Daily I receive quite a bit of spam emails, mostly about VIAGRA, getting a diploma/degree within minutes, fabulous watches or some losing weight junk (maybe I need it, I’ve gained quite a lot of kilos in recent times). It’s not common that I get spam emails on tourism related offers, except for the random websites about listings for the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010.
Today, it’s an opportune moment to take my magnifying lens and get an up-close look into one such website named Bookings Galore www.bookingsgalore.co.za operating from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape by one Natascha Thuynsma (though not driving the 2010 agenda). Myself and others that she sent the same email, all our email addresses are visible for any of us to harvest, which means if I was also operating within the spamming gig, I would have a field day on those email addresses.
Below is the entire email unedited with subject line “Bookings Galore Introduction and Business Proposal” that got my attention…
Good Day All Guesthouse Owners and Managers
I would like to take a minute of your time and tell you what Bookings Galore is all about.
A newly found company based in the Friendly City of Port Elizabeth, the company is booking agency like very little other. We offer our service to all different kind of booking enquiries.
Not only would we like to offer guesthouse owners the opportunity to promote their establishments, we would like to offer local and international Tourist an experience of a life time.
I would like to offer all guesthouse owners the opportunity to promote their establishments not only to local clients but to foreign tourists as well.
I frequently have to find accommodation for clients working for General Motors and Coca-Cola; I would like to provide guesthouses with clients to fill their guesthouses.
Besides offering guesthouses the possibility of bookings for you guesthouse I would like to offer you the service of creating a monthly advert that I will create just for your establishment and then send it out to all companies.
I charge a small fee of R685.00 including Vat for this option.
The advert will be sent out twice per month, and I can assure you to see the results shortly.
For all bookings made by me for your guesthouse I charge a 10% booking fee.
If you are interested in signing up with my company please let me know so that we could arrange a meeting.
Kind Regards,
Natascha Thuynsma
Bookings Galore
Cell: 074 316 4911
Email: natascha@bookingsgalore.co.za
www.bookingsgalore.co.za
The accommodation page on Bookings Galore
On reading the sales letter, I then ventured into the website to get a feel of what is really cooking on her world wide web. The home page clearly designed by an amateur web designer left a lot to be desired. As a potential guest, I wouldn’t have continued browsing any further, however because my mission was not to make a booking but to spy on her activities, I continued further and explored most of the pages.
My Take
Clearly my good sister has good intentions for her tourism business, however the basics are not in order. I would go on and on about how bad her shop is etc, but I’ll like to offer possible solutions instead. Natascha, here is a brotherly advise from me to you…please go back to the drawing board and act professional if you’re to make a serious impression to your potential clients.
1. Request a refund from www.infobase.co.za your web designer, for creating such rubbish (excuse me for being brutally honest).
2. Visit established travel booking websites operating in your niche such as www.sa-venues.com or www.safarinow.com and study their business model. Then work out a plan on how you’ll be unique from them, which calls for you to innovate and offer an attractive package.
3. Set out a budget for an experienced web developer with a portfolio of existing websites to use as your reference before awarding them your business. I strongly suggest Elance for getting experienced web developers at affordable rates (from around the world, it’s not a crime to outsource outside SA).
4. Too many factors also need to be considered, before launching a travel bookings related website, since you’ll be competing with a LOT of established players both locally and international (market is saturated), who have budgets to throw around and you don’t.
5. I’ll suggest you only focus on your locality (be the Port Elizabeth travel bookings queen), as this has many advantages since you can personally sell lodging facilities your services and build an intimate business relationship. Only once you’ve established yourself within your area, it’ll then become easy to think of going national (only if there is a demand).
6. The Eastern Cape Tourism Board would be your point of call if you need help related to anything about your tourism business and I would recommend that you make use of them in a great deal.
7. Charging lodging facilities a listing fee and a commission on bookings that your website generates does not make sense. You can only select one of the two options and not use both, which says you’re greed to any potential client.
Lastly the invoice is on the way for all the consultancy work carried out, rate by the minute and discounted at 50% for all Google references. [polldaddy poll=1857575]
Blogger Muzi Mohale
I’m Muzi Mohale, based in Roodepoort (South Africa). Blogger with www.travelwires.com. Love Travelwires.com since I get to travel our beautiful country through blogging and get first hand tourism experience.
Muzi
I had such a good laugh reading this post. There are hundreds of websites doing the exact same thing and I must agree that this site is no 101 on my list. It just seems that every single person wants to jump on the 2010 train and create a “website” that will make the accommodation establishment owner a millionare owernight.
The site looks like it has been designed by a 10 year old with no computer experience and I would not ask for a refund from the developer but would sue them. Did you take a look at their website (www.infobase.co.za)? And they have the nerve to have a link “Why do we exist”. I do wonder why?
She also makes promises in her e-mail which she will not be able to keep and will therefore have very upset advertisers.
My advice to Natascha would be to immediately take the site offline and re-look the whole concept and design, as the current site is harming her domain. But then again this might be to late. I would not advertise on either site even if they paid me the R685.
