What web browsers does Bookabach/Bookastay support?

This article is for: Managers Renters

We do our best to ensure that Bookabach works best across popular web browsers and operating systems.  However, given our finite development resources,  it’s not possible for us to test and support all browsers and maintain backwards compatibility to old browsers.  Here’s a list of the browsers we support (with links to download current version):

* Microsoft Internet Explorer: Version 8.x and above - Download latest
* Mozilla Firefox: Version 3.6 and above - Download latest
* Google Chrome: All versions - Download latest
* Apple Safari (for Mac and PC): Version 5.0 and above - Download latest
* Opera: Not tested - Download latest

We do show an alert on the website if your browser is too out of date for the site to function effectively.  Sorry, we can’t offer specific recommendations on browsers (but most of us at Bookabach are Firefox or Chrome users).

Still on Microsoft IE 6? See the IE 6 countdown page from Microsoft.

How does the Inventory and Conversion Dashboard Widget work?

This article is for: Managers

The Inventory and Conversion Dashboard widget has been designed to help you, at a glance, understand your future available inventory and your historical conversion.  Here’s how it works:

Inventory

Shows the number of days available; the number of days with one more enquiries present; the number of days rented (confirmed bookings) and the number of days blocked.  The meaning of blocked depends on the setting of rental type of display:

All: blocked days are days that aren’t available for rental due to family and friend (owner) bookings.
Bookabach: blocked days are days that aren’t available for rental via Bookabach due to either family and friend bookings, or bookings from other sources.
Other: blocked days are days that aren’t available for rental via other sources due to either family and friend bookings, or bookings from Bookabach.

Conversion

Shows the percentage of rental enquiry days converted to actual stays in a historical period. Days with more than one request are counted cumulatively - so you could have 200 days enquired about in a month of only 30 days.  High conversion means you’re being effective at converting enquiries to stays.

Conversion information is filtered by the rental type:

All: Shows conversion of all rental enquiries to stays.
Bookabach: Shows conversion of Bookabach sourced bookings to stays.
Other: Shows conversion of other sourced / externally sourced bookings to stays.

I’ve received my Weekly Report. What do the numbers mean?

This article is for: Managers

If you have one or more properties on Bookabach and are the Rental Contact you will receive a weekly report.  We use this report to inform you of how your listing is performing on the website, and to let you know of any problems with your listing.

For each online property you’ll see the following fields:

Search views: How many times your listing has appeared in search results this month.

Listing views: How many times your detailed full-page listing has been viewed this month.

Enquiries: The number of booking requests and questions received this month so far.

Total Shortlisted: The total number of times your property has been added to a shortlist by members so far (not just this month).

Check list: A green tick means the check list is complete for this property.  A red cross means you have check list items to attend to.  Go to Dashboard to view the detailed checklist.  Point are added to your property score for a completed check list - so it’s worth spending the time to sort out any problems.

How does the website re-size and manage photos?

This article is for: Managers

The images you upload are automatically re-sized for use on the website. Because screen resolutions have improved over time, we record the maximum size we have each image stored at. This helps us decide how to display images, and in some case whether we can show an image or not.

If you have images that are shown as XL or smaller you should take time to replace or re-upload them. This ensures you have the best quality pictures displayed with your listing.

What does POA mean? (for owners/managers)

This article is for: Managers

POA stands for “Price On Application”.  If your listing is showing POA for pricing, then this means you either don’t have a tariff assigned for the dates in question, or the tariff assigned does not have a price set.

See this help article on How to Edit Pricing.

How do I hide or show availability on my listing?

This article is for: Managers

We encourage you to keep your calendar up to date with the state of all future bookings.  We endeavour to make the website as quick and easy as possible to do this.  However, we can’t force you to do it.  We understand that you may choose not to keep Bookabach up to date.  In this case we ask that you DISABLE the availability information on your listing to help set expectations on the website.

To do this:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2) Go to Property Settings > Preferences. 
3) Select the relevant property, if you’ve got more than one.
4) Untick the check-box labelled “Show availability”.
5) Click the “Save” button.

To ENABLE display of availability on your listing, tick the check-box and save.

Note that on the Performance Plan you are obliged to let us know which bookings went ahead.  We’ll send you a reminder email on any “unattended” bookings and expect you to act on these emails.  Failure to act may ultimately lead to your listing being disabled and taken offline.

Will Bookabach/Bookastay ever ask me for my password? (Warning related to Phishing)

This article is for: Managers Renters

Nobody at Bookabach will ever ask you for your password - either by phone or via an email. So, be immediately suspicious if anyone claiming to be us asks for it.  It could be “phishing”.

Phishing is the act of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. The most common approach is via a “spoof” email or text message which directs a users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one.

Please be cautious: Don’t disclose your password to anyone.   If you follow a link in any email claiming to be from Bookabach please check that it goes to bookabach.co.nz - or a sub-domain (e.g. manage.*, secure.*).  Even if the page looks like Bookabach - don’t trust it!

Lastly, if you receive any email, supposedly from Bookabach, requesting you to either supply or re-enter your username/password then please contact our Support Desk straight away.

References:
Read the Wiki article on Phishing

How do Bookabach Gift Vouchers work? (for guests)

This article is for: Renters

Bookabach Gift Vouchers provide a way to pre-purchase accommodation on Bookabach (not currently available on Bookastay Australia or Pacifica websites).  Vouchers are paid for by credit card and can be sent by email as a PDF attachment, or printed out and gifted.

To purchase a gift voucher

You’ll find a link to Buy a Gift Voucher in the footer of each page on http://www.bookabach.co.nz.  Or, click here to be taken to this page.

The funds associated with voucher payments are held in our Commercial Trust Account (Safepay) and only paid to the property owner/manager after the stay has completed.  A 2% Safepay service fee applies at time of voucher purchase.

To redeem a gift voucher

1) Make a booking request via the Bookabach website as usual.

Once your booking has been accepted and the owner/manager has indicated what is owed (the Charge):

2) Go to My Bookabach > Bookings and use the Make a payment button.

3) Choose the Pay by Gift Voucher option and then enter the code that appears on your voucher.

It doesn’t cost an owner/manager anything to accept Bookabach Gift Vouchers.  Funds associated with the voucher are shown in their Trust Account and are available to them for drawdown after your stay has completed.

Refer to the Gift Voucher Terms of Use which appear on your voucher.

What is a Mate’s Rates discount?

This article is for: Renters

At the conclusion of your stay on a Bookabach property we prompt the owner/manager of the property to give feedback on you as a rental guest.  This feedback becomes part of your publicly viewable profile on Bookabach.  We use a simple star rating system whereby you receive a “star” for each item of good feedback you receive. Your good feedback enables you to receive Mate’s Rates discounts on some properties. 

Many owners/managers understand the value of receiving a booking request from someone with proven good rental history so they are willing to provide a percentage discount to Bookabach member with a certain number of “stars”.

How do I pay on a “Safepay” property?

This article is for: Renters

**NOTE: Safepay is currently only available on Bookabach NZ and not offered on all properties**

When you pay for your stay using credit card on a “Safepay” property your funds are held in the Bookabach Commercial Trust Account.  These funds only become available to a property owner/manager after your stay has completed.  Paying by credit card has the additional advantage in that your booking is instantly confirmed on payment.

If you cancel your booking, Bookabach will process your cancellation and refund you any amounts due (not the owner/manager).  Also, if for any reason beyond your control the accommodation is not made available to you, then Bookabach will refund you your money.

Note that a 2% Safepay service fee applies to any credit card payments.

To make a credit card payment:

1) Make a booking request via the Bookabach website as usual.

Once your booking has been accepted and the owner/manager has indicated what is owed (the Charge):

2) Go to My Bookabach > Bookings and use the Make a payment button.

3) Choose the credit card option and enter the required details.

See also:
How do I pay on a “Deal Direct” property?
How do I pay on a “Professionally Managed” property?

How do I pay on a “Professionally Managed” property?

This article is for: Renters

***NOTE: Credit card facilities for Professionally Managed properties are currently only available on Bookabach NZ ***

Professionally Managed properties on Bookabach accept payments by credit card, internet banking and possibly cash or personal cheque.  If you pay by credit card your payments go into the Property Manager’s Commercial Trust Account. We know this because we provide them with the payment facility (our Hosted Payments product).

If you pay by internet banking, cash or personal cheque the Property Manager should also put these funds in their Commercial Trust Account.

If you cancel your booking it is up to the Property Manager to process the cancellation and provide you with any refund due.

See also:
How do I pay on a “Safepay” property?
How do I pay on a “Deal Direct” property?

How do I pay on a “Deal Direct” property?

This article is for: Renters

With Deal Direct properties you pay the owner or property manager directly for the stay. You can pay them by internet banking, cash, and in some cases personal cheque. They may also accept credit card payments.

If you cancel your booking it is up to the owner/manager to process the cancellation and provide you with any refund due.

See also:
How do I pay on a “Safepay” property?
How do I pay on a “Professionally Managed” property?

How does the Payment Gateway credit card facility work? (for owners/managers)

This article is for: Managers

*** NOTE: The Payment Gateway is currently only available for Bookabach NZ owners/managers ***

Click here for general information about the Payment Gateway.  This help article describes the specific details of how the Payment Gateway works.

