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AIBU?

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Original poster

Hotel mistake, wibu to tell them I'll correct it after Christmas?

495 replies

Sanshin · 09/12/2017 09:40

Recently went to Vietnam on holiday. Stayed in a 3 star hotel for 3 days at a cost of £90. Lovely hotel, lovely staff.

Whilst there we booked a trip organised by the hotel at a cost of $100.

When we checked out they forgot to charge us for the trip and we never realised as we were rushing around so just settled the bill they presented to us.

A week later I receive a friend request on Facebook from a lady who worked at the hotel. I accepted and she sent a message saying that whilst we were at the hotel we booked a trip that they forgot to charge us for. She goes on to ask if we will now pay for it because if we don't, the staff have to pay for it themselves. It was very polite but almost pleading. I felt really guilty as I know $100 is a hell of a lot of money to these people so I replied straight away and said of course we will pay.

I spoke to DH on the night who wasn't happy because we will now how to pay a currency conversion fee but agreed we would pay. Then as we have been so busy since we got back we forgot.

So she sends another message asking if we can pay now and if we send her the card details we can pay like that. I meant to speak to DH about it again but he's working long hours at the minute and I keep meaning to mention it but when he's here I keep forgetting!

Anyway yesterday she sent another message. However now we can't really afford to pay it until after Christmas. We have £500 left to last us until after Christmas and that $100 will leave us skint. If they'd charged us at the time it wouldn't have been a problem!

As it was there mistake wibu to tell them I'll pay after Christmas?

OP posts:
Blodplod · 10/12/2017 22:11

@xmas _ exactly what I said pages ago too. Grin it’s not some random, she, and the OP both knew she didn’t pay for a specific trip. How a random woman would know this is beyond me. It’s so transparent what’s happening here but waters are now beautifully muddied by everyone missing the point wildly. Shame. I do hope OP and her family enjoy choking down their turkey on Xmas day though. Smile

Eltonjohnssyrup · 10/12/2017 22:21

IF there was a problem, she would have a full record of the woman contacting her and extracting payment, and the woman would lose her job and likely get a criminal record, so I can't really see why an employee would risk everything in such a thoroughly traceable way?

Pahahaha. Because it's obviously going to be her real name and photograph. Were you born yesterday.

And yes, it may well be someone who knows what happened, because it may well be someone who organises the scam. Not necessarily from the hotel either, the trip company may well have said 'They weren't satisfied so don't take payment' then carried on the scam.

How is circa £35 each for a day trip luxury? You wouldn't even get into Alton Towers for that.

Honestly, the OP has no way of knowing who she would be paying the money to and no evidence to back up making a payment if she did. I agree she should contact the hotel, but I would be very surprised

Eltonjohnssyrup · 10/12/2017 22:22

Sorry, pressed to early. I would be very surprised if the hotel made an issue about paying after Xmas. It's probably a scammer making an issue about hotel staff not being paid, not the hotel.

PurplePenguins · 10/12/2017 22:39

All sounds dodgy to me. Contact via Facebook and send me your card details? How did she find you on Facebook? If type my name in Facebook there are 100s of PurplePenguins. It doesn't sound at all professional to me. Check that you didn't pay the $100 when you settled the bill at the hotel.

ElvisIsAliveAndLivingInHull · 10/12/2017 22:47

@Cheeseytoast

All those posters assuming this is a scam, shame on you. The OP owes money and if anyone is scamming, it is her. She knew full well she had not paid for her expensive trip and continues to try to evade payment. Typical bloated foreign visitor mentality, makes me cringe.

The sanctimonious cries of "scam, scam" reek of racism. If any of you had actually any experience of the world outside your narrow lives, you would realise this is what it seems - a roped off employee asking for their money back. Calling it unprofessional because the request did not arrive in your local style is so small town, almost quaint.

It's really very simple. The OP ducked out on a large bill and is hoping to get away with it. Calling her creditor a scammer, presumably because they're brown, poor and far away, is despicable.

Actually almost choked laughing at this post!

What a load of old bollocks! Every. Last. Word.

PMSL! Grin

pisacake · 10/12/2017 22:55

"All sounds dodgy to me. Contact via Facebook and send me your card details? How did she find you on Facebook? If type my name in Facebook there are 100s of PurplePenguins. It doesn't sound at all professional to me. Check that you didn't pay the $100 when you settled the bill at the hotel."

Seriously? What kind of a stupid post is that?

I've been in this situation (chasing up twats who haven't paid) and you look them on up on social media, look at the photos and you see the picture of them on the beach and you say 'oh yes, that's the dickhead who didn't pay last week'. Or you can just use their email address, if you have it.

