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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think hotels shouldn't invoice you for the toiletries?

189 replies

frangipani13 · 25/05/2015 19:46

Booked a weekend away for Dsis and DN for the former's birthday treat. DN must've got a bit carried away and took the mini shower gel/moisturiser home with her. B and B have left me a voice mail and sent an invoice for £44 quoting "stolen items" and threatening legal action if the invoice is unpaid. I've stayed in many many places of varying quality and have never experienced this. Has anyone else? AIBU to think this is a bit much?

OP posts:
Bearbehind · 25/05/2015 20:23

in future they probably don't want to threaten with debt collectors if invoices aren't paid within 7 days!

Why not? Hmm

Your sister stole stuff that was clearly meant for use by future guests- why shouldn't the hotel take a hard line on it- they'd go bust if everyone just took the stuff they fancied from the rooms.

Sizzlesthedog · 25/05/2015 20:25

Still can't see they are worth £44

Trade cost, half used.

Doubt very much they are worth much, sounds more like a deterrent to me.

londonrach · 25/05/2015 20:26

Phone the hotel and find out whats been taken. You meant yo take the mini shampoo etc back if unused as you already paid for it. Suspect dn has taken the tv, iron, lamp, ice machine, bed or that bible in the drawer.. Grin £44 sounds like a lamp or dressing gown price. You need to get full story from hotel.

ilovesooty · 25/05/2015 20:26

I bet it will cost a lot to post them.

Jackiebrambles · 25/05/2015 20:27

Molton brown? We need to know the brand!

Original poster
frangipani13 · 25/05/2015 20:27

Brand is Duck Island - never heard of it. But just googled and it's £54 for a case of 20 250ml bottles of shampoo.

OP posts:
cuntycowfacemonkey · 25/05/2015 20:27

MoreBeta they have to replace old with new though so I don't understand your argument at all really.

I think most people know that it's only the miniature stuff that it's ok to take. TBH I do think taking everything you can get your hands on in hotel is really naff anyway.

DrFoxtrot · 25/05/2015 20:30

Did your sister tell you initially that they had taken 'mini' toiletries?? Shock

AnnoyedParent22 · 25/05/2015 20:31

That's outrageous!

Were the shampoo and shower gel in glass [i.e. non disposable bottles] or screwed to the wall?

Because otherwise, if they were in normal [Molton Brown for example] bottles I would have assumed the B & B were unusually generous but that the bottles were for single guest use only and therefore permissible to take home.

Otherwise that's a bit minging, that a large bottle of shampoo and body wash are for multiple guest use... who knows how long they have been in use or what might be growing in them in the warm moist bathroom environment?

Also curious to know what brand they are, £44 seems a bit steep!

icelollycraving · 25/05/2015 20:31

I don't think they did anything wrong,if the bill hadn't been assertive,you probably wouldn't have contacted them. You're lucky they accepted you returning them. Let's hope your dn hasn't used much since coming home!

Pancakeflipper · 25/05/2015 20:31

I have stayed at a lovely hotel that had large bottles of luxury bath and fantastic beauty products with a sign saying use but if taken home we'd be invoiced. Same if we took home the fancy glass bottle of water home.

We didn't take them home. Obviously a similar establishment.

ManicPixieDream · 25/05/2015 20:34

Wow, am wondering if this happens a lot in that hotel and it's a standard invoice they send to people.

It's all a bit embarrassing really for some shampoo.

My Grandad was a prolific tea leaf (generally "free" stuff). He had a whole tin of miniature pots of jam after a stay in a B and B. Lots of coffee and sugar too despite never using it. When questioned he would say it was "just in case". I told him it was his fault that companies now charge for these extras (sauce etc) as people like him take the absolute piss. random tangent rant over

andadietcoke · 25/05/2015 20:34

Mondrian hotels do the same - they have decent sized Malin + Goetz 'miniatures' in the bathroom, and then full size bottles on the side somewhere with a price list.

Original poster
frangipani13 · 25/05/2015 20:37

I'm not sure they were screwed to the wall or anything. ..tbh Dsis is totally mortified now so don't really want to ruin her weekend by giving her the Spanish inquisition. Sometimes shit happens, nobody died, the hotel will get their precious smellies back which some unsuspecting soul will get to reuse. I guess they get those huge bulk buy ones and keep refilling them.

OP posts:
icelollycraving · 25/05/2015 20:42

An unsuspecting soul like your dn?! Grin

OnlyLovers · 26/05/2015 09:56

I think their maths is a bit out, to say the least, going by the trade price. And their recovery methods are incredibly heavy-handed. I'd write and tell them both of those things. It would certainly put me off using them again or recommending them to anyone.

halcyondays · 26/05/2015 11:31

How big are the bottles? A 250ml of the shampoo is £2.95, but the hotel are probably buying the 5 litre refill bottles. I doubt it'll cost them anything like £44 to replace.

TheChandler · 26/05/2015 11:36

Oh gawd, why do people steal things from hotels? Are they really going to ever use that shampoo?

People complaining about "used" shampoo and other stuff in your hotels - why does it bother you? Bring your own if it does!

HermioneWeasley · 26/05/2015 11:37

I'd decant out most of the contents to make them cheaper to post,, and because I am really petty

DowntownFunk · 26/05/2015 11:42

I'd decant out most of the contents to make them cheaper to post,, and because I am really petty

Me too, because I'm a tightwad.

VanitasVanitatum · 26/05/2015 11:42

It must get fairly expensive for the hotel if people think it's ok to steal these items though, I can see why they would be a bit threatening in their correspondence. Shame your dsis wasn't upfront with you about what was taken.

Have the hotel accept return rather than payment?

Jetgir1 · 26/05/2015 11:44

I would call to clarify. Personally in hotels I always assume the small bottles are fair game but big bottles are not. £44 seems excessive for toiletries anyway and I DEFINATELY would be naming/shaming them for sending such an undescriptive and heavy handed invoice to a paying guest! There is no reason why they couldn't politely state that they have noticed X and Y is missing from the hotel room. Could you please contact them to discuss this before they get all heavy!

marshmallowpies · 26/05/2015 11:58

They definitely need to put a notice in the bathroom to make clear the toiletries are not to be removed. Or just do like most hotels and buy mini bottles.

I've seen polite notices in hotels saying 'please accept the slippers as a gift from us (ie cheap slip on slippers like you get at a spa) but if you want to keep the robe you can purchase one from reception'. Makes the point without being too frosty about it.

Icimoi · 26/05/2015 12:03

It wouldn't occur to me that large bottles are there for the taking, as it would be obvious that there is no expectation that you will use an entire bottle during the course of your stay. But it would probably be simpler for hotels to put a generic notice in the room that anything stolen removed will be charged to the guest's credit card.

OnIlkleyMoorBahTwat · 26/05/2015 12:15

If the products were similar priced to Molton Brown, they could easily have cost £44 if 2/3 products were taken as MB starts at £16 (the OP says 'shampoo, shower gel and moisturiser' in one of her posts).

The OP also says it is a B&B, which suggests quite small so may not be buying in massive bulk.

It's really not hard to work out 'tiny single use bottle' = yours to keep, whereas 'full sized posh looking bottle' = just use while you are here and don't take it with you please.