Once you’ve opted into the Payment Gateway, your listing will display the Safepay credit card payment icon.  You receive a booking request (or Question which you convert to a booking) as usual.  When you Accept the booking, credit card payment instructions are automatically included in the footer of your acceptance email.  Renters can also make a credit card payment by going to the “Bookings” page of their “My Bookabach” account.  The booking status is automatically updated to “Confirmed” when the initial credit card payment (deposit) has been made.

We’ll let you know by email when payments are received, and automatically record the payments against the booking.  You can view your funds held in Trust by going to Payments > Trust Account.  These funds become available to you for draw down 48 hours after the stay has completed, and this is to allow for bank processing and any last-minute changes to the booking.

Once you’ve given us draw-down instructions, you can choose to have the whole draw-down process happen automatically as and when funds become available.  Plus, if you manage multiple properties you can define different draw-down accounts on different properties and have us disperse funds on your behalf.

You can disable the Payment Gateway on a “per property” or “per booking” basis, if you would prefer people to use Internet Banking (domestic residents). 
To disable the facility on a property, go to Property Settings > Preferences. 
To disable on a booking, un-tick the credit card payment check-box in the opened booking.

I want to use the Payment Gateway but it says I don’t qualify. Why?

This article is for: Managers

The following qualification criteria applies for using the Payment Gateway credit card facility:

1) You must have your Rental Terms defined in the Bookabach system. Without these we don’t know anything about your Payment Terms (what amounts to expect and when to expect them) or your Cancellation Terms (what to charge and what to refund at any point in time). To correct this problem set-up your Rental Terms on Bookabach.

2) Your Rental Terms must be validated, workable and reasonable.  It’s not acceptable, for example, to expect 100% up front and charge 100% on cancellation.  To correct this problem review your Rental Terms.

3) You must have been using Bookabach for 60-days or longer*.

4) You must have three (3) or more positive feedbacks from rental transactions*.

5) You must have a 90% or better positive feedback rate*.

This qualification criteria helps us manage the risk of potential fraudulent use of the facility.

*THESE APPLY AS OF 15-JAN-2013

A guest who’s paid by Credit Card is asking for a cash cancellation refund. Should I pay it?

This article is for: Managers

If you have a guest who’s paid by credit card (Payment Gateway, Hosted Payment or your own facility) then you should ALWAYS process refunds as credits back to this same credit card.  This protects you from any potential scam involving a stolen card or card number.

In cases where you’ve received ‘split’ payments - payments by credit card and by other means such as Internet Banking or Cash - only refund to the card the maximum that was paid using the card.

Please be cautious when dealing with refunds where credit cards are involved.

What is a Booking Statement (and how does it work)?

This article is for: Managers

The Booking Statement is a PDF document that provides all critical information about the booking to your guest.  It includes the following information:

• Guest and booking details
• Property manager (or owner-manager) name and contact information
• Rental Terms (provided these have been supplied to us)

Once the booking is Accepted, the following information can also be found in the Booking Statement:

• Quoted charges (if a quotation exists for this booking)
• A Payment Schedule showing when payments are due

Then, if any Charges or Payments are recorded on the booking the following information also appears in the Booking Statement:

• A Payment Summary showing the total charge, what’s been paid so far, and the balance remaining
• Record of Charges and Payment information.

Booking Statements can be sent as a PDF attachment on any emails you send via the Bookabach NZ website (tick the box in the “Attach” section when you’re on the Send Email page).  You can also download the Booking Statement (you’ll find the link in an opened booking) and send it via Outlook or any other email software. 

Renters can also view/download the Booking Statement themselves by going to My Bookabach > Bookings > Booking Statement: view/download.

How do Bookabach Gift Vouchers work? (for owners/managers)

This article is for: Managers

Bookabach Gift Vouchers provide a way to pre-purchase accommodation on Bookabach (not currently available on Bookastay Australia or Pacifica websites).  Vouchers are paid for by credit card and the voucher is sent by email as a PDF attachment.

- Guests redeem their Gift Voucher online (via the “Bookings” page of their “My Bookabach” account) once they have an Accepted/Confirmed booking with associated charges.  This means that in order to accept funds via a Gift Voucher you must: a) Have Accepted their booking; and b) Have indicated a total charge (by converting a quote to a charge or overriding the quote and indicating an amount).

- Payment by Voucher automatically Confirms the booking.  You’ll receive an email indicating that a voucher has been redeemed on the booking.

- The funds associated with the voucher payment are held in the Bookabach (safepay) Commercial Trust Account. Funds can be viewed online at Payments > Trust Account* and are available for drawdown 48hrs after a stay has completed.

To enable us to transfer the payment from our Trust Account after drawdown, please enter your bank account details by going to My Settings > Bank accounts.

Your standard terms of trade (Rental Terms) apply as they relate to cancellation charges. There are no costs associated with accepting Gift Vouchers.

* You must have Quotations and Payment Tracking enabled to view your Trust Account transactions. See this help article for more info.

I stayed at a property recently. When do I receive my AA Smartfuel discount?

This article is for: Renters

The AA Smartfuel discount is only available on qualifying New Zealand properties.

Bookabach offers a 10c per litre AA Smartfuel discount on properties that display the AA Smartfuel logo on their listing.  These are our Top-500 Performing Properties.  We may also offer AA Smartfuel discounts as an incentive under specific marketing campaigns that use campaign offer codes.

To qualify for your AA Smartfuel discount:
* You must have a confirmed stay at an AA Smartfuel qualifying property.  This is a property that displays the AA Smartfuel logo at the time you make your booking request, or is part of a specific campaign-based AA Smartfuel offer (with an offer code).
* You must have your AA membership number or AA Smartfuel number in your personal profile (see My Bookabach > Update my details), and it must be validated (using the validation link).

AA Smartfuel discounts are automatically allocated 7 days after your stay has completed.  This allows owners/managers to update their records with any last minute changes/cancellations.  We’ll let you know (by email) when your AA Smartfuel discount has been credited to your AA Smartfuel card.

IMPORTANT:
We record whether or not to allocate an AA Smartfuel discount at the time you make your booking request.  This means:
* Bookings lodged prior to 11-Nov-2011 do not qualify for AA Smartfuel Discounts.  This is the date AA Smartfuel was launched on Bookabach.
* Bookings on properties displaying AA Smartfuel that were not Top-500 properties when you made your booking request do not qualify for AA Smartfuel Discounts.

How can I offer AA Smartfuel discounts on my listing?

This article is for: Managers

Bookabach provides AA Smartfuel discounts as an additional marketing incentive on the Top-500 Performing Properties.  The Top-500 Performing Properties are automatically determined each week.  They are the top Performance Plan listed properties with the highest success fee spend over the past 12-months.

There is no charge to you, the owner or manager, if your property is shown offering AA Smartfuel (we pay the associated marketing costs). Offering this additional incentive on your listing is our way of saying thanks - and congratulations on having a Top-500 Performing Property!

To determine whether you have a Top-500 Performing Property go to Listing > Listing Performance.

What is the Checklist and where do I find it?

This article is for: Managers

If you are the Rental Contact of a property, you’ll find a handy Checklist in the lower left-hand side of the Dashboard page. 

The Checklist is a way we can clearly indicate to you, in a single place, all the things that need to be completed.  Some items in the Checklist are related to you (as the Rental Contact) and some are related to the property (e.g. pricing or listing completeness).  If you have multiple properties, your Checklist may be complete on some properties but not on others.

Completed items are shown in the Checklist with a green tick.  Incomplete items are shown with a red cross.  The link on each Checklist item takes you through to the relevant section of the website.

If your listing is incomplete, the “Overall Completeness” box will indicate what needs attention.  Click on the item(s) without a full coloured line to take you to the relevant page.

NOTE FOR LISTING TEXT: Any changes to your listing text won’t be saved if the character limit is exceeded in any of the fields (indicated by a negative number in the “Characters left” box), or there aren’t enough characters (you’ll get an error message).

By completing the Checklist you add 20 points to the score for that property.  This affects how this property is ranked (positioned in the page).

Why has my (Performance Plan) listing been taken offline?

This article is for: Managers

If you have a property listing on the Performance Plan you need to let us know when bookings go ahead (and ideally, when they don’t).  Specifically this means confirming any bookings that proceed, and declining/ cancelling any that don’t.  We will send you a “Did this go ahead?” email whenever a past booking is still at the Requested or Accepted stage.  We refer to these as unattended bookings.

If you have more than five past unattended bookings then we will send you an additional, important warning email.  This message shows you any unattended bookings and prompts you to indicate which ones went ahead and which don’t.  Failure to act on this warning email within 7-days will result in your listing(s) being taken offline.  In all cases we invite you to contact our support desk if you are having problems and want us to coach you through how to use our availability calendar.

While this may seem like a tough stance, it is important to understand why we do this:

* We only can tell when to charge a success-fee when bookings are marked as “Completed” in our system.

* AA Smartfuel users who booked and stayed at your property may be entitled to receive fuel discounts.  We can only allocate these discounts if we know the booking proceeded. (Bookabach only).

* Bookabach members receive benefits (e.g. Mates Rates discounts on some properties) by having a good rental history.  In order for them to receive these benefits you must confirm bookings that go ahead.

