 Poster: A snowHead
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Has anyone ever stayed in Residence Samoëns Centre, in Samoens?
I've tried to book an apartment through booking.com assuming they would take payment and secure the room etc
However after hitting the book now button, they have told me that I must deal directly with the owner of the apartment regarding payment? A bit odd, but okay...
A couple of days go by and I get an email (in French) along with a French contract to sign (seems to be signing my whole life away). Anyway, I can't speak much French so used google translate and it seems that they're asking me to post them a cheque or cash (in Euros) to arrive within the next few days (they don't accept card payments) or they'll cancel my booking and claim compensation from me :-0
They want the balance payable when I arrive (fair enough) and a EUR400 cash deposit which they keep for 60 days and return all or part of it at their discretion?!?!
Is this legit? I can only guess I've misunderstood something as their demands seem a little crazy. I sent an email asking for clarification but haven't heard back. I'm going to phone them tomorrow but the note in my booking confirmation says they only speak French.
I'm starting to worry, should I?
Cheers
AL
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I haven't stayed in Samoens, but I booked an apartment in Avoriaz four years ago through Homelidays. That involved paying the owner directly and he wanted payment by international postal order or Western Union, which sounded dodgy to me. In the end I managed to persuade him to accept a bank transfer by pointing out that Western Union themselves advised people not to use their services to send money to someone they didn't know.
He posted the keys to me after the transfer went through and it all went well in the end. I suspect that many of these types of apartments are rented to people in France for whom this is all a lot easier.
I've also had to pay a cash deposit for some places before, but I've always got it back immediately as the owner / representative checked the apartment condition as we were leaving to confirm everything was okay. I'd be worried as well if they really can hold on to your deposit for two months.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I've had a property contact me direct before for a deposit. When I checked, the booking.com info said they would.
Everything you've said above matches the information on booking.com about Residence Samoëns Centre. It says under Policies that they don't take credit cards. Under Important Information it talks about the contract and the deposit.
I think it's easy to miss this stuff. I've learned to always look out for Special Conditions on booking.com.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@The_Mac_Daddy,
Ah ok, very good location apartments. It is a pain to have to send money by post but at least it’s all legit. If you haven’t been to Samoens before, you’re in for a treat staying in the heart of the village. Hope the holiday fun cancels out the booking hassle!
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This is normal in France when dealing with individuals or rental agencies. You have to send a deposit by bank transfer - they'll send you an IBAN number and bank code.
Also, the contract is typical. Just sign it, but make sure you find out what the cancellation policy is.
You may find that someone at the agency speaks perfectly good English, but it might not be the person who answers the phone.
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