The reciept says you paid, i promise.

[Getoutofmylobby]

Seriously, how inept are people?

Our hotel has a patented Spee Dee checkout where our night auditor shoves a reciept under your door if you're checking out that day. Most people understand the concept of a reciept... but then there are those who clearly need a guiding hand through every aspect of their life.

Man (really it should be "kid" but we'll leave it at "man") : Tosses reciept on the desk What is this?
Me: That is your reciept.
Man: But i didn't check out or nothin'! I didn't give you any money.
Me: Did you use a credit card to check in?
Man: Yeah, then i had to sign something.
Me: Ok, well we use that to pay for the room.
Man: But i haven't checked out yet!
Me: Whether you're still using the room or not, this reciept means you will be paying for last night on the credit card you gave us. Do you want to pay with some other way?
Man: No. So, do what now?
Me: Did you want to pay with the credit card you gave us last night?
Man: Yeah.
Me: Ok, then to check out, the only thing you have to do is give me your keys when you are out of your room.
Man: So i need this? Points at reciept lying beleagured on the desk
Me: Sure, if you need proof of payment.
Man: How do i know if i paid?
Me: The charge is this number here.. and where it says "Balance?" this zero means you don't owe us anything.
Man: So i don't owe you nothin'?
Me: That's right.
Man: Oh.
Me: ...
Man: ...
Me: Is there anything else i can help you with?
Man: Naw... walks off, leaving reciept on the desk

As a side note, i think the phrase "do what now?" is one of the most annoying things a person can possibly say.

[Tito]

As a side note, i think the phrase "do what now?" is one of the most annoying things a person can possibly say.

I know what you mean! Especially since you are not allowed to say what you're really thinking when someone asks you that.

[BookstoreEscapee]

They did this when we stayed at the hotel for my cousin's wedding. My brother and I shared a room. I was going to ask them at checkout to put half of the charge on my card (he called to reserve the room, so he used his card when we checked in), but they slipped the receipt under the door, and when we turned in the key cards they said "OK, that's your receipt, have a nice day" and we said "Great! Thanks, you too" and we left. I figured why make things complicated a wrote my brother a check.

[smileyeagle1021]

this is why our manager is considering doing away with delivering the express check out folios... the vast majority of people will come to the desk, do exactly what the OP described, then ask us to throw away the receipt anyway. Waste of paper, and he sees a way to cut costs.

[Getoutofmylobby]

Your manager might want to be careful about doing away with the forced folio. We tried that awhile ago and people would just leave without getting a reciept at all. And sure enough these were the same people who had a problem with what we charged them when they saw their credit card bill. Or they would dispute their bills completely and say they were never given a reciept.

Of course, for our hotel the spee dee checkout is a brand standard so that was a problem too.

[SnapAddict218]

As a side note, i think the phrase "do what now?" is one of the most annoying things a person can possibly say.

You can thank Chemda for that.

[BaristaTrav]

My father, who is getting up there in years, is nice enough to put my wife and I up in a nearby hotel when we visit. And yes, he is flummoxed every time by the receipt under the door before check-out routine. He doesn't get sucky about it, but there's often a good 10 minute discussion and sighs of confusion as to whether his card has been charged and what necessary rituals are needed to complete check out.

[otakuneko]

As a side note, i think the phrase "do what now?" is one of the most annoying things a person can possibly say.

Say what now?
We say that a lot here (especially my grandmother). Wonder if it's a southern thing?

[NightWatch]

I only ever use the say/do what now phrase when someone rushes up to me, catching me off guard and while panting and gasping for air blurts out a jumble of words that no human could possibly interpret. Is that still sucky? Or are we just talking about when SC's say it because they don't grasp the very simple concept you just finished explaining to them?

[Nashida]

Say what now?
We say that a lot here (especially my grandmother). Wonder if it's a southern thing?

I've caught myself saying both, and I'm definitely not Southern. I actually annoy myself when I do say them.

[The Ex-Reservationist]

...but then there are those who clearly need a guiding hand through every aspect of their life.

I -so- hear you about people being confused about perfectly straightforward bills... I can remember having to walk some of our more...delicate customers through their receipts line by line, often during the height of the check-out rush on Sunday morning when I was stuck working the front desk alone...

Also, the express checkout receipts that our night audit software generated did not have zero balances on them. A guest only got those if he/she came to the desk and checked out in person... This meant that every government employee and business-person who needed a zero-balance receipt to take back to their accounting departments had to come by the desk, wait in line and ask for one. -Needless to say this did not sit well with the impatient, mean ones.

[aurelemsrealm]

I say, "Do what?" when someone is talking to me, and what they've said doesn't register properly in my mind.