Also, there is a benefit to you: by confirming bookings you will receive feedback from (recent) rental guests.  Good feedback elevates your ranking and improves “look-to-book”, increasing occupancy and your rental return.

We understand that you may choose to handle your bookings offline, not using our system.  However, sorry, we still need you to go online and let us know via our website, when bookings proceed or not.  It only takes a few minutes - and it is a requirement under the Performance Plan that you do this.

Finally, if you’re stuck and you don’t know how to manage your bookings on Bookabach then contact us.  We’re happy to step you through how to use the system.

How do I remove (delete) my membership?

This article is for: Managers Renters

If you want to completely remove your details from Bookabach then follow the instructions below.  Note that this is different than “unsubscribing” - which is where you opt out from receiving some or all of our marketing communications.

Renters:

1) Go to http://www.bookabach.co.nz and log into My Bookabach
2) Click the “Remove membership” link. 
3) Confirm this action by clicking the red “Remove membership” button.

Owners/Managers:

If you have recently sold a property and want to transfer your listing and booking history to the new owner see this help article.

1) Resign from, or disband any properties you are associated with by going to My Account > Properties and clicking the “Remove” link next to the property name.
2) Log into the Renter website http://www.bookabach.co.nz  (use the link at the top)
3) Under your contact details you’ll find a “Remove membership” link. 

NOTE: If you have rental bookings you have committed to in the future and cannot meet these commitments, please contact us.

I stayed at a property and want to provide feedback, how do I do this?

This article is for: Renters

We automatically send a “Request for Feedback” email notice a few days after the completion of your stay.  Use the coloured link in that email stating “Place feedback on…” to get through to the online feedback questionnaire.

If you haven’t received this email or you’ve lost it, or if you just want to provide feedback as soon as your stay completes, you can do this online by:

1) Going to http://www.bookabach.co.nz and logging into My Bookabach
2) Go to Past Bookings
3) Use the Give feedback link on the past booking

-OR-
1) Find the listing on http://www.bookabach.co.nz
2) Use the feedback link in the Guest Comments section.  (You’ll then be asked to log-in if you are not already).

Feedback links are only generated on bookings with the booking status of “Completed” - and only on bookings you’ve made through Bookabach.  You can only provide feedback on bookings that were completed within the last 365 days.

If your booking proceeded, but is still showing as “Requested” or “Accepted” on the Past Bookings page of your My Bookabach account, then please let us know using the Did this go ahead? link.

If you stay at the same property more than once, you won’t be able to create feedback entries for each stay.  You’ll only get one feedback entry, located under the original stay date, and previous comments will be superceded each time you add new comments.  It’s industry standard to allow only one feedback entry per person, and this is to prevent feedback manipulation.

I’ve made an enquiry but haven’t had response.  What do I do?

This article is for: Renters

If you’ve made a booking request but haven’t had a response from the property owner/manager here’s what to do:

Check the current status of your booking

First, log into your My Bookabach account and go to my bookabach > Bookings to check your booking request.  There’s a chance that it has been declined but the owner/manager omitted to send you an email.  By default you should receive an email from them, but they can override this and choose not to send the email.

If your booking is still showing as REQUESTED

Check the email we sent you when you first made the enquiry (booking request acknowledgement).  In this email (in most cases) you’ll find the owner/manager contact information and an indication of how quickly they typically respond.  Remember that holiday homes are not like hotels and motels, and in many cases owners are not doing this “for a living”.  While some commit to responding quickly, some are up front in saying it may take them a few days to respond, so please respect this. 

Use the owner/manager contact details to contact them by phone.  You’ll find a link to their contact details next to the entry in My Bookabach > Bookings.

If you haven’t heard back in the specified time frame and the owner’s/manager’s contact details aren’t recorded, then please put in a support request and we’ll follow up for you.  If the response time isn’t specified, we’ll contact an owner/manager on your behalf if you haven’t heard back after 48 hours (excluding weekends).

How do I opt out from receiving newsletters?

This article is for: Managers Renters

You can opt out from receiving the marketing communications we send to you by following the instructions below.  Note that our marketing system is continuously updated with new details but it can take 2-5 days for any changes to take effect. 

Renters:
1) Go to http://www.bookabach.co.nz
2) Click the My Bookabach tab and log in
3) Click the “Newsletter Preferences” link (on the right-hand side).  This will take you to My Bookabach > Newsletter options
4) Un-tick the boxes for the communications you no longer wish to receive
5) Click the “Save” button.

To stop a Saved Search:

1) Follow steps 1-2 above.
2) Click the “Saved Searches” tab.
3) Click the relevant “Delete” link.

Owners/Managers:
1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in
2) Go to My Settings > Personal Preferences
3) Un-tick the boxes for the communications you no longer wish to receive
4) Click the “Save” button.

Note that if you are the owner or Rental Contact of one or more properties on Bookabach, you cannot opt out from receiving the Owner/Manager edition of our newsletter as they often contain critical information about the website.

How do I cancel my booking? (rental guests)

This article is for: Renters

If you’ve made a booking through Bookabach but need to cancel, please notify the owner/manager directly that you are cancelling:

1) Log in to My Bookabach on http://www.bookabach.co.nz
2) Click the “Bookings” tab.
3) Click the “Cancel booking” button for the relevant entry.  This will generate an email to send to the owner/manager, and you can optionally add in your own message.
4) Click the “Send” button.

If you’ve already paid a deposit, depending on the agreement you have in place between you and the owner/manager, you may forfeit some or all of the rental deposit or rental payment you have paid.  We recommend that you check the owner’s/manager’s rental terms and cancellation policy before you cancel.  If the owner/manager is using online rental terms, you can view them using the Booking Statement: View/Download links on the Bookings page of your “My Bookabach” account.

How do I request a booking?

This article is for: Renters

Every Bookabach listing has a price and availability box that is located underneath the main property description.  To make a booking request, follow these simple steps:

1) Either enter your arrival date using the calendar icon and click the “Go” button, or scan for your dates using the scroll-key at the top of the calendar.  You can scan week by week by clicking the arrows on each side of the display.
Note that we use the following colour codes on the calendar:
RED: The property is already booked.
YELLOW: Provisionally booked (a requested or accepted booking is already present).  You are welcome to make an enquiry but you are unlikely to have it accepted.
GREY: Availability information not displayed.  You can still request a booking, but you will have to wait to find out availability.
You’ll also find public, provincial and school holidays marked on the calendar (small coloured triangles)

2) Use the tick-boxes to select the dates you want to stay.  Holding your cursor over a date will bring up a pop-up box with full pricing information and any minimum night stay requirement.

3) Click the red “Request a booking” button once you’ve selected your days.  (Note: the green “Make a booking” button is designed to switch between pages and doesn’t actually lodge your booking).

4) Add and/or edit the relevant details and submit your request.

When you request a booking, the website will immediately notify the bach owner or property manager.   You’ll receive an acknowledgement email from us and in most cases it will have the property owner’s/manager’s contact phone numbers, so you can call to follow up your request. 

A record of your booking request will be entered in My Bookabach > Bookings.

If you want to book for a shorter period than the minimum night stay requirement, you should use the “Ask a Question” function on the listing to directly contact the property owner/manager.  If they’re willing to accept a shorter stay, they can convert your question to a booking from their end.

How do I change my contact details?

This article is for: Managers Renters

You can change your address and/or phone numbers, and add your AA Membership or Smartfuel number to your profile.

To change your contact details on Bookabach:

Renters:
1) Log in to your “My Bookabach” account.
2) Click the “Update my details” link.
3) Enter the new details and click the “Save” button.

Owners/Managers:
1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in
2) Go to My Settings > Personal Details
3) Click the “Edit personal details” button.
4) Enter the new details and click the “Save” button.

I’ve received negative feedback. What should I do?

This article is for: Managers Renters

Most people understand that there are two sides to any story - and feedback comments are “opinion pieces”.  In general provided you have a history of good transactions on Bookabach, a single piece of negative feedback should not significantly affect your ranking or ability to use Bookabach. 

We give you the right to respond to feedback and provide your side of the story - and we recommend that you use this opportunity to clearly state your point of view. To do this:

Renters:

1) Go to http://www.bookabach.co.nz and log in to your “My Bookabach” account.
2) Use the View/respond to feedback link.
3) Use the Attach a response link below the feedback in question.
4) Enter your comments (maximum of 500 characters including spaces) and Save.

Owners/Property managers:

To respond to Guest Book comments:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2) Go to Listing > Guest book.
3) Click the “Attach a response” link under the relevant entry.
4) Enter your comments (maximum of 500 characters including spaces) and Save.

To respond to personal feedback comments:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2) Go to My Settings (link on the top right of screen under your name).
3) Use the View/respond to feedback link below your contact details.
4) Enter your comments (maximum of 500 characters including spaces) and Save.

We strongly advise you not to retaliate by placing negative feedback on them - unless you have a genuine grievance with the way they have treated you.  Retaliating by placing negative feedback where it is not justified can reflect badly on your own listing.

Sorry, Bookabach will not intervene to "sanitise" feedback - see our policy on editing feedback.

How does Bookastay/Bookabach work?  (for renters)

This article is for: Renters

Bookabach puts would-be bach renters directly in touch with owners and property managers of the finest baches, beach houses and self-catering holiday homes in New Zealand.

