Still upset with the Dolphin hotel!!!!

[Shelly]

ok I have never stayed at the dolphin but have worked for a major credit card company. First of all some debit cards have the visa logo, if you have this type you still get charge back etc.,....Secondly holds on the account are normal. The charges do not come off till the "official"bill is received. Thridly, lots of charges(or holds) for the same amount is normal, happens all the time. Machines are touchy and sometimes merchants think it hasn't accepted and they hit the "enter key" mor than once. When the "official" bill comes in everything else comes off. I'm sorry this effects your bank account, to often people don't understand how these things work.
None of this appears to be dolphins fault. You really have to wait the full seven to ten days and then check what was actually charged, before panicking.
If after that time you have actaully had an error then dispute it , or call dolphin.
None of what you've described as far as billing appears abnormal to what I see every day. Yes, there is always someone who calls us confused about the holding process, but our hands are tied until the signed bill comes in. I once had a woman who owned a flower shop call because she couldn't charge gas on her card. I looked at her account and there were huge holds on her account from a flower shop. She said "oh, I was just seeing what my available balance was" I told her well now because she did that she tied up her whole credit limit. Hope this helps you understand.

 

[Amberly303]

No this was the Dolphins error. They shouldnt have put charges on my account for things that have been paid in full.Also my room was paid for in advance including tax.........but after i checked out they billed my card for the taxes that had been paid for days in advance before i had even left for the hotel. All these were just not mistakes.........trust me.

 

[Neeter]

Accck! All those holds on my account would be a problem for me too! I understand why you're upset. I am not someone who is lucky enough to have a large checking account balance and I knew there were funds in there and I couldn't use them, I'd be upset too. It wouldn't be easy for me to just wait till those holds "just fell off" my account!

I used my debit card last year; to charge back to my room, while staying out the All Star Movies with no problems. However, the posts here make me nervous about doing this again. It was great not to have to carry around all that cash at the parks though.

Question: Can you give the hotel cash instead of your debit or credit card to be able to use your ID card for park purchases?

Thanks,
Annita

 

[disnurse]

from all reports debit cards are not worth the aggrevation. jThe car rentals charge a huge amt if using them over a credit card. Hold on accounts are normal and its only been a few days so i'd try and relax. Although your experience with the dolphin wasn't great they are usually very customer friendly and will do anything to please you.

 

[skiwee1]

I always use a credit card for room charges. I think it's great. I've never had a problem with them having to put a hold on part of it. I thought that is the way it is done. When checking into the CBR in October the CM told me that we had a room charge limit of $1200 to start. She said that if we went over that then they would just take more off the credit card but they like to start out with that amount. We ended up going over. I believe they put a hold on less $$ if you are staying at the All Stars and more at the deluxes. I wouldn't give a debit card as I would not want them to put a hold on my checking account but a credit card is different. I gave them my Platinum AE so putting a hold on $1200 is pennies anyway. This way I don't have to carry too much cash at the parks. I don't know why some don't "believe" in credit cards. It isn't a religion or Santa Claus! We use our CC for all bills including groceries and gas. Anything that uses a check we use the CC. It is so easy to send in one payment at the end of the month to pay the whole thing off. Makes it so much easier!

 

[peedeejones]

It's great if you have a platinum card or another card with a high limit, then I am sure the issue with "holds" is not a big deal. But some people(like me) have lesser credit limits and when hotels put a large dollar amount(like to me $300 is large) on hold and you can't use is for several says or even a week, it can make for a less than pleasant vacation experience. Many people are unaware that using a debit card for these purposes can put their whole checking account out of whack and I think that the hotels or car rental companies should explain this to people before the holds are placed. I now avoid giving my credit cards or debit cards to these place like the plague. My motto now is "cash or nothing"!
Jen

 

[jgates]

Thanks Shelly, I was going to post some of the same info as you did about cards.

OPoster, are you sure they are all still showing as debits? Our processing system at our bank is really funky with POS transactions. You will have a -19.99 for the orignal authorization, a +19.99 for the release of that & a -19.99 for the final transaction. If you are looking at it on the day those all settle, it looks SOOOOO stupid.

Also, many times you will run into a situation where they will not authorize the actual room charge-they will authorize a rounded figure-we have also run into this in restaurants too (tip factor). If they do not create the settlement properly, the auth will stay out there (5 business days is supposed to be the max), and the live trans will go thru - you still have tied up funds. My aunt had a credit card problem - close to limit and Chicago hotel put $???900 hold on for one night or something extreme. So regardless if credit or debit, close to your limit or balance will cause problems.

I normally use a rewards card, but since I have used debit for years I would not hesitate to use my debit card. As long as your card displays a MC or Visa logo you have charge-back, dispute, etc rights. Check with your state consumer division if you feel you have problems (not OP's case - just a comment). Wisconsins laws(?) and our disclosures require us to give a customer immediate but provisional credit back if they file a dispute so they can use their $$ in the meantime until settled.