General Help and Questions

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VRBO sync 1 reply

Celia W
Jul 11, 2022 10:57 PM
Joined Jun, 2022 13 posts

I just got my website all set up with OwnerRez and thought I'd need to get VRBO synced up before I went live.  I "added from VRBO" and the information came over.... and I didn't realize my description would change on my homepage (didn't want that).  Any way to keep these two separate on that info?

Next, I'm reading up on API Integration and I'm wondering if it's too much for a one STR. I was hoping OwnerRez would be what I needed to trigger all the emails and messages I would like to send out and that I could also deal with all inquiries in one place (no direct bookings).  But with one STR, do I need a more simple program?

Delete custom source 9 replies

Ellie A
Jul 11, 2022 5:09 PM
Joined May, 2022 4 posts

Hi Ken,

Ok, I should have read the user manual first!

I have been through and changed all the SoHo-PCB Test to SoHo-PCB and the widgets are all working now on the live domain.

I presume there is nothing wrong with having a Booking/Inquiry widget per property now that I have them there. Please let me know if this presumption is incorrect.

Thanks for you help!

 

Delete custom source 9 replies

Ken T
Jul 11, 2022 2:34 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1704 posts

Short answer: You can't currently delete a custom source.

But, we took a look at your account, and it isn't optimally configured.   It'd be easier if you did just one widget and mapped to multiple properties:

 https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/widgets#multi-property-widget 

And, the widget needs to be mapped to the new source. Some of your widgets are still linked to the test source.

Delete custom source 9 replies

Ellie A
Jul 9, 2022 12:26 AM
Joined May, 2022 4 posts

I created a custom source for when I was developing our Wordpress website which pointed to a test domain.

I created a further custom source for the live domain.

Our website is now live on its permanent domain but the custom source for the test domain is still there though the test website is not accessible.

I got an Inquiry for a booking this evening and it shows the test custom source name in the Via Listing Site column.

I can't find an option to delete the test custom source name.

If I haven't explained this very well then:

SoHo PCB Test points to Widget/Email Matching Domain mytestdomain.com

SoHo PCB points to Widget/Email Matching Domain sohopcb.com

How do I remove SoHo PCB Test?

I should add that the Wordpress Plugin points to the live domain - soho-pcb.com.

Why would the Inquiry show the Via Listing Site as SoHo PCB Test?

TIA

 

New - Stripey Colour of Blocked Off Events - very distracting 6 replies

Cheryl S
Jul 8, 2022 2:01 PM
Joined Jun, 2020 6 posts

Thanks!  Much easier on the eyes... and I can even pick an entirely different color for blocked dates.  My color and pattern sensitive brain cells are delighted.

Guest adding a night to already paid booking 5 replies

Ken T
Jul 8, 2022 12:45 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1704 posts

Here are our general instructions for extending a stay:

https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/extending-a-stay

Guest adding a night to already paid booking 5 replies

Felicia S
Jul 7, 2022 11:16 PM
Joined May, 2022 9 posts

I'm wanting to offer my guests a discount for extending their stay, or coming in a day earlier, to help cover one night gaps in my calendar. How do I go about this exactly when they have already paid for their trip up front?

 

Thanks

Felicia 

Third Party Alerts 6 replies

Dan B
Jul 7, 2022 1:32 PM
Joined Jul, 2022 2 posts

Not sure. I checked "subscribed." We'll see what happens.

Thanks!

Third Party Alerts 6 replies

BlueMtnCabins
Jul 7, 2022 12:58 PM
Joined Jun, 2016 1159 posts

On the third party alerts page, under the space for the email address, there is a selection "Subscribed" or "Unsubscribed." Subscribed to what? 

by Dan B – Jul 7, 2022 4:57 PM (UTC)

3rd party emails? 

Third Party Alerts 6 replies

Dan B
Jul 7, 2022 12:57 PM
Joined Jul, 2022 2 posts

On the third party alerts page, under the space for the email address, there is a selection "Subscribed" or "Unsubscribed." Subscribed to what? 

Junk Mail 2 replies

Ellie A
Jul 6, 2022 7:04 PM
Joined May, 2022 4 posts

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the prompt reply.

You are correct, email protocols are very old, buggy and unreliable!

