Feb 2 2010

Photo Collage Jigsaw Puzzles – A Clever, Inexpensive Mother’s Day Gift

Can’t decide what to buy as a gift for your mother this year? Don’t let it get you down. There are some fantastic gifts available, you just have to know where to look.

Gift ideas for mothers are extremely hard to decide upon. After all, how can you express your gratitude to the woman who has given you your life?

Most gifts don’t even come close to showing your Mom how much you love and appreciate her. It takes a truly special, well thought out gift that expresses how you feel; those are the types of gifts that she will be really thankful for.

Fortunately for you, I know of the single most special, unique and personal gift that you can buy for your Mom this year. It is something which is totally unique because it is based on your creativity, and it is something which she will treasure forever.

So then, what is this great gift idea that I know of? It’s a photo jigsaw puzzle. It’s a perfect gift which is becoming increasingly popular as people find out what exactly it is.

To get one, you need to upload some one or more photos via for the website of a photo jigsaw puzzle company, who will then take care of the rest of the process. You can include any photo you want and as a few or as many you like.

Should you submit one photo for your photo jigsaw puzzle, it will be re-sized so that it perfectly fits the size of the jigsaw. On the other hand, you might want to have a bunch of great family photos included. The designers are able to take your photos and create a neat looking collage. Sounds good, right?

You can choose to have your puzzle as big or small as you like (though I have to say that the bigger the better!) and you can choose to have small or larger puzzle pieces. You will be not be disappointed by the quality of printing on these puzzles, as the puzzle company reviews each and every photo you supply and digitally adjusts it to make it the best it can be.

Photo puzzles really are great presents as they are totally unique to your family. You can combine special family memories into a fun gift that your mother will be proud to display on the wall or over the fireplace. Just wait until you see the look on her face when she puts the puzzle pieces together!

Internet services like the photo jigsaw puzzle service make it simple for you. Memorable gift ideas for mothers are easy once you use your imagination!

Order a uniquely personal Photo Collage Puzzle for your Mom today from Jigsaw2order.com. For some ideas of how your puzzle layout may look, checkout the Photo Collage Puzzles examples page at Jigsaw2order.com.

Aug 1 2009

Tips For Avoiding Holiday Rental Scams

In the past month there have been many reports of holidaymakers loosing money and being scammed when they book a holiday home letting online. Generally people are scammed when it comes to booking last minute deals or bargain rentals.

To ensure you don’t get scammed this summer, here are some tips and tricks to ensure that the ideal villa you have seen is really genuine.

While you are viewing holiday home online, a good way to check to see if the property is legit is by finding out how long the advertiser has been using the rentals site. Many holiday websites will tell you how long the home owner has been a member which should give you a good idea of their experience.

Most of the time when you want to contact the home owners from the rental websites, you have to do so using an online form or email. However, if you are able to speak to the home owner over the phone, you can get a much better idea whether the home is genuine. By talking to the owner over the phone, you should be able to ask some questions regarding the local area. Remember, if the home owner is valid then they should have no problem talking to you via phone.

While you are talking over the phone, ask the owner some questions to ensure they really do own the home.One good thing to ask them is whether they have holiday home insurance because the manjority of holiday home owner should have taken this insurance out overseas property insurance if the property is overseas.If their property is in their home country, they would generally have some sort of holiday cottage insurance, obviously based upon what type of building it is.

A very important thing to ensure you receive is a booking contract. When you enquire about the property, the owner should send you a booking contract to sign which will inform you of the terms and conditions, if you don’t receive once, then this is a sign of a dodgy dealing.

Now for a few tips to help you detect fraud when it comes to paying for your holiday booking.

Normally, holiday home owners will request payment via electronic bank transfer or personal check, so if these are the only payment methods, don’t be turned off. The biggest problem with these methods is after the cheque has been cashed, you have no fraud cover over the money.

If they offer it to you, try and use other methods that allow you to use credit card such as PayPal. PayPal also have a 45 day payment cover so if you suspect fraud, you can still claim your money back. Another payment method would be by credit card, which tends to be the best, because you get much better cover. The biggest problem with this form of payment is that it costs the money receiver to obtain the funds.

Holiday home owners will generally request a 25% deposit and then 6-8 weeks before your visit, you’ll have to pay the rest of the money. If the full payment is requested, you should be concerned about fraud. Obviously if it was a late booking, the owner would ask for full payment upfront.

You never get alot of protection via holiday home letting sites because they never normally are protected by Atol or Abta. However, many holiday rental companies offer scheme to protect you against fraud up to a certain amount.

When you book your next holiday rental, consider the points I made above. If you are a holiday home owner and reading this, use this guide to help your customers feel more reassured when dealing with your property.