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FAQs |
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So you have a question? You may find the answer below. If not,
feel free to contact us directly and we'll do our best to respond
quickly and thoroughly. This list of frequently asked questions (FAQs)
has been developed from questions that others have asked, so your
question may well make it onto this section.
General
Q: What is e-Margaux.com?
A: e-Margaux.com is an online travel resource which includes a
growing vacation rental directory and informative travel stories and
articles. Think of e-Margaux.com as that best friend or your
friend's best friend who knows the who, what, why, when, where and
how of travel. Of adventure travel. Of authentic travel. We're not
just-another-travel-portal or a slick, e-commerce cousin of your
neighborhood travel agent. Explore e-Margaux.com and you'll discover
what makes us unique.
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Q: What does e-Margaux.com do?
A: e-Margaux.com develops and supports one of the most innovative
vacation rental promotional marketing websites online and publishes
e-Marginalia, a quarterly
travel ‘zine and travel story contest. We provide adventurous
travelers with a hip, user-friendly portal for accessing the sorts
of information they seek, and we connect select vacation rental
owners/managers and travel service providers with the discerning
clients they target.
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Q: Who is/was Margaux?
A: The 21st century's ultimate travel babe with more moxie than
your travel agent and a penchant for adventure? A
turn-of-the-century savvy traveler with one of the most impressive
networks around. A late 18th century socialite? An early 19th
century adventurer? An artiste? A baroness? It’s not a simple
question to answer. Instead we’re collecting a collage of excerpts
from those who claim to have known or known of Margaux. We will be
showcasing them soon in e-Marginalia to celebrate the legendary
woman for whom this website is named. Feel free to
send us your own reflections.
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Q: Why e-Margaux.com?
Why not? Simple questions deserve simple answers, right? Actually,
the reasons are many and growing...
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Q: How long have you been in business?
A: Maison Margaux, the first “incarnation” of Margaux Europe Group,
Ltd. was established in January, 2001. e-Margaux.com was conceived
the following autumn.
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Q: How can I contact you?
A: You can reach us at the contact information provided below.
E-mail: info@e-margaux.com
Phone: (518) 962-2979
Office hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST, M-F
After hours: An automated voice mail system is available.
Mail: e-Margaux.com
Margaux Europe Group, Ltd.
Post Office Box 462
Westport, NY 12993
USA
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Q: Why should I use e-Margaux.com instead of one the the other
travel and vacation rental websites on the web?
A: Good question. In a perfect world, you would advertise your
vacation rental on all of the top quality sites to facilitate
travelers around the world finding your property. But this is
impractical and possibly cost-prohibitive. We encourage you to take
advantage of e-Margaux as part of your marketing and
promotional strategy, not as an exclusive alternative to other
listing services.
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Q: What is your privacy policy?
A: Please see our Privacy Policy page for details.
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Q: What do you do with my e-mail address and other personal
information?
A: We use your name and address to respond to your query, send you
order confirmation and related correspondence, and special offers.
If you opt-in to our newsletter, we will also use your email address
for this monthly mailing. We will not sell or rent your name,
address, e-mail address, or purchase history to any other person or
company. Period. That has been our policy since we first went
online. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information.
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Q: Does e-Margaux.com actually provide the services it
advertises on this website?
A: e-Margaux.com offers marketing services to the owners and
managers of vacation rentals as well as other travel service
providers. However these vacation rentals and other travel services
are all independently owned and managed businesses.
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About Vacation Rentals
Q: What is a vacation rental?
A: A vacation rental is a property offered as short-term vacation
accommodation to travelers. They are castles, villas, houses,
cottages, and apartments that you rent by the night, week or month.
They usually do not offer the same services as B&Bs, inns or hotels,
but they offer privacy and "home-i-ness" so that you can cook your
own meals, entertain guests, and generally immerse yourself in your
travel destination just like a local. Vacation Rentals are also
referred to as holiday homes or rentals, tourist rentals, holiday
cottages, self catering rentals, etc.
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Q: What makes vacation rentals superior to hotels?
A: Of course this is a rather subjective matter, and it does not
always apply. There are some fabulous hotels on this planet that
really shouldn't be missed, but... Vacation rentals permit a more
authentic, immersion-oriented style of travel that we favor and
encourage/promote. Vacation rentals provide you with far greater
privacy than a hotel while facilitating that "go native" urge. No
bellhops, concierges, local touts hawking their wares. No slippery
vendors or taxi drivers targeting you. And no excuses for not
plunging into the local markets to discover the regional products
which you will then learn to prepare in your very own kitchen. In
addition, vacation rentals provide more space and relaxation than
hotels. Most of the time vacation rentals are also far gentler on
your pocket book too!
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How to Find/Research Vacation Rentals
Q: How do I check availability of a vacation rental listed on
e-Margaux.com?
