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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Hotel has taken £800+ from my account

183 replies

interrogate2018 · 10/12/2018 14:36

I've just returned from a European break we I had a 2 nite stay in a 4 star hotel. We paid cash at the end of my stay of €300 - only you discover that upon arrival at the last when I passed over my card for the €150 security deposit 2 debits of 400+ sterling was taken from my card.

My bank have given me the authorisation codes which I have given to the hotel and they are requesting more evidence! -

I'm so angry I could cry. The lady who checked me and my friend in also tried to overcharge us on Sunday by adding an extra 200 to our bill making it 500 only we challenged her - her response was that English was not her first language so sorry for mistake.

Even if the give me the money back it takes 10 working days - 😢

OP posts:
00100001 · 10/12/2018 16:01

but you would have had to put in the pin after the total was worked out. They wouldn't be able to change the amount after that. :/
You "thought" it was for €150 or you know it was for €150?

I'm confused

You switch between cash and debit cards - you say you have €300 CASH receipt, but say you paid on Debit Card?
When did you pay the €300 cash? How did you pay for the deposit?
Why did you need authorisation codes from your bank?

Original poster
interrogate2018 · 10/12/2018 16:01

Germany :(

OP posts:
StellaGooseberry · 10/12/2018 16:02

This reply has been deleted

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purplecorkheart · 10/12/2018 16:03

The fact that it is pending is reassuring. Most likely the hotel blocked a deposit for each night for the room and the €150 is for extra charges such as food/minibar etc. I have had this a few times and was never fully informed in reception.

The hotel should unlock this money.

If the transactions goes through then
it is an authorised transaction which you will need to report to the bank again. They can then refund you (they may cancel and reissue your card). Sadly it can take up to a week to get this money back (in my experience in Ireland). My bank offered me an free overdraft for the time being so might be worth asking.

Hopefully the hotel will unblock it for you.

Ated · 10/12/2018 16:04

Never use debit cards, cheques, western union, postal orders or cash. Get a credit card and use it correctly. I had £8k recently removed from my card by cloning but I received my money back within a few days.

Original poster
interrogate2018 · 10/12/2018 16:06

I was sure it was 150 - doubting myself now though. I paid for the security deposit via debit card - the actual bill was paid in cash.

Authorisation codes are the codes on which the 2 separate amounts were taken. the bank gave them to me so the hotel could track the charges.

Even if the room was Euro300 and that and the deposit twice, that makes Eur450.

OP posts:
loubluee · 10/12/2018 16:06

Isn’t the amount normally keyed in before you put your pin? Did it say 150 on the keypad?

Original poster
interrogate2018 · 10/12/2018 16:09

RAN DATE/TIME
400.01 HOTEL NAME CITYCENT. 07/12/18 13.33

400.01 HOTEL NAME CITYCENT. 07/12/18 13.29

this is what my bank has just sent me, this was billed on checking in Sad

OP posts:
Original poster
interrogate2018 · 10/12/2018 16:10

There wasn't 2 payments though, ie there was one payment wherein the receptionist keyed in the amount and passed the card machine over. I only keyed my pin in once - that is why im sure I haven't done anything wrong here. Im convinced it said Euro150.00

OP posts:
LimitIsUp · 10/12/2018 16:10

We've had similar OP with an overcharge at self catering flats in the UK, and two overcharges at separate hotels in Canada. You will get it back, but I sympathise - terrible timing with the expense of Christmas coming up. I hope this is resolved quickly for you

BoglingToAswad · 10/12/2018 16:12

I have been on to my bank - they said payment is pending and it has to be cancelled by the hotel!

This sounds like a pre-authorisation rather than a payment. It is a hold on funds rather than a payment, so the money has not actually technically left your account, it is just in reserve. Pre-auths should be released by the hotel through whatever verification centre they use but even if they don't do this it will release automatically in no more than 10 working days from the day the pre-auth was taken (usually quicker, 10 days is rare). If the hotel has already cancelled it at their end there is nothing else they can do to speed it up unfortunately.

I would email them to ask what their policy on releasing pre-auths is, and ask them to confirm that this has been done.

Im wondering if it is fraud but how would the hotel think they could get away with it?

While it's very shitty of them not to have explained it to you, they don't actually have your money in their account - it is on hold and will release. I would complain to their head office and explain how much it has inconvenienced you, and hopefully they will compensate you in some way.

It's a terrible time of year for this to happen, but please try not to panic Flowers.

MorningCuppa · 10/12/2018 16:12

So 4 minutes apart, maybe they have cloned your PIN number, I can't see how they have done 2 transactions if you only put your pin in once, I would report it as fraud.

Original poster
interrogate2018 · 10/12/2018 16:15

But how can they hold money of mine, I only agreed to security deposit of Euro150 - the bank are telling me that there are 2 transactions pending from my account for £400 etc.

