Fake charges added to our hotel bill

Crater

We don't use hotels a great deal so we don't know how widespread this is.

The hotel accepted that it wasn't our charge when I protested that we had not ordered any extras. This was a charge for 1 x breakfast. We were on room only as we were breakfasting elsewhere.

It was not a large amount cosmically speaking - around £20.  But we obviously weren't happy to accept this, and nor was the manager. So this may have undermined our relationship with the hotel, and because of the location, the only hotel near where we need to go, we want to stay there again.

I didn't get a copy or photo of the signed chit. The signature didn't resemble either of ours in any way - this may be reassuring as at least it means someone hasn't got into the hotel's system - but when I worked it out later I realised that it must have been a charge for breakfast via room service (which didn't happen - not to us, anyway) and the room number entered was fake - it had an (- a) added to it. There are no "- a" rooms in the hotel, certainly not where our room was.

So whoever did it, knew we weren't using the breakfast room, and knew that the "meal" was not being delivered to our actual room.

This is a respectable hotel, friends have used it in the past, and we want to go back there, but this has caused some concern.

Has anyone got any words of advice?  Thank you for any input.

tightauldgit

You got the bill, noticed something was incorrect and the hotel corrected it? Is that right?

In which case what more advice do you need?

comeandgo

Happens all the time, sometimes things are omitted and sometimes things are mistakenly added, no malice intended by hotel, it’s just human error.  You should always check what you are being charged.  So many times we have had to tell hotels about drinks they have omitted.

k3lvc

Crater said:

Has anyone got any words of advice?  

Check your bill (as you did) and point out any errors - if the hotel sort it then trust them and stay again, if they don't then find somewhere else to stay

sheramber

Used to happen to my husband on business trips.

No expenses claims were allowed for 'extras' so they always checked their bills carefully.

e.g. There might be a paper added or alcohol with dinner.

They just advised it wasn't theirs and it was removed. 

It was added to someone else's bill  and so on until somebody didn't notice and pay it.

Grumpy_chap

It sounds like the mistake was corrected at check-out, the hotel will have forgotten about it, and the OP will be welcomed back to stay there again in the future.  I'd forget about it and move on.

The comments about the room number being "fake" (123-a rather than 123) is quite likely a red herring.  There may be an annex or something that means the "-a" suffix is correct and the input to room without the suffix is purely an error. 
BUT, the suggestion as I read it in the OP that a member of staff ordered this breakfast as room service to "123-a" with the "-a" being code that it should actually be delivered to some staff quarters all seems just far-fetched and elaborate.  If that really is happening and someone staff is scheming a free breakfast that they are not supposed to have, then they'll be found out before the next time the OP returns.  The thing is, many hotels provide free meals for staff when on shift so the staff would simply have no reason to hatch such a scheme for a free breakfast.

TELLIT01

Mistakes happen, and chancers put wrong room numbers down and hope it won't be noticed.  This error, wherever it came from has been fixed.  What's the problem?

RogerBareford

Crater said:

We don't use hotels a great deal so we don't know how widespread this is.

The hotel accepted that it wasn't our charge when I protested that we had not ordered any extras. This was a charge for 1 x breakfast. We were on room only as we were breakfasting elsewhere.

It was not a large amount cosmically speaking - around £20.  But we obviously weren't happy to accept this, and nor was the manager. So this may have undermined our relationship with the hotel, and because of the location, the only hotel near where we need to go, we want to stay there again.

I didn't get a copy or photo of the signed chit. The signature didn't resemble either of ours in any way - this may be reassuring as at least it means someone hasn't got into the hotel's system - but when I worked it out later I realised that it must have been a charge for breakfast via room service (which didn't happen - not to us, anyway) and the room number entered was fake - it had an (- a) added to it. There are no "- a" rooms in the hotel, certainly not where our room was.

So whoever did it, knew we weren't using the breakfast room, and knew that the "meal" was not being delivered to our actual room.

This is a respectable hotel, friends have used it in the past, and we want to go back there, but this has caused some concern.

Has anyone got any words of advice?  Thank you for any input.

Why would any of this undermind your relationship with the hotel?

You noticed an incorrect charge and then asked them to remove it which they did. This is a pretty normal interaction to have and not something that would bother them in the slightltest.

Unless of course your were confrontational and started a shouting matching demanding the charge removed instead of asking politely?

TBagpuss

Don't worry. You noticed the error, the hotel fxed ot. They probably won't even remember.

It's likely a simply error - a staff member mistyped the room number and the guest either  didn't read the chit before signing it, or noticed but didn't say anything in the hope of getting a free breakfast.
If it was going to be an issueyou'd have found out when you queried it - if the manager had refused to remove it or accused you of trying to scam them, it would have happened then, not next time you book. 

Crater

Thank you to everyone for their input. I am not experienced at travelling so did not know how to take this, particularly the "wrong" room number. No, no shouting incidents occurred. I am naive, but not quite that naive. Thank you.

RobM99

A good outcome but shouldn't have occurred in the first place.