Last week, I booked flights for our Summer trip to Portugal.
As we’re going with a small group, we’re opting for a Villa…. so I hopped onto HomeAway, as I’ve booked with them before, to search something out in the Algarve.
Wow. I found a stunning villa….
- 5 beds
- Huge private pool
- Two amazing lounges – one considered a day lounge, and the other an evening one
- Indoor swim spa
And all for just £300 a night!
I was thinking… “Is this is too good to be true?”
So I contacted them to find out their availability, using the instructions given:
“Please contact us on this number via WhatsApp, as our calendar is not synced with the HomeAway calendar”.
After contacting them, I continued my search only to find the SAME property for over £1000 a night in a different location on the Algarve. Ahh-haaa – this had to be the REAL price.
I compared the two. Definitely the same.
So I contacted HomeAway and reported this to the Security Team as the first one HAD to be fraudulent.
The person at HomeAway confirmed my suspicions were very likely, given they would never allow someone to use a telephone number on their page.
And today, I found this article too, which shows how prevalent this fraudulent activity is in this market!
The person on the telephone said that should I have any concerns when booking, then just come back to them and discuss. To which I replied, “I’ve lost all trust in HomeAway, and it will be very unlikely that I will book with you”.
“I understand”, he said.
ONE THING IS FOR SURE….. CUSTOMER WILL ONLY BUY FROM THOSE COMPANIES THAT THEY KNOW, LIKE…… AND TRUST.
So how do you build TRUST with your perspective customers?
Here’s a few top tips to build into your business:
- Do what you say you will – make sure you meet expectations at the very minimum, but of course, exceeding is better ????
- Case studies, Testimonials and Reviews – new customers want to see that you have provided something fantastic to those that have gone before them.
- Guarantees – show that you take your responsibility to them as your customer seriously.
- Accreditation’s, Awards and Registrations – show your professionalism, capability and legitimacy.
- Consistency – in your brand, your staff, your messages and so on.
What else do you do that breaths TRUST into your brand? I’d love to hear.
Victoria ????
