Hotel scam

[blgoodbrand1]

So got my visa bill. On it is a charge for Us funds. What’s going on here I say. Mama bear had reserved a room for later this summer, a couple weeks ago.
Apparently the first number that comes up when you google the hotel leads you to a US booking company. Only issue is that they don’t tell you the charge is inUS dollars.
Call hotel.... they apolgize but out of their hands.
Call to booking outfit to cancel....zero refunds given. SOL.
Call visa....can’t reverse charges as there is a line on website in size 2 font that says such conditions.
Greasy bastages should be hung on a short rope from a tall tree.


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[ETOWNCANUCK]

So where is the scam, that you didn’t know it was in U.S. $?

One has to use ones own due diligence whenever using one’s credit card.

Tell Momma bear to use caution and phone and ask questions to be sure.
Even Visa is telling you that.

[blgoodbrand1]

Originally Posted by ETOWNCANUCK

So where is the scam, that you didn’t know it was in U.S. $?



One has to use ones own due diligence whenever using one’s credit card.



Tell Momma bear to use caution and phone and ask questions to be sure.

Even Visa is telling you that.

I guess when you call from Alberta to an Alberta hotel and they answer the phone as such alberta hotel one would assume that Can funds are implied. But yes....use caution.
On a some what separate note...when you google the company the charges come from there is nothing but negative and worse reports.


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[bobtodrick]

It may not be a scam per se...but it is pretty damn sleazy.
I had a similar experience a month ago.
Have to be in Hanna in July for a family event. Went on line and Canalta motels has a nice motel in Hanna. The website for Canalta Hanna stated $139/night so I booked. Checked my confirmation as soon as I got it and it was $220/night with taxes. I called the motel and was informed their website was in U.S. funds.
I asked where it said that on their website and he states "it is in the small print at the very bottom of the page"
Bullfeathers!! When you book a motel in Alberta, from an Alberta city (Edmonton) there isn't a person out there who's first thought is 'I wonder if this in Canadian funds'.
The good thing is that after I asked to speak to a manager, and threatened to badmouth them on every review site I could find they refunded my money.
On second thought it is a scam...they are banking on the fact that many people won't check their confirmation until it is too late...or that a lot of people will just think there's nothing they can do.

[ReconWilly]

I have 2 questions:

#1 which hotel?

#2 what are bastage's?

[Okotok]

Originally Posted by ReconWilly

I have 2 questions:

#1 what hotel?

#2 what are bastage's?

Stated in his post. Watch Johnny Dangerously. 😄

[omega50]

Folks are often attracted by the cheaper rate. I have never seen the currency origin hidden. It is usually clearly visible in a global world

[ETOWNCANUCK]

Originally Posted by blgoodbrand1

I guess when you call from Alberta to an Alberta hotel and they answer the phone as such alberta hotel one would assume that Can funds are implied. But yes....use caution.
On a some what separate note...when you google the company the charges come from there is nothing but negative and worse reports.


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You didn't mention before that it was in Alberta.
Thank you for the clarification.

[Big Bull]

Was it booking.com? They got me once, and added an additional $15.00 US
I would never use booking.com again. I find the best deal is to book directly with the hotel.

[operator john]

Find the best hotel deal > call them and ask if that is their best deal.

[expedition]

That's a scam . Go stay then crap on the manager !!!!! Us hotels don't charge in can dollars!

[swifty73]

Johnny Dangerously

https://youtu.be/bYiow8qNL8Y

[Sundancefisher]

We just caught a hotel charging us for a no show even though we have a confirmed cancellation email from them in January.

Took twenty minutes and forwarding their own email back before they would reverse. Still waiting and checking for a credit.

[gevarm guy]

I just pick up the phone, call the hotel, ask for their CAA rate and book it or move on to another phone call if too much....Just like the good old days...

[Cowchaser]

Funny just checked out a hotel on hotels.com and luckily noticed price was US funds,difference about 35.00. Went back to AMA site.

[Sloughsharkjigger]

For me the the lesson learned was, assume ALL online transactions are in US dollars... not including shipping and brokerage charges (also in US)

Bottom line... the US dollar is and until otherwise will be the world currency... the good and the very evil use the yank to do business every second of every day.

Be patient folks... soon the world will quote the “loonie” as a token of trading power.

[KGB]

Hotels.com is my favourite to book the hotels rooms anywhere. Never ever had a problem with them. Traveled thru North America and Europe, booked thru them every time. They are part of Expedia.

