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Post by carolyn on Oct 15, 2015 17:25:32 GMT
Help! What do I do?? I just pre-approved someone for the weekend of 10/30. THEN, I realized I'd received an earlier message from another guest, who sent an inquiry yesterday for the same weekend! Do I remove the pre-approval for the second guest? Normally, with two inquiries for the same days, I respond to both and see who books first. But this time I screwed up -- I didn't see the earlier message from the first guest!! So, I responded to the first guest also (he sent a question), and I didn't mention that I'd already pre-approved someone else for his days! They both seem very interested. As a host, I'm at the point where I can sense that they will both end up wanting to book. YIKES!
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Post by High Priestess on Oct 15, 2015 18:25:33 GMT
Well, one way of "playing this" so that neither guest has to be told that you "screwed up", is to decide which guest you would prefer...and then work the system so that that guest gets the booking.
If you want you could preapprove both but give strong encouragement to the one you really want to book, to book quickly, saying someone else has been preapproved for the same dates (but dont' tell this to the first one you preapproved).
or, if the person you already preapproved is not the one you prefer, then go now and block out one of the days in the middle of the dates they were preapproved for. Then write to them and say that someone else sent a reservation request for those dates and so you'll have to get back to them and see if the reservation request will go through or not. THen remove their preapproval, and they won't know why their preapproval disappeared (they wont' get a note that you removed it) . Then talk to the guest you prefer, and tell them that if they want to book, you will send them a preapproval when they are ready to book. Then unblock the blocked date and send them a preapproval and hope they book fast.
ANother way to "cancel" a preapproval is by unlisting your listing temporarily WHen you unlist, any preapprovals for that listing get closed. They wont' pop up again when you re-list.
Or, you could be even sneakier. SEt up a duplicate, spare listing (always convenient to have). For the first guest, who you don't know if you want, block out one day in their dates so they can't book. Then use the duplicate listing to send a preapproval for the guest you want, for the same dates. If they book,, tell the first one someone else booked. If they don't book, go back to the first and tell them someone else was interested but you declined them.
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Post by carolyn on Oct 15, 2015 18:39:27 GMT
Omigosh thanks Deborah! Excellent advice. My error was in pre-approving guest #2, before realizing I'd gotten a second message earlier, from guest #1. I will take your advice and write to guest #2 that I have a reservation request.
I really like the advice to work from which guest I prefer. It's really strange tho! I can't determine which guest is a better booking! Guest #1 is for 4 nights, seems great, but has no reviews. He is willing to have a reference sent to me once he books.
Guest #2 has 4 great reviews but only wants to book 2 nights!!
Usually it's so easy to determine which of two bookings would be better....
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Post by High Priestess on Oct 15, 2015 18:56:39 GMT
When it's really a coin toss and I don't know which of 2 guests I want, I will just preapprove both and reason that The Gods/The Universe will decide the matter for me.
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Post by carolyn on Oct 16, 2015 1:13:26 GMT
Nicely stated, Deborah. As it turned out, Guest #1 was ready to book, so I accepted him and sent apologies to Guest #2. I told Guest #2 that it was my fault; that I shouldn't have pre-approved her in the first place, and that if she liked I could help her find something else in my neighborhood. I didn't hear back from her. I just felt so badly! I've never withdrawn a pre-approval before. I guess I don't give them out too often, which is probably a good thing. Still I felt I had to fess up, to a degree.
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Post by catchafire on Oct 16, 2015 3:46:13 GMT
When. I send a preapproval, I make sure that the guest knows that it's a first come first served deal.
Had a woman who wanted to stay for a week, fine sent her a pre approval, 24 hrs later some else booked a couple of days of the week she was planning. Which blew her plans out the water. She got upset, but nothing I could do, the ball was in her court.
You snooze you lose. (I didn't say that to her, in case your wondering)
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Post by carolyn on Oct 16, 2015 4:07:48 GMT
Hi Catchafire, yes, I also go first come first served. I just didn't check my messages carefully enough and missed that earlier message! My bad. At least it was only a pre-approval I had to rescind, rather than a booking. Oh that would have been horrible!!!
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Post by High Priestess on Oct 16, 2015 4:54:00 GMT
I actually DO say a slightly more polite version of "you snooze you lose" to prospective guests. I tell them that my preapproving them does not hold the space, that only their PAYING for the space holds the space, and that I have no idea if someone else will be interested in the same dates 4 weeks from now or 5 minutes from now. Something to that effect. Otherwise, too many newbie guests assume that if they get a preapproval, that means the space is held for them, and then get mad when they lose it. I resent being the object of their resentment so I am motivated to make things very clear to start.
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