Saying "no charging privileges doesn't always work...

[Dean]

Originally posted by Muushka
If I read this thread correctly, the OP has not had this problem corrected.

I really don't think someone calling up my credit report is comparable to giving someone the freedom to charge anything they would like to without my permission or signiture.

I think I am getting paranoid in my old age!

But they did have permission, one that cannot be effectively revoked if you follow through with the stay. It is unclear to me if the OP paid twice or not but I am convinced that if they had the receipt where they paid cash, there would be no problem in the long run. Disney would simply credit the card and that would be that. If it ends up being a his word against Disney's, I'm sure Disney will win.

Even if one were to contest the charges, the papers signed at check in would satisfy the credit card company and they would deny the charge back. So definitely keep all receipts for some time, at least 6-12 months IMO for most things and at least several years for more hard assets. and for the life of the item for some.

 

[DebbieB]

Originally posted by Dean
Giving them the credit card to reserve the room is actually giving them permission to use it. Obviously they made a mistake, an honest one the way WDW and hotels in general do things. I'm sure they corrected it and that will be that.

I don't understand why they were asked for a credit card # for a points reservation. I don't recall ever being asked for that. The only time I ever gave DVC my credit card # was for my points purchase. Ironically, that was the biggest amount I've ever charged and I didn't have to sign (I did it over the phone)!

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by DebbieB
I don't understand why they were asked for a credit card # for a points reservation. I don't recall ever being asked for that. The only time I ever gave DVC my credit card # was for my points purchase. Ironically, that was the biggest amount I've ever charged and I didn't have to sign (I did it over the phone)!

I'm assuming this was a points reservation made prior to the OP closing on their contract and DVC was protecting themselves by ensuring payment if the person defaulted at some point along the way. That's especially true if they were allowed to use banked or borrowed points. Maybe the OP could tell us for certain.

 

[manning]

Amazing ............ how everyone keeps glossing over the problem.

Disney says there was a purchase made for tickets on credit, the OP says there was not a purchase made on credit. Disney won't or cannot produce a signed credit receipt.

The registration form says charges can be put to the room. And here is the point. ONLY LEGITIMATE CHARGES. Take out the fact that the OP paid cash for the tickets. If the only transaction was for credit then there would be a signed credit receipt. A PROOF OF TRANSACTION!!!!!

At this point Disney has not proved a credit transaction took place.

No matter what you signed at check-in you are responsible ONLY FOR LEGITIMATE CHARGES.
You have a right to challenge and Disney has the obligation to produce proof.

I ain't whistling dixie on this. After 32 years in purchasing/transportaton for a major company (retired now) and consulting with the corporate attorneys , who are the cream of the crop(big corporations hire nothing esle but), on contracts, you cannot arbitrarily say a transaction was made bill them without proving it has.

And believe it, there is a record of EVERY transaction made in Disney!!!!!!

So Disney, WHERE IS THE PROOF ?????????????????

Is it clear now??

 

[Cris]

people keep saying they put a 1500 dollar hold onto the credit card that is downright wrong!!

 

[CRobin]

Originally posted by Cris
people keep saying they put a 1500 dollar hold onto the credit card that is downright wrong!!

Not sure I'm with you there....

Every trip I've made, the front desk makes a point of telling me that they have established a $1500 "hold" on the card.

Mind you, these have all been at DVC resorts; I have read other postings that indicate the "hold" amount is less.

A couple of times, we have hit the $1500 mark, and we see that charge, to the credit card, reflected on the bill.

Only one time have I had an issue; we were approaching the $1500 mark and a CM @ AK would not accept the room charge. DW put it on the Visa and when I got back to the resort they immediately got authorization for an additional $1500 and apologized for the mix-up.

That particular situation had never happened to us before; previously when we got close to the limit the resort had automatically requested an additional amount.

Maybe they aren't doing that anymore.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by manning
Amazing ............ how everyone keeps glossing over the problem.

Disney says there was a purchase made for tickets on credit, the OP says there was not a purchase made on credit. Disney won't or cannot produce a signed credit receipt.

The registration form says charges can be put to the room. And here is the point. ONLY LEGITIMATE CHARGES. Take out the fact that the OP paid cash for the tickets. If the only transaction was for credit then there would be a signed credit receipt. A PROOF OF TRANSACTION!!!!!

