? about hotel & charge to my debit card (Update)

[pandora174]

Please let's not start a debate on debit card vs credit card. I know the possible issues with debit card but this is a new one

Hi, we checked in last night to the Renassaince Hotel in Orlando, beautiful hotel. I use my debit card but from past experience I always call ahead & ask for the hold. No biggie $50 a night (released in 72 hours). OK fine, we used the Internet, they placed the hold on that (perfectly acceptable). Then I check & they have an additional hold $77.54

I have not purchased anything at the hotel, no room service etc. So I call the front desk (they have no idea what I am talking about), asked for a manager she doesn't see it in her computer. She then calls her manager who also can't figure it out. I called BOA & they said "yup the Renaissance placed a charge (not a hold) but since Monday is a holiday I will have to wait till Tues when it goes through to dispute it.

Call back the manager & explain this. Asked what about my $77, she said it doesn't show in their computer. If when I check out tomorrow it appears they will call the bank & take care of it.

My question to her was how can you take care of something that doesn't appear on your computer ? She had no answer. So I said well if the charge is there when I check out can I send you the BOA e-mail showing the charge ? Would that help you or otherwise I will file a dispute with BOA. She apologized & gave me a $50 credit to use at the hotel for my inconvenience. I didn't ask for this but thanked her. Thankfully we have cash & plenty of funds in our account but if we had been counting on those $77

Still can't figure out about the $77 charge & apparently neither can the hotel

 

[umaangel00]

I work for 5/3. We all use the term "charge" but I am sure it is just a "hold". BOA would NOT be able to tell you if it's a charge or a hold since the bank does not know that. It would have to post to your acct for BOA that it was infact a charge. More and more hotels have gone to placing a hold larger than what you know about because of fraud and not getting paid. They only do this with debit cards since funds on a debit card are not guarenteed like they are with a credit card. It does suck since I take more calls from this situation because it makes the customer go overdrawn but that is exactly the reason why the hotels do it. They want to make sure they are going to get paid. The hotel may not see it in their system but their credit card processor will see so they could call the credit card processer and get the amount and authorization number and call BOA to have it manually removed. Hope that helps!

 

[kim929]

With BOA, if a hotel places a hold on an account, it is released in overnight processing until the actual charge comes thru the account. But either way, the hotel had to authorize the hold and there fore should be able to see it in their systems. The bank didn't just put that charge on the account. So if they put the hold for days or just the usual 24 hrs, the hotel knows about it.

 

[pandora174]

That's what's frustrating. How can the hotel not know what the charge is for ? The room was paid in full. They could tell me the daily hotel hold, the internet but can't tell me where the additional charge came from ? Spoke to managers ? Just a small vent but still

 

[kaytieeldr]

Where are you seeing the $77.54? On your TV screen (the channel that allows you to check your account)? If it's not too late, have a manager come to your room and SHOW them.

 

[bumbershoot]

That's what's frustrating. How can the hotel not know what the charge is for ? The room was paid in full. They could tell me the daily hotel hold, the internet but can't tell me where the additional charge came from ? Spoke to managers ? Just a small vent but still

They don't know because most likely this is something on your bank's side.

I had some weirdness with things holding, dropping off for a week, then reappearing as a charge, with Chase, and the dude I talked to about it thought I was crazy. Just because they work there doesn't mean they know how things appear on the customer's side, and I've known many many CS reps just pull things out of their ear and make it sound like it's real.


When I worked at amazon, I found it amazing how different each bank is. I was with wamu, and while working at amazon I ordered a whole lot (it's been 8 years since I quit, and my saved for later items are still chock full of things I noticed while helping other customers, LOL) and got to see how wamu dealt with the charges and refunds. Our customers with other banks would call in and talk about week-long holds, and ages-long refunds and such...our charges and refunds were being done in the exact same way. It was the different banks that were doing things differently, and all the bank reps felt it was amazon's fault.

