Chargebacks in Vacation Rental Sector
Chargebacks are the exception to the rule and not the norm, but are unfortunately on the increase in vacation rental.
It can be frustrating when one dedicates one’s time, efforts and resources to offer the best service possible, only to find after the stay that the payment made by the guest to the agency has been reimbursed to the guests: in the agency’s opinion, unjustifiable or fraudulently.
A chargeback occurs when a cardholder orders their bank to reject/reclaim a payment previously realised. Chargebacks in the vacation rental sector can occur because the client considers that they have not obtained the service they contracted, or for the simple fact of bad faith or fraud. Remember there are measures to prevent chargebacks.
How to prevent chargebacks with dissatisfied customers?
To avoid this first scenario, we should ensure that the image we sell of our properties and services exceeds expectation. If we do not achieve that, the key to reversing these types of chargebacks is having all the services which we and the property offer well-detailed. Having such images and documentation which shows the high quality of our services and their correct state can help us demonstrate to the banking entities that in such cases, the client is not correct.
The key to reversing these types of chargebacks is having all the services which we and the property offer well-detailed
4 Ways to Prevent Chargebacks that Are Fraudulent
Prevent chargebacks is more complicated, but not impossible.
The majority of fraudulent chargebacks in the vacation rental sector come from bookings made with a falsified card. They tend to be of a higher amount, made at the last minute, for a stay below 30 days.
To prevent chargebacks of this type, it is advisable to follow these measures:
All of the measures could be considered barriers to conversion. However, they are measures which the tourist will accept in the majority of cases. Usually, only those who have had untoward intentions would refuse such reasonable requests.
Following these 4 measures we can avoid the client paying with another person’s card, without that 2nd party not truly relating to the stay. Even if the fraudulent party gets away with it, bank cards usually have an insurance which in many cases covers charges made with stolen cards.
Avoid repeat offenders using the Vacation Rental Software
To help avoid repeat offenders in fraudulent chargebacks, the Vacation Rental Software allows you inside the Customer profile to select a “Customer Category” as “Disruptive” or “Excluded”, and notes can be made inside the profile. If you’ve had such problems with a guest, these records can be kept and used to prevent any repeat.
Whilst they may require additional effort, following the above measures will pay dividends in the long-term to avoid such negative experiences. Here at Avantio we continue to work to reduce the likelihood of this happening, and plan to roll out several new functionalities which will reduce the likelihood of such instances – watch this space!