First of all, please understand that all the properties you see on the Bookabach website are managed by their owners - or in some cases a property manager appointed by the bach owner - not by Bookabach.

So, when you make an enquiry on a property your request is automatically sent to the owner/manager of the property.  On making an enquiry you will be provided with the owner/manager’s contact details so you can call them to follow-up.

It’s THEIR responsibility to:

* Decide whether to accept or decline your booking request
* Provide you with more details on the property and answer any question you may have
* Organise with you payment of a deposit to confirm the booking; plus any bond and balance of rental
* Provide you with a rental agreement (we recommend this)

Bookabach facilitates this process by providing the website - a safe place to rent holiday homes* - and tools for the owners/property managers to use for effective management of their properties.

*Note that Bookabach orders properties by default using a scoring system heavily-weighted to feedback from other renters - so the ones furthest up the top have the most rental history.

Why should I book through Bookabach/Bookastay?

This article is for: Renters

Many property owners also have their own website.  While in some cases this will give you more information than you can glean from the Bookabach website, we urge you to make your booking through us.

Lodging a booking request through Bookabach doesn’t cost you a thing.  It ensures that a formal record is entered in both the owner’s/manager’s property account and your My Bookabach account, which gives us the traceability we need to help you, if need be.

How can I contact Bookabach/Bookastay?

This article is for:

Please see the Contact Us page for further information of how to contact Bookabach.  See the "contact us" link in the footer of every page.

How can I get a copy of my last Tax Invoice?

This article is for:

You can download PDF copies of Tax Invoices and Payment Receipts using the links on your online Account Statement.  You’ll find your Account Statement by going to My Account > Account Statement. 

Payment Receipts are receipts for credits to your account.
Tax Invoices are invoices for debits (or charges) to your account.

The links are to PDF format documents that can be saved to your computer and/or opened and printed.

How does Bookastay/Bookabach work? (General)

This article is for:

Bookabach is a membership-based website.  Whether you are a bach owner, property manager or rental guest the first step in using Bookabach is to become a member And,  it’s free to join. You use your email address and password to log-in and access your information on Bookabach.

Please note that we do not manage properties or take bookings. We put renters directly in touch with bach owners and property managers around the country.

If you make a booking request, or ask a question about a property on Bookabach, this information is sent directly to the bach owner or property manager associated with this property. In most cases, you will be provided with the phone contact details for the bach owners/property manager you are dealing with.

It’s up to you to agree to rental terms, organise payment and key pick-up etc.

Bookabach is free to use for renters. We charge bach owners and property managers fees to use the services we provide.

How do I update my email address?

This article is for: Managers Renters

To update your email address:

Renters:

1) Go to http://www.bookabach.co.nz and log into My Bookabach using your old email address and password.

2) Click the “Change” link after your email address.

3) Enter the relevant details and click the “Save” button.

Owners/Property Managers:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.

2) Go to My Settings > Personal Details. 

3) Click the “Change email address” button.

4) Enter the relevant details and click the “Save” button.

What should be included in a rental agreement?

This article is for:

Please have a look at this article titled What to include in a rental agreement.

Where can I find the Bookastay/Bookabach Privacy policy?

This article is for:

To view our privacy policy, please see the "privacy" link in the footer section of every page.

Guest comments: What are they and how do we collect them?

This article is for:

Guest comments (or guest book entries) are comments made by people who’ve stayed at a property.   Note that Bookabach does not edit or modify these comments.  See our policy on editing feedback.

What does POA mean? (for renters)

This article is for: Renters

POA stands for “Price on application”.

This means that the bach owner or property manager has not provided pricing information.  You will need to make a booking request and ask for a price quotation.

What is a bach?

This article is for: Managers Renters

In Aotearoa (New Zealand) we call holiday homes “baches”.  Where the term comes from has been hotly debated.  In general, it’s acknowledged that it’s a contraction of “bachelor”, from the days when men wanting time out disappeared with their mates to rustic huts in the middle of nowhere.

These days, the word “bach” can mean a holiday home, beach house, hut or lodge.  They range from the traditional, back-to-basics “Kiwi bach” to very luxurious houses.

How does Bookabach protect your security?

This article is for:

Bookabach uses individual member passwords as a security mechanism to prevent unauthorised access to your information.  The information you provide is stored on our own dedicated servers and will not be disclosed to any third party.

For online financial transactions Bookabach uses Direct Payment Solutions Ltd (DPS).  DPS is used by a large number of NZ-based online businesses including Trade Me, Air New Zealand and Ticketek.   DPS provide the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption and billing facility for credit card transactions and Bookabach does not keep this information in our database.   For more information about DPS see www.dps.co.nz

What is the difference between Feedback and the Guest Book?

This article is for: Managers

Member Feedback provides information about historical transactions between members (owners, property managers and renters) on Bookabach.  Owners and property managers are rewarded for positive feedback and each piece of positive feedback will improve the ranking of your bach in search results.  To find member feedback, click the blue numbers or stars next to that member’s user name.

The Guest Book provides comments left by guests on a specific bach and is available to view on every Bookabach listing.   Guest Book entries have no effect on bach rankings.

Both parties receive a "Request for Feedback"  after a stay has been Confirmed and then completed.

What does Enquiry Pending mean?

This article is for: Renters

Enquiry Pending means that someone has already made an enquiry over the dates shown.  It shows in YELLOW on the Price-Availability display. You can still put in a Booking Request, but you should be prepared for the possibility of it being declined if the initial booking goes through.

Can I bring my well behaved cat or dog?

This article is for:

Each listing displays whether or not pets are allowed.  You can also search for pet friendy properties using our advanced search.   Go to: Find a bach > Advanced search

What is your postal address?

This article is for:

All our contact information is available on the Contact Us page.  You will also find a link in the footer of each page.

What are Bookabach’s Site Terms and Conditions?

This article is for:

To view our Terms and Conditions please see www.bookabach.co.nz/legal  (you’ll find another link  in the footer section of every page).  

Note that these are terms and conditions for use of the website NOT rental terms and conditions.  If you are renting a property through Bookabach please be sure to ask your property manager or bach owner for rental terms and conditions.

For our recommendations on what should be included in any rental agreement see this help article.

How do I report offensive or abusive feedback?

This article is for: Managers Renters

If you come across feedback that is personally attacking or offensive, please use the “Send this page” link at the top of the page to report it. Send the page to support@bookabach.co.nz.

Why does Bookabach have member feedback?

This article is for:

Trust:  it’s the single biggest issue that comes up when we talk to both renters and owners.  Property owners or managers want to rent to people that they feel they can trust to take care of their properties.

For property managers developing a sense of trust typically requires a process of "vetting" - talking to prospective tenants over the phone and even in some cases contacting rental references.

Renters on the other hand face a nerve-racking leap-of-faith when asked to make a rental deposit on a property viewed only on the internet.  They need to feel assured that they are booking a place that lives up to the promises made by what they see on the website.

The Bookabach member feedback system is designed to address these issues.  It makes booking a holiday home safer for all parties, and speeds up the process of finding and securing a bach or holiday home by creating a level of trust between parties.

Can you help me find a property?

This article is for:

Bookabach does not manage the properties you see on this website.  Each property is managed by its individual owner or, in some cases, a property manager.   Bookabach operates this website, which has been designed to efficiently connect renters with bach owners (or property managers).

Sorry, but we don’t have any more information about properties than what you see on the website.

To start a search use find a bach.   You’ll find "Request a booking" and "Ask a question" links on every listing.   Any enquiry you make goes straight to the bach owner or property manager of that specific property.

If you are looking for advice or recommendations on where to stay, please read the guest book (and member feedback) entries on each listing.   These are honest testimonials from other Bookabach members who have stayed at the property.

How do I ask a question about a bach?

This article is for:

If you have a specific question about a property, you can direct this straight to the bach owner/manager using the "Ask a Question" link on any detailed listing page.

IMPORTANT: If you have specific dates you are interested in, then use the "Request a booking" button.  Note that requesting a booking is an expression of interest only - not a committment on your part to rent.

How to search (advanced search)

This article is for:

The advanced search (Find a bach > Advanced Search) allows you full control over search criteria so you could, for example, search for: "a bach in Northland, with a hot-tub and open-fire, near hiking and mountain bike and with a boat ramp, and that takes 6-adults 4-kids. "

Advanced search also allows you to search for specific sites that are not listed under our search bar.

Please note that Bookabach searches on availability are based on calendar information provided by bach owners/managers. In most cases the availability information you see on Bookabach is up to date. However, because this information is provided by individual owners/managers we ultimately have no control of this.

What is Bookabach’s policy on gazumping?

This article is for: Managers Renters

Gazumping is where an owner or property manager accepts a booking (verbally or in writing), but then chooses to accept another booking and cancel the first.  Typically this happens where an owner/manager receives a booking for a short-term stay, accepts it, then changes their mind when a more tempting long-stay booking is received for the same period

Bookabach DOES NOT condone the practice of gazumping.  We recommend owners/managers stand by their word when a booking is accepted.  However, we do recommend that owners/managers set a clear time limit for a rental guest to make a deposit to secure (i.e. confirm) the booking.  If this time limit is exceeded then it is acceptable practice to cancel the booking and accept another.

If you find yourself gazumped please contact support@bookabach.co.nz

How do I remove my property from the website?

