We can not stress enough the importance of publishing and managing accurate content that includes photographs, videos, and descriptions. The last thing you want is to have a renter or potential buyer to experience is the content you published does not represent what is real.

An Unhappy Customer

On one occasion, we were contacted by a villa renter. He was upset about the quality of a villa he had rented. As a matter of fact, he was quite rude with his tone and comments. In pulling up his record that provided a history of the villas that were recommended, it was discovered this was the lowest price point. It was also noted in the record that based on his disclosed requirements, the villa was not a good choice. However, this is the one he wanted.

What Could Be Happening?

When a person rents a villa they’re committed to renting it. They will not receive a refund in the event they get there and don’t like it. The critical questions we had to ask included the following:

1. “Did the photographs on the website display an accurate representation of the villa?” His answer was “Yes.”

2. “Did the description of the villa deceive you in any way?” His answer was “No.”

3. “Is there anything we could have done or said that would have convinced you to not rent this villa? His answer was “No.”

By simply asking these three questions put us in a much stronger position. It also left us quite confused about how he could have such a change in his position so strongly to not like the villa. Then it came to us. We asked him if his wife had seen the photographs of the property before arriving. He replied, no. When she arrived she hated it. Obviously, he chose it because of the low price.

We explained to him that we could find another villa, but he would not receive a refund for the one he was in and would have to pay for the new one he was going to move to. We were able to find another villa for him, but we insisted that he and his wife visit the villa prior to agreeing to move in.

After their inspection, they agreed the new villa would work out great. Before giving them the key to the new villa, we told them we needed their credit card and required they pay in full. The credit received an authorization code, a new contract signed, and all systems were a go.

A couple of days later we checked to make sure everything was good. The problem was solved, but at a major expense to the customer. It validated to us how important it is for us to do our best to provide accurate content.

Problem Solved…or so we thought…

We thought this experience was behind us, but we were notified by the credit card company that the customer was contesting the charge for his first villa. We were fortunate to have records of the entire process and his responses to our questions. The credit card company ruled in our favor.

Be Honest with Your Clients

We have learned over the years that many agents and homeowners will do anything to rent their homes. They will work harder at deceiving and straight-up lying to clients to get them to book. What they often forget about, is that the client will be living in their home. They will find every detail that doesn’t match what they were promised and inform you about it. These are big purchases for clients and they will always look for a reason to get a refund. Our best practice is to be honest. Show your home for exactly what it is in the photographs. Have a video created as a walkthrough tour. It’s much harder to lie about your home in video. Clients will appreciate the honesty and will know it’s the perfect home for them before they walk through the doors. A repeat client is your best friend.