We do use OR verified email.

We use very simple messages - no emojis or anything like that.

The main culprits for sending mail to Junk are Gmail and Yahoo. 

It seems email is becoming increasingly useless as a means of communicating these days!

Thanks for replying anyway....

Junk Mail 2 replies

Ken T
Jul 6, 2022 6:54 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1704 posts

Unfortunately, there is no way to be absolutely sure the emails sent to your guests won't end up in their spam folders instead.  The nature of the Internet email system originated half a century ago, and was never designed for how it's used today.  The best we can do is to work within existing systems, and lower the likelihood that your emails will be viewed as spam.

1. If you're not using the OwnerRez Verified Email system, and an email address from a domain you own, you should do so - it's a straightforward way to significantly reduce the risk of spam identification.  Free Gmail accounts are notorious for spam, so you don't want to use those if at all possible.

2. Does the content of your emails look like spam?  There are a number of testing tools and resources on the Internet you can use to see how spammy your standard emails are:

https://www.mail-tester.com/

https://blogs.constantcontact.com/how-to-avoid-spam/

3. Many email client programs include the ability to add addresses or domains to a whitelist, that the inbox knows not to flag as spam.  You can ask your guests to look into this and add yours.  However, every client is different, so they'd have to research how to do that themselves.

4. Sometimes, if your guests simply add your email address to their address book, your messages are automatically accepted.

5. Even with all of the above, anyone receiving any email can flag it as spam manually.  If you are getting regular spam complaints, perhaps the problem isn't computer systems in between, it's what your messages look like in the inbox?  For example, if you are using many emojis in your subject line, that's a hallmark of spam.

Junk Mail 2 replies

Ellie A
Jul 6, 2022 6:50 PM
Joined May, 2022 4 posts

We have verified our domain but even so many times the emails we send from OR end up in the guests' Junk/Spam mail folders.

We are now in the somewhat crazy situation of having to text everyone to ask them to check their Junk folder whenever we send out an email.

Are we doing something wrong...Is there a work around anywhere for this?

Any help appreciated!

 

7 Day discounts 1 reply

Ken T
Jul 6, 2022 2:48 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1704 posts

If you are using API connections with Airbnb and Vrbo, yes, a length-of-stay discount will also be sent there.

Unfortunately, at the present, not with Booking.com - you'd have to configure the discount directly in Booking.com control panel.

7 Day discounts 1 reply

James L
Jul 6, 2022 11:49 AM
Joined Oct, 2021 87 posts

If I apply a 7 day discount does this translate across to Airbnb, Booking and VRBO?

Arability/ Search Widget question 1 reply

Chris Hynes
Jul 3, 2022 8:26 AM
OR Team Member Joined Oct, 2012 1403 posts

You do have the widgets set up correctly, however you're using Wix which adds an extra iFrame that blocks communication between pages -- see screenshot.

This is required on Wix free plans, but if you're using a paid Wix plan you may be able to get them to remove that outer iFrame that they add. Contact Wix support and see if they can help. If they give you steps to remove the iFrame, let us know so we can document it for others!

 

Damage Deposit 1 reply

Ken T
Jul 2, 2022 1:07 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1704 posts

Most likely, that's because you had existing bookings with the security deposit required.  Turning that off affects new bookings, but not already-existing ones.

Damage Deposit 1 reply

Derrick S
Jul 2, 2022 10:50 AM
Joined May, 2022 6 posts

Hello, we have disabled damage deposits but guests are still prompted for pay a damage deposit when they sign the rental agreement.  What am I missing?

Arability/ Search Widget question 1 reply

LivingItUpHawaii
Jul 1, 2022 3:17 PM
Joined Jun, 2022 11 posts

Can you please point me in the right direction about what I'm doing wrong?

 

On my Home page, I added the Availability/ Property Search widget http//:www.livingituphawaii.com  I only want the search bar to be on my home page and results open on my other page Konavacation rentals. 

My widget on the home page Show results on a different page www.livingituphawaii.com/konavacationrentals ,  it does redirect me to the proper page but does not show the available properties.  What I'm I supposed to insert on the www.livingituphawaii.com/konavacationrentals page to make it work?.  

 

Thank you . 

