Maybe it’s just me (ok – it’s not just me because Mommy Points also posted about a similar experience not too long ago), but I have been noticing an unsettling trend on my credit card statements after nearly all of my recent hotel stays (and now that I think about it – car rentals too): mysterious incidental charges a few days after the fact.
I have been noticing small charges ranging from $3.50-$30 for my stays and rentals for a few months now and I’ve been meaning to post about it sooner, but I didn’t see it as a pressing “concern” until today when I was reviewing my credit card statements (it’s bill pay day for me today, yuck). I saw that a mistake charge for $3.50 has not yet been refunded from a November 24 stay, despite the hotel apologizing and saying it would be reversed.
I noticed the mysterious charge 2 weeks ago and quickly called the hotel to inquire about it. The manager said it was from a water bottle that was consumed in the room. I 100% did not consume a water bottle in the room and told him that the charge was mistaken. He told me it would be removed. Granted it was only a small $3.50 charge, but at this point it’s a matter of principle… and let’s face it – little charges add up.
Some other charges I have noticed while traveling in the past few months have been: breakfast charges when breakfast is a status benefit, parking charges when I did not have a car at the hotel, mini bar charges for snacks and beverages I have not consumed, and even a hefty charge of gas fees on a rental car when the rental car attendant and I have both signed off that the car was returned with a full tank.
95% percent of the time all it takes is a quick phone call to resolve these dilemmas (5% of the time it takes two or more), but it’s also slightly burdensome to have to spend more than a few minutes making sure that the charges are correct. I would like the peace of mind knowing that I don’t have to watch my statements like a hawk in order to feel like I am not being ripped off.
After this long rant, I guess the moral of the story is this: be mindful of your charges – always cross reference your statements to your hotel bill when you check out, and if you have any discrepancies, be sure to address them sooner than later!
Do you have any similar experiences to share? I know I can’t be the only one this [constantly] happens to!
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Earlier this week I had an early flight out of MUC, so I was planning on just skipping the official “check out” procedure and heading to the train. My wife convinced me that we had time, so I stopped by the front desk on my way out. And good thing I did – they had a 30€ parking charge on my account that they would have billed my credit card for! Yikes.
I hate that the burden of checking is on the customer. The hotels can easily overcharge customers who aren’t vigilant, but it’s impossible for us to “underpay” a hotel. Grrrr
I recently stayed at the Le Meridien Munich, and had a similar experience. I checked out at the desk where I was told there was nothing on my bill – get home to find a charge of $80+ (~60 EUR). Quickly sending an email over got it resolved and the charge reversed, but imagine if I hadn’t looked!
I’m with ya, I’ve absolutely noticed an uptick in 2013. May just be bad luck on my part, but it has been noticed. Most I have had fixed, a few I decided weren’t worth the effort after the first attempt failed.
Just got billed $90 on parking for a 2 night hotel stay in downtown DC where we didn’t have a car. Total PITA.
Before checking out from a hotel in Philadelphia this past weekend I noticed a $48 parking charge on my bill that had to be removed at the front desk. Always…ALWAYS…check your receipts.
We all know that we shouldn’t have to, but better to check than not.
I recently stayed at the Omni Austin Downtown (purchased a voucher as part of the Daily Getaways Deals). We incurred 2 nights worth of parking totaling $60, which was what the final bill at checkout showed. Checked my credit card statement and it showed a final charge of $150. Called, and had it adjusted by the billing department…but shady nonetheless…
Recent hotel stay noticed they charged for a movie. When I asked about it the clerk went to research what it was and of course it was an adult film (she said in a whisper). I loudly proclaimed that no way did my husband, baby and I watched such a movie. she tried to suggest that maybe someone accidentally hit play but there was no way especially when it was played 20 minutes after check in and while we were still bringing in the baby’s gear. Usually I don’t officially check out but definitely will from now on! They took it off my bill right away.
This absolutely seems to be a trend – I rarely had issues with hotels in over 20y of travel, always insist on a final bill before departure – but lately get hit with charges after the fact, just showing up on the credit card most recent issue was with the hotel Indigo NY…
This happens to me all the time, especially at hotels. I usually catch them on my final folio. My favorite is room service I never ordered, breakfast (SPG Platinum), and mini bar charges. It seems that mini bar charges are the most common with me. As someone who stays 100+ nights at Starwood, it really bothers me that a majority of my stays have errors (and these errors are almost always at their high end brands, W, St Regis, or Luxury Collection). I am no longer of the opinion they are “errors”, more like scam charges.
Happens all too often and I think its more than a trend – it’s a money maker. How many people really look that closely at their CC bills? Most are too lazy/undisciplined to even pay their bills on time and in full – so that surely translates to never bothering to look at their bill in detail.
And I bet it’s rampant at business hotels – all goes on the expense account, so who’s gonna take the time to call to save their company some money?
Everyone should relax. Hotels host hundreds of guests every night, and with that many bills to keep track of, they’re bound to have a typo every now and then. I understand why they would sometimes accidentally mess up those things. For example, a hotel might not remember that a certain guest has platinum status or something like that (like how many hotel staff people know every guest’s status off the top of their head?), and might mistakenly charge for breakfast.