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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:
EmilyChambers79 · 09/12/2017 09:49

Where is your original holiday money?

You could obviously afford the £100 as you booked it on holiday so use the same method to pay for it now.

I've a feeling you knew it had been missed off and was hoping for a freebie...

Chapterandverse · 09/12/2017 09:50

Are you sure it isn't a scam?

MrsSchadenfreude · 09/12/2017 09:50

YABVVVU. Because if you’ve just come back from a holiday in Vietnam, you’re hardly skint. Stick it on the credit card and suck it up.

chickenowner · 09/12/2017 09:51

Please pay this as soon as you are able to.

As well as $100 being a huge amount of money in Vietnam, the staff will probably be in trouble for this mistake, and employees do not have the rights and protections that we do in the UK.

I used to live in Vietnam so have some first hand experience of this.

I can't actually believe that you are considering not paying!

musicposy · 09/12/2017 09:51

As said upthread, you should have put the money aside as soon as you knew you owed it. They're obviously desperate for the money and you're worrying about your Christmas. My goodness.

Just make sure you pay securely, but do it today. Keeping them waiting this long is appalling.

Original poster
Sanshin · 09/12/2017 09:52

I've messaged her back and asked her to get management to send an invoice to us directly via email.

OP posts:
KnockMeDown · 09/12/2017 09:52

I think that you should of course pay what you owe, but this does all sound very dodgy to me. Definitely don't send bank or credit card details over Facebook. Contact the hotel directly and see what they say.

Yes, it was there mistake, but may have been a deliberate one to engineer this situation.

CountryGirl1985 · 09/12/2017 09:53

Yeah sure here's my card details to person who has just added me on FB... please just stop and think. Yes, you do need to pay for the trip BUT you need to do it by getting in touch with the hotel directly (do they have an email address? Cheaper than phoning) or going through your travel agency to make the booking, NOT by sending your card details to someone you barely know because you feel sorry for them. It MAY be legit, but if it's not your bank will politely tell you that you're on your own having knowingly disclosed your card details.

maras2 · 09/12/2017 09:54

Sorry sanshin x post.
Ignore me.I'm a ratbag today (hangover)
I'm too sodding old for this. Xmas Sad

AlonsosLeftPinky · 09/12/2017 09:55

Jesus fucking christ. Yes of course you pay it straight away. And you use the money you should have used there and then.

Just call the hotel and pay it.

Original poster
Sanshin · 09/12/2017 09:56

That's what I mean? We were emailing back and forth before we went so they have our contact details ... so why haven't the management contacted us directly?

I'm wondering if the staff are aware of the mistake but management are not so staff are trying to recover it before management realise

OP posts:
DottyS · 09/12/2017 09:56

I am a little surprised you had to ask and that you kept forgetting to pay. IF this is a real post you should hang your head in shame.

Tink2007 · 09/12/2017 09:59

Obviously you knew you had to pay for it so it should be paid for. However, I wouldn’t just give over my card details either.

It sounds very odd to contact you by Facebook for it. Surely if you have stayed there they have all your details to contact you with.

LagunaBubbles · 09/12/2017 10:00

I wouldn't be sending any cars details through FB personally. Contact hotel properly.

Ski4130 · 09/12/2017 10:01

Anyone who'd seriously consider sending their cc details to someone they don't know, off the back of an unsolicited FB friend request needs their head read!! OP get the invoice from the hotel and pay the hotel direct, do not pay this woman via FB, or hand over any cc details.

Blodplod · 09/12/2017 10:01

Firstly, do you have original invoice from the hotel? Whilst I was erring towards this being a scam I’ve changed my mind. If you have the original invoice you can see on it that there is in fact a discrepancy for 100$ for a specific trip. How on earth would anyone else know that? If invoice is wrong, and you can see you didn’t pay it why wouldn’t this be genuine? I would look at alternative means to pay. What worries me if you contact the hotel direct is the woman will get into trouble asking you direct. Judging by the pleading tone of her first FB message I’m assuming this is the case.

araiwa · 09/12/2017 10:01

i am so embarrassed for you right now

contact hotel directly and pay it asap

Quartz2208 · 09/12/2017 10:03

Yes contact the hotel and explain you think that a mistake has been made and have they charged you for the trip as you are not sure and can they resend an invoice.

Do not do anything via facebook with the woman as it may not be legit.

If the hotel comes back and says you have not paid it and ask that you should of course take it from there

spaghettithrower · 09/12/2017 10:04

It sounds like a scam to me.
Maybe the staff often "forget" to charge people and then send requests through facebook, asking for your card details.
It all sounds very bizarre.
You did the right thing contacting the hotel for an invoice to be sent and you should pay the bill directly to the hotel but certainly not to some random member of staff who contacts you on facebook.

Also, you really should check all hotel bills thoroughly, whether you are "rushing around" or not, and say straight away if something has been missed off or something added you didn't use.
How could you not notice the missing 100 dollars when the room only cost 90 dollars? You must have known something was amiss.

SleepMoon · 09/12/2017 10:05

This is very unprofessional and strange. I wouldn't give her any card details. Tell them to send you a paypal invoice that way you are protected. Or offer to do a bank transfer. I've done that online before through a website and it worked well.

PersianCatLady · 09/12/2017 10:05

Pay it but not by giving out your credit card details in an e-mail or a message.

Contact your bank for advice on the best way to pay this.

If the hotel insists on you using a credit card then perhaps you would be best off purchasing a prepaid credit card, therefore limiting the potential for fraud to the value of the prepaid credit card.

Blodplod · 09/12/2017 10:06

And I’ve just read your last update and I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, about hotel not realising yet that it wasn’t paid for. But staff do know and are likely to be heavily penalised. Very difficult situation to resolve but I would try to find out if it’s possible to send money by alternative means. But in essence, you do need to pay, financially your money worries at the moment are way off the scale compared to there’s I imagine. Personally I couldn’t heartily tuck into my turkey on Xmas day with the guilt of that hanging over me.

Blodplod · 09/12/2017 10:06

Theirs*

PizzaPower · 09/12/2017 10:06

Sounds a bit of a scam to me. Staff deliberately miss it off the invoice, and then get you to pay them direct, because you are aware you owe it. The hotel never know or see the money.

If I’m right she won’t want the management finding out. I bet she try’s to come back to you directly.

Steeley113 · 09/12/2017 10:08

Most of the replies to this thread makes me understand why so many people get stung by scams. Do not pay, do not send card details. Management should contact you directly in a secure way, not ‘staff’ via Facebook.

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