Has Anyone Heard From Someone Calling Themselves Donovan Bennet?

This is really for gite owners, but the category seems to have disappeared.
Has anyone had a last minute enquiry with a sob story that they have had their previous booking cancelled due to an accident in their previous gite?

Jane… I’ve amended the category for you… is this now OK ??

Thanks Stella.
I can say we are concerned.

I can understand… perhaps your own gîte is “undergoing repairs” and is there unavailable… (???) might be the prudent way forward… as this person obviously has not supplied enough information to allow satisfactory confirmation of his sob-story.

No Stella, our gite is available.
I will pm you.

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One of our rental clients carries out in-depth checks on everyone who wants to rent his house and if he’s not happy cancels the booking and returns the deposit.

There is no deposit as it is less than six weeks before the arrival date.
We didn’t actually have a con firmed booking.

Gracious, is that how everyone works…

If less than 6 weeks before = no deposit required ???

At such short notice I’d expect to have to pay the full cost of the holiday plus any security deposit. I’d still check them out first though, get full name and address and then search on-line to confirm as much as possible they are legit.

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So that would be cleared funds before they arrive ??

Absolutely Stella, there is no way any of our clients (bar one) would allow a rental to go ahead without having received payment in full, nowadays with immediate bank transfers that’s not difficult.

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If our clients are french we don’t require that everything is paid upfront. A deposit and signed contract is sufficient. If it’s a last minute booking then we waive the deposit and they pay everything when they arrive.

For other nationalities we would want a deposit in advance and a bank transfer for the rest a day before they arrive, or cash on the doorstep. If they book at the last minute we need the whole payment upfront.

But for everyone we want a name and address, and use mr google to check they are real and streetview to make sure that the address is also real.

But re Mr Donovan - that’s a new sob story for me. Have you asked him for the name and address of this damaged gîte? Perhaps so you can contact owners to see if you can “help them in any way” with other bookings they have…

I don’t think we will get any more involved.
I just wanted to warn people.

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I heard Donovan some time ago on radio Nostalgie, but havent heard from Gordon (of bennet fame) for some time now. At the moment I am battling with Murphy.

That name vaguely rings a bell and if I am right it was the same scam. By the same token we have had three enquiries last year exactly the same. Or near enough. Often they claim the previous owner has their money and in order for the enquirer not to delay thing as a middle-man, suggests that you supply your bank details and he can get the person with the money to send it to you direct. Needless to say we haven’t fallen for that one yet.

Donovan “Bulbie” Bennett (c. 1964 – 30 October 2005) was a Jamaican criminal and gang leader of the Klansman (or Klans Massive) based in Spanish Town, St. Catherine. He was formerly listed by the Jamaica Constabulary Force as number one of Jamaica’s top ten most wanted criminals for over ten years before his death.[1]

Of course, he may have faked his death (in a police shoot-out)

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