You'd think somebody's never stayed in a hotel before

[sirwired]

While trying to check-in to a cheap airport crash-pad after a long day of travel, I was stuck in line by some lady who looked like a regular business traveler, but was also clearly a complete moron.

She spent several minutes ranting at the poor check-in clerk that her credit authorization slip she was given (I guess the hotel puts in a hold for the amount of your stay) wasn't a receipt (it was just the little slip from the credit card machine printer), and she needed a real receipt, and she'll never get reimbursed by the company, blah, blah, blah...

Lady, have you never stayed in a hotel in your life? You usually get the full itemized receipt when you check out, so they can add incidentals. If you were in a U.S. hotel (this was in the UK), you wouldn't have even been handed that separate receipt for the card authorization; it would have been done quietly.

[bhskittykatt]

She spent several minutes ranting at the poor check-in clerk that her credit authorization slip she was given (I guess the hotel puts in a hold for the amount of your stay) wasn't a receipt (it was just the little slip from the credit card machine printer), and she needed a real receipt, and she'll never get reimbursed by the company, blah, blah, blah...

I recently got reamed out by the general manager of our sister resort because his wife used her debit card for the hotel authorization.

Now, our resort adds at least $100 for incidentals onto the authorization because between the restaurants, spa, and golf courses it's very easy for incidental charges to soar well over that amount. With a credit card, an authorization isn't as significant as you can still charge your card, but with a debit card it locks those funds up until the bank releases it on their end (up to five business days).

This guy, who manages a resort, was furious we couldn't magically release the hold on his wife's debit card. He was appalled that I suggest she contact her bank (while we can attempt to contact the bank on the guest's behalf, 90% of the time they want to speak to the customer directly). IDK if the GSR warned his wife about the debit issue or not at check-in (we usually try to get them to give us a credit card instead whenever possible), but dude, you work in the industry, you know we hold extra for incidentals. You would think the wife would know, too.

[WishfulSpirit]

Also, no, it isn't "false advertizing" when you click the wrong button on the OrbiPricePedia website. You booked the wrong room type. You deal with it.

[katzklaw]

Also, no, it isn't "false advertizing" when you click the wrong button on the OrbiPricePedia website. You booked the wrong room type. You deal with it.

oh good lord this one bites us in the arse at the campground on a regular basis too...

"oh but i KNOW i booked a full hookup site!" when we hadn't had any full hookups available to book for at LEAST 2 full weeks before the reservation was made... along with the fact that you booked a 45ft long tent trailer (they're usually 10'-15'ish) and what you arrived in was a 45 motorhome. it's pretty darn obvious you clicked the wrong buttons. just shut up and take your site without sewer. your hundred-freakin-gallon tank can hold you the weekend and we have a free-to-guests dump station

[WishfulSpirit]

Tell them to show you their confirmation. That usually shuts up the I-booked-the-wrong-thing SCs.

[katzklaw]

usually being the operative word... had a guy this weekend try to cram a (large) pop up camper into a tent site (we don't allow pop ups on tent sites, and even if we did, this guy had a large one, and there was no way it was gonna fit) he made the reservation online, and stated, receipt-in-hand that he had specified that he had a pop up, and trotted out the old tired "but other Big Yellow parks have no problem with letting me do this."

1. your receipt doesn't mention pop up at all... in fact NOTHING is filled in AT ALL for vehicle type, which means NO you did NOT enter a pop up and have the system match you up with a tent site, and
2. i've been working with Big Yellow campgrounds in every state east of the Mississippi, and a few to the west of it for the last 9 years... and every owner/manager i can think of would have a s***-hemorrhage if someone put a pop up on a tent site, so you sir are full of it. we don't give a flying rat's *** that it has soft sides... it's a camper with hookups, it goes on a camper site and gets charged camper rates.

unfortunately, the manager who handled it gave the guy some kind of BS answer about pop ups and tent trailers not being the same thing (they are) and that we allowed tent trailers on tent sites (we don't*), but what he actually had was a pop up (this at least was correct) and he ended up on our last emergency camper site... at a tent rate.

*we make one tiny exception to this rule. there is a style of tent trailer designed to haul behind a motorcycle. it's MUCH smaller than what would normally be considered a "pop up camper", and does NOT have water or electric hookups... it is, quite literally, nothing more than a tent packed in a box on wheels. those we allow on tent sites.