Natasha, ask questions and speak to people who has been there. We are all prepared to help
Absolutely horrible. Being a web designer myself I sometimes stumble upon these kind of websites and it brings chills to my spine thinking that people actually build website like this. Not only is it not search engine friendly but it seems as though no thought was put into this website whatsoever.
Apparently this “Infobase”(there is absolutely no “info” on their website btw) will create a website for you for free after which you have to pay R100 per year. That’s not alot, and you can clearly see what you will get for it.
I completely agree with Muzi, Natascha you need to get a refund from Infobase (if you paid anything), and go to someone else for a website. It doesn’t help being stingy with your money, you will end up with a piece of crap (as you have now).
Guys, on behalf of all Port Elizabeth citizens allow me to apologise for the absolute ‘drek’ that slipped out from under the radar and into your e-mail client/s.
I have asked a good mate to contact the web site owner and see if we can help the poor misguided soul.
Thanks for the great ‘not too’ judgmental post.
Alan
Great..! I do my own hosting and I’m prepared to give her 12 months free hosting on my server. Just give me a call.
Ah, I’m humbled to note there people willing to help Natascha, hope she grabs all the opportunities with both hands.
Thank you Jacques and Alan for positively contributing towards the tourism industry, it’ll go a long way.
Good Day All
I am the poor lost soul and owner of Bookings Galore. Thank you for all your comments and thoughts shared about the company. Yes I am inexperience with webhosting. Infobase showed me some beautiful websites and I truly believed that my site will look like that. I have paid for each and every guesthouse that they loaded and even for some that I still wait to be loaded.
Jaques I will grab this opportunity with both hands and appreciate any help provided. I will also give all of the guesthouses signed up with me an additional year, for all inconvenience offered.
Please forgive me for my ignorance.
If you have any more suggestions on how I can improve my company please feel free to send me a email or contact me on 074 316 4911
Kind Regards,
Natascha Thuynsma
Bookings Galore
This morning I opened my e-mail and could not believe the e-mail I received from Natasha and Bookings Galore. I believe in sharing and that includes ideas etc. Is this what one would expect from offering a helping hand. If so, I would like to retract my offer and rather give it to someone deserving. To Bookings Galore I would like to say, good luck and with an attitude like this you won’t get far in this industry.
Here is the exact wording of the e-mail I received from Booking Galore:
———————
Good day Jacques.
I just want to enquire why your company have decided to give Bookings Galore a hard time. What have I ever done to any guesthouse to deserve this kind of treatment. Yet you would like to offer me free hosting on YOUR server. Please dream on that is not the way that you gain business partners.
Kind Regards
Natascha Thuynsma
———————
Let it go Jacques, she also sent me a similar email, yet her reply on the post where its for public consumption is totally opposite. She doesn’t see the bigger picture and I think it’s pointless, helping someone who clearly doesn’t see the value.
Below is her email to myself unedited:
Good day
I would like to give you food for thought.
I don’t know where you learnt your manners from but you definitely have no business manners. All you had to do was ignore the email or say that you are not interested in signing up. For your information Bookings Galore is doing extremely well with more than 250 guesthouses listed.
So eat on that. With your mentality you won’t get very far.
Kind Regards,
Natascha Thuynsma
Muzi
I agree. Just a shame that someone like this is creating mistrust in legitimate websites
Wow, Natascha, talk about kicking a gift horse in the mouth. In one blow you have depicted really poor breeding and a questionable education. No man is an island and every business needs to be in the position to take positive criticism with a sense of gratitude.
I too have had a look at your website and quite frankly – I would ask for my money back, as it is completely outdated and the graphics are completely unprofessional. I am extremely impressed that you have managed to rope in as many customers as you say you have – perhaps you have other talents that the Cyberworld is yet to find out about, so well done for that!
Are you sure that you are a born and bred Port Elizabethan, Natasha?
Not a good advert for the Friendly City I am afraid.
Criticism, especially when it is coupled with offers of assistance to help you and an industry grow stronger is to be welcomed.
It is a fact that the travel industry especially is chock a block full of people trying to get money off of those people in the industry and they get solicitations for business every day. As a consequence they know how (or should know how!) to see if someone is offering them a good deal or not.
I have asked a number of Guest House Owners, whose opinions I trust, to crit your site and they have all come back with a thumbs down.
Let’s not fight about facts – accept offers of help and assistance gratefully and become stronger instead of knee jerking your way around.
In fact the webmaster, whom I know and trust, that I asked to contact you to help (at a price, but a damn good one!) is now also reluctant to do so.
If you want to take this conversation offline please use the contact form on my web site. (Click on my name!)
Understand one thing, this offer comes because I know and love Port Elizabeth and by helping you get stronger, together, we will make Port Elizabeth and the PE travel industry stronger.
In some strange way you should be thanking Muzi et al for highlighting your ‘plight’ so that people would come to you offering assistance.