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The Keys are in the Mail. Really?
Parler Paris Nouvellettre®
Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 • Paris, France
Dear Parler Paris Reader,
Attention all France and Paris rental apartment owners, rental apartment agencies and renters...BEWARE OF SCAM RENTALS!
According to some guesses, there are almost 40,000 vacation rental apartments in Paris alone. I don't believe that figure is correct, as many apartments are advertised on a variety of sites and therefore may be counted twice in the estimates, but even so, there are enough to keep vacationers and part-time residents quite well housed.
Renting an apartment in Paris is big business, for both the investor (owner) as well as the vacationer, as both bring enormous sums of money into the French economy from outside, particularly from foreign investors, such as the British, Italians, Americans, Asians, Russians, etc., etc., who love Paris and want their little piece of it.
Unfortunately for all of us who have been a part of the industry, whether from the side of the 'provider' or 'consumer,' there have been some cases of fraudulent activity which makes everyone nervous about who you can trust.
Just this week, we found many of the apartments we advertise exclusively on Parler Paris Apartments, including my own personal property, advertised on a Web site called EXPLORANDA.COM without any authority to do so, whatsoever. Photos from our own Web site had been taken along with the descriptive text, having changed only the name of the apartment and minor details within the text. Hundreds of other apartments are advertised there, too.
In addition, we found many of our apartments advertised on CraigsList.com with the requests going to Exploranda.com!
If you own or represent one in Paris and other parts of France (or in any of the other cities they advertise), you may want to peruse the site to see if you are also one of their victims. Clearly, this is illegal, from purely the infringement of copyright, if nothing else.
Over the course of the year, we have received a few emails from an "agent" at Exploranda.com inquiring about the availability of an apartment. We cannot be sure if they would propose a real client and ask for a commission from us or manage to take the booking, keep the reservation deposit themselves and then never provide the accommodations. As of this date, we have no proof of their fraudulent activity except for the copyright infringement I've described, but that's enough to make my skin crawl.
This morning I issued a letter to Exploranda.com insisting they cease and desist the advertising of our properties. If you are an owner or agency whose apartment(s) can be found on the site, I urge you to do the same and to help us file a report to the authorities about this site and any others which may be making a mockery of the legitimate agencies and stealing money from innocent customers.
But don't be nervous. There are dozens of wonderful agencies and thousands of real owners who only want to make your stay in the City of Light as perfect as it can be. If you are a renter, then just be sure you're dealing with a trustworthy agency or owner.
Here's how you can:
1. Do the due diligence on the company or party representing the apartment. Be sure the listing includes a a physical address, telephone number, email address, proper business name, etc. Make a call or send an email to see if you get a response. You can also search the Internet for information about this company or person.
2. Ensure you will have a contractual arrangement. Legitimate representatives will require a signed lease/contract, a reservation deposit and a security deposit, and you should, too.
3. Payment should be made only via credit card if you want to protect yourself from fraud. But watch out -- you do not have recourse via PayPal, as anyone can set up an account with PayPal and Buyer Protection covers only "payments for tangible, physical goods that can be shipped." You may have some recourse with your credit card issuing bank, but you'd have to check to ensure they don't have the same requirements. Sites that use an industry regulated payment service and offer direct online payment are less likely to be fraudulent services. Avoid payment by check or wire transfer, unless you are certain you are dealing with a legitimate provider.
4. If the agency is a French-based company, you can search the company name at http://www.societe.com to verify the legitimacy of the company. You can also search to see if the contact details for the owner of the Web site match with what you have by visiting http://whois.domaintools.com/.
5. Look to see if the advertised apartment also shows testimonials of satisfied renters. Or, ask the representative to provide you with referrals of those who have stayed there. But beware, even these can be false. Instead, you can search the forums to see if there are any comments from past renters regarding the apartment or the representative agency.
6. If the owner of the apartment simply mails you the keys, then be cautious. There are legitimate owners who are trusting enough to do this, but it's also a sign that there may be no real apartment belonging to those keys! Agencies will have a person meet and greet you at the apartment. This you can trust as you will have contact with a real person in a real apartment!
And 7. If you have any doubts, email us. We've been in business long enough to know just about everyone who represents apartments in the city of Paris and with whom you can trust to provide proper accommodations in a professional way.
Of course, luckily you can certainly trust us, if no one else.
Happy Holidays! A la prochaine...
A la prochaine...
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
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P.S. Parler Paris Apartments offers a 'bouquet' of luxury rental apartments you can trust! As a gift to Parler Paris readers, we're making a very special springtime offering. Book Your Parler Paris apartments stay this April or May and you can count an extra 15% off the price of the rental, just to say thank you for being such loyal readers. In addition, if you are a guest staying in any one of our luxurious apartments, and would like to consider having your own "pied-à-terre" for your pleasure and profit, you may contact me for a FREE one-hour consultation while you're enjoying the apartment in the City of Light. For more information, visit Parler Paris Apartments
