Booking Through Owners Direct Website

[Budlet]

I am about to book a villa via this website. The price given is in sterling but the owner of the villa needs a 30% deposit of 750 euros paid in to a Spanish bank account. There is only one review for this villa and nobody to contact on the website other than the villa owner. Something is bothering me about this. Has anyone used this website before and what was your experience of it?

[Prudie]

I have used it loads (and have never left reviews) and have often had to transfer a deposit in euros to the owners account. It's pretty easy if you have online banking or you can go into your branch and do it. The whole point of the site is you contact the owners directly. There will always be the odd bad apple but on the whole it's a very well known and trusted site. It's replicated under another name of Home Away too. If you're really concerned then ring the owner.

[Budlet]

Thanks very much for your quick reply. Much appreciated.

[gingejbee]

Look on trustpilot.....looks as if it's gone down the pan, recently....



https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.ownersdirect.co.uk

[Dogsbody2]

I used it for the first time last year for the first time, and discovered the same issues that you are now describing.
Owners Direct is nothing more than a marketing portal, a virtual front end sales window, if you like.
Your contract (and you should ask for one) is with either a local sales and management company employed by the owner, or with the owner himself.
When I discovered this, the only way I would deal with it was by payment by CC, thus protecting my money if default.
I would be wary of villas that I could not establish a clear set of feedback from, I.e. Tripadvisor or similar, to try ensure unit quality. There are many reputable deals, but there may be sharks.
Beware below the advertised price `extras` like cleaning fees at 100 euros.

[jno]

there are a lot of online complaints; apparently it's open to exploitation by scammers.

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/aug/23/holiday-book-online-owners-direct-homeaway-scam

That doesn't mean it's all crooked; but you should be careful. "If in doubt, don't" is probably good advice.

[Zacs-Master]

30% deposit is €750 euros? Must be a helluva villa, or you're going for a long time. Anyway.....never had a problem with Owners Direct.

[-SharonA-]

They were on BBC holiday rip off last week. They don't check whether the villas are genuine making it easy to get scammed. They recommended using Google image to see if the picture you have of the villa is not a stock picture.

[Dogsbody2]

As I said, Sharon, it is nothing more than a marketing portal. The modern version of a postcard in the newsagent's window, with no control by Owners Direct over what is being advertised.
A typical price of a decent 3 bed villa in the main summer season in Europe is over 2000 Euros per week; 750 Euros will be a week.

[Maydup]

I would be cautious and research further on this particular villa. The site is open to allcomers, some of whom are genuine and reputable, others will be a scam. There are stories of at worse there being no villa, or there being a miserable apartment with no hot water and a hard bed.

So use the site by all means, but try to find a villa that has good reviews elsewhere and some photos from users. Its not worth the risk otherwise, not only could you lose your money, but you could end up in Spain with nowhere to stay.

[murraymints]

I would not touch it with a barge pole..go for something with plenty of reviews..