This article is for: Managers

Taking your listing offline

You can disable your listing, removing it from the listing pages, by using the “Go offline” link.  You’ll find this link in the “Status” box on the Dashboard page when you first log in to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz. 

Note that it can take up to an hour for this to take effect on Bookabach.  Affiliate websites that “cache” property listing may take even longer to remove your listing, but during this period rental enquiries and questions are blocked.

Taking your listing offline DOES NOT affect your property score/ranking. However, you can no longer see the score/ranking calculation information (on the Listing > Listing performance page) as this works off live listing data.

Note also that disabling your listing does not stop the clock on your subscription (for Subscription Plan listings).

Enabling your listing

To put your listing back online follow the procedure above but use the “Go online” link.

COMPLETELY REMOVING YOUR PROPERTY

If you’ve sold your property, you may want to consider transferring your listing and its full rental history over to the new owner.  See the separate help article related to this.

If your listing is on the Performance Plan, any past and future booking requests still at the “Requested” or “Accepted” stages must be updated first.

If you want to permanently remove your listing altogether then:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2) Select the relevant property, if you’ve got more than one.
3) Go to Property Settings.
4) Click the “Delete property” link (in the lower left-hand corner) and follow the prompts from there.

You’ll need to re-enter your password.

We suggest that you print your invoices and receipts for tax/accounting purposes from My Account > Account Statement before permanently removing your property, otherwise you won’t be able to access this information once it’s been deleted.

How do Quotations work?

This article is for: Managers

To enable the Quotations function, please:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2) Go to My Settings > Advanced feature settings.
3) Tick the “Enable Quotations and Payments” box and click the “Save” button.

The website automatically creates a quotation whenever a rental booking is created.  It does this for bookings received via the website and bookings you add manually.  The quotation is based on:

• Your rental tariffs over the booking dates from information you’ve provided in Listing > Edit Pricing
• Included, Optional and Required Extras from Listing > Edit Pricing > Extras.   You’ll need to delete any Optional Extras that don’t apply for the booking.
• Any applicable discounts based on Special Deals information you’ve provided in Listing > Edit pricing/Deals

To edit a Quotation, open the relevant booking and click the “Quotations” tab.  You’ll find links to edit, delete or add pricing information.

This Quotation will initially appear as ESTIMATED.  It won’t appear on your guest’s Booking Statement until it’s been VALIDATED (approved) by you and the booking status is “Accepted”.  You can make any changes to the quotation; edit line items; and new line items.  After you’ve validated the quotation it becomes available to your guest as part of the the Booking Statement. 

You can manually override the quotation using the “Override” link, and specify a single quoted value.  “OVERRIDDEN” will show on the quoted value if this is done.

Calculations are automatically performed on any booking less than 31 days long.  “TOO LONG” will appear on bookings too long to calculate.

When you accept a booking you have the option to validate the quotation and convert the quotation to a charge all in a single step.

NOTE: If you edit dates on a booking, then you’ll have to manually re-set the quotation as our system doesn’t automatically do this.

I’m selling my bach and want to transfer my listing to the new owner.  How do I do this?

This article is for: Managers

If you sell your holiday home it is possible to transfer ownership of your listing, complete with its trading history (guest book and ranking), to the new owner.

First, the new owner must register on Bookabach to create a membership (if they’re not already a member).  They must include their full contact details.  Once they’ve done this you can complete the transfer process.  Here’s how:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2) Select the relevant property, if you have more than one.
3) Go to Property settings > Property Members.
4) Click “+Add member”.
3) Add the new owner as a member with their full name and email address (the one they’ve registered with on Bookabach).  Be sure to assign them the ‘Admin’, ‘Billing’ and ‘Rental contact’ roles to give them full access to the listing.

Once the new owner has accepted the membership and taken over admin, billing and rental contact roles, then they can remove you from the property account.

We suggest that you print your invoices and receipts for tax/accounting purposes (go to My Account > Statements/Tax Invoices) before transferring the listing, otherwise you won’t be able to access this information once the new owners have removed you from the property account.

Note that your Bookabach member feedback DOES NOT get transferred to the new owner as it’s about you and your dealings on Bookabach.  The property Guest Book entries remain with the property and the “ranking” you’ve achieved is preserved.

Feedback requests will be sent to the person who was the Rental Contact at the time the booking was lodged.

How do I edit, update or change a booking?

This article is for: Managers

To edit a booking:

1. Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2. Find the booking using the search field at the top of the page, or by going to the Bookings page.  Click the down arrow in the date range box and select the required time frame.
3. Click the “Open Booking” link for the entry.
4. Click the Edit booking link (located under the renter’s name).
5. Make your changes and click the “Save” button.

If you can’t edit a Confirmed in-progress booking, please contact us or put in a support request before the scheduled departure date and we’ll make the changes for you.

Note that if you are using Payment Tracking (Quotations and Payments) and you change dates, then you will need to re-quote (reset the quotation) to calculate the new charges.

How do I cancel a booking? (owners/property managers)

This article is for: Managers

Should you have a cancellation please take time to cancel the booking. To do this:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2) Click the Bookings tab.
3) Find the booking in question by using the search facility at the top of the page, or by clicking the down-arrow in the date-range box and selecting “All future bookings”.
4) Click the “Cancel booking” link on the right-hand side of the entry.

We do not charge Performance Plan success fees on stays that do not go ahead but you need to cancel the booking before the scheduled departure date.  If you can’t cancel a Confirmed in-progress booking, please notify Bookabach before the scheduled departure date and we’ll do it for you.

If you didn’t cancel a Performance Plan booking before the scheduled departure date, we can cancel the success fee invoice for you, but charge a manual transaction fee to do this.

How do I upload photos to my listing?

This article is for: Managers

To upload a photo to your listing:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.

2) Go to Listing > Edit Listing > Manage Pictures

2) Select +Add picture and browse your files to find a picture.

3) Give the picture a short descriptive caption (you must provide this).  Please don’t include any symbols in the caption, including apostrophes, “&” symbol etc, as this may cause your listing to display incorrectly.

4) Tick the Display on listing checkbox if you want the picture to appear on your listing.

5) Click the Upload Image button to upload.

Bookabach currently supports Landscape Format pictures only, i.e. Portrait format pictures (taken with the camera on its side) are not supported.

Large images can take some time to upload, so be patient - and don’t click the back button!  For extra large images, consider reducing the resolution to 1024 x 768 pixels. There are a number of ways to reduce the size of your images.  If you have Windows XP or Vista, you can reduce the photo size automatically by emailing the photo to yourself.

How do I add family and friends to my property?

This article is for: Managers

You can add family and friends to your property.  They can see when the property is available and add their own bookings (if you want them to be able to).

To add a member to your property:

If they’re not already a member of Bookabach they need to first go to the www.bookabach.co.nz website and register using the “Sign up” link at the top of the page; then…

1) Log into http://manage.bookabach.co.nz.

2) Go to Property Settings - the link next to the property name.

3) Click on Property Members

4) Use the +Add member link in the Members table.

5) Enter the relevant details and click the “Next” button.

6) Click the “Send” button.

We’ll automatically send them an invitation to join this property with your personalised message.  They have the option to accept or decline this invitation.

I manage multiple properties.  How do I order a printed sign for each property?

This article is for: Managers

Every printed sign displays a unique website link (URL) to your Bookabach listing.  If you have a number of bach listings with Bookabach it is important that each sign is customised for the appropriate bach.  To order a sign for each of your properties:

1. Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz, log in and go to the Resources page (Manage > Resources).
2. Select the bach you want the sign for from the “Select bach” box.
3. Follow the link to order your sign.  This will take you to the Sabre Signs website where your order will be taken.
4. To order a sign for a different bach, return to the Resources page, select another bach and repeat step three.

This will ensure you receive the correct printed customised signage for each property.

How do I change my (Performance Plan) Success Fee?

This article is for: Managers

You can make changes to your Performance Plan success fee at any time to either boost your ranking (position on the page) or reduce your spend.  To do this:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.

2) Go to Property Settings > Success Fee.

3) Use the Success Fee slider to select a new success fee.  The Ranking table shows the effect any change will have on where your listing appears on Bookabach.

4) Use the “Confirm success fee change” button to accept the change.

Any change you make to your success fee becomes active on booking requests received from that point on.  i.e. Success fees for bookings received prior to this will be charged at the nominated success fee in place at the time these booking requests (or questions) were received.

If your Bookabach Conversion falls to less than 10%* you will be unable to nominate a higher that base level Success Fee and to bid for position.  If this happens:

- Confirm any past bookings that went ahead.  This will improve your historical conversion.

- Add any future bookings from other sources.  This will stop you from receiving Bookabach booking requests for periods where you have no availability.

- Confirm any future Bookabach bookings in advance of the stay.  This will stop you from receiving any more Bookabach booking requests for the same period.

Once your Bookabach Conversion is 10% or over you will once again be able to bid for position using your Success Fee.

* Note: an exception is made if your listing is less than 6 months old or you’ve received less than 20 booking nights of rental enquiries.

How do I set up a Rental Terms (a rental agreement)?

This article is for: Managers

To define your Rental Terms:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.

2) Go to My Settings > Rental Terms. 

3) Select the online Rental Terms option and complete the basic questionnaire. 