A: At this time, we do not offer an availability calendar for the
vacation rentals we list. However, we advise visitors to complete a
Reservation & Booking form which will forward your query to the
vacation rental owner/manager. They will contact you if there is
availability during the times/dates you are interested in.
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Q: How do I find a vacation rental on e-Margaux.com?
A: Follow these simple step-by-step instructions. Go to the
Vacation Rentals page or the
e-Margaux.com homepage and look for
the "Find a Vacation Rental" navigation box located beneath the
e-Margaux logo (top, left of your screen). Clicking on any of these
regions will take you to a new page which lists the vacation rentals
available in that area. You may scan this list for a property which
interests you or you may continue to use the "Find a Vacation
Rental" navigation box again to narrow down your search. Once you
have found a property which interests you, click on the property
photograph or the arrow following the description. Individual
property listings are navigated with the arrows following the text
descriptions and/or the text navigation options presented in the
horizontal bar beneath the logo.
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Q: How do I review a vacation rental on e-Margaux.com?
A: You may review any property
on e-Margaux.com by using the
"Review/Comment" form located on our website. If the property
you wish to review is not visible in the drop-down menu, please
include the name of the property in your review/comment. Your review
will help other travelers decide whether or not to rent the
property, so please remember to be constructive and diplomatic even
if you are being critical.
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Q: How can I verify the accuracy of vacation rental listings?
A: e-Margaux.com endeavors to provide a reliable and accurate
directory of vacation rentals, but we are unable to guarantee that
all listings are 100% accurate. When in doubt, we suggest you
contact the owner/manager directly for further verification. And
please contact us if you find
that a property has been inaccurately represented on our website.
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Q: What happens if I need to cancel a vacation rental
reservation?
A: Since we work with many different vacation rental owners/managers
and many different travel service providers we must pass along
their cancellation policies directly to you. Most listings include
their cancellation policies in the Terms section accessible from the
Rates page. (Click on the asterisk after the rate.)
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Q: How often is content updated?
A:
Daily. Hourly even. New listings are being added to the e-Margaux
Travel Guide all of the time.
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Q: Is a travel agent commission available for vacation rentals
listed on your site?
A: This is a policy set by individual vacation rental
owners/managers, and because e-Margaux.com does not handle the
booking of the properties ourselves, travel agents are advised to
contact the owners/managers directly to inquire about their
commission policy.
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Listing a Vacation Rental
Q: Is there a user fee to list a vacation rental on e-Margaux.com?
A:
No. You may search for vacation rentals,
travel stories and other
alternative travel resources absolutely free! If you are interested
in submitting a travel story
or listing a vacation rental to
e-Margaux.com, that’s free too! (Unless, of course, you want to
upgrade a listing in which case we offer a
very affordable annual subscription
for Premium Listings and Deluxe Listings.)
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Q: What is the cost to list a vacation rental?
A: We offer three types of vacation rental listings. Standard
Listings are free. Premium Listings cost $149.95/year for one (1)
property or $99.95 for multiple years or multiple properties. Deluxe
Listings cost $249.95/year for one (1) property or $199.95 for
multiple years or multiple properties. There are no additional fees
or commissions charged on any bookings generated from our website.
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Q: Do you offer any discount for bulk advertising?
A: We are pleased to offer a significant discount to vacation rental
owners/managers who pay for bulk listings (more than one year and/or
more than one property). Our Premium Listing rate is discounted 35%
to $99.95/year and our Deluxe Listing rate is discounted 35% to
$159.95/year.
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Q: How do I suggest/recommend/add a vacation rental to e-Margaux.com?
A: Glad you asked! Go to the "List
a Vacation Rental" button and follow the
instructions.
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Q: Why does e-Margaux.com offer a free vacation rental listing
service?
It's vital to our mission to provide every individual and business
with equal access to the global travel marketplace. Because many
vacation rental owners/managers can not afford ambitious advertising
campaigns we endeavor to provide an innovative alternative to pricey
marketing venues which will hopefully create a more inclusive and
more diverse resource for travelers as they plot their adventures.
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Q: Is Standard Listing really free?
A: Yes, our Standard Listing costs absolutely nothing! No hidden
costs. No joining fees. No annual subscription. You only need to pay
if you upgrade to a Premium or Deluxe Listing.
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Q: How many free Standard Listings can I add to e-Margaux.com?
A: Due to the memory requirements placed on our server (web-space
used to store the additional pages and pictures) we limit free
Standard Listings to three per individual.
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Q: Why do I have to pay for a Premium or Deluxe Listing?
A: The cost of a Premium Listings and Deluxe Listings cover the
cost of the web-space used to store the additional pages and
pictures, plus implementation of additional functions and
advertising.
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Q: Why should I upgrade to a Premium Listing or a Deluxe
Listing?
