Hear, hear. [:)]

[YCCMB]

We've stopped renting for all the reasons already described. Like others I've turned away people who couldn't stop asking questions. I made a point when describing our property of saying it was between 2 working dairy farms, to allow people who hate cows, cow smells,cow noises etc to decide to go elsewhere, but my classic question was being asked how far EXACTLY from the house the cows were actually milked, because the woman's husband was asthmatic. Then there was "how many people can sit on your sofa at one time?" (I dunno - how big are they?)  And the woman who called me at 6pm UK time on a Friday night because the pool was going green (turned out they'd switched the heat exchanger on and the water was a "comfortable" 30-odd degrees) and then started saying they'd want a refund because no-one came to sort it out the same evening(Ha! in France?), in spite of the fact that it hammered it down with rain for their entire stay....but then my friend popped round to see how they were getting on, only to find them all sitting by the pool.......

Oh, and the people who claimed that the security gate to the pool had "broken" (all by itself) and taken a large chunk of the dallage with it, and then left  us €10 towards the cost of buying a new polystyrene bodyboard because they'd broken one of ours (€15 from Leclerc) but NOTHING to cover the cost of the gate. OK, we could've kept some of their deposit....They also left a list of all the things that were broken when they arrived (a window pane in the kitchen which we knew about, and one of the gas rings on the hob which only lights with a lighter and not automatically) so that we wouldn't claim it was them, but still the one valuable thing they DID break wasn't their fault, oh no.

I'm ranting now. Sorry.[:$]

[Gastines]

Should get interesting by the end of the season but are we all talking UK visitors?

Regards.

[Gastines]

Dear Boiling a Frog,

I have just read your posting and think you must be a saint, hopefully your patience and good humour will pay off in the end. We had a very similar enquiry last year and I got so exasperated I just replied to the final enquiry, one of many, that we were booked for the weeks they wanted, it then transpired that they only wanted a couple of days anyway, GRRRRR! Also, it reminded me of something which happended some years ago when we were renting out our gite. We received a phone call from someone who was a friend of a casual acquaintance of ours asking if we could take a late booking for our gite and as we had just had a cancellation due to a bereavement we said yes, we did not ask for a deposit as it was such short notice and expected their arrival a few days hence. The night before their proposed arrival we received a phone call from the wife saying that she had a flare up of her Multiple Sclerosis and was unable to come. Immediately I said 'Please don't worry about a thing, just get yourself well and perhaps we shall see you another time.' End of conversation and subject as far as we were concerned. Some weeks later we had another phone call from the lady concerned asking for a receipt for the cost of the holiday so she could claim on her insurance policy. After chatting to my husband we decided that we could not agree to this as we had not charged her a penny and when she phoned back, I explained this to her. She was very unhappy about this and explained she  would make it worth our while. We stuck to our principles as we felt this was less than honest, it had not cost her a penny, we were the losers, our only gain was realising that anyone and everyone is capable of being dishonest. Yes, I agree I too would like to make the most out of a bad situation but I draw the line at this behaviour.

Mrs Gastines.

[Boiling a frog]

Latest questions

Are there any toys available, balls or small bike,any sand to play with so I can bring bucket and spade.Ahhhhhhhhh

[YCCMB]

We had the same question: what toys and facilities do you have for children? Swings, sandpit etc? Cot, high chair?

Which bit of "WE ARE SORRY BUT WE DON'T ACCEPT BOOKINGS FROM FAMILIES

WITH CHILDREN BELOW 8 YEARS OLD"  d'you think they were having trouble

with?

[cassis]

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]We had the same question: what toys and facilities do you have for children? Swings, sandpit etc? Cot, high chair?

Which bit of "WE ARE SORRY BUT WE DON'T ACCEPT BOOKINGS FROM FAMILIES

WITH CHILDREN BELOW 8 YEARS OLD"  d'you think they were having trouble

with?[/quote]

Maybe the kids were over 8 but still needed a high chair and cot.  Don't forget that some kids are still breast feeding at 5 or 6 years old so a high chair and cot at 8 years doesn't seem too extraordinary.

[Cerise]

Anyone know which bit of afternoon 10.00 am is.  Person arriving 'late afternoon' Monday has just informed be that she is arriving 10.00 am.  Very put out that she will not be able to have room and shower at that time (well, I'll kick out the elderly couple in there at 7.00 am shall I?).  She had nerve to say that I ask guests to leave by 10.00 am so her room 'ought' to be ready!  Serve her right if I don't change the sheets or clean the loo before I put her in there and lock door and lose key!

[cassis]

Arriving at 10.00am?  Where is she coming from?  Is it your next door neighbour?

If it weren't for the fact it's a Monday arrival, when we get requests like that I smell a wedding party and some friends in tow, who are not actually staying but who will pop up to see the room and have a shower, too - an old wedding party trick.  We don't do weddings any more.  [:D]

[Boiling a frog]

Have replied re latest request. By coincidence we have a large pile of sand in our garden for building work we are doing so we will call it a sand pit for these visitors

I await the next query with fear and trepidation

[Catalpa]

[quote user="Boiling a frog"]

I await the next query...

[/quote]

So do we. [6] I'm enjoying this topic. [:D]

[cassis]

Me and my big mouth.  Yesterday had a request for two rooms from a couple with two children for one night, which I declined as it was for one night and a Saturday at that.  Response in today.

---

From: xxx

[mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: 11 July 2008 16:04

To: yyy

Subject: RE: Enquiry

Form

 

BONJOUR,

NOUS VENONS POUR UN MARIAGE ET

POUVONS ALORS RESERVER LE VENDREDI ET LE SAMEDI ... CA NOUS OBLIGERA A VENIR

PLUS TOT ET NE PAS COURRIR. PAR CONTRE CE SERAIT SYMPA DE POUVOIR ETRE CHEZ VOUS

AVEC MA SOEUR.. NOUS SERIONS 9...4 ADULTES ET 5 ENFANTS + DE 12 ANS.JE NE SAIS

SI VOUS AVEZ D'AUTRES CHAMBRES OU SI LES ENFANTS PEUVENT SE DEBROUILLER AVEC DES

MATELAS OU UNE TENTE? NOUS NE SOMMES PAS TRES COMPLIQUES, JUSTE ENVIE DE SE

RETROUVER EN FAMILLE ET SUREMENT RETOUR TARD DU MARIAGE DE NOTRE COUSINE A

MORTAGNE JE CROIS. MERCI DE ME REPONDRE EN ME DONNANT VOS POSSIBILITES ET

PRIX.

HAVE A GOOD DAY!! 

So - instead of four people, that's now 4 adults and 5 kids in a chambres d'hôtes whose capacity is 7 people maximum.  If we don't happen to have any other rooms that we forgot to mention on our website, then the kids will go in a tent.  And it's for a bleeping marriage. 

I think not.

[Clair]

[quote user="cassis"][...] So - instead of four people, that's now 4 adults and 5 kids in a chambres d'hôtes whose capacity is 7 people maximum.  If we don't happen to have any other rooms that we forgot to mention on our website, then the kids will go in a tent.  And it's for a bleeping marriage.  I think not. [:D][/quote]

Sounds like the two families who called us a while back. They wanted to squeeze 6 adults, 4 children and a baby in a gite sleeping max 6 people... "the children don't really count" they said... (until there's an accident, that is [Www])