Once you save the questionnaire form, the following information is created:

* Payment Terms: What portion of the payment should be paid when (e.g. deposit vs. balance)

* Cancellation Terms: Settings associated with how you handle cancellations. 

* Cancellation Charges: What amounts are forfeited when a booking is cancelled.

* Other Rental Terms: Any other Rental Terms you want to include in your agreement. For example you may have a policy on pets, or on-site camping.

Once you’ve created your Rental Terms, you need to validate them before they can be used.  Once they have been validated, they’ll be included on a Booking Statement (see the separate help article on this).

Note that we snap-shot your Rental Terms on each booking request.  So,  if you make changes over time you still have a record of what terms applied when a booking was lodged.

Why am I not receiving email sent to me from Bookabach ?

This article is for: Managers Renters

We do our best to make sure emails sent from Bookabach, or sent via the Bookabach website, are delivered successfully.  Every Internet Service Provider (ISP) has its own spam and junk mail filtering settings, so we cannot guarantee email delivery.  If you haven’t received an email, we recommend that you check the spam or junk mail folder of your email inbox.

If the emails aren’t going to your inbox, add the Bookabach.co.nz domain to your white list - or ask your ISP to do this for you.  If your ISP does not support a white list, then add support@bookabach.co.nz, noreply@bookabach.co.nz and automailer@bookabach.co.nz to your address book.

If you are still not reliably receiving emails from Bookabach then contact us and we’ll attempt an email trace.

You may also want to consider the following:
1) Make sure your contact details are sent out when a booking request is made (My Settings > Contact Preferences)
2) Set up property manager text alerts (My Settings > Contact Preferences again)
3) Log in to your property account periodically and check your Notifications.

Finally, we recommend you follow up any critical communications with a phone call.

How do I add a property manager to my property?

This article is for: Managers

If you use, or want to use, a local property manager you can add them to your property on Bookabach.  You can choose to have them handle your rental enquiries (or not) and they can see who’s coming to the bach and when.

To add a property manager you must first HAVE THEM create a membership (if they’re not already a member).  They’ll need to supply their phone numbers if you plan on having them act as the Rental Contact.  Once they have done this:

1) Log into http://manage.bookabach.co.nz.

2) Go to Property Settings - the link next to the property name.

3) Use the +Add member link in the Members table.

4) Choose Property Manager as the member type.  Select what roles you would like this Property Manager to be assigned to (Admin Contact, Rental Contact, Billing Contact).  The Admin Contact has overall control of the listing and is the only person who can add/remove property members.

5) Click the “Next” button, then click the “Send” button.

We’ll automatically send them an invitation email with your personalised message.  Once they’ve accepted this invitation, the roles you’ve assigned will be automatically transferred over.

Note that multiple people can manage rental on Bookabach but only one person can be the Rental Contact for rental-related correspondence.

Feedback requests will be sent to the person who was the Rental Contact at the time the booking request was lodged.

How do I recover a deleted booking?

This article is for: Managers

Bookabach lets you recover bookings that were either declined or cancelled (deleted). To do this:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.

2) Go to the Bookings Tab.

3) Click the down arrow in the date-range box and select the required time period.

4) Tick the “Show deleted (Declined/Cancelled)” check-box (located under the “Table View” button) to display deleted bookings (shown in pink).

5) Use the “Recover booking” link for the entry you want to recover.

Rental bookings that are recovered are shown in the “Requested” state.  From there you will need to Accept/Confirm/Complete them as required.

How do I edit (make changes to) my listing?

This article is for: Managers

To edit your listing: 1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in. 2) Go to Listing then go to Edit Listing.

In the menu across the top of the page you’ll find all the features you need to edit your listing.  To ensure you complete everything, try using the green Step Me Through It wizard button located on the top right-side of your screen.

How does Bookastay/Bookabach order (rank) properties on the website?

This article is for: Managers

The default order (or ranking) of listings on any page is dictated by a property score calculated using a number of factors:

1) Rental contact’s feedback: One point is awarded for each item of positive feedback received related to the management of this property over the past 24 months

2) Loyalty: Two points are awarded for each year the property has been actively listed.

3) Success fee: Available only on Performance Plan listings that meet the 10% conversion level threshold : One point is awarded for every 20c over the base-level success fee rate.

4) Checklist complete: 20 points are awarded if the Dashboard page Checklist related to the property and rental contact is complete.

Properties are ranked by score in descending order (highest scoring first).  If multiple properties have the same score, the oldest listing appears first.

To view your property score and ranking go to Listing > Listing Performance.  NOTE: We reserve the right to add criteria and modify this ranking calculation over time and without notice.

Can I change from one plan to another after I’ve registered?

This article is for: Managers

Yes, you can move from one plan to another at any time.

If you are moving from the Subscription Plan to the Performance Plan, the remaining value of your subscription will be credited to your Bookabach account. You will need to pay any additional amount required to bring your account to the minimum start-up credit. Note that you will not be charged success fees on bookings you’ve received prior to moving to the Performance Plan.

If you choose to move from the Performance Plan to the Subscription Plan you will need to purchase a new 1-year subscription and pay any additional amount required for this. Note that you are obligated to pay the success fees associated with any Performance Plan bookings you have received up until your move to a different plan since you received the marketing benefits while on this plan that led to you receiving these bookings.

To change from one plan to another:

1)  Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in
2)  Go to My Account > Properties, expand the Property you want to change (by clicking the green arrow).
3)  Click the “Change Plan” link. 
4)  Select the new plan, then follow the prompts from there.
-OR-
Go to Property Settings and follow steps 3 and 4 above.

How can I take my listing offline/online?

This article is for: Managers

DISABLING your listing

If you go away and are concerned about servicing enquiries on your property in your absence, you can temporarily disable your listing.

To do this:

1. Log into http://manage.bookabach.co.nz
2. On the the Dashboard page (the page you first come to) find where it says “Status”
3. Click the link that says “Go offline”

Note that the website can take up to 60 minutes to make these changes.

Taking your listing offline DOES NOT affect your property score/ranking. However, you can no longer see the score/ranking calculation information (on the Listing > Listing performance page) as this works off live listing data.

Note also that disabling your listing does not stop the clock on your subscription (for Subscription Plan listings).

ENABLING your listing

To put your listing back online follow the procedure above but use the “Go online” link.

How can I change the Rental/Billing/Admin Contact (Roles) for my listing?

This article is for: Managers

You can have as many members you like associated with your property.  Contact Roles however need to be unique.  You can only have one Rental Contact, one Billing Contact and one Admin Contact.  They can be the same person - or roles can be split across multiple members. 

* The Admin Contact has ultimate authority and ownership of the property online.  Only the Admin Contact can add members, change permissions and change roles.
* The Billing Contact gets any account related correspondence and is responsible for paying for any charges.
* The Rental Contact receives any rental-related correspondence and is responsible for responding to rental enquiries.

To change a Contact Role:

1) Log in and go to Property Settings.
2) Under ‘Members and Roles’ select Roles and Permissions.
3) Select the Role by checking the radio button(s) for the relevant member and click save.

Before you can assign a person as the Rental, Admin or Billing contacts they must have contact phone numbers added to their personal profile.

How can I pay (top-up) my account?

This article is for: Managers

You will find all your account information by going to the “My Account” section of your property account.

To make a payment:
1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2) Click the “My Account” link (located under your name in the top right-hand side of the screen).
3) Click the “Make a Payment” link.

You can choose to pay by Credit Card, Cheque or Internet Banking.  Payment instructions will be given after you select a payment method.

Please allow up to 5 working days for processing of Internet Banking or Cheques.  These types of payments require manual processing (Credit Card payments do not).

Please note that making a payment and renewing a subscription are two separate functions, and making a payment doesn’t automatically renew a subscription.

If you want to renew a subscription, use the “Renew Subscription” link in the “Status” box on the Dashboard page and DO NOT use the “Make a Payment” link.

How do I Confirm an Accepted booking?

This article is for: Managers

You should confirm bookings once a deposit has been received as security.  To convert an Accepted Booking to a Confirmed Booking:

1. Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.

2. Click the Bookings Tab

3. Find the booking using the search facility at the top of the page, or by clicking the down arrow in the date-range box and selecting “All future bookings”.

4. Click the “Confirm booking” link (on the right-hand side).

We give you the option to send an email to your customer indicating that the booking has been confirmed.  Confirmed bookings show as red (booked) on your calendar and red (booked) on your listing.

How can I integrate Bookabach/Bookastay into my website?

This article is for: Managers

Bookabach provides both Widgets and an API for integration.  Refer to:

Article: Got a website? Use our web-widgets

Article: Property Managers: Use our API

How can I improve my listing performance?

This article is for: Managers

Bookabach keeps count of how many times your full-page listing is viewed each month (Listing Views) - and how many times it shows up in search results (Search Views).  With the Listing View and Search View performance graphs you can see how your listing is performing compared with averages - locally, regionally and nationally.

If your listing is under-performing compared to the average for that locale check the following:

1. Your Offer:

• Does your listing have complete information? Text, images, bed layout, facilities/activities.
• Are your images compelling, clear and well-lit?  Make sure you include exterior and interior images of your holiday home.  Also consider including pictures of local attractions (beaches, lakes, mountains etc.).  Make sure you choose the most attention-grabbing image as your "main image".  This is the image that shows on your short listing.
• How is your pricing compared to others in your locale?

