With all the uncertainty in the world today, people are longing for an escape. A change from the day-to-day scenery, a break from stay-at-home and quarantine orders. But certain vacation rental websites got some very bad press about their Covid-19 cancellation policies. So much so that many potential guests are now afraid to book a vacation for fear of losing their money should they have to cancel.
At JZ Vacation Rentals, we hear and understand your concerns. We’d like to take this opportunity to explain how we managed cancellations due to Covid-19.
During the latter part of March and much of April, we lost the majority of our reservations. We refunded nearly every guest 100%. As a company, we have a strong moral compass. We decided very early on that we would not put profit above compassion for any of our guests. We are in this business for the long haul and putting money before people is not part of our brand and the legacy we want to create.
The Aftermath
Still, there were problems.
The “perfect storm” of events surrounding those mass cancellations presented us with challenges we had never faced before.
Our third-party credit card processing company was completely overwhelmed with refund requests and simply could not process them all in a timely manner. Unfortunately, many of our guests were subjected to longer than usual waiting times for refunds.
We kept in frequent contact with our vendor, but there was little we could do to speed up the process. We appreciate everyone’s patience and apologize for any inconvenience these wait times caused.
All in all, it was a confusing and stressful time for all of us.
Post Covid-19 Cancellation Policies
Now that the worst of the cancellations are over, we have gone back to our pre-virus cancellation policy, which is as follows:
- Guests pay a 50% deposit on all reservations
- The balance is due 15 days prior to check-in
- If a guest cancels their reservation more than 7 days from check-in, they will receive a 100% refund
- If the guest cancels their reservation less than days from check-in, they will receive a 50% refund.
Trust and Transparency
Here, at JZ Vacation Rentals, we try hard to foster an environment of trust and transparency with our guests, our owners, and our staff.
One of the best ways we know how to do this is with education. The more transparent we are, the more trust we build. The more trust we build, the more loyalty our guests, owners, and staff feel.
And that’s a win-win for everyone.
If you have any questions about any of our company policies, we urge you to reach out and ask us. We’re here to answer all your questions and as always, provide you with the “best in class” service.
We look forward to welcoming you and your family to one of our luxury vacation rental properties. Please feel confident in the knowledge that we have taken every precaution to keep you and your family safe during these uncertain times. Please review our Covid-19 cleaning procedures.