And I was just talking with my MIL about BOA...she gets her pension and SS pension to her account there...they do things with her direct deposits that NO other bank she's been with do. Soon I'm going to have her switch those deposits to her credit union, because BOA is doing it in the way that benefits them, not her, and the other banks and CUs around her do it for the customers. BOA, from her experience, is pretty awful.

Where are you seeing the $77.54? On your TV screen (the channel that allows you to check your account)? If it's not too late, have a manager come to your room and SHOW them.

Sounds like they are looking at their BOA account on their laptop.

 

[pandora174]

Where are you seeing the $77.54? On your TV screen (the channel that allows you to check your account)? If it's not too late, have a manager come to your room and SHOW them.

No my folio is not working. I'm seeing the $77.54 on my online banking & I get e-mail alerts from BOA. Today there was another charge for $42.96 ? Called again & said my room service was $60. The manager said they "thinks" it's the diferrence between today's Internet charge & the difference between room service. I told her the math did not add up. She apologized & asked to give her to tomorrow & she'll take care of it since the system will process all the charges & drop the holds. We'll see Just very unprofessional.

 

[pandora174]

They don't know because most likely this is something on your bank's side.

I had some weirdness with things holding, dropping off for a week, then reappearing as a charge, with Chase, and the dude I talked to about it thought I was crazy. Just because they work there doesn't mean they know how things appear on the customer's side, and I've known many many CS reps just pull things out of their ear and make it sound like it's real.


When I worked at amazon, I found it amazing how different each bank is. I was with wamu, and while working at amazon I ordered a whole lot (it's been 8 years since I quit, and my saved for later items are still chock full of things I noticed while helping other customers, LOL) and got to see how wamu dealt with the charges and refunds. Our customers with other banks would call in and talk about week-long holds, and ages-long refunds and such...our charges and refunds were being done in the exact same way. It was the different banks that were doing things differently, and all the bank reps felt it was amazon's fault.

And I was just talking with my MIL about BOA...she gets her pension and SS pension to her account there...they do things with her direct deposits that NO other bank she's been with do. Soon I'm going to have her switch those deposits to her credit union, because BOA is doing it in the way that benefits them, not her, and the other banks and CUs around her do it for the customers. BOA, from her experience, is pretty awful.


See that's the thing we travel at least 2x a year if not 3x to Tampa & Orlando & this is the first time this has happened ?! Never had a bad experience with BOA

 

[kim929]

If you paid cash for the room when you arrived, if you did, it could be the original hold for the room which hasn't gone thru processing from the bank so it would show on the banks side, but might have been wiped out of the hotels side since you paid cash. As I said with BOA a hotel charge is for 24 hrs unless they submit the charge right away and it posts. ( which the hotel would know about) If the hold was run after the cut off time for friday nights processing, then it would hold over til tuesday nights processing since monday is a holiday. This is the only thing I can think of, because the hotel should see any hold as we know. We also had the ability to remove the hold if we spoke to the hotel, but if for some reason the hotel tried to collect on that hold, then it would just appear on your account without warning. So sometimes if you can, wait it out is the best option. Hope it all gets straightened out soon.

This would also be a classic case of the hold being seen on the bank account then disappearing for a few days then reappearing. The bank can only put a charge thru that the merchant runs. The hotel is a 24 hr hold, the account goes thru processing it disappears. A few days later the hotel submits the paperwork to support the transaction, the charge comes back on the account. Its very confusing and looks like the hotel charged twice which it didn't cause the first hold was never paid.

 

[pandora174]

Get my folio, all looks well right $149.88 but guess what all the holds they made are still there though they were able to give me a credit (?) for $12.95. Do the dreaded call to the front desk. Spoke to the manager, he said they should of never charged multiple holds just the original $50 a night & nothing else. Still has no clue as to the additional holds placed & he said it was by the hotel.

Promised me this would never happen again to another customer. Also promised that the holds will be lifted asap (today is a holiday) but in the mean time he has to charge me the $149.88 & close out my account. I was like at this point exhausted & will check tomorrow to make sure the holds are lifted

On the bright side we had a wonderful time at Seaworld & the room was lovely & big.