Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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 · 11/12/2017 19:53

@rousette, I expect it’s all to do with her wind up from the get go...

Roussette · 11/12/2017 20:00

Blod I'm with you on that one.

Original poster
Sanshin · 11/12/2017 20:03

Just thought it added to the conversation ...

We've emailed the manager and asked for an invoice.

OP posts:
oldmums · 11/12/2017 21:37

you know you have to pay this bill but i would be paying the hotel not a individual. email the hotel/manager.
i am surprised you haven't had a bill from the hotel to be honest , as they would have taken copy's of passport and you would have filled in your address?

loobyloo1234 · 11/12/2017 21:50

So on one post you've made a lot of money from Bitcoin ... but you have no money for Xmas Confused

Shit scam if they're only asking for $100. Pay up OP, karma and all that jazz

HidingBehindTheWallpaper · 11/12/2017 21:56

Shit scam if they're only asking for $100

But it’s not just $100, it’s the ops card details too.

loobyloo1234 · 11/12/2017 22:09

Yes, after the OP had said of course they'll pay. Poor woman is probably shit scared she'll lose her job so trying to use the quickest method possible!

Took the OP 48 hours to contact the hotel after the FB message and only after MN told her she should pay ...

Puzzledandpissedoff · 11/12/2017 22:12

Shit scam if they're only asking for $100

Not if they're doing it regularly - and I'm told by someone who worked there that it's a pretty common scam

Better to take a smaller amount which won't cause too many ructions from a large number of people, rather than risk a larger sum which might cause unwelcome attention

That said, I think you've done the right thing in asking the manager for an invoice, OP

HidingBehindTheWallpaper · 11/12/2017 22:25

Took the OP 48 hours to contact the hotel after the FB message and only after MN told her she should pay ...

There are two different issues in this thread.

Should the op pay the money she owes?
Yes of course she should.

Should the op give her card details to some random over Facebook?
No of course she shouldn’t.

PumpkinSquash · 11/12/2017 22:30

Still no invoice!

So ring the bloody hotel then to see what's going on and stop conversing with random Facebook adds you muppet!

ferntwist · 11/12/2017 22:33

YWBU. You have to pay it and do so before Christmas. You’ll manage. Sounds like a lovely holiday.

ferntwist · 11/12/2017 22:34

Bit of a coincidence if it’s a scam - OP knows she owed $100.

PumpkinSquash · 11/12/2017 22:45

Bit of a coincidence if it’s a scam - OP knows she owed $100.

It may or may not be a scam, no-one knows for sure. However, even if it was totally legit, why on earth would you risk handing over your card details to someone who says they work for the hotel via a Facebook message?
You just wouldn't! (If had an ounce of common sense that is).
You'd get in contact with the hotel and do it through the official channels. Far too much scope to go wrong if you don't.

PumpkinSquash · 11/12/2017 22:48

We've emailed the manager and asked for an invoice

"We've?" As in you and the "hotel worker" have invoiced the manager? (In quotation marks as we've only her word for that)
If so, is that an e-mail address you obtained yourself or one that the hotel worker said was the manager's e-mail address?
Sorry if I sound cynical, but seriously, it's better to be safe than sorry!
Yes, your bill absolutely needs paying but not the way you're going about it.

ferntwist · 11/12/2017 23:33

True, better to contact the hotel direct. Have you tried that yet?

WeatherwaxOrOgg · 11/12/2017 23:34

Yes, they've emailed now asking for an invoice.

mostlikelyanunpopularviewpoint · 11/12/2017 23:59

I disagree with most people here.

They forgot to charge you. It's their fault. Personally I would do nothing until the company contacts you, not a worker through social media.

Not only is it unprofessional, it's extremely weird for an employee to request a customers card details to collect a bill. It does sound dodgy- you'd have to be a bit of a plonker to send your card details to a stranger online. Surely any sensible adult can see that is not a good idea? You're not being unreasonable to not wish to pay in this manner!

Of course you should pay if the hotel requests. But in a protected and safe manner, direct to the hotel and after seeing an invoice.

I've had a similar thing happen to me with a company that is a large hotel chain. After contacting them about the missed bill- £70- they said it didn't matter and cleared it off the account after saying it was their mistake.

Yes it should be paid.

But PLEASE don't send your card details to someone over social media! You would be completely unreasonable to do this as you have no idea where your card details would end up.

Even if you transferred money to the employees account, it's still weird and you have no idea it'll make it to the hotel.

So either wait for the hotel to contact you again or chase them, request invoice again and arrange to pay direct to them.

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 12/12/2017 00:17

Social media, screw that. I don’t even send card details by email. Phone them.

hollowtree · 12/12/2017 00:32

If it's not a scam and you know you didn't pay I would pay it straight away. The staff being out of pocket would be a real shame and not fair

Givemeonereason · 12/12/2017 02:01

Highly unlikely it'll come out of staff wages.
Sounds like a sob story to get you to provide card details.
IMHO I would say they have seen an opportunity. You left without paying. So that money was gone, written off in the short term. Hotel employee sees an opportunity to seek you out, tug on your heartstrings and try to persuade you to send your card deets on Facebook. Your account will be emptied than a bankers heart

pisacake · 12/12/2017 02:58

"Highly unlikely it'll come out of staff wages. "

They won't be on wages! The person performing the service will be freelance - there's no monthly wage.

So if the OP hasn't paid then it's quite likely they haven't been paid yet.

OtterInDisgrace · 12/12/2017 03:09

I’m pretty sure if they’d OVER charged you you wouldnt be leaving it til after Christmas but would be on it like stink on shit.

So yes, Yabu.

RosyWelshcakes · 12/12/2017 03:31

OP, a very quick google will explain very simply how to send money to vietnam and it would have taken you less time to sort something out than it did to start this thread and post on it.

You owe money to someone. Pay up and stop being dishonest.

IAmNotAWitch · 12/12/2017 03:32

Wait, so there are people on here, who when asked for their credit card details on Facebook, would just hand them over?!

Fucking hell some people are gullible, I guess that old saying 'a fool and his money are soon parted' is still true.

InspMorse · 12/12/2017 06:21

A woman the OP doesn't know messages on FB asking for card details? Mmmm, let me think about it. That would be a no.
If the hotel e-mailed, using the same contact details as before (I.e. When booking), including a full copy of the invoice, I would find a safe way to pay.
Some random on FB? No.