Comments on: Oh, you thought the coffee in your hotel room was free? Think again http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/oh-you-thought-the-coffee-in-your-hotel-room-was-free-think-again/ The last honest travel site Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:20:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Albert Bruton http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/oh-you-thought-the-coffee-in-your-hotel-room-was-free-think-again/comment-page-1/#comment-12473 Albert Bruton Thu, 28 May 2009 05:28:10 +0000 http://www.tripso.com/?p=14649#comment-12473 I have found Visa and American Express to have excellent records when dealing with companies that try to add things to your bill after check out. I found, when my bill for a Celebrity cruise appeared on my statement, that it was a larger amount than my receipt from the check out desk showed Celebrity had added about $40.00 to my bill for items used out my cabin frig. Things that I didn't use. I asked Celebrity for, and received a promise of, a refund. But after it didn't show up on my statement I asked repeatedly for it and was told many times that it had been sent. It never did appear. I asked Amex to look into it and they applied the credit to my account immediately. I could describe many other similar problems with refunds or merchandise that fails to show up and where Visa and Amex have simply absorbed the credit themselves.. Oh yeah, stay away from Celebrity Cruises. What a terrible ship, staff and company to deal with! Absolutely the worst cruise, in a long list of my cruises, that it has been my misfortune to take. I have found Visa and American Express to have excellent records when dealing with companies that try to add things to your bill after check out.
I found, when my bill for a Celebrity cruise appeared on my statement, that it was a larger amount than my receipt from the check out desk showed
Celebrity had added about $40.00 to my bill for items used out my cabin frig. Things that I didn’t use. I asked Celebrity for, and received a promise of, a refund. But after it didn’t show up on my statement I asked repeatedly for it and was told many times that it had been sent. It never did appear. I asked Amex to look into it and they applied the credit to my account immediately.
I could describe many other similar problems with refunds or merchandise that fails to show up and where Visa and Amex have simply absorbed the credit themselves..
Oh yeah, stay away from Celebrity Cruises. What a terrible ship, staff and company to deal with! Absolutely the worst cruise, in a long list of my cruises, that it has been my misfortune to take.

]]> By: Bodega http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/oh-you-thought-the-coffee-in-your-hotel-room-was-free-think-again/comment-page-1/#comment-12472 Bodega Thu, 28 May 2009 05:17:44 +0000 http://www.tripso.com/?p=14649#comment-12472 Yes, some hotels charge for the coffee and it usually is the higher end hotels, too. Just because something is available in your room doesn't mean it is complimentary and often they don't make the information easy to find. When in doubt I call the front desk. Yes, some hotels charge for the coffee and it usually is the higher end hotels, too. Just because something is available in your room doesn’t mean it is complimentary and often they don’t make the information easy to find. When in doubt I call the front desk.

]]> By: Penny http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/oh-you-thought-the-coffee-in-your-hotel-room-was-free-think-again/comment-page-1/#comment-12471 Penny Thu, 28 May 2009 02:10:32 +0000 http://www.tripso.com/?p=14649#comment-12471 I've never been charged for the in-room coffee because I never drink it, but just last week was charged after -the-fact for supposedly drinking the bottled water in my room at a Fairfield Inn Since I am a Marriott Platinumcustomer I was given bottled water at check-in, which was the only water I consumed during my stay. When I called the hotel in question to ask about this charge, and finally convinced the desk agent that I did not drink their bottled water, she immediately tried to tell me I would had to have purchased something from the lobby "marketplace" to justify the extra $2 charge. ( Which was added to my bill 24 hours after I had checked out ). Eventually she took the $2 off my bill, but had I not checked my credit card charges for the stay I would have unwittingly paid it. Granted, $2 will not break the bank, but multiply that by hundreds of customers and Marriott has the potential to make a lot of extra money that way. Let the buyer beware! I’ve never been charged for the in-room coffee because I never drink it, but just last week was charged after -the-fact for supposedly drinking the bottled water in my room at a Fairfield Inn
Since I am a Marriott Platinumcustomer I was given bottled water at check-in, which was the only water I consumed during my stay.
When I called the hotel in question to ask about this charge, and finally convinced the desk agent that I did not drink their bottled water, she immediately tried to tell me I would had to have purchased something from the lobby “marketplace” to justify the extra $2 charge. ( Which was added to my bill 24 hours after I had checked out ).
Eventually she took the $2 off my bill, but had I not checked my credit card charges for the stay I would have unwittingly paid it. Granted, $2 will not break the bank, but multiply that by hundreds of customers and Marriott has the potential to make a lot of extra money that way. Let the buyer beware!

]]> By: Andy Hayes http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/oh-you-thought-the-coffee-in-your-hotel-room-was-free-think-again/comment-page-1/#comment-12469 Andy Hayes Wed, 27 May 2009 19:22:24 +0000 http://www.tripso.com/?p=14649#comment-12469 To add insult to injury, the hotel coffee is usually crappy anyway! I hope Leslie complained. To add insult to injury, the hotel coffee is usually crappy anyway! I hope Leslie complained.