[blgoodbrand1]

Just a note with this...the only thing done online was to lookup the hotel phone number. Everything else was done over the phone. The phone call was answered as “ hello, this is ——— inn, how may we help you?”


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[-JR-]

Same thing happened to me ...I thought I was talking to the hotel.

Got charged in US Funds ....I called master charge. they said sometimes they will even lie on the phone and say Canadian funds,and if you are not recording the call you are in the hole and if you are recording,you have no proof who is on the other line.

My fault for not paying the extra fee for cancellation .

[Weedy1]

By the looks of the following from the Currency Act, it is legal to charge in US currency.

13. (1) Every contract, sale, payment, bill, note, instrument and security for money and every transaction, dealing, matter and thing relating to money or involving the payment of or the liability to pay money shall be made, executed, entered into, done or carried out in the currency of Canada, unless it is made, executed, entered into, done or carried out in

(a) the currency of a country other than Canada; or
(b) a unit of account that is defined in terms of the currencies of two or more countries.

http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-52/index.html

http://www.canadaone.com/ezine/exper...adian_usd.html

[RZR]

Here’s a thought, why not just phone the hotel/motel directly and reserve a room. This is what I do and have never been charged in US currency.

[blgoodbrand1]

Originally Posted by RZR

Here’s a thought, why not just phone the hotel/motel directly and reserve a room. This is what I do and have never been charged in US currency.

Here’s a thought. That’s what my wife thought she was doing. Looked up the phone number for the hotel. Called the hotel. Reserved a room. Never at anytime was it implied or indicated that she was not talking to the front desk. But carry on and don’t let reading comprehension slow ya down.


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[Jack Hardin]

Last year I bought two tickets to an Oilers game through the Oilers website. Tickets were in US $.

I have used Expedia.ca for all my hotel reservations, car rentals and flights within both Canada and the US and it is always in CDN $. I now book my flights through VISA points.

[Lefty-Canuck]

I use Booking.com fairly often, the price and currency is always highlighted.

LC

[RZR]

Originally Posted by blgoodbrand1

So got my visa bill. On it is a charge for Us funds. What’s going on here I say. Mama bear had reserved a room for later this summer, a couple weeks ago.
Apparently the first number that comes up when you google the hotel leads you to a US booking company. Only issue is that they don’t tell you the charge is inUS dollars.
Call hotel.... they apolgize but out of their hands.
Call to booking outfit to cancel....zero refunds given. SOL.
Call visa....can’t reverse charges as there is a line on website in size 2 font that says such conditions.
Greasy bastages should be hung on a short rope from a tall tree.


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So when you phoned back you magically got the hotel and not the booking company. Cool!!

[Cement Bench]

Originally Posted by blgoodbrand1

Here’s a thought. That’s what my wife thought she was doing. Looked up the phone number for the hotel. Called the hotel. Reserved a room. Never at anytime was it implied or indicated that she was not talking to the front desk. But carry on and don’t let reading comprehension slow ya down.


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same here I called the number on the website and it was a USA booking site and I asked for the front desk and they lied,

they asked for a credit card number and I wanted to confirm others that were staying at the hotel for a group booking and they said they had no record

that is when I realized it may be a booking site, so I looked up the hotel and called the local number and not a 1 800 number and got the front desk,

they said they knew the website was misleading but were going to do nothing about it, many of my wifes friends have been caught by this but I always call the front desk twice, the first time to inquire about rates and services and amenities (to see if it is truly the front desk) and always call the local phone number with the area code and that insures it is actually the hotel front desk,

ask about the local weather there and nearby garages or restaurants and that weeds out the booking sites,

sorry to have to do this but that is the only way not to be scammed

Cement Bench

[blgoodbrand1]

Originally Posted by RZR

So when you phoned back you magically got the hotel and not the booking company. Cool!!

Nope still the booking agent. And in talking with the hotel manger, once obtaining the correct number they have spent considerable time and money fighting this company.
And quite honestly I don’t have time life in my life for you or your bovine feces


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[Grump]

Originally Posted by RZR

So when you phoned back you magically got the hotel and not the booking company. Cool!!

haha that's what I was wondering. Also, if the phone number to an Inn in Alberta doesn't have an Albertan area code - wouldn't caution be advised? OP, was this US Booking company using an Alberta number?

[spoiledsaskhunter]

with the op on this one......seems crooked to me.

[Au revoir, Gopher]

A hint if you are going to use the internet...

Google is not a phone book, google is not your friend, companies pay google so their links will come up with certain search terms.

I understand why you are POed, but there is a difference between illegal and sleazy.

ARG