2. Your Feedback:

Beyond making sure your listing is complete, attention-grabbing and your pricing is fair and reasonable, the most effective way to improve your performance is by improving your score and ranking.  To maximize your feedback make sure you confirm any bookings that go ahead (or bookings in the past that went ahead).  This will ensure you receive maximum feedback.

3. Is your Checklist complete?

4. Do you really have a problem?:

Finally, remember that Bookabach searches on actual availability based on information from your calendar. As your property gets more and more booked out you will see a drop in the number of Listing Views/Search Views. This is to be expected - and actually a good thing.  It means rental guests aren’t wasting their time (and yours) looking at properties that aren’t available.

How do Manager Text Alerts (SMS) work?

This article is for: Managers

Manager Text alerts let you know when a new booking request is received or a question is asked about your property.  They are especially useful if you don’t check your email everyday.

The text includes the following information:

Your property ID: The property can be viewed using www.bookabach.co.nz/

The booking reference: (if a booking) is the booking event reference.  You can log into the owner/manager website and use the search feature in Bookings Tab.  Just type the booking reference in the search box to locate the booking.

The member info: Includes name and contact phone numbers for the inquiring member.

To receive Manager Text Alerts you must be the Rental Contact. You must opt-in to receiving alerts (My settings > Preferences) and have your mobile number validated (My settings > Personal details).  Manager Text Alerts are FREE until further notice. We’ll let you know well in advance if we decide we need to start charging for this particular aspect of our service.

How do I set up an email template?

This article is for: Managers

You can set up email templates for standard responses you need while managing bookings through the website.  For example, you may want a standard “accept booking” template that includes how to pay a rental deposit; or you may have a standard response for when a booking is cancelled.

You can choose the template you want to use at the time you send your email correspondence through the website, and the website will remember the last template you used for that given action.

To set up an email template:
1. Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2. Go to My Settings and then Email Templates.  You will find our default email templates for different stages of the booking process.

To create your custom version of an existing template:

1. Locate the template you want your email to be based on and click ‘Copy’.
2. Edit the text of the template, and use the ‘Insert Field’ option to insert Guest, Booking and Contact details that is specific to that particular booking.
3. Save all changes.

To create your own template, please click the “+Add template” link.

NOTE: If you manage multiple properties then we recommend you keep these templates generic and don’t include property-specific information in them.

I own or manage apartments.  Can I list my properties on Bookastay/Bookabach?

This article is for: Managers

Bookabach has been specifically designed for renters to view and request a booking for independent holiday houses and holiday homes, i.e. for a common-occupancy dwelling, and not to promote a branded total complex.  As such, our reservation engine currently lacks the ability to offer multiple room inventory within a single listing.

We do support Apartment and Flat/Duplex as an accommodation category, but if you choose to list under this category we require a single listing per apartment (in order to show accurate availability and tariff information), even if the property descriptions and photographs are identical.

I operate a Bed and Breakfast.  Can I list on Bookastay/Bookabach?

This article is for: Managers

While historically Bookabach had supported Bed and Breakfast as an accommodation category, this category is no longer accepted. 

Bookabach has been specifically designed for renters to view and request a booking for independent holiday houses and homes, i.e. for a common-occupancy dwelling.  As such, our reservation engine currently lacks the ability to offer multiple room inventory within a single listing.

How do I manage bookings on Bookabach/Bookastay?

This article is for: Managers

Bookabach helps you keep track of the state of your bookings.  For rental bookings the following states apply:

REQUESTED > ACCEPTED > CONFIRMED > COMPLETED

1) When you receive a booking request, the entry will show in the REQUESTED state (shown in YELLOW)

2) After vetting the person, you will decide whether or not you wish to rent to them.  Should you decide to go ahead and accept the booking, the state becomes ACCEPTED (shown in BROWN).  An Accepted booking is one where you have both committed to the rental, but you have not yet received a deposit to secure the booking . 

3) Once you have received the deposit, you should confirm the booking to block off the dates on the listing availability calendar.  The booking then shows in the CONFIRMED state (shown in RED).

4) After the scheduled departure date has passed for a CONFIRMED booking, it shows in the COMPLETED state (shown in BLUE) - you don’t need to do anything for this to happen.

If you decline a booking, or if the booking is cancelled, it shows as DECLINED or CANCELLED (shown in GRAY).  Note that declined and cancelled bookings won’t show on your calendar by default - you’ll need to click the “Show deleted” check-box to reveal them.

I’ve forgotten my password, how do I retrieve (reset) it?

This article is for: Managers Renters

You’ll find a “Forgotten password” link on every log-in form.  This will take you to a page with instructions on how you can re-set your password.  For security reasons we encrypt passwords and we no longer send them out in emails.  The Reset Password email you’ll receive contains a special link you can use to set-up a new access password.

If you request a password re-set more than once, use the most recent link sent to you, as previous links will be invalidated each time you request a new one.

How do I order a printed sign for my bach?

This article is for: Managers

Printed signs are a great way to promote your bach to foot- and road traffic and encourages renters to choose your place next time they’re in the area.

We have entered into a supply agreement with Sabre Signs (Christchurch).  The signs are custom printed in colour on 420x300mm durable Forex plastic (3mm) and include the custom link to your bach listing on the website.

To order a sign:

1. Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2. Go to Resources.
3. Click the “Order a sign” button in the “Order a sign for your bach” area.

Signs cost $19.99 (incl. packing and shipping) and are typically delivered within a week.

If you have an order enquiry, or need to follow up regarding a sign shipment, please contact Sabre Signs directly on 0800 722 737.

How do I delete a booking?

This article is for:

Deleting and declining bookings are one and the same thing.

To Delete/Decline a SINGLE booking request:

1. Log into http://manage.bookabach.co.nz
2. Go to Bookings Tab
3. Find the booking using the search facility or the calendar
4. Click on the booking timeline (anywhere along the timeline)
5. Click the Delete booking link in the left side menu

You’ll be asked to confirm this action and be given the option to send an email.

To Delete/Decline MULTIPLE booking requests:  Follow steps 1 and 2 above then:

1. Switch to Table view (tab)
2. Click the check-box next to each booking you want to delete
3. Scroll up and click the Delete (Decline/Cancel) button.

You’ll be asked to confirm this action on each booking and be given the option to send an email to each person.

How do I add a map to my listing?

This article is for:

To add a map to your listing:

1. Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2. Go to your Property Settings (please ensure the correct bach is selected if you have multiple properties).
3. Go to “Property Address” and ensure you have fully entered the property address (including the postcode).
4. Click on Edit Map and ensure you have ticked the box to show the map on your listing.  Use the “Reset Map” link if you have edited the property address
5. Locate the marker pin and drag this to point to the location of your bach.  Please note: you may need to adjust the zoom level.

Google Maps(TM) allows you to superimpose satellite imagery allowing you to pin-point the definition of your property.  Drag the pin so it points to the roof-top of your main building.  Scroll down the page and Save it.

Some parts of the website aren’t working. What can I do? (Javascript problems)

This article is for: Managers Renters

The owner-manager website requires JavaScript to be enabled in order to to function.  You can search Google for instructions on how to enable JavaScript for your specific browser.

You may also experience issues if you have personal firewall or ad-blocking software installed. We recommend ensuring that you have disabled any ad blocking or JavaScript disabling features of your internet security software.  Also, be sure to add http://www.bookabach.co.nz and http://manage.bookabach.co.nz to your ‘trusted’ websites.

How do I change the default check-in/check-out time on my property?

This article is for: Managers

We default check-in/check-out times to 12:00noon/4:00pm respectively.  However, you can set up your own default check-in/check-out times.  You’ll find these in the Property Preferences:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2) Select the property you want to change.
3) Go to Property Settings > Preferences.

Note that check-in/out times are shown in 24 hr format.

How do I Accept or Decline a Booking Request?

This article is for: Managers

When someone enquires about a stay at your property, you will receive a booking request via email.  The same information shows up on your bookings calendar as an entry with status REQUESTED.  You will also find a link to a Requested booking in the Notifications section of the Dashboard page.  It is up to you to vet the enquirer for suitability.  After you’ve done this, you need to make a decision on whether you want to accept or decline this booking request.

To ACCEPT the booking request:
Once you both agree on terms of rental, you can accept the booking.  To do this:

1. Locate the booking on your Calendar by either:
* Clicking the link in the email you’ve received; or
* Going to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and logging in, and using the link in Notifications; or
* Using the booking search facility at the top of the page and typing in their name; or
* Clicking the “Bookings” tab, clicking the down-arrow in the date-range box and selecting “All future bookings”.

2. Click the “Accept booking” link on the right-hand side of the entry.  Please note that you can click the “Open Booking” link to expand the entry and find more options to update it.

To DECLINE the booking request:
If you don’t want to accept the request, locate the booking as above and decline it by using the “Decline booking” link.

In either case, the system will then give you the option to send an email to the renter.  Any emails you send via the site appear in the History section of the opened booking.

I’ve made changes to my listing. When will they appear on the site?

This article is for:

If you’ve just listed a property, or made changes to your listing, it may take some time - typically less than an hour - for these changes to make their way through to published websites.  This because of the various layers of “caching” (storing) we use to make the website operate as fast as possible. 

