Hilton HHonors - $9.70 for a 5 sec phone call to Chicago from Los Angeles Checkers Hilton.

In this day and age of cell phones not sure if anyone has had recent experiences of phone usage or would even be able to comment on this. I satyed at the LA Checkers Hilton this past weekend and on day of departure could not find my cell phone. I thought if it is somewhere in the room I'll make a quick call using the in-room telephone and the phone will ring from under the bed or wherever. I did try to test just the rings 2-3 times but on one ocassion my voice mail did come on so the connection was established which I quickly disconnected in 5 secs or less. Upon check-out I did not review the bill (my mistake) as I thought I'll be charged for the call afterwards but the charge infact had appeared on the bill right away. Upon reaching home in Chicago is when I reviewed the bill and noticed that I was charged $9.70 for that short phone call. I never complain about paying for services used but for this I felt ripped off. $10 for a couple second domestic US long-distance phone call! I did use the water bottle and pop in room and that was very reasonable at $3 (compared to $6-$8 at the W's) but the phone charge amount is just way too steep.

Does anyone have any experience with recent phone usage? Should I call the hotel and express my displeasure about it. After looking at this I am kind of supporting Obama's Adminstration policies of appointing all the Czars and Watchdogs to protect consumers from banks, financial institutions, swindlers (Mr. Madoff), peddlers, and the like....and now the hotels??

My similar experience is from three years ago. I was staying at the Courtyard by Marriott in Jersey City NJ. Used the phone in my room to call across the river into Manhattan. Spoke less than ten minutes and was charged a bit over $18.00. Like the OP, didn't notice this charge until after I had checked out. Since then, I NEVER use the phone in my room unless its within the hotel or an incoming call.

The hotels shot themselves in the foot doing this stunts like this a couple of years ago. I estimate they sped up the adoption of cell phones by many years for frequent travelers.

MisterNice

Like Yogi said about a restaurant: "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded."

Nobody uses hotel phones anymore; they're too expensive. Even before cell phones they were hugely overpriced. Now that usage has dropped off a cliff because everybody uses their cells, many hotels are gouging ever more deeply to pay their telecom infrastructure costs.

I feel your pain about misplacing your cell, but you've got to expect outrageous charges when you use the room phone, no matter how short the call.

Just call and dispute it with accounting. Rule of thumb-NEVER DIAL LONG DISTANCE FROM A HOTEL ROOM PHONE!!!!!!

Rule of thumb-NEVER DIAL OFF-PREMISES FROM A HOTEL ROOM PHONE!!!!!!
Edited that for you ;). I have seen, more often than not since I look out of curiosity, that more hotels are not distinguishing between charges for local calls and long-distance calls. All of them are exorbitantly high.

My suggestion - if you had HSIA in the room, and had paid for it, if needed already, you could have used Skype for much less per minute. Obviously, this solution is not cheaper than your phone call was, if you had not already paid for the HSIA.

I was once attending a family wedding, staying in the hotel where the reception was taking place. I made a short call before the wedding, and then hung up (or so I thought.) The next morning at checkout I have a ~$500 bill for a 10 hour phone call. Appratently the connection had not been broken at the conclusion of the call. They took it off the bill- but not without an hour of explaining that I couldn't have been on the phone because I was at the reception (:rolleyes:), and speaking to several layers of mgmt.

As long as you were charged the rate that was posted in the room, I am not sure why you feel a need to call and complain.

While I think the cost is outrageous... it is what it is.

Now that usage has dropped off a cliff because everybody uses their cells, many hotels are gouging ever more deeply to pay their telecom infrastructure costs.

I feel your pain about misplacing your cell, but you've got to expect outrageous charges when you use the room phone, no matter how short the call.

Telecom infrastructure costs? Please. Phone systems aren't that expensive, and it's not like they have huge recurring costs. And calls only cost the hotels money when they're placed. This is opportunism, pure and simple.

speaking as someone who used to work the night audit in a couple of hotels, phone charges and movies are the most frequent write-offs - but only if you ask upon check-out.

As long as you were charged the rate that was posted in the room, I am not sure why you feel a need to call and complain.

While I think the cost is outrageous... it is what it is.

Except the rates aren't ever posted in any reasonable way. I was looking at the rate card in a hotel the other day and the posted rates were "double the daytime AT&T operator assisted rates." I'm not sure I've made an operator assisted call of any kind in 15 years. How is that meaningful to me?

