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Improper hotel receipt

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gaggz

Member
What is the name of your state? California

Hi. I booked a hotel stay at Hilton website via "advance purchase" department. The hotel was by the beach and there was a $30 resort fee and total bill was about $411. When I asked for the receipt at the hotel while checking out, they said that I have to write to Hilton directly as booking was done via advance purchase department (hotel gave me zero dollar receipt for zero incidentals or overages). When I got the receipt from Hilton, it showed $30 room service fee so my employer refused to re-imburse me as they cannot reimburse room service, but can definitely reimburse resort fee. I called Hilton, they are acknowledging software and accounting error affecting several customers nationwide but have NOT given me any corrected receipt despite calling 5 times. They are ignoring purposefully.

So I filed a dispute with my credit card company for wrong receipt. The credit card company got an answer from Hilton stating that I had stayed at their hotel yada yada and showed internal note stating please pass on $30 resort fee but in next page it is converted to $30 room service fee. Upon getting reply from Hilton, the credit card company (Mastercard, capitalone) automatically rebilled me for $411 and they said this is normal procedure, even when I had disputed the Hilton reply again! I submitted a detailed reply and Capitalone said they will look into it again. After a month or two, the credit card company said there is nothing they could do, even if I have a wrong receipt with charges passed on wrongly and even if I have a protection on credit card for wrongful charge on bill! This is absurd. So now what is my course of action?
(1) Fight with Credit card company for not protecting me on wrongful charge [Update - its been 5 months of fighting with credit card company - one reason they gave me that it was a non-refundable booking so credit card company cannot get the money back for me. However, I have disputed that the credit card bank has to protect me from a wrongful charge nevertheless so they are not doing the job. They said I can put appeal for second look and to keep dispute open, but we all know where it will go from here!!]
(2) Fight with Hilton for wrongful receipt that my employer cannot reimburse? If so, how ? They are purposely ignoring me. Note: I have not yet gone to BBB....
(3) report Hilton to CA attorney general for wrongful billing (to several customers) as resort fee goes to state, where as room service is a revenue and taxed differently? This error multipled by tens of thousands can cause wrongful dues to each respective state of USA...

How do I get this fixed? Please help!
 
Last edited:


Taxing Matters

Overtaxed Member
What is the name of your state? California

So now what is my course of action?
(1) Fight with Credit card company for not protecting me on wrongful charge
As I understand your facts, the $411 hotel bill was correct in the amount. The only thing you have a problem with is that the $30 "resort fee" ended up being called "room service" on the final bill that you received. As a result, your employer won't reimburse the $30 but would reimburse it if the fee was called a resort fee instead. If I have it correct then there is nothing your credit card company can do for you because the AMOUNT of your bill is correct. You owed that amount and that was properly charged to your card. Credit card disputes are either disputing the amount of the goods or services charged or that you did not get the goods or services that you contracted to get. Here, you got what you contracted for. No one owes you any money for overcharging the hotel bill.

(2) Fight with Hilton for wrongful receipt that my employer cannot reimburse? If so, how ? They are purposely ignoring me. Note: I have not yet gone to BBB....
Again, while the label on the charge is apparently incorrect, the amount of the bill itself was correct. So if the company isn't willing to do anything to change the receipt, you're not going to be able to force the company to do.

(3) report Hilton to CA attorney general for wrongful billing (to several customers) as resort fee goes to state, where as room service is a revenue and taxed differently? This error multipled by tens of thousands can cause wrongful dues to each respective state of USA...
I don't see anything that suggests that the resort fees are imposed by the state or that they go to the state in California or any other state. DC, Nebraska and some other states are suing Marriott and other hotel chains over how they have in the past disclosed these fees, and that may be why the hotel is now reluctant to call this charge a resort fee; it may be afraid that the fee would be caught up in that litigation. You may certainly complain about this to the California Attorney General if you want, but if your only issue is that the label of "room service" should instead read "resort fee" on the bill I doubt much will come of that.