 

New - Stripey Colour of Blocked Off Events - very distracting 6 replies

Shawn H
Jul 1, 2022 10:15 AM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2021 289 posts

You can now adjust the setting to suit your preferences! app.ownerrez.com/account/preferences

Is there a feature to set guest arrival dates to at least seven days apart? 2 replies

Mitchell C
Jun 30, 2022 5:50 PM
Joined Jan, 2019 18 posts

That's sort of what I'm doing now with a six-night minimum and a required gap of one night. How can I make that required gap variable based on how many nights they stay?

In other words:

  • a six or greater night stay would have a required gap of one
  • a five-night stay would have a required gap of two
  • a four-night stay would have a required gap of three

Is there a feature to set guest arrival dates to at least seven days apart? 2 replies

Ken T
Jun 30, 2022 5:22 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1704 posts

Yes, you can require a gap of a specified number of nights in between each booking:

https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/property-availability-rules#changeover

Option to "Pay in Full" or "Make Payments" 1 reply

Ken T
Jun 30, 2022 5:16 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1704 posts

If a guest writes in and wants to pay early, you most likely already have their card on file from the first payment, so, you can just go to the Transactions tab and collect a payment of the remaining balance right then and there.  When the normally scheduled time arrives, there won't be a balance due, so no additional payment will be taken.

Is there a feature to set guest arrival dates to at least seven days apart? 2 replies

Mitchell C
Jun 30, 2022 5:06 PM
Joined Jan, 2019 18 posts

I just found out my condo association doesn't allow anything less than a weekly rental. They don't care if my bookings are less than a week, but they're telling me I cannot have more than one booking in a seven-day time period. I initially thought about having a fixed arrival day, but some people like to arrive on Saturday, some on Sunday.

To adjust for this, I'm currently setting a minimum stay to six nights with a forced turnover gap of one night. I would like to set my minimum nights to four or five.

The feature I think I'm looking for is a way to set my guests' arrival dates to at least seven days apart. Is that possible?

Option to "Pay in Full" or "Make Payments" 1 reply

UstlcRentals
Jun 30, 2022 4:38 PM
Joined Oct, 2021 54 posts

Is there a way to offer the option to either pay in full now or make payments? Often I have guests contact me after booking, before their second payment is scheduled to run, asking if there is a way to go ahead and pay the balance they owe. They generally prefer to pay up front, but I love being able to offer the payment option and so any help or guidance in the matter would be great!!

 

Thanks in an advance, 

Lacey

Damage Protection Insurance & Airbnb API 1 reply

Ken T
Jun 29, 2022 11:22 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1704 posts

Generally, we do not recommend setting up a special charge for damage protection, but rather, building it into your rates as a cost of doing business.

However, if you do choose to add a special fee, remember that Airbnb only recognizes surcharges with a description using certain specific names:

https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/channel-management-api-integrations-airbnb-common-issues-questions#surcharges

Damage Protection Insurance & Airbnb API 1 reply

Felicia S
Jun 29, 2022 11:07 PM
Joined May, 2022 9 posts

I have the damage protection set up on all my channels. Which right now, are only 2. Direct bookings and Airbnb. 
For my DB's I pass that $13 charge onto the guest total, However, I do not see that charge passed onto Airbnb guests when they book. How do I create the surcharge on Airbnb's end? so that the guests booking from ABNB also have to pay the $13?

Thanks, 

Felicia

VRBO and card authorisation? 4 replies

James L
Jun 28, 2022 11:58 AM
Joined Oct, 2021 87 posts

As it turned out it was a coincidence. All sorted now.

VRBO and card authorisation? 4 replies

James L
Jun 28, 2022 9:29 AM
Joined Oct, 2021 87 posts

Would the VRBO channel bridge issue interfere with Credit Card authorisation? I'm API'd but had a VRBO booking today that hasn't processed due to 'Card received, but authorization failed'.

 

I'd be grateful for any help.

Additional Guest Surcharge not working through Airbnb API integration 2 replies

Ken T
Jun 27, 2022 12:46 PM
OR Team Member Joined Aug, 2019 1704 posts

There can be a number of reasons for this, so, it's best to reach out to the Helpdesk so we can take a look.