They give a phone number to call for rate information, but that's not a free call ($1.50 for a toll free number, IIRC). So to know what it costs to make a given call will cost me $1.50 before I even make the call.

Moreover, the charges are somewhat deceptive: the "usage rate" for AT&T operator assisted calls is "only" $1.29 a minute. The hotel is bundling in AT&T's $7.50 operator service charge -- but not providing that service. It is not at all clear that the service fee is warranted.

I believe the in-room phone is nothing more than a trap. The rates are unreasonable and seldom displayed in an understandable manner.
I have no problem with a hotel making money and charging more for things, after all they are a business. Things like bottles water and soda often have a 500 – 1000% markup, which is absurd. A phone call with 10,000% plus markup is robbery! :mad:

Except the rates aren't ever posted in any reasonable way.....

:confused: How do you know? You are not the OP. :confused:

Every HH hotel I have been in in the past few years has a rate card firmly attached to the phone cord etc. Of course a previous guest could of removed it and housekeeping overlooked the removal.

MisterNice

Either look in the binder or near the phone. Going downscale (to HGI, HS and HI) is nice with free local/800 calls and HSIA (for Skype).

As I am not sure why you feel a need to call and complain.


Wharvey: Maybe you may want to read posts carefully before offering your comments - hope that is not the way you reached over 13k as number of posts!

I never said I wanted to "Complain". I said "should I call to express my displeasure". Displeasure also means unhappiness and unhappiness does not mean complaints in case you were not familiar with the English language.

As a "consumer", I have every right to express dissatisfaction, displeasure or unhappiness should I feel the need to do so. Maybe you may not have experienced these feelings or expressed them - that is precisely the reason that companies have customer feedback or surveys so that they can gauge these metrics to improve upon their operations.

No need to be insulting... I did read your post carefully.

Sorry... in my book, calling to register displeasure or calling to complain is the same in this case. In this particular case, you indicate you know that room telephone rates are usually outrageous... but made the call anyway without checking the rate. You made the call and I asusme the hotel charged the rate they post for the call.

Calling to register displeasure at the hotel doing what they indicate they will do seems wrong.

So, you indicate that you know in advance that it will be a "rip off" but want to register your displeasure at how much of a rip off.

As always, it is up to you as to what you do... but it would seem to me that your time is worth so much more than the $9.70 it cost you.

:confused: How do you know? You are not the OP. :confused:

If you'd read my post, you would understand what I meant.

In the specific, though, I'm not sure why you think the OP would have a unique perspective on the telephone cards at the Checkers. I've stayed there too.

A hotel does need to pay for the infrastructure costs on the telephone systems which can be around $100k for the PBX/IPPBX depending on the size/features and $65 to $100 for each handset.

With that being said, most hotels charge the operator assisted rate which is outrageous. I can see $.50 per call initialization plus $.10 per minute, etc which would easily give them plenty of margin to deal with. I agree that this is one of the reasons I stay away from the hotel phone systems.

It is interesting though that they charged you for a call that didn't connect (assuming you didn't answer your cell phone).

It is interesting though that they charged you for a call that didn't connect (assuming you didn't answer your cell phone).The OP said that one call went to voice mail. To the phone network, that looks like being answered.

The hotels shot themselves in the foot doing this stunts like this a couple of years ago. I estimate they sped up the adoption of cell phones by many years for frequent travelers.

MisterNice

In the same way they are speeding up the adoption of mobile broadband cards because of ridiculous Internet fees. (Posting with my Sprint card from a Hilton that overcharges for Internet).

In the same way they are speeding up the adoption of mobile broadband cards because of ridiculous Internet fees. (Posting with my Sprint card from a Hilton that overcharges for Internet).

The last guest making use of a hotel's telcom system or broadband will have to pay a massive fee.... I assume most hotels sourced out these services on long running contracts and they face the problem that fewer and fewer people use it, however, costs remain the same.

Classic!

Isn't it funny how motel 6 can provide free calls but Chequers can't.

I can understand the annoyance, but it's a fairly cheap lesson as these things go.

+1 Boraxo!
I am staying at a Microtel which offers free long-distance calling to the whole USA! Logically the more upscale the hotel, the more free amenities it should offer. Motel6 had coin-operated TVs in the 1970s, but HoJos & fancier refused to stoop to that level. Many Marriotts have a Wired for Business package which includes free LD in the Wireless Internet fee.

