Koala fills a niche that others may not see quite yet, but I see it as a great alternative

[MikeKennedy]

Koala is a Joke.

I registered and put a Worldmark Seaside reservation that we will not use on it but it never shows up.

No response from support or anyone else.

Hi @samara64, Mike from KOALA here. We are very sorry to hear you're not happy. Quick question: did you list the 3BR from August 9th -16th? If so, someone from our customer service team called and left voicemails for you on March 23th, 24th and 29th to help you verify your account and, as a result were not able to get in touch with you. We verify Host's accounts because it gives confidence to travelers that they're renting from real people. As it never got verified, we couldn't go live with this listing. If you'd like someone assist you - please email us at hello@go-koala.com or call us at 1-833-KOALA-CO. we're happy to help!

-Mike

 

[samara64]

Hi @samara64, Mike from KOALA here. We are very sorry to hear you're not happy. Quick question: did you list the 3BR from August 9th -16th? If so, someone from our customer service team called and left voicemails for you on March 23th, 24th and 29th to help you verify your account and, as a result were not able to get in touch with you. We verify Host's accounts because it gives confidence to travelers that they're renting from real people. As it never got verified, we couldn't go live with this listing. If you'd like someone assist you - please email us at hello@go-koala.com or call us at 1-833-KOALA-CO. we're happy to help!

-Mike

Thanks Mike. Not sure how did this happen. Maybe my phone rejected the number as unknown. I will call to verify and give Koala a try.

 

[MikeKennedy]

Thanks Mike. Not sure how did this happen. Maybe my phone rejected the number as unknown. I will call to verify and give Koala a try.

You're welcome and no worries at all, sorry we missed you. I told the team to be on the lookout for the call.

 

[byeloe]

Is it possible to get some different cancellation options. Right now it is 100% within different time periods or 0%

 

[dioxide45]

Is it possible to get some different cancellation options. Right now it is 100% within different time periods or 0%

I would say toss the suggestions out there in this forum or send them to the feedback@go-koala.com email that @MikeKennedy , doesn't hurt. I know they added some a while back based on feedback from Wyndham owners. I think you are thinking of 50% penalty if cancelled greater than # days? Perhaps some type of tiered cancellation structure like that?

 

[byeloe]

I would say toss the suggestions out there in this forum or send them to the feedback@go-koala.com email that @MikeKennedy , doesn't hurt. I know they added some a while back based on feedback from Wyndham owners. I think you are thinking of 50% penalty if cancelled greater than # days? Perhaps some type of tiered cancellation structure like that?

yes, something in between 0 and 100. Right now I am choosing the 0% option

 

[VacayKat]

yes, something in between 0 and 100. Right now I am choosing the 0% option

I just recently asked for the option of refundable minus the guest cert fee with current time periods. They are looking into it. (As an aside, they are allowing me to not put the reservation in the guest name until it moves to nonrefundable so that helps)

 

[rickandcindy23]

Shell's cancellation policy is very strict. You have to cancel over 60 days out to get a full refund, and even then, you have to pay the transaction fee to cancel. A lot of Little Sweden appears back into inventory each summer after people cancel reservations. Right now, there are a bunch of large units for mid-June. I wish I could take the risk by advertising them.

The irony is that Wyndham members can book that cancelled inventory (some can book it at a huge discount) and keep it until 15 days before. Owning in both systems really lets me see the differences. We are founders in Wyndham, Shell we bought resale. I can get the same thing with Wyndham I could get in Shell but it's much cheaper to book through Wyndham. Shell is a mess.

 

[Fi2]

two of my three summer beach bookings on Redweek were successfully booked in February and March (these full service Redweek listings had been listed in 2020, then co-listed on koala in 2021, with no hits). The third is one of the partial week listings that I couldn’t find in koala this morning, but could in the afternoon, so I’ll know not to hold it against koala if it goes unbooked in both places!

The third of my three summer beach bookings on Redweek was just booked tonight, so I’ve deleted it from Koala. Of course there’s no reason for me to delete anything else I’ve got listed there (easy and free to list!), but I’m now wondering if I should list 2022 ski weeks on Redweek after all.

 

[heathpack]

I’m sorry. The KOALA site simply bad.

If I go to the landing page and type in Lake Tahoe as my destination, and the exact dates my listing is for May 29-June 1, then the number of guests... then what am I Supposed to do? There’s a magnifying glass icon, which I assume means “search”. If I click that, the whole thing just resets for me to enter all the info I just entered. KEEPING IN MIND THAT IM NOT A MORON AND BOOK TRAVEL VIA THE INTERNET ALL THE TIME.

If I click “stays,” all I see is a listing of bargain stays $199 and less! My listing doesn’t show up.

If I click “holiday stays,” my listing doesn’t show up, even though it’s Memorial Day weekend.

WTF?

Well it turns out you have to log in to have any functions of the website work. Then why the heck don’t you force people to log in to do anything? Make it absolutely clear on your landing page that the website is nonfunctional unless you’re logged in. So people don’t try to search, find nothing and assume there’s nothing to book. Or better yet- make the site fully functional without logging in, up to the point where the customer wants to book. Then they have to log in to complete the transaction.

