ComplaintsforHuntsville Inn

• Initial Complaint

  08/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We rented a room with 2 queen beds and 1 sofa bed for one night. The sofa bed was just a bare mattress with no blankets when we pulled it out, so we used our sleeping bag on top of it. About 30 minutes after we checked out, we got a call from the Huntsville Inn accusing us of stealing blankets. We explained that there were no blankets on the sofa bed when we arrived and that we absolutely did not take any blankets. The owner then charged our credit card $70.50 extra without authorization (two charges of $35.25).

  Business response

  27/05/2022

  To whom this may concern, 

  The customer in question made a reservation with our motel through Booking.com for 1 family room (2 queen-sized beds and 1 sofa bed) for 1 night, from May 7, 2022 to May 8, 2022. The reservation was made for 2 adults and 2 children (Ages 5 and 7). When the customer checked in at our property, the employee at the front desk asked how many individuals were staying and the customer confirmed that there would 2 adults and 2 children. We saw in our security system that there were a total of 6 individuals (2 adults and 4 children) with this party and the guest checking in was told that 6 people would be overcapacity for the room type and if additional people, apart from the 4 mentioned in his reservation, stay then he will be charged extra for those individuals. In response, the guest said that if we charge them then they will leave a bad review for our business unrelated to their actual stay which unnecessarily hurts our business. They further mention that when they stay at other hotels, they always do this and never get charged. Two things must be acknowledged here: first, not all properties may catch such situations and two, policies differ between two properties. As per our policy on booking.com, $15+tax per person is charged above our base rate if they are an adult or if there are more than 2 kids (ie. 2 kids are free, each additional is charged extra). After this discussion, our employee immediately called booking.com and reported the situation to booking.com to document it and make sure that they are aware of their bad intent against our motel. When checking out, we counted 6 individuals leaving the guest's room. Their action is strictly prohibited as our family rooms accommodate a maximum of 5 individuals. With regards to the bedding for the sofa bed, we did place 2 bedsheets and 1 blanket on the sofa for the guest- this is routine for this room type. When their room was cleaned after checking out, it was noticed that the 2 bedsheets and 1 blanket were missing from the room. As a result, 2 charges were made: one charge of $35.25 ($30+tax, tax includes 13% HST and a 4.52% local accommodation tax) for the 2 extra children ($15+tax per child) and a second charge of $35.25 ($30+tax) for the 2 missing bedsheets and 1 blanket. Our employee once again spoke to booking.com to report the situation and after discussing with them, the second charge of $35.25 for the stolen items was released, leaving only the first charge of $35.25 for the 2 extra children in place. Therefore, they have been charged a total of $35.25 ONLY for the 2 extra children. Because the guest stayed at an overcapacity in our family room (which holds a maximum of 5), we are technically able to charge them for an additional room. However, we were courteous towards them by not doing so and simply charging them for the 2 extra children AND by releasing the charge for the stolen items. When the guest checked in, they signed our registration form which indicates that the guest will be charged if there are additional individuals in the room that are not accounted for and charged for stolen items. The guest signed this form after which they were proceeded to be checked in, therefore they did authorize these charges and were verbally made aware of the consequences of their actions during check-in as well. 

  We have attached their reservation confirmation via booking.com to this response which includes the guest's reservation details as well as our policies displayed on booking.com (which were present at the time the guest made this reservation, thus why it is displayed). Furthermore, we acknowledge that their identify cannot be revealed therefore, the document has been edited to remove their name. However, if the original document is required, we can provide it upon request. 

   

  Sincerely, 

  General Manager

  Huntsville Inn

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