Affiliate channel websites (Realestate.co.nz etc.) operate using “content feeds” or files transfers.  Typically these are updated over night.

Note that changes to pricing and availability information on the booking “widget” are displayed immediately.  We don’t cache these for obvious reasons - they need to be up to date.

The easiest way to view your listing status and get to your live listing is through the Dashboard page of the manage website.  Log in to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz, go to the Dashboard tab and looking at the listing status.  You’ll find a View listing link.

How do I edit pricing on my bach?

This article is for: Managers

To edit pricing:

1) Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.
2) Go to Listing > Pricing and deals.

To set up pricing, you must first set-up your “tariffs”, which are “price levels”.  Once your tariffs are defined,  you need to apply these across the date ranges you want.

Step 1: Setting up tariffs

Use the ‘+Add tariff’ link.  The following fields are defined:

* Tariff name: Choose a descriptive name that will help you like "high-season"
* Week-day and week-end/holiday rates: Bookabach automatically displays the correct pricing depending on the day of week and whether it’s a public holiday.
* Occupancy (for up to..): allows you to set a lower base price level if fewer people stay.  Note: You can’t select “N/A - Max occupancy” if you want to charge for extra adults/children.
* Minimum number of nights: Define a minimum number of nights stay for dates of this tariff level.

Step 2: Apply your tariffs across date ranges

1) Select tariff you wish to apply (by clicking the circle on the left-hand side of a coloured box).

2) Enter the date range in the “From” and “To” fields (use the calendar icons to select dates).

3) Click the “Apply tariff” button.

4) Repeat the above steps with each different tariff until your pricing is 100% complete and at least covers the period your booking calendar is open.

Each tariff can be applied to a number of date ranges as many times as you like.  To help you, we show you public, regional and school holidays in the calendar (marked with coloured corners). 

The pricing calendar is live, so you’ll have to periodically update your pricing to keep up with the passing days.

If you want to offer a long stay discount, e.g. 7 nights for the price of 6, then add a Special Deal to your listing.

What are the key differences between the Performance Plan & Subscription Plan products?

This article is for: Managers

The Performance Plan is a pay-on-success based service. So you pay for confirmed rental bookings that go ahead - and only after the stay has completed.  Additionally, the Performance Plan allows you to increase your exposure by nominating higher than base-level success fees. When you nominate a higher success fee this contributes to your “score” which dictates your “ranking” on Bookabach - where your property appears on the search results pages[1].

The alternative Subscription Plan is an annual subscription-based service where you pay a fixed fee for listing on the website. There are are some differences in the listing itself, for example, the Performance Plan listings are featured listings and are eligible to offer AA Smartfuel incentives for rental guests (conditions apply).

Also, there are some difference in how properties are marketed.  Performance plan listings:
* are shown on affiliated websites (channels)
* are featured randomly on the Bookabach home page
* are featured randomly in deals newsletters
* are used in any other push marketing campaign opportunities

Notes:
[1] Other factors effect your ranking including quantity/quality of member feedback.

How can I add my own family bookings to the calendar?

This article is for:

Add your own family and friend bookings to the calendar when you know you will be using the property.  This is both a service to you - you won’t receive booking requests for periods you know are unavailable - and to rental guests, who won’t get frustrated by making enquiries on properties that are showing as “available”, but aren’t in fact available.

To add a family/friend booking for yourself or another member of your bach:

1. Go to http://manage.bookabach.co.nz and log in.

2. Go to Bookings

3. Click the green “+Add booking” button (top right - you can’t miss it).  Select the dates and choose the booking type: family/friend or for yourself (Property member).

3. Complete the relevant fields and click the “Save” button.

You’re done!  Note that there are no (Performance Plan success fee) charges for adding bookings manually (rental or family/friend).  We like calendars to be as up to date as possible!

Why do you charge an activation deposit to list on Performance Plan? How is this deposit used?

This article is for: Managers

Bookabach operates a credit/debit account for each member. When you list a property on Performance Plan we charge a deposit in order to get your listing up and running. This deposit is non refundable. It becomes a credit in your Bookabach account to be used against future success fee payments. You will not need to top-up your account until this deposit runs out.

Asking for a deposit prevents people (mainly software and web developers) from playing with the website and adding bogus listings. It also creates a sufficient barrier to entry to ensure that someone who is listing takes enough time to create a viable listing - one that’s capable of attracting enough interest to perform well.

What do the colours mean on the listing price/availability?

This article is for: Renters

We use colours to describe the availability status of each property.  These colours show in the Price/Availability area of the listing.  Here’s what they mean:

WHITE: Available.

YELLOW: Enquiry Pending / Provisionally booked.  One or more requested or accepted bookings may be present on this day, but nothing confirmed yet.  You are welcome to make an enquiry but you are unlikely to have it accepted.

RED: Booked.  A confirmed booking is present on this day.  Booking requests are no longer accepted.

GREY: Availability unknown.  The owner/manager is not committed to providing availability information to Bookabach.

GREEN: Selected.  A day you’ve selected for your booking.

You’ll also find public, provincial and school holidays marked on the calendar (small coloured triangles).

What is your policy on editing feedback?

This article is for: Managers Renters

In the interests of preserving the integrity of Bookabach feedback, and providing impartiality to both renters and owners/managers alike, we will not remove or edit feedback - except in the following circumstances:

*  Where comments are defamatory, offensive or contain language of an inappropriate nature. We reserves the sole right to determine what is considered offensive, defamatory or inappropriate language.

*  Where the author of the feedback has requested it be removed or amended. Any requests for amendments should be made to Bookabach Support. A request for feedback to be modified or withdrawn must come via email and from the email address the member uses for their Bookabach log in.

Note that feedback includes both member feedback and property guestbook entries.

Should I show a map on my listing?

This article is for: Managers

Whether you choose to display a map on your listing or not is entirely up to you.

Some bach owners have concerns regarding security and publicising both availability and location information on the website.  For a would-be rental guest this is exactly the information they need to aid their decision on finding a bach to rent, however, it may be seen as useful intelligence to any burglar.

1. Ensure deadlocks are fitted
2. Hide valuables - or don’t keep any at the bach
3. Keep any computers, audio-visual equipment etc. in places that can not be viewed from outside
4. Consider installing an alarm system
5. Have a local representative or caretaker who can keep an eye on the place while you or tenants are not staying
6. Make sure you have proper insurance

Why are modified digital photos unacceptable?

This article is for: Managers

It’s against our terms of use to upload and publish modified images on your listing.  Modifications include:

- Borders
- Text
- Overlay images or logos
- Excessive filtering or colour enhancements

We have this policy for a number of reasons.  Firstly we want to provide the best and most consistent user experience.  While a bright red border on your photos may seem like a good way to attract attention it’s also really confusing for the website user (“Why has that one got a red border? Did I click something?”). 

Secondly, we want images to reflect reality - not some hyper-saturated colour make-believe-land! 

Lastly, adding text in the form of URLs, phone numbers or company names - or logos and images may seem like a great way of getting your name out there it is against our terms of use!

I’m using Payment Tracking.  How do I change a due date on an individual payment?

This article is for: Managers

If you are using Payment Tracking a Payment Schedule for a booking is set-up automatically when you accept the booking. The expected payment dates are derived from the information your supply in your Payment Terms (in your Rental Terms).  However, you can change these dates if you need to for individual bookings.  For example, perhaps you’ve made an agreement for balance to be paid on arrival, rather than in advance. To change the payment schedule dates associated with an individual booking:

1) Find the booking and open it.

2) Click the Charges & Payments tab.

3) Use the edit link next to the payment you want to re-schedule in the Payment Schedule table.

How should I manage key collection? Our thoughts…

This article is for: Managers

Please refer to this article in Owner/Manager Resources: How to manage key collection.

What should be included in a rental agreement?

This article is for: Managers

A Rental Agreement protects both you and your guests and can prevent time consuming and potentially costly disputes.

Your Rental Agreement should include:

* Payment Terms (when you expect payment(s) to be made)

* Cancellation Terms and charges (what happens when someone cancels)

It should also include a clause that describes what happens if you (the owner or property manager) has to cancel the booking.

To create a Rental Agreement online:

1) Log into the owner/manager website

2) Go to My Settings > Rental Terms

For more advice on what to include in a Rental Agreement see the article: "What to include in a rental agreement".

When and how are Performance Plan success fees charged?

This article is for: Managers

Success Fees will be charged to your Bookabach account the day after the final nights stay. Bookabach does this using booking information from your Bookabach Calendar. 

You will need to top up your Bookabach account once it goes into negative balance.  You can do this using your Credit Card, or by paying by Internet Banking or Cheque.  Please allow up to 5-days for processing of all payments other than Credit Cards.

If you have a last minute cancellation, or if there are last minute changes to the booking arrival and/or departure dates, you can update Bookabach with these changes by editing the booking at any time up to when the booking was originally scheduled to complete. 

If the booking completes as originally schedule and your Bookabach account is debited the success fees (for Performance Plan) there is a $10 administration charge associated with any transaction reversal as it requires manual processing.

Rental Best Practice Guidelines/Qualmark code of ethics

This article is for:

Please have a look at this article titled "Best practice guidelines for bach owners"