 

[dioxide45]

I’m sorry. The KOALA site simply bad.

If I go to the landing page and type in Lake Tahoe as my destination, and the exact dates my listing is for May 29-June 1, then the number of guests... then what am I Supposed to do? There’s a magnifying glass icon, which I assume means “search”. If I click that, the whole thing just resets for me to enter all the info I just entered. KEEPING IN MIND THAT IM NOT A MORON AND BOOK TRAVEL VIA THE INTERNET ALL THE TIME.

If I click “stays,” all I see is a listing of bargain stays $199 and less! My listing doesn’t show up.

If I click “holiday stays,” my listing doesn’t show up, even though it’s Memorial Day weekend.

WTF?

Well it turns out you have to log in to have any functions of the website work. Then why the heck don’t you force people to log in to do anything? Make it absolutely clear on your landing page that the website is nonfunctional unless you’re logged in. So people don’t try to search, find nothing and assume there’s nothing to book. Or better yet- make the site fully functional without logging in, up to the point where the customer wants to book. Then they have to log in to complete the transaction.

Looking at the site right now, it looks to be very buggy and the search function may actually be completely down. Clicking on anything doesn't do what it is supposed to do. Clicking on Stays doens't work, clicking on the See All Holiday Stays link doesn't work. Just like we often see with the II, Marriott, Vistana and RCI websites, it looks like their site is down. I have seen this on the KOALA site before.

 

[heathpack]

Looking at the site right now, it looks to be very buggy and the search function may actually be completely down. Clicking on anything doesn't do what it is supposed to do. Clicking on Stays doens't work, clicking on the See All Holiday Stays link doesn't work. Just like we often see with the II, Marriott, Vistana and RCI websites, it looks like their site is down. I have seen this on the KOALA site before.

Except when I logged in, all the features worked. Maybe it was coincidence- down when I was not logged it, up when I logged in, and then down again when you looked. Were you logged in, yay or nay? If you weren’t logged in, try it again after logging in, and see if it makes a differenc.

I understand sites go down. 98% of the time I go to II, the site is functional, 2% of the time it has problems. So far in my hands, the KOALA site is frustrating to the point that I can’t accomplish the task im attempting at the first attempt- I’d say this is the case 98% of the time. Again, I’m approaching it as a reasonably tech savvy user. It might be a great site if you have a KOALA employee on the phone helping you with the correct sequence of clicks, but that’s not what shoppers looking at the site are going to get. Personally if I visit a site a couple of times and can’t accomplish my intended task efficiently, I’m just likely to move on and not bother coming back. I think that’s a pretty typical consumer response.

 

[dioxide45]

Except when I logged in, all the features worked. Maybe it was coincidence- down when I was not logged it, up when I logged in, and then down again when you looked. Were you logged in, yay or nay? If you weren’t logged in, try it again after logging in, and see if it makes a differenc.

I understand sites go down. 98% of the time I go to II, the site is functional, 2% of the time it has problems. So far in my hands, the KOALA site is frustrating to the point that I can’t accomplish the task im attempting at the first attempt- I’d say this is the case 98% of the time. Again, I’m approaching it as a reasonably tech savvy user. It might be a great site if you have a KOALA employee on the phone helping you with the correct sequence of clicks, but that’s not what shoppers looking at the site are going to get. Personally if I visit a site a couple of times and can’t accomplish my intended task efficiently, I’m just likely to move on and not bother coming back. I think that’s a pretty typical consumer response.

I just logged in and all of the functions seem to work. Doesn't work when logged out. Looking at the Holiday Stays, it looks like they only consider 4th of July, Summer Break and Thanksgiving? Not sure if Christmas and New Year is just not listed or hey have no listings (I wouldn't think that is the case). The problem with clicking any of the holiday tiles, it brings up listings without any dates. A common issue I have when using their regular search function. The problem with regular search is it relies on EXACT checkin and checkout days. Not a date range. If they could provide the option so search using the primary search function by date range and provide the dates for each listing on the results page, it would improve the usability of that feature tremendously.

 

[dioxide45]

It looks like search and other functions are now working when logged out.

 

[MikeKennedy]

Is it possible to get some different cancellation options. Right now it is 100% within different time periods or 0%

@byeloe actually yes, we are looking into some partial refund options -- more importantly we will have a travel insurance option available to travelers very soon!

 

[GrayFal]

The third of my three summer beach bookings on Redweek was just booked tonight, so I’ve deleted it from Koala. Of course there’s no reason for me to delete anything else I’ve got listed there (easy and free to list!), but I’m now wondering if I should list 2022 ski weeks on Redweek after all.

I did not get one inquiry on 5 Caribbean Dec-Feb dates, three have rented on Facebook. In fairness, there are resort specific Facebook groups that get a lot of action and people plan ahead to line their weeks up as the resort has 4 check in days.
It seems the successful renters have dates in the next few months?

I have logged in To Koala again and the search feature does seem improved.

