How do you pay when booking independently?

littlereddevil

This seems very expensive for a studio room in Greece. Have you done your research ?

Mark_Hewitt

Always pay by credit card and *only* credit card. If they don't take it, walk away.

dzug1

Frances63 wrote: »

Thanks everyone, our lady will accept 150 euros deposit and the balance in cash on arrival! I'm quite relieved, really.

I feel much better about it now. I have seen a couple of reviews for these studios on holidaywatchdog.com and they were both good (5/5) so I think they'll be fine.

Have considered sending money via Moneygram/thomas Cook rather than Western Union. However, I don't want to confuse our greek lady. Obviously she's done the Western Union thing before & knows where to pick up the cash etc. I'm not sure if she would have to set up a new account for Moneygram? I don't want to put her to extra trouble.

Western Union have rather more agents than Moneygram/Thos Cook so that could cause a problem if there isn't one near her. She wouldn't need a new 'account', just to make a different journey, maybe long distance.

In terms of 'safety' there's nothing to choose between them

If you are satisfied that the lady is genuine then Western Union will be fine. If not, there isn't really another method that will help.

eslick

we used paypal the last couple of time, the last time we had to tell the owner how to do it think we are under the impression that as we paid by credit card we had some cover but read something on here the other week that suggested otherwise.

dzug1

eslick wrote: »

we used paypal the last couple of time, the last time we had to tell the owner how to do it think we are under the impression that as we paid by credit card we had some cover but read something on here the other week that suggested otherwise.

The credit card does not protect paypal payments - only those direct to the seller. Is that what you are thinking of?

Russ66

littlereddevil wrote: »

This seems very expensive for a studio room in Greece. Have you done your research ?

+1 . . . . . . . . . :eek:

davidlizard

Been to a fair few Greek islands over the last dozen or so years, and always travel independently.

On the occasions we book ahead, it is usual to pay a couple of nights deposit only, never the full whack in advance. They normally want it paid via a bank transfer, from my bank account to their bank account - they give us their IBAN number. A few will also take deposits on credit cards. However in recent years, the trend appears to be them not wanting any deposit whatsoever, and simply pay when we leave - they generally trust us to (a) turn up and (b) not do a runner!

Certainly once they know you, they will not want deposits in subsequent years - they are in general a fairly trusting lot.

However, I recommend if going in September, is to simply arrive and find somewhere to stay when you get there (or book just a couple of nights). You can check the place out before you take it, and haggle a good price. And move somewhere else if you want to.

(A decent studio room in Greece in September, I would expect to pay around €25-€35 per night for the room, which would include telly, air conditioning, balcony and fridge/cooking facilities. This can vary from island to island - islands that are visited by droves of package tourists tend to be about 20% more expensive. Certain islands, Santorini/Mykonos in particular can easily be double that.)

eslick

dzug1 wrote: »

The credit card does not protect paypal payments - only those direct to the seller. Is that what you are thinking of?

yeah think so, we pay the seller and there are two choices, think it says pay for services or good we choose goods. So as we paid with credit card if something happened with the seller we could claim back from the credit card but there was a discussion on MSE that as you are paying paypal this means that arent covered by the credit card. Which does sound right but....

andygb

About fifteen years ago, we stayed at a superb farmhouse b & b in France, and we did not pre book and paid at the end of our stay - everything was great. So, a couple of years ago, we booked over the net to stay at the same place, but luckily did not have to pay a deposit. It was just as well, because the room this time around was terrible, so we made a plausible excuse, paid for the one night and moved on somewhere else.
If it is possible, then leave paying until your stay is ended, and if you are not happy with anything, then make a quick decision to say something immediately.
Hope you have a good time,
Andy

Frances63

littlereddevil wrote: »

This seems very expensive for a studio room in Greece. Have you done your research ?

Don't worry, we did loads of research. 420 euros for 2 weeks is 30 euros per night. For a studio apartment near the beach in our favourite resort, wth kitchenette, bathroom, balcony etc. It works out about £12 each per night at current exchange rate. We've shopped around and that's good for this location.

(The exchange rate is rubbish of course, but that affects everything, not just these apartments).