]]> By: Steve Rabin http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/oh-you-thought-the-coffee-in-your-hotel-room-was-free-think-again/comment-page-1/#comment-12466 Steve Rabin Wed, 27 May 2009 17:59:55 +0000 http://www.tripso.com/?p=14649#comment-12466 I know this is off the original topic, but in deference to Mary's problem w/AA: You may want to rub their noses in their own policy: https://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/utility/baggageExceptions.jsp It clearly states: "Customers originating travel in the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico or Canada and traveling to an international destination beyond the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico or Canada " are exempt for baggage fees. Qantas is an AA partner, so this policy should hold. Possibly even better if your ticket had an AA flight number from LAX to SYD. I would just keep trying until you get the answer you want. Did you by chance put the charge on a credit card? As a last resort, you can try challenging the charge--keep copies of the e-mails from AA as proof you tried to resolve it. I know this is off the original topic, but in deference to Mary’s problem w/AA:

You may want to rub their noses in their own policy:

https://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/utility/baggageExceptions.jsp

It clearly states: “Customers originating travel in the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico or Canada and traveling to an international destination beyond the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico or Canada ” are exempt for baggage fees. Qantas is an AA partner, so this policy should hold. Possibly even better if your ticket had an AA flight number from LAX to SYD. I would just keep trying until you get the answer you want.

Did you by chance put the charge on a credit card? As a last resort, you can try challenging the charge–keep copies of the e-mails from AA as proof you tried to resolve it.

]]> By: Mary K. http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/oh-you-thought-the-coffee-in-your-hotel-room-was-free-think-again/comment-page-1/#comment-12463 Mary K. Wed, 27 May 2009 17:18:59 +0000 http://www.tripso.com/?p=14649#comment-12463 No, I wasn't ever charged for coffee, but I do have a gripe with American Airlines. On March 27, 2009 I was booked on a Celebrity Cruise with my friend by Vacation Travel Club (800-524-6240). I flew from JFK (NYC) flight 133 on American Airlines to LAX (Los Angeles) and then on Qantas Airlines flight 12 to Sydney. My friend flew from Newark and then on the LAX flight with me to Sydney. Vacation Travel Club booked us BOTH AT THE SAME TIME on the cruise with the flights included. I was charged $15 for one bag at JFK. My friend was not charged a thing for TWO bags. Three separate agents of American Airlines (AA) told me I shouldn’t have been charged and to just go to www.aa.com and request a refund. Recently I called a reservation agent to find out the fare as if I was a potential customer and I asked if there was a baggage charge for flying from JFK to Sydney. She told me there was no charge because it was an international flight. Now AA is trying to tell me I should be charged even though my friend was not. This doesn’t make sense to me. My friend had told me on the trip that she was not charged because AA has a reciprocal agreement with Qantas on international flights (just like the AA agents told me). It is very difficult to deal with AA because each time you must go to their website and file a separate complaint with all the particulars. At no time did I receive (or could I make) a phone call to AA. They just flatly told me without explanation in an email that they thought it over and refuse to refund the charge. Nowhere in their email is there an explanation of their refusal to refund the $15. I know $15 is not much, it is the principle. It would not be much to AA either. No wonder airlines are going bankrupt with this kind of customer "service." No, I wasn’t ever charged for coffee, but I do have a gripe with American Airlines.
On March 27, 2009 I was booked on a Celebrity Cruise with my friend by Vacation Travel Club (800-524-6240). I flew from JFK (NYC) flight 133 on American Airlines to LAX (Los Angeles) and then on Qantas Airlines flight 12 to Sydney. My friend flew from Newark and then on the LAX flight with me to Sydney. Vacation Travel Club booked us BOTH AT THE SAME TIME on the cruise with the flights included. I was charged $15 for one bag at JFK. My friend was not charged a thing for TWO bags. Three separate agents of American Airlines (AA) told me I shouldn’t have been charged and to just go to http://www.aa.com and request a refund. Recently I called a reservation agent to find out the fare as if I was a potential customer and I asked if there was a baggage charge for flying from JFK to Sydney. She told me there was no charge because it was an international flight. Now AA is trying to tell me I should be charged even though my friend was not. This doesn’t make sense to me.
My friend had told me on the trip that she was not charged because AA has a reciprocal agreement with Qantas on international flights (just like the AA agents told me). It is very difficult to deal with AA because each time you must go to their website and file a separate complaint with all the particulars. At no time did I receive (or could I make) a phone call to AA. They just flatly told me without explanation in an email that they thought it over and refuse to refund the charge. Nowhere in their email is there an explanation of their refusal to refund the $15. I know $15 is not much, it is the principle. It would not be much to AA either. No wonder airlines are going bankrupt with this kind of customer “service.”

]]> By: tripso.com | Oh, you thought the coffee in your hotel room was … http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/oh-you-thought-the-coffee-in-your-hotel-room-was-free-think-again/comment-page-1/#comment-12454 tripso.com | Oh, you thought the coffee in your hotel room was … Wed, 27 May 2009 13:22:49 +0000 http://www.tripso.com/?p=14649#comment-12454 [...] post: tripso.com | Oh, you thought the coffee in your hotel room was … Share and [...] [...] post: tripso.com | Oh, you thought the coffee in your hotel room was … Share and [...]

]]> By: tripso.com | Oh, you thought the coffee in your hotel room was … http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/oh-you-thought-the-coffee-in-your-hotel-room-was-free-think-again/comment-page-1/#comment-12452 tripso.com | Oh, you thought the coffee in your hotel room was … Wed, 27 May 2009 12:40:08 +0000 http://www.tripso.com/?p=14649#comment-12452 [...] is t­h­e o­rigina­l po­st­: trip­s­o­.co­m­ | O­h­, yo­u th­o­ugh­t th&#1... Share and [...] [...] is t­h­e o­rigina­l po­st­: trip­s­o­.co­m­ | O­h­, yo­u th­o­ugh­t th&#1… Share and [...]

]]>