In July, I will have 4 Marriott Feb/March weeks that I list - I will put them on Koala and Redweek and see how it goes.

 

[GrayFal]

It looks like search and other functions are now working when logged out.

I noticed this as well. And it now gives you all availability at a
Particular resort which is really helpful.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Most of our rentals are last-minute, and that is by design. Being Wyndham owners, we have the ability to cancel at 15 days out, and discounted stays are within 60 days. But Myrtle Beach also seems to rent mostly within 60 days. Right now, all dates in June and most of July are booked. Late July still available. I still have a few one bedrooms in early June. That's weird.

A lot of our renters are repeat renters and go for various events in Myrtle Beach.

I am happy that the search function is working better. Now we need people to list and we need people to rent.

The biggest advantage by far for me is not having to pay anything upfront. I like the fees off of the back end of the rental, even if the money doesn't come until after the guest checks in.

Still hoping for my Dolphin's Cove to rent. Disneyland needs to open to people outside of California.

 

[grupp]

Most of our rentals are last-minute, and that is by design. Being Wyndham owners, we have the ability to cancel at 15 days out, and discounted stays are within 60 days. But Myrtle Beach also seems to rent mostly within 60 days. Right now, all dates in June and most of July are booked. Late July still available. I still have a few one bedrooms in early June. That's weird.

A lot of our renters are repeat renters and go for various events in Myrtle Beach.

I am happy that the search function is working better. Now we need people to list and we need people to rent.

The biggest advantage by far for me is not having to pay anything upfront. I like the fees off of the back end of the rental, even if the money doesn't come until after the guest checks in.

Still hoping for my Dolphin's Cove to rent. Disneyland needs to open to people outside of California.

Think I operate quite differently than you do. All of my summer 2021 weeks were rented long ago and have already rented some ski and spring
break weeks for 2022. I also prefer the small fixed upfront fee of Redweek for most of my rentals to a larger fee taken out later. Since the majority of the the weeks rent before the ad expires, I don't see the $25 expense as an issue. Also, since I have multiple weeks at the same resorts, I frequently can use the ad to rent more than one week.

My preference is still to be paid upfront when the reservation is made, but realize that is more difficult now since everyone is more cautious after the issues related to the Pandemic. With Koala I have to list my weeks a at a higher price to make the same amount of money. So, couple that with their more limited cancelation options, anyone who rents from me is much better off going through Redweek.

I plan on listing my weeks on Koala, but don't really expect much as it does not seem to fit my way of doing business. As others have mentioned they really need to get the search function figured out (maybe scrape it and start over) as it is no good.

 

[echino]

Search is not working for me, and has not been working for a few weeks at least.

I go to the home page, then in the search bar in "Where to?" I enter "Bahamas", then select exact dates for my active listing, then select number of guests, then click the green search button: nothing happens. It just resets to the home page again, with blank search bar.

 

[melissy123]

I went on the Koala site and signed up. I’m trying to list a summer week at Edgelake Beach club in Lake Tahoe, but can’t seem to get past the screen that only lists the major timeshare companies. (Marriott, Bluegreen, Westin, etc).

 

[echino]

I went on the Koala site and signed up. I’m trying to list a summer week at Edgelake Beach club in Lake Tahoe, but can’t seem to get past the screen that only lists the major timeshare companies. (Marriott, Bluegreen, Westin, etc).

Scroll down and select "other".

 

[dioxide45]

Search is not working for me, and has not been working for a few weeks at least.

I go to the home page, then in the search bar in "Where to?" I enter "Bahamas", then select exact dates for my active listing, then select number of guests, then click the green search button: nothing happens. It just resets to the home page again, with blank search bar.

I think this is a glitch that has been off and on for a while. It doesn't seem to happen if you are logged into your account, but not logged in, it doesn't always work. I am not sure the cause and it has happened too often for me too. It seems to be working right now. If I search Bahamas for two people or June 5th through the 12th 2021, it does return a week at Harborside. If I search for any dates that overlap that reservation, it comes up as a suggested stay in yellow.

 

[vol_90]

I will stay patient and continue to post rentals competitively while continuing to use Redweek. That being said the functionality and ease of use must be fixed in order to survive. I have no confidence that the weeks I have posted will get much visibility or rented until something changes.

I do like Redweeks functionality where you can search a resort and see every date, room size and price available in date order without having to click through a monthly calendar (yes you do have to scroll down on Redweek if there are many listings).

It would be interesting to see what the business model and potential market they are going after. With a team of 19 referenced on the website that is significant overhead to cover via 8% rental fees. I can only assume all are working part-time with no pay and a % of the company if successful.

Best of luck to Koala. Jack Reacher rules "we're making an omelette here...we're going to have to break some eggs" and "Hope for the best, plan for the worst".

 

[dioxide45]

I do like Redweeks functionality where you can search a resort and see every date, room size and price available in date order without having to click through a monthly calendar (yes you do have to scroll down on Redweek if there are many listings).

This same, or similar, functionality now exists on KOALA under the "Stays" menu option. Once on "Stays", just enter the Where To and it will show all resorts and dates for that location/resort.