At this point Disney has not proved a credit transaction took place.

No matter what you signed at check-in you are responsible ONLY FOR LEGITIMATE CHARGES.
You have a right to challenge and Disney has the obligation to produce proof.

I ain't whistling dixie on this. After 32 years in purchasing/transportaton for a major company (retired now) and consulting with the corporate attorneys , who are the cream of the crop(big corporations hire nothing esle but), on contracts, you cannot arbitrarily say a transaction was made bill them without proving it has.

And believe it, there is a record of EVERY transaction made in Disney!!!!!!

So Disney, WHERE IS THE PROOF ?????????????????

Is it clear now??

Credit card charges happen all the time without a signed receipt. Many restaurants now don't even ask you to sign if the amount is under a certain amount, say $10 or $15. I can think of at least three in town. Things are done over the net and the phone all the time.

What DVC would have to do is prove the charge was made. The OP hasn't clarified how Disney handled this. Did they actually charge him twice or just say "sorry" because they made a mistake. If the OP has the receipt for cash and it says cash, they should be OK. If the CM actually charged it on the initial contact AND took the money, I bet there IS a signed receipt. It makes me wonder if the CM pocketed the money. If not, the cash would have been over by the amount in question. They could also have gone back and looked at the security tapes if they keep them long enough which I suspect they do.

If you ask the hotel or car rental clerk, they will usually tell you they don't do this. In part because they don't know and in part because they don't want to argue with customers who don't like the practive. So asking about it or telling them not to will not help.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by Cris
people keep saying they put a 1500 dollar hold onto the credit card that is downright wrong!!

It is done all the time with hotels, rental car companies and the like. In some cases, it takes weeks to months for that hold to be cleared and as such, the CC company looks at it as a charge and reduces your available credit. Some just check with your CC company but many actually put a hold that works just like a charge. They generally expire after a period of time but I think it's like a month or so, not just a week unless the hotel acstively romoves it, and many don't from what I'm told. They just let it expire which can take a while. From what I understand, your CC many times ends up with the hold PLUS the final charges further reducing your available credit on that card.

If you don't want this to happen, don't use it for things where the final price may be higher than when you give them the card. Also it's possible for someone to take your card info and then make a new card and use it. It happens all the time in MX and elsewhere. Another similar ploy is a crook inserting a card reader at gas pumps and the like and hangs out nearby. When you put your bank or CC in, the info is transmitted to the crook and now they have ALL your info to make a card and use it.

 

[wdwstar]

I dont understand how the resort had his cc # if he didnt want to use his room key for charges at a dvc resort? or was this a non dvc resort that he had given his credit card to the cro to book his room?

i always refuse to leave a cc for room charges, i really like not getting a bill at the end of my stay, it really makes you feel like your at your second home and not getting a bill under your door or hung on the doorknob.

if i want to charge something i would use one credit card the entire stay or pay cash.

 

[IndyScott]

Credit card charges happen all the time without a signed receipt. Many restaurants now don't even ask you to sign if the amount is under a certain amount, say $10 or $15. I can think of at least three in town. Things are done over the net and the phone all the time.

An example of this from our last trip:

Several days after we had left WDW a $10.99 charge from the BCV showed up on my credit card bill. This was a separate charge from our room bill and I called to find out what it was - after checking out we were charged for a refillable drink cup (which we didn't use). The accounting person I spoke with removed the charge without any problem.

I don't know what I could have done except dispute through the CC company if he had said "sorry". In my case there certainly was no signed receipt, nor a process for signing a receipt...

 

[Disney1fan2002]

I dont understand how the resort had his cc # if he didnt want to use his room key for charges at a dvc resort? or was this a non dvc resort that he had given his credit card to the cro to book his room?

Answer from LoveTo Disney:

I NEVER gave them a credit card at check-in. They had the credit card from my initial reservation that the member services asked for since this was our first trip as owners. I was concerned that they would charge against it and they told me not to worry...just tell the desk you do not want room charges.

The only problem I have with this statement, is I have never had to give MS a credit card number to reserve a room. Was this something they used to do and not do anymore, and LoveToDisney got an "old school" CM, or is it new for first time DVC owners?

