There have been a lot horror stories recently regarding holiday makers being heartbroken when they’ve turned up at their privately let caravan only for it not to exist. Simplycaravan.com aims and hopes to eradicate this practice completely. We’re working hard to integrate features to our website to ensure we don’t have any fraudulent owners.
It’s important to note that the vast majority of caravan owners are legit and as such you shouldn’t be put off however here’s a number of steps you can follow to make it even less likely you fall foul of a fraudster.
Tip 1: Gain as much detail as possible
Request as much detail about the caravan as possible. Ask which part of the park the caravan is positioned on, what the address of the caravan is and the phone number of the park. The caravan owner should know all this information or have it available.
Gaining this information will give you the opportunity to check with the caravan camps management that the caravan exists and confirm the owner but it’s also a test of the caravan owner if they can’t answer these simple questions then you should not pursue the caravan any further and you should make the Website management aware of your concerns through their contact form. SimplyCaravan.com count this as our number 1 priority and will do our up-most to find out if the advertisement is fraudulent and report them to the correct authorities.
Tip 2: Landline phone number & Home address
Ask the owner if they have a landline number you could contact them on. A landline number usually means a fixed abode. If you are given a landline number ensure you ring it at least once before you hand over your full payment.
If you can retrieve a home address this will help if you have any issues. Caravan owners usually live within the vicinity of the Caravan Park. If the address given is a distance away from the caravan park then you have every right to ask more questions. If a Po Box address is given also be suspicious and ask further questions.
Tip 3: Payment method
Currently the best way to pay a private caravan owner if they don’t accept credit card payments is through PayPal.
PayPal takes numerous steps to ensure the identity of their users. PayPal also do their best to retrieve any money if fraud takes place. PayPal buyer protection doesn’t cover you for the payment of private caravan hire however payment via PayPal will leave you far less likely to encounter a fraudster due to their quick suspension of any accounts if any complaints are made or suspicious activity takes place.
Paying by Bank Transfer or Cheque are currently the most common ways to pay for private caravan hire although SimplyCaravan.com recommends the use of PayPal if possible. If you are to pay via bank transfer make sure you retrieve a home address of the caravan owner ask them to send you an invoice and to include a return address before you make any payments. Follow the same steps for payment by cheque. Remember if paying by cheque or bank transfer there is often no way to prove what the payment was for if the worst does happen.
Tip 4: Ratings
Try and use caravan hire websites that include ratings and feedback. Read the feedback also taking into account the number of ratings and feedbacks the caravan has received. It’s not the be all and end all as some caravans may be new to the market or the holiday makers may have been completely satisfied and as such not left any feedback. If the information is available you can also check how long the caravan has been on the website. The longer the caravan has been on the website the less likely it is that the owner will be fraudulent as the website would have removed the caravan on its first complaint.
Caravan owners should always strive for feedback. Don’t be completely put off if a caravan receives a small number of negative comments. Although this isn’t ideal, there’s no pleasing everyone. What’s more important is the owner responds to this feedback correctly and improves.
Tip 5: Pay as late as possible
When booking the caravan you should always read the owners terms and conditions on payment. The majority of owners will offer opportunity to pay an initial deposit and then pay the full amount owed at a later date. If the owner allows you to pay the full amount owed on arrival take them up on this offer. Likewise if the caravan owner allows you to pay days or weeks before you arrive take advantage of this offer. The time between paying the deposit and final payment will allow you time to build up some correspondence with the owner gather more detail and become more comfortable with them before you hand them your hard earned money.
Tip 6: Google reverse image search
Google offers reverse image search. This is a method of taking the caravan picture you are considering hiring and searching for other images similar or identical to it on google. If the picture appears on another website under a different owner you should question this with the owner and raise it with the Website management team immediately. Although this method seems technical its quite simple if you follow the instructions given.
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