The main issue seems to be the reimbursement by your employer. Perhaps the employer would accept something other than a corrected receipt for reimbursement, like a letter from the hotel chain explaining what that charge actually represents.
 

adjusterjack

Senior Member
Hi. I booked a hotel stay at Hilton website via "advance purchase" department. The hotel was by the beach and there was a $30 resort fee and total bill was about $411.
You could have avoided all this by taking a screen shot of the page that called it a $30 resort fee and given that to your employer.

(1) Fight with Credit card company for not protecting me on wrongful charge
(2) Fight with Hilton for wrongful receipt that my employer cannot reimburse? If so, how ? They are purposely ignoring me. Note: I have not yet gone to BBB....
(3) report Hilton to CA attorney general for wrongful billing (to several customers) as resort fee goes to state, where as room service is a revenue and taxed differently? This error multipled by tens of thousands can cause wrongful dues to each respective state of USA...
All of the above is tilting at windmills and is unlikely to get you anywhere. And the BBB is often useless.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
What is the name of your state? California

Hi. I booked a hotel stay at Hilton website via "advance purchase" department. The hotel was by the beach and there was a $30 resort fee and total bill was about $411. When I asked for the receipt at the hotel while checking out, they said that I have to write to Hilton directly as booking was done via advance purchase department (hotel gave me zero dollar receipt for zero incidentals or overages). When I got the receipt from Hilton, it showed $30 room service fee so my employer refused to re-imburse me as they cannot reimburse room service, but can definitely reimburse resort fee. I called Hilton, they are acknowledging software and accounting error affecting several customers nationwide but have NOT given me any corrected receipt despite calling 5 times. They are ignoring purposefully.

So I filed a dispute with my credit card company for wrong receipt. The credit card company got an answer from Hilton stating that I had stayed at their hotel yada yada and showed internal note stating please pass on $30 resort fee but in next page it is converted to $30 room service fee. Upon getting reply from Hilton, the credit card company (Mastercard, capitalone) automatically rebilled me for $411 and they said this is normal procedure, even when I had disputed the Hilton reply again! I submitted a detailed reply and Capitalone said they will look into it again. After a month or two, the credit card company said there is nothing they could do, even if I have a wrong receipt with charges passed on wrongly and even if I have a protection on credit card for wrongful charge on bill! This is absurd. So now what is my course of action?
(1) Fight with Credit card company for not protecting me on wrongful charge [Update - its been 5 months of fighting with credit card company - one reason they gave me that it was a non-refundable booking so credit card company cannot get the money back for me. However, I have disputed that the credit card bank has to protect me from a wrongful charge nevertheless so they are not doing the job. They said I can put appeal for second look and to keep dispute open, but we all know where it will go from here!!]
(2) Fight with Hilton for wrongful receipt that my employer cannot reimburse? If so, how ? They are purposely ignoring me. Note: I have not yet gone to BBB....
(3) report Hilton to CA attorney general for wrongful billing (to several customers) as resort fee goes to state, where as room service is a revenue and taxed differently? This error multipled by tens of thousands can cause wrongful dues to each respective state of USA...

How do I get this fixed? Please help!
Why do you believe that the "resort fee goes to [the] state"? It most certainly does not.
 

quincy

Senior Member
gaggz, you can contact your congressperson and ask that s/he support the bill introduced last year by Congressman Fortenberry (R-Neb) and Congresswoman Johnson (D-Texas) that would end all hidden “resort” or “service” fee add-ons.

That doesn’t help you now but could help you (and others) in the future.
 

ALawyer

Senior Member
You are certainly spending a great deal of time and effort to collect $30 from your employer. While some might claim "it's a matter of principle" -- and I hate tacked on resort fees as well -- were I your boss I would be ticked off and question your judgment and priorities if any of your effort was expended on "company time" and if it was on your own time, I'd ask myself "does this person have a life?" and be extra cautious in my dealings with you. It's become an unhealthy obsession that will cost you far more than $30.
 

quincy

Senior Member
The Hilton website notes the extra fees and taxes that are added to the room costs if you click past the first page and look for “total cost.” The same is true for other hotels and resorts. These add-on costs are generally in the finer print.
 

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