A: If you are advertising a vacation rental, you owe it to
yourself and your future renters/guests to present your rental
property in its best light. Whereas our free listings are an
excellent way to become acquainted with our service, there are
numerous benefits to paid listings. Paid listings receive hyperlinks
to your website or another listing, improving the visitor experience
significantly while improving your rankings in global search
engines. Paid listings receive multiple listing pages and
photographs, extensive descriptions, priority listing in regional
and area results pages, search engine optimization, promotion in
e-Marginalia newsletters and receive increased traffic due to paid
advertising with directories, search engines and travel related
websites.
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Q: How do I change/edit my Standard, Premium or Deluxe Listing on e-Margaux.com?
A: Soon [updated August 3, 2004] we will be launching an automated
Listing/Upgrade interface so that you can change/edit your own
listing. Until then you may contact
us with all changes and we will update your listing(s).
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Q: How can I improve the chances of someone finding my
listing?
A: e-Margaux.com promotes the website as much as we are able, and
you benefit from this by receiving more traffic. To greatly improve
your chances of people viewing your advert, you could upgrade to a
Premium or Deluxe Listing, and/or add your listing to major search
engines such as Google, AltaVista and Yahoo.
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Paying for a Listing
Q: How do I purchase a Premium Listing or a Deluxe Listing?
A: It’s quick and simple. Just go to the
"List a Vacation Rental" page
and read the easy-to-follow instructions. Premium and Deluxe
Listings are available on an annual subscription basis, and you can
pay for your purchase by check, credit card or money transfer.
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Q: Do you accept Purchase Orders?
A: At this time, we are unable to accept purchase orders. If this
poses a problem for you, please contact us and we will make every
effort to negotiate an acceptable alternative.
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Q: Can I order a gift certificate?
A: You may order a gift certificate for vacation rental listings.
Please contact us for additional information. However, we are unable
to offer gift certificates for rental time at the properties listed
on our website. You may contact the owners/managers directly to see
if they will offer this service.
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Q: Is my credit card secure?
A: Absolutely. You can pay with a credit card (or checking account)
with total confidence that the transaction will be handled securely,
easily and quickly. We use PayPal to process payments because their
service utilizes the world's most advanced proprietary fraud
prevention systems to create a safe, global, real-time payment
solution. Of course, if you still feel wary, you are more than
welcome to pay with a check or money order.
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e-Marginalia
Q: What is e-Marginalia?
A: e-Marginalia is the heart and soul of Margaux Europe Group,
Ltd. We are building a forum for travelers to annotate, expound,
reference and illustrate, to contribute and share the artifacts of
their travels. We believe passionately in "traveling beyond the
margins", breaking out of hum-drum tourist ruts, and probing beyond
ersatz postcard trips. e-Marginalia is fast becoming the proverbial campfire
where adventurous, curious travelers collect to share the artifacts
of their voyages. In addition to a
hip travel 'zine,
e-Marginalia publishes a monthly
newsletter and offers
quarterly travel story contests.
Check it out!
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Q: Why don't you "paper publish" e-Marginalia?
A:
Coming from a "paper publish" (printed and bound paper editions
rather than electronic format) background we battle nostalgia and
aesthetics to push the Margaux Project into a brighter, greener
future. With paper products accounting for more than 35% of the
waste in US landfills and over 75% of the world's old growth forests
being logged or already destroyed, we are doing our small part to
reduce the human impact on the earth's environment.
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Q: Can I submit a travel related article for publication
in e-Marginalia.com?
A: Yes. We would love to read your work and see your
photographs. Check out the
Submission Guidelines and then
submit your original work for consideration.
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Q: Can I submit a travel related press release for publication
in e-Marginalia.com?
A: Yes. We accept press releases that deal specifically with the
sort of travel we promote. We will evaluate these for mention in our
monthly newsletter, and
soon we hope to unveil an application (code named "Scuttlebutt")
will will enable you to self-publish these (and other cool, timely
travel news, articles, etc.) on our site. Soon...
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Q: Why didn't you select my piece for publication?
A: We receive many submissions from our readers, and we only
select those pieces which we believe will most appeal to our readers
and site visitors. If we love your work and decide to publish it,
we'll definitely contact you when your piece begins editorial
revision and/or layout. However, we unfortunately don't have the
time or staff to respond to every submission and provide feedback
for the submissions we don't think is right for e-Marginalia. In a
perfect world, we would (with pleasure), but for now we tolerate the
imperfection and try to do our best. Please understand that we are
not personally ignoring you, nor do we wish to bruise any egos.
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Q: How much money do the writers make?
A: We do not pay writers at this time. However, travel stories
featured in e-Marginalia contests are tracked for popularity and the
three top features are rewarded according to the amount of traffic
that they have received. You may
access the Reward Schedule here.
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Last Updated
November 27, 2005 |
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