I mean are you actually SERIOUS?

LizzyGa · 10/12/2017 23:36

All those thinking OP should pay just listen to yourselves as if you would really pay if it was you.

Cockadoodledooo · 11/12/2017 00:04

I would LizzyGa if I owed the money. Same as I query restaurant or bar bills if I think they're too low. I wouldn't pay some random via Facebook, but if I knew I'd had the excursion and not been charged I'd contact the hotel. I'm assuming from your sneery tone that you wouldn't?

pisacake · 11/12/2017 00:21

I don't really get it to be honest. The service has been consumed and should be paid for.

It's possible the booking was not made directly with the hotel but just organised by the staff. This is quite common in small hotels.

If you don't pay, they will lose out.

feral · 11/12/2017 00:54

I agree you should pay but only when you're sure it's to the hotel.

Good luck!

pisacake · 11/12/2017 00:58

the service might not have actually been officially run by the hotel, even if it was offered by their staff. it's quite common .

CheeseyToast · 11/12/2017 03:19

ElvisIsAliveAndLivingInHull *What a load of old bollocks! Every. Last. Word.

PMSL! grin*

CheeseyToast · 11/12/2017 03:20

LizzyGa I absolutely believe you when you say you wouldn't pay. So many people are greedy and entitled. You're in good company on this thread.

Ropsleybunny · 11/12/2017 04:07

Pay the hotel directly, do not pay a staff member who could be anyone.

Pumpkinbell · 11/12/2017 04:47

Dont pay over fb. I would do as everyone else says and check with the hotel directly! Surely its not hotel policy to contact customers over fb and it shouldn’t be a normal member if staff doing it, wouldnt it be the manager????? If it was in the uk you would probably get an email or phone call from the hotel directly not a fb message how unprofessional is that!!! But try and check your original bill first to be sure you haven’t already paid it. Then if you owe it i suggest pay up as soon as possible.

Abbylee · 11/12/2017 04:52

Obviously it is correct to pay. However, this sounds fishy to me. I would call hotel. Fb you for contact info? That sounds dodgy. Call hotel to confirm?

PinkChestnut · 11/12/2017 05:22

I'm also cringing at the ignorance of people assuming Vietnam will be exactly like Britain re currency value and "professionalism"..

whoareyou123 · 11/12/2017 06:59

I would be very surprised if the hotel made an issue about paying after Xmas. It's probably a scammer making an issue about hotel staff not being paid, not the hotel.

Assuming this is not a scam it could be the person who made a mistake trying to get the money before management notices.

I don't think either the hotel will make an issue about when they get payment once they know (unfortunately I think for the person on FB they will have to know). The simple fact is they should be grateful to get their money at all after their staff's mistake as if the OP doesn't pay there is nothing they can do about it.

berliozwooler · 11/12/2017 07:02

I'd just ring the hotel and pay over the phone.

DivisionBelle · 11/12/2017 07:06

LizzyGa: yes, having been to Vietnam and booked trips via a hotel and seen the lives of hotel workers and providers of trips, I would pay.

This will not be some huge corporate provider.

You listen to yourself!

Roussette · 11/12/2017 07:35

I can't believe the posters saying don't pay. Have you ever been over to Vietnam? They depend on this sort of thing to live. I've done a tour over there with a lovely local woman, it was so worth every penny.

I would be very interested to hear from the OP as to how this was set up. It's probably a small hotel, the tour will have been done by a local who knows the area, to then not pay saying you didn't realise is beyond the pale.

However, I would be doing it via safe means and not giving CC details on CC.

gingertigercat · 11/12/2017 07:51

Op please contact the hotel directly and now to make payment, you know you went on this trip and owe the money and as others have said, that's essentially a months wages.

Could you imagine if you didn't get your monthly pay over Christmas?

AcademicOwl · 11/12/2017 09:02

On balance:

  1. This could be a lovely lady who works at the hotel and has made a genuine mistake.
  2. This could be a thief, who actively steals from both the hotel (by not putting charges on customers bills) and customers (by later asking for the money (I say that this is targeted fraud)
  3. This could be a thief who has minimal link to said hotel and is catfishing for your credit card details.
I'd say 2 seems most likely. However, I'd also say that if you didn't check you bill try to work out how to do so now. And actually the hotel probably needs to know they are being used in this way.
jocarter67 · 11/12/2017 09:49

Personally I would be worried about giving my card details why haven’t the hotel emailed you, it sounds a bit strange doing it through Facebook

Allthewaves · 11/12/2017 10:00

If you do this I'd go for pre pay credit card