Before 1980-something, hotels charged Op-assisted rates because the calls were op-assisted! AT&T operators called the hotels to report that guest in Room xxx had called a number & the price was $xxx. Then hotels bought computers to record & report, paid direct-dial or even wholesale rates say 10--30c to phone co.s., but many still charged top dollar, as in $3--5!

Big ??:

NOTE IN ADVANCE THAT I GENERALLY DO NOT SUPPORT SUCH ACTIONS, but in this case I would call hotel accounting. I would not tell them that the voice mail actually connected. Just tell them that you dialed, but NONE of the calls went through. The hotel is not really losing that much money at all. You have asomewhat legitimate concern. Accounting should smply remove the charge and all is well.

Had the call been longer, I would not advocate this action, but the call accounting system will show the call duration. Usually they do not charge until after the first 40 seconds anyways.

It kinda sounds like what a lot of Vegas hotels are doing by charging a compulsory nightly fee for the privilege of having a fridge! (Usually between $10 & $20 per night).

I think they've cottoned onto the fact that most people don't use the mini-bar and use the fridge to stock up with their own drinks (bought cheaper elsewhere).

Next will be charging extra for the bed or a hot shower!


Evan :->

NOTE IN ADVANCE THAT I GENERALLY DO You have asomewhat legitimate concern. Accounting should smply remove the charge and all is well.

Had the call been longer, I would not advocate this action, but the call accounting system will show the call duration. Usually they do not charge until after the first 40 seconds anyways.

Thanks for everyone's opinions and advice. I did call and wanted to explain the whole situation honestly and this is how the conversation went:

"I stayed at your property last week and did not review my bill upon check out. I am now looking at the bill and .. ahm...what had happened was I could not find my cell phone day of departure so called 3-4 times from the hotel phone assuming that if it was somewhere in the room it would ring...but.."

The lady at Guest Services (was transferred from Accounting to there after I told it was an item on the bill) says "You are talking about the $9.70 telephone charge?"

Me: "YES!!"

She: "Sir that is taken care of, you will see the credit on your AMEX within 3-4 business days".

In fact she did even let me finish the whole conversation (takes away the moral dilemma if someone were thinking should they say the phone did not connect ;), took 10 seconds on her end to reverse the charge and even process it instantly. I could'nt thank her enough.

I am glad that I posted the story and it stimulated a healthy discussion on various issues (speeding the adoption of technology, etc.) I am also glad that those who disagreed that I should call because it is OK in their books would be less than 1% of population - otherwise we would never effect meaningful change and protect consumer interests.

^ "Sir that is taken care of, you will see the credit on your AMEX within 3-4 business days".

While many of us have stories of crazy hotel phone charges (I have one about being billed over a thousand), on the whole I have found most HH hotels quickly take care of the problem like that lady.

One cheeky charge I've seen with a couple of Hiltons, is that there is a speed dial button on the phone for reservations alongside those for room service etc..

Pressing that button actually makes an external call and you get charged at the much discussed exorbitant rates for talking to Hilton reservations.

I get caught out by this every couple of years or so, and each time I've challenged this and had it removed from the bill.

One cheeky charge I've seen with a couple of Hiltons, is that there is a speed dial button on the phone for reservations alongside those for room service etc..

Pressing that button actually makes an external call and you get charged at the much discussed exorbitant rates for talking to Hilton reservations.

I get caught out by this every couple of years or so, and each time I've challenged this and had it removed from the bill.

Easily removing something from the bill is also part of the "scam". Not all that get the fees on the bill will complain, that is money made. Those that complain don't have to pay, and hence will not raise their concerns and/or complaints further.

Easily removing something from the bill is also part of the "scam". Not all that get the fees on the bill will complain, that is money made. Those that complain don't have to pay, and hence will not raise their concerns and/or complaints further.

I once stayed in a hotel where the group of us were leaving on the Monday morning, but the hotel accidentally thought we were leaving Sunday. Sunday morning we woke up to find the folio under the door, with $25+ in mini-bar charges, when we had not even touched it. A quick walk to the front desk got it reversed(funny how they could have found so much merchandise "used" but remove the fee so quickly).

We were wise to it the next morning, when in fact, there was a similar but different amount listed.

Like you say, how many people have just paid these and not said a peep?

I'll bet you're going to see low end and/or small properties ditch the in-room phone entirely. I just stayed at a Rodeway Inn that did not have an in-room phone.