I actually loved the though of staying in a posh hotel as its something I have rarely done and I thought the customer service would be great.
They are treating me so shabbily - honestly the attitude stinks!

OP posts:
BoglingToAswad · 10/12/2018 16:16

RAN DATE/TIME
400.01 HOTEL NAME CITYCENT. 07/12/18 13.33
400.01 HOTEL NAME CITYCENT. 07/12/18 13.29

Pre-auths do like transactions on debit card statements, and they do have authorisation codes as well.

Again, I would contact the hotel to confirm that these are pre-auths rather than payments. What did they say when you contacted them?

Original poster
interrogate2018 · 10/12/2018 16:17

But how could they clone it - sorry to sound so thick its just that I was standing in front of the lady, when would she have had time to clone it?

Plus I don't want to accuse her of something like that

OP posts:
BoglingToAswad · 10/12/2018 16:20

But how can they hold money of mine, I only agreed to security deposit of Euro150 - the bank are telling me that there are 2 transactions pending from my account for £400 etc.

They do not need a pin number to put a payment or pre-auth through a card machine.

I actually loved the though of staying in a posh hotel as its something I have rarely done and I thought the customer service would be great. They are treating me so shabbily - honestly the attitude stinks!

If it is part of a chain they will almost certainly offer you compensation if you complain to their head office. I agree they are not being very professional.

BoglingToAswad · 10/12/2018 16:24

But how could they clone it - sorry to sound so thick its just that I was standing in front of the lady, when would she have had time to clone it?

This looks like a mistake rather than fraud to me. Any money taken from a business card machine will go into the business account associated with that machine. If a card has been cloned it would need to be put through a different machine for anyone other than the hotel business account to profit, and that means that the hotel name wouldn't be showing on your statement.

Please don't worry about that.

Original poster
interrogate2018 · 10/12/2018 16:28

The hotel basically said send proof that the money has been billed. The bank are telling me that sometimes when hotels have made an "error" of this sort they basically wait until they are balancing their books to sort it out. Ie month end etc.

OP posts:
purplecorkheart · 10/12/2018 16:29

They do not need a pin.

MacavityTheDentistsCat · 10/12/2018 16:32

interrogate2018: where in Germany?

RB68 · 10/12/2018 16:33

I think you need to get back to the hotel and tell them it will be going to the CC company as a fraudulent entry and if they don't want that to happen they need to sort it out directly. I would also go back to CC and say that those withdrawals were not with your permission and to give them the correct transactions and ask them to mark those as fraudulent and challenge them - they should credit them back to you pending investigation with the hotel.

I have dealt with to hotels - one Ireland one in Italy in similar circumstances where effectively they have taken the money through bookings.com AND directly as the receptionist taking payment didn't understand what to do. Both sorted the same day - I think the irish one we had to wait for it to clear through but it wasn't as much as 10 ddays - prob 3

RB68 · 10/12/2018 16:37

I have just seen they are preauth - the hotel def needs to release these for them to go - its is common practice, but doesn't make it right. Can yu speak t the CC company and see if they will extend your credit short term whilst its processed and then say at end of dec revert back

BoglingToAswad · 10/12/2018 16:40

The hotel basically said send proof that the money has been billed.

A pre-auth will not show as a payment on their system, because they don't have the money.

The bank are telling me that sometimes when hotels have made an "error" of this sort they basically wait until they are balancing their books to sort it out. Ie month end etc.

That sounds anecdotal at best. No hotel I have ever been involved with has operated that way. Most hotels (certainly a luxury one) will balance every day, and this will be double checked by a night auditor.

If the bank say it is pending and the hotel don't have a record of the payment, then I am 99.9% sure that it is a pre-auth that will release.

PlatypusPie · 10/12/2018 16:41

They’ve done a pre authorisation of the security/charges deposit plus the cost of the two night stay - usual procedure for larger, more expensive chains. Unfortunately there has been a glitch and it has registered twice. They should have told you about the preauthorisation but they made the wrong assumption that you would be familiar with the custom. If it is a city centre 4 star, it may have mostly business travellers to whom a pre authorisation is routine and who are not personally inconvenienced by the hold on ( usually credit card ) funds.

It hasn’t actually left your account and you will get it back . But it is rotten timing for you because, although you haven’t lost it, you can’t access it either until the pending cancellation from the hotel or their payment system completes.

We had a large pre authorisation in a hotel in the Middle East recently - my husband was not really listening because he was blasé about checking in after years of business travel but luckily I heard and realised the receptionist was a decimal place out and we were about to have a 10x hold. We already had huge hold from the car rental - this sort of thing is why a second credit card is important for travelling and why it still better to one than a debit card, which can mess up so many things like direct debits etc.

Hope it clears soon, OP.

BoglingToAswad · 10/12/2018 16:42

I have just seen they are preauth - the hotel def needs to release these for them to go

Not true, if the hotel does not release them they will release automatically, it just takes a few days longer.

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