We're about to arrive in Zurich and are trying to find some temporary accommodation. I've noticed some small "serviced apartment" companies advertise on AirBnB. There's one that I think we're going to go with as we're not having much luck with the major serviced apartment companies (no availability for our dates).
But looking carefully at their website, it seems to be a rather small operation. Can I trust these smaller companies? Anything I should watch out for?
We'd be transferring a large sum to them to make the booking, so I just worry our money might vanish... Would welcome any feedback.
There are *many* scammers online - I would be very careful about transferring a lot of money - but if it's via airbnb and they have a good reputation on that platform then it's probably OK - I've done many bookings this way over the past few years...
Assume also you will pay via credit card, so can make a claim back via the credit card if there is a major problem...
To echo Swisspea, if you're booking it through AirBnB I think their protection is supposed to be quite good. And of course if you pay with credit card, you can always raise a claim with your bank if it goes sour (I know this is only a minor consolation as you'll still need somewhere to live).
When I first arrived in Switzerland, I used HitRental - they have serviced apartments all over CH and I booked them through AirBnB. I was really pleased with their service and the quality of the apartment, perhaps give them a try.
Good luck.
Thanks very much!
Well, I am directly in touch with them and they have offered a good rate directly. We have arranged to book directly through bank transfer. Their Swiss bank account name is their company name (XX AG). Their website lists an office address that appears to be a residential address. They've sent an invoice through Stripe (online invoice service), but I think we'd transfer directly.
It's a good option for us (but not "too good to be true"), but yes, it would not have the protection of AirBnB nor credit card.
If it turned out to be a scam, would there be any way for us to recover our money/pursue them?
I think they're just a small business maybe just getting started in the serviced apartment industry. I'm generally inclined to believe they're genuine and give them the benefit of the doubt, but perhaps I'm naive.
Is this a red herring?
To be honest, this sounds like the perfect scam to me. I think you should only book via AirBnB, and I think it's a red flag that they are asking you to not book via AirBnB.
Ok, thanks for the words of caution. They actually seem to be running a legitimate operation via AirBnB with hundreds of reviews of their different locations, including reviews (bad ones, too) of the one we're looking at. We'll see if we can arrange with them to make a more secure booking either via AirBnB if they make an offer to us or via Stripe with credit card.
It might help if you named them. Being cautious about a potential business partner isn't libel.
from my experience, in Switzerland, the 'discount' between paying directly and via airbnb is around 15%. They can also discount their airbnb rate for an individual booking (I am local and book locally and use airbnb for my employer because of the protection and charge-back on credit card).... and they often will do this if you ask - especially if it's for a longer booking... and then you can use the protection of airbnb and also get a discount .
It’s unlikely they’ll offer discount via Airbnb anywhere as big as directly. Airbnb takes a huge cut from long stays - both on the guest and host side.
I am close to the business, so my advice:
- if you go with Airbnb, then make sure they do not have any reviews regarding cancellations. The best option would be if they have the Superhost status - one of the requirements is that you can’t cancel any stay
- big brands have their own websites and they often do not advertise much on different platforms
- I have heard about good experiences with Vision Apartments ( https://visionapartments.com/en/ ) and Swiss Star Apartments ( https://swiss-star.com/?lang=en )
If you decide to go with any of these two big brands, make sure you check reviews on Google Maps. They usually rent the building and the quality varies a lot . E.g. Vision Apartments at Wolframplatz has a vibe of a premium hotel (I believe they own the building), while the one at Rotachstrase is a slightly neglected building from 60-70s with everything squeezed together.