 

[DebbieB]

Originally posted by Disney1fan2002
The only problem I have with this statement, is I have never had to give MS a credit card number to reserve a room. Was this something they used to do and not do anymore, and LoveToDisney got an "old school" CM, or is it new for first time DVC owners?

See Dean's response on the bottom of page 3, it's possible they were asked for it because they had not closed on their contract yet. If for some reason the closing did not go through, they could use the credit card # to charge them the cash rate.

 

[wdwstar]

ok that make sense, that he didnt close on his contract yet.

 

[LoveToDisney]

Originally posted by Dean
I'm assuming this was a points reservation made prior to the OP closing on their contract and DVC was protecting themselves by ensuring payment if the person defaulted at some point along the way. That's especially true if they were allowed to use banked or borrowed points. Maybe the OP could tell us for certain.

We were a closed contract, but this was a banked and borrow situation because we gave back our first year's points when we purchased. I remember the CM referring to it as a "third year" borrow and they had to do something different to make the reservation...it was weird. Since it sounds like no one else has been asked to give a credit card when reserving, maybe that explains why I was asked for it. It is good to know that I will NEVER have to give one again and the front desk will not have the opportunity to charge me and also take my cash, thus making me pay double. (Plus, the reason I don't have a receipt is they did not give me a receipt--nada, nothing--all I got was the E-tickets which due to my naivity I thought was the receipt. I definitely will not make that BIG mistake again! Those were expensive E-tickets since they were paid twice, once by the CM unknowingly charging my card and then second when the CM took my cash and gave me change for my three twenties.)

 

[DebbieB]

LoveToDisney,

I would continue to fight this. I would file a dispute with the credit card company.

 

[Cris]

Just trust me it is only checked it see that is it valid. If the card does not go through on the day of check out they hold your bags or car keys (if there is valet) until they get there money.


Also I am confused did you get your money back, because if the CM took cash then took payment via credit card, at the time of bank out they would be over the amount in cash. But if this hasn't been resolved which is strange why they wouldn't have just rebated it off here is the phone number info for research and billing.

407-828-5630.

 

[JimC]

Originally posted by Cris
people keep saying they put a 1500 dollar hold onto the credit card that is downright wrong!!

I believe the practice is quite common. If you use are an American Express card (the no limit kind) it is a non-event. If you use any other card, it will be processed as a pending charge. Essentially it reduces the available credit.

Clearing that generally takes anywhere from a few hours to several days after the real charge hits the card. Again, if you have very high credit limits and use very little of it each month the temporary contraint is a non-event. But for some it can be quite bothersome.

 

[JimC]

Originally posted by LoveToDisney
...Plus, the reason I don't have a receipt is they did not give me a receipt--nada, nothing--all I got was the E-tickets which due to my naivity I thought was the receipt. I definitely will not make that BIG mistake again! Those were expensive E-tickets since they were paid twice, once by the CM unknowingly charging my card and then second when the CM took my cash and gave me change for my three twenties.)

If it was a mistake, it should show up in an audit of their transactions for the shift. Ask them to see if they had an overage reported for that shift. They should because they will have a single sale with two revenue sources (one cash and one charge). If they don't have an overage they may have a more serious problem and management needs to be aware of it.

My recommendation is that you report it in writing to the general manager of the resort and to DVC. Explain the facts, give plenty of detail. Ask for an internal review. Then let it go and remember to always get a receipt for cash transactions.

 

[LoveToDisney]

I've already talked with Research and Billing. They have officially told me that because the cash drawer was not "over" which it should have been due to a double billing, they consider me in error. They admitted they have no signed receipt. They also admitted that the front desk has a loophole through which an unscrupulous CM could charge your account without permission even if you have said "no charging" and then take the cash, but they reassured me that, "they don't hire anyone that would do something like that." When I asked about the video feed that would have been taken during that time which would have shown me handing the CM my three twenties, he said that was not an option that he would pursue and kept telling me politely, that he understood but "sorry."

 

[LoveToDisney]

Originally posted by JimC
...and remember to always get a receipt for cash transactions.

Yes, a lesson I have learned the HARD way. Thanks.