Some people think booking direct with the owner is a cheaper way to rent a villa. We disagree on several counts, but an article in this weekend’s Daily Telegraph reveals just how risky booking direct with “the owner” can be.
A British man who used letting agency websites to con holidaymakers into booking non-existent villas on the Continent has been jailed for two years. Andrew Ryder, 47, pleaded guilty to 13 counts of fraud by false representation after stealing more than £120,000 over a year.
The article goes on to say that Reports of advertisements for non-existent villas – or for genuine properties not owned by the advertiser – on websites such as Craigslist and Gumtree rose sharply last year.
Our main issue has always been whether an owner would tell you their villa was not suitable for your needs. We often steer people away from their first choice once we find out what their key issues are, but then we have hundreds of alternatives and our key aim is customer satisfaction. People with one villa may have the main aim of filling it, but now there is the danger it may not even be their villa!
The full article can be found at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/8245572/British-man-jailed-for-holiday-villa-fraud.html
