Money Moral Dilemma: Should I 'fess up about my hotel payment?

jaibaby

MSE_Nick wrote: »

I recently booked a hotel through a comparison site. At checkout, the hotel staff said no money was due as I'd already paid online. At the time I'd assumed they were right, but after checking I can see I was meant to pay at the hotel. Should I let them know or keep schtum?

Surely you would have paid when you booked through the comparison site? I've never been able to make a booking without paying the cost upfront. Even if that was slightly possible, the hotel staff would say before allowing me to check in?

I'd check your emails confirming the booking to see if you did make a payment

scumsthorne

novelty-socks wrote: »

there's no such thing as a business making an odd mistake

It's usually more of an IT mess up than anything else. Receptionists just go on what they can see.

It could be picked up at at some point if companies actually do daily/weekly/monthly or year end checks.

bigadaj

jaibaby wrote: »

Surely you would have paid when you booked through the comparison site? I've never been able to make a booking without paying the cost upfront. Even if that was slightly possible, the hotel staff would say before allowing me to check in?

I'd check your emails confirming the booking to see if you did make a payment

Not necessarily, most have the option of paying at booking or at the hotel.

Things do go wrong both ways, just look at one of the current threads where an OP has pre paid and then have the room cost also taken from the credit or debit card reserved at check in. That should get resolved in time as well.

Also remember there are numerous arrangement that hotels use, we got three free nights at the shangri la in Bangkok a good few years ago. My missus booked through a business travel agent because of the advantageous rate but we had to pay at the hotel. When we checked out they said it had been pre paid, we said it hadn't but they refused to take payment, and it was never charged, a glitch in their systems ultimately.

jonesMUFCforever

I wonder 6 months down the line whether the OP will come back on here and ask whethe a hotel has the right to debit my account 6 months after the stay?
Then there will be tons of replies of yes no maybe - some will say no but the debt is still due etc etc.

Personally if you offered to pay at checkout - they say you have paid - leave it at that for now but please do not complain when they do find their mistake and charge you.

svain

No moral dilemma ... Just keep quiet and head down. If they ask, then pay, if they dont ask then enjoy your moment of good fortune. If a company cant figure out whether you have paid or not then its their problem and not yours

scumsthorne

anotheruser wrote: »

Just like these same people are such model citizens and hand in £10 they find on the floor of a busy town centre

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-39119990

BBC wrote:

A woman who kept a £20 note she found in a shop has been convicted of theft.
****** ********, 23, picked up the cash at a branch of One Stop, in Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent, after it was dropped by a customer who withdrew it from a nearby cash point, police said.

The consequences of a theft conviction is massive, not only in work but in travel as well.

photome

fairy_lights wrote: »

Are you sure you didn't pay when you made the reservation? Surely you would remember weather you paid when you booked or not?

I use quite a few hotels in the course of a year and often forget wether it is prepaid or not

Ebenezer_Screwj

Have you checked your bank account? If the payment is not there you owe the hotel money, if you were a hotelier would you expect guests to avoid paying their bill?

bigadaj

We had this a few years ago at the shangri la in Bangkok. Checked out, staff said it was prepaid, we said no it isn't, they insisted it was.

So left without paying and expected a bill or charge to turn up on the credit card but it never did.

jonesMUFCforever

Ebenezer_Screwj wrote: »

Have you checked your bank account? If the payment is not there you owe the hotel money, if you were a hotelier would you expect guests to avoid paying their bill?

The OP did not avoid paying - he was told more than once that the bill had been paid!