Hotel took money from my credit card without asking permission

[Deleted User]

I had booked a hotel for four nights in Germany from 10th to 14th June 2022. My flight back was on 14th June around 8pm. The cost of the four nights at the hotel was €600, and I asked for a late checkout on 14th June as the weather was hot, and therefore I could have a shower before I then took my flight.  The hotel said that the extra cost for the late checkout would be €120 as they could not rent out the room if I kept it until 8pm.I agreed with this. The first night at the hotel there were issues with the room in that the air conditioning did not work, and I had to be transferred to another room. That second room had problems with the lights. So the manager said he would take some money off the bill at the end. I agreed to this.
When I checked out around 6pm on 14th June, the invoice was given to me and the payment was €550. I paid this knowing that they had said they would knock money off the bill for the issues with the rooms.
I looked at my credit card statement yesterday to pay the outstanding balance, only to find that the hotel had taken €€550 on 14th June (as expected), and then on the 15th June, when I was home, they had taken €120 - without my permission!
I contacted my credit card company and they have suspended the amount of €120, and I have provided them with the information/documents they need to investigate. I emailed the hotel and they replied that they had taken the extra night of €120 as it was not taken at the time of me checking out. They attached an invoice that was just the same as the one they gave me upon check out, with the added €120 at the bottom. This invoice was dated 20th June 2022. I replied to their email stating that it was theft, and if they felt that I owed them the extra money, they should have contacted me. They have yet to respond to this email.
I am curious to know what the situation is here. When I was given the final invoice at the hotel check out, that was the final invoice, with monies knocked off for poor room quality. Surely any hotel cannot just take money from someone's credit card once they have left the hotel?

Brie

But you said you agreed to it.

MEM62

Brie said:

But you said you agreed to it.

That's the way I read it too.  

[Deleted User]

so why didn't they take it at time of checkout?

sourcrates

[Deleted User] said:

so why didn't they take it at time of checkout?

Probably an error, you say your self, you agreed the 120 euro late check out fee, and a 50 euro reduction in room charges for the "faulty lights" so 670 euro in total, I can`t see what your issue is here ???

comeandgo

You would have seen on the invoice the charge for your 4 nights, and the discount, it would have been obvious your final day had not been charged.  Are you sure non of the check in documents you signed did not give them permission to charge your card?  

comeandgo

Also, you mention is it theft as they have taken money from you , could they not say the same about you?  You did not ask or point out the missing charge.

powerful_Rogue

[Deleted User] said:

I had booked a hotel for four nights in Germany from 10th to 14th June 2022. My flight back was on 14th June around 8pm. The cost of the four nights at the hotel was €600, and I asked for a late checkout on 14th June as the weather was hot, and therefore I could have a shower before I then took my flight.  The hotel said that the extra cost for the late checkout would be €120 as they could not rent out the room if I kept it until 8pm.I agreed with this. The first night at the hotel there were issues with the room in that the air conditioning did not work, and I had to be transferred to another room. That second room had problems with the lights. So the manager said he would take some money off the bill at the end. I agreed to this.
When I checked out around 6pm on 14th June, the invoice was given to me and the payment was €550. I paid this knowing that they had said they would knock money off the bill for the issues with the rooms.
I looked at my credit card statement yesterday to pay the outstanding balance, only to find that the hotel had taken €€550 on 14th June (as expected), and then on the 15th June, when I was home, they had taken €120 - without my permission!
I contacted my credit card company and they have suspended the amount of €120, and I have provided them with the information/documents they need to investigate. I emailed the hotel and they replied that they had taken the extra night of €120 as it was not taken at the time of me checking out. They attached an invoice that was just the same as the one they gave me upon check out, with the added €120 at the bottom. This invoice was dated 20th June 2022. I replied to their email stating that it was theft, and if they felt that I owed them the extra money, they should have contacted me. They have yet to respond to this email.
I am curious to know what the situation is here. When I was given the final invoice at the hotel check out, that was the final invoice, with monies knocked off for poor room quality. Surely any hotel cannot just take money from someone's credit card once they have left the hotel?

They did have your permission. Virtally all hotels can take money once you've left the hotel, it's in the T&C's you agree to when you book. This is to cover a multitude of things such as theft/damage money owed ect.

It clearly isn't theft, so I wouldn't be going around claiming that. Also your chargeback/s75 depending which route you went with the credit card company will fail once the hotel show proof the money is owed.

eskbanker

bexoxo60 said:

So the manager said he would take some money off the bill at the end. I agreed to this.

When I checked out around 6pm on 14th June, the invoice was given to me and the payment was €550. I paid this knowing that they had said they would knock money off the bill for the issues with the rooms.

Surely this invoice would have included a breakdown illustrating how much they were knocking off, i.e. either €150*4 - €50 = €550, or €150*4 + €120 - €170 = €550?

Marchitiello

Hotels T&Cs have usually a clause stating that they can charge your credit cards with extra charges  incurred for F&D, damages, losses etc, and under that clause they can simply charge you the extra night that you had agreed to pay anyway but that at time of check out, the system had probably not yet accounted for (as although you left on the 14th at 8pm they hotel system would have free that room only on the 15th.

The hotel will simply provide their payment processor proff that you agreed to pay £620, their T&C and explanation of the extra night only finalising on the 15th, plus the confirmation of knocking £50 off as a gesture of goodwill for the issues you have had and your credit card company will have to complete the payment. 

It is no theft, simply as the system work and the person at check out may not have know the details as the only negative thing, is that he should have verbally confirmed to you that the extra night would finalise the following day.

£50 is what the hotel deemed sufficient for the issues with the room.

penners324

Can't see what the hotel has done wrong. You've had €50 already deducted from the agreed charges.