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Hampton Inn & Suites Complaint - Protect your Credit Card - Charging Credit Cards withour Permision
Charging Credit Cards withour Permision - Complaint
NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA -- This hotel places a pending charge againts your credit card even when they are told no and you do not give them authorization to do so. I reserved and paid for my room online with my credit card weeks before my stay with a prepay non refundable status. I verified my card had been chagred properly weeks before my arrival. When I checked in at this hotel. I was told I needed to give them a credit card for incidentals. I told the desk clerk I had pre-paid and would not be using any incidentals so I did not need to give them my card for incidentals. When I got home I found a pending charge of $50.00 against my account anyway. I do not take lightly people placing charges against my credit card without permision. I called the hotel only to be sent to the manager's voicemail. I left a message and called back again and again to discover no answer at the hotel. I finally used a second cell phone to get the hotel to answer my call. I asked who was in charge to be told there was no manager at the hotel to help. I asked for the distric manager to be told they did not know that information. When I pushed further I was finally told the Distic manager's name and number. I called only to go to yet another voicemail. I called the Hampton Inn complaint line only to be told by Dena the represenative she could not help only the hotel could release the charge. I asked to speak to a supervisor only to be told there was not one on duty. I pushed to speak to a supervisor and majicly there WAS one on duty and available to speak???? Again I was told by Randy the supervisor there was nothing they could do. BE AWARE THIS HOTEL USES YOUR CREDIT CARD EVEN WHEN YOU DO NOT GIVE THEM PERMISION. You would think the use of a customer's money for two extra weeks when the charges are prepaid online which by the way is non- refundable would be enough compensation when you tell them you will not be using incidentals and do not give them your card. They obviously get the creit card number off the online transaction and place pending chagres against it anyway. I know it is a small amount of money but that is not the principle for which I am angry. I do not take kindly to anyone charging my card without my permision. I will not be staying at this hotel again. If I find out this is standard procedure I will not be staying at any Hampton Inn again.
Comments:
Posted by Alain on 2011-05-17:
I hope you disputed the charge with your credit card company.
Posted by tnchuck100 on 2011-05-17:
All hotels do this. It is not actually charged. It is only a hold against your credit limit. This authorization hold usually remains for about 21 days.
Years ago a hotel I was using weekly (M-F) would place a $300 hold on my card every time I checked in. That resulted in $900 of my credit being unavailable most of the time. There is not much you can do about it except make sure no unauthorized charges are actually posted to the account.
Years ago a hotel I was using weekly (M-F) would place a $300 hold on my card every time I checked in. That resulted in $900 of my credit being unavailable most of the time. There is not much you can do about it except make sure no unauthorized charges are actually posted to the account.
Posted by Ben There on 2011-05-17:
Most hotels will either put a hold on your credit card or require a cash deposit. Just because someone might promise that they they will not make phone calls, eat from the minibar or steal all towels does not mean they won't actually do it anyway. The cash deposit or credit card hold is to make sure the customer has enough money to cover at least some of those costs.
Where the hotel went wrong in this case was telling you they were not doing it but did it anyway. When the OP refused to use the credit card for deposit they should have asked him for cash.
Where the hotel went wrong in this case was telling you they were not doing it but did it anyway. When the OP refused to use the credit card for deposit they should have asked him for cash.
Posted by trmn8r on 2011-05-17:
It wasn't charged. It's an authorization.
Hotels can't trust people not to use incidentals, which is why they do this. When told by you that you didn't want them to do so, they should have made it clear that they had to do so, or get other collateral from you.
None of these things that go on "behind the scenes" bother me as a credit card holder, but I don't operate anywhere near my limit. Credit cards are very convenient and allow us to keep our cash in our pockets. If you had to give them $50 cash, you wouldn't have had the use if it until you left.
Hotels can't trust people not to use incidentals, which is why they do this. When told by you that you didn't want them to do so, they should have made it clear that they had to do so, or get other collateral from you.
None of these things that go on "behind the scenes" bother me as a credit card holder, but I don't operate anywhere near my limit. Credit cards are very convenient and allow us to keep our cash in our pockets. If you had to give them $50 cash, you wouldn't have had the use if it until you left.
Posted by oldisgood on 2011-05-17:
I agree with trmn8r. The $50 was only pending, not a charge. Unless you were very close to your charge card limit, this should not have been a problem. All hotels do this. Just because you say you won't charge anything or use the phone or minifrig, doesn't mean you won't.
Posted by olie on 2011-05-17:
A possible solution: Buy a pre-loaded card for just over the cost of the room.
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