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

[frangipani13]

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?

'Til I discovered that they provided gigantic, screwed to the wall bottles of communal White Company shower gel and made you call their reception for toiletries if you needed anything more exotic than a tissue. '

Bar the occassional oversight in packing, do people really travel without toiletries and expect the hotel to provide them all?

Yes expat but possibly, it was one of those bottles that had been er... tampered with/added to, by minging 'guests'...

expatinscotland Bar the occassional oversight in packing, do people really travel without toiletries and expect the hotel to provide them all?

This thread has been a revelation in more ways than one! Objecting to refillable toiletries in showers - err, if you're that fussy, surely you bring your own? Don't people have certain shampoo and conditioner that they use? In fact, if you really are that fussy, surely you'd be better staying at home than sleeping in a bed someone else may have used? (except then of course you wouldn't be able to filter the "minging" toiletries...)

Yeah I've known people to take glasses off the table and put them in their handbag because they liked them. It makes me very uncomfortable.

xiaozhu Thanks for the legal lesson ici grin But the concept of reasonableness is complex and in this case certainly not 'clear'.

What, in that a guest in a b&b might mistakenly think one weekend's stay should provide them with enough toiletries for the next two months?

The concept of reasonableness in relation to hotel and b&b stays isn't actually that complex. For instance, it is an implied term that a hotel room should contain a bed. I would also say that its pretty reasonable to most people that toiletries are only reasonably supplied for the duration of the stay, not in amounts that will last many more times the duration of that stay, and that the only people who can get confused over that are looking to get something for nothing through dishonesty.

As for putting them off from staying there again, I shouldn't think the b&b would want them back.

Its the sort of thing that people often get away with, but when you are hauled up on it, is really embarrassing. Coming out with nonsense like you didn't realise it was stealing or the hotel should stop it just shows you in a really bad light.

Missed my point, TheChandler, do you travel places with no toiletries because you expect the hotel to provide them all?

'Yeah I've known people to take glasses off the table and put them in their handbag because they liked them. It makes me very uncomfortable.'

I don't understand why their fellow diners don't say anything. I have. 'OMG, you're going to try to TAKE that?' and then immediately get up and call a staff member over and ask where they got the item and if they are for sale.

But there are those who think because they eat in a restaurant, the price includes linens, tableware, drinkware, condiment holders, candleholders even flowers so I can imagine in a hotel such people might be inclined to take anything not nailed down.

The poster who asserts they didn't use their 'fair share' and so decanted does not live in a vacuum.

There was a thread on here about hotel buffet breakfasts and people who rock up and fill entire bags with food.

expat - if it's for a day or two, I generally travel without shampoo or body wash / soap of some sort. I tend to expect hotels to provide those as well as hand soap. I don't think I've stayed in one that doesn't, at least within memory. Any longer than than a few days and I like to have my own stuff unless I know and like what they stock.

I used to be a chambermaid aaaages ago. One of my perks, self invented, on top of my minimum wage was to have the odd custard cream or shampoo for home. Then they got Duck Island in. Awful stuff. Still kept the custard creams though.

I did have a slight wobble recently, we stayed in a naice hotel and unfortunately my hair dye was still pissing out of my hair after a week. One of the towels looked like I'd had a horrendous period all over it. Came back to the room and a note was pushed under the door. Thought they were going to charge me for fucking up their towel but it was about the car park

I have told her what I think but it doesnt stop her. She knows what I think and still does it but I now try to avoid going places with her but cant avoid all as she is family and apart from this aspect I quite like her. Plus if she does it and gets caught it will be her own fault.

to me it is a bit like people with a Waitrose card who keep having free coffee but never buy anything. technically this is ok but morally it is a bit meh to me. then it spoils it for everyone else who will do a shop there if this is withdrawn.

Wow 8 pages! I'm chuffed. Wish the subject matter was more classics worthy though

Why do people do this?

I paid for a friend to stay in a hotel after her graduation, I was still a student so it was quite a lot.

The next time we met up she said she'd been looking round the room for something to take as a souvenir. She considered taking the bathrobe!

I was and said. "but they would have charged it to my credit card", she had no idea they could or would do that.