Forgot to pay for minibar in Stockholm - just remember months later!
Mar 5, 2017, 1:14 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Can
Posts: 1
Forgot to pay for minibar in Stockholm - just remember months later!
Hi guys,
I am a long time lurker on FT and thought I could use some advice.
So long story short:
A few months ago, I was traveling through Scandinavia with a 3 night stop in Stockholm at a high end independent hotel. On the first night, we had a bottle of wine from minibar (not terribly expensive or anything) Well second day, housekeeping did not replace the bottle, which at the time I thought was odd. There was no note on the menu to tell the front desk though and normally they just charge it to your room when housekeeping notices. Another mini bar item we consumed was replaced and we were charged for.
Anyways, on check out we were in a big hurry and I forgot to mention the bottle, figuring they would just charge my card after the fact (which seems to be the standard in many countries) when I realized it while on the train.
Well, I completely forgot about it till the other day when I was cleaning out a drawer and found the zero balance bill (excluding the wine of course). I checked my credit card statement from that period and of course they only charged me exactly my room and tax on check out and now feel dreadful! As far as I know, they never tried to collect the amount from me, though it was booked through a TA and I'm not sure what I had to fill out on check in (such as contact details, mailing address etc)
As such, i have a few questions:
A) was I mistaken in thinking that Swedish hotels can make adjustments and charge credit cards after check-out? Also, do they not do pre-authorization for room + a bit for incidentals?
B) would the hotel think I am an absolute lunatic if I try to pay them now? Lol. I assume they didn't even try to charge me since they never tried to contact me but if my account is in a negative balance, I would be happy to resolve it with them! In fact, I hate leaving things open like this.
C) what's the best way to pay a business after the fact? Bank transfer? Credit card?
Thanks! Just curious if I did something wrong (or the hotel did) as cultural differences make it hard to tell
I am a long time lurker on FT and thought I could use some advice.
So long story short:
A few months ago, I was traveling through Scandinavia with a 3 night stop in Stockholm at a high end independent hotel. On the first night, we had a bottle of wine from minibar (not terribly expensive or anything) Well second day, housekeeping did not replace the bottle, which at the time I thought was odd. There was no note on the menu to tell the front desk though and normally they just charge it to your room when housekeeping notices. Another mini bar item we consumed was replaced and we were charged for.
Anyways, on check out we were in a big hurry and I forgot to mention the bottle, figuring they would just charge my card after the fact (which seems to be the standard in many countries) when I realized it while on the train.
Well, I completely forgot about it till the other day when I was cleaning out a drawer and found the zero balance bill (excluding the wine of course). I checked my credit card statement from that period and of course they only charged me exactly my room and tax on check out and now feel dreadful! As far as I know, they never tried to collect the amount from me, though it was booked through a TA and I'm not sure what I had to fill out on check in (such as contact details, mailing address etc)
As such, i have a few questions:
A) was I mistaken in thinking that Swedish hotels can make adjustments and charge credit cards after check-out? Also, do they not do pre-authorization for room + a bit for incidentals?
B) would the hotel think I am an absolute lunatic if I try to pay them now? Lol. I assume they didn't even try to charge me since they never tried to contact me but if my account is in a negative balance, I would be happy to resolve it with them! In fact, I hate leaving things open like this.
C) what's the best way to pay a business after the fact? Bank transfer? Credit card?
Thanks! Just curious if I did something wrong (or the hotel did) as cultural differences make it hard to tell
Last edited by Newbietraveler1; Mar 6, 2017 at 8:17 am
Mar 12, 2017, 7:03 pm
#2
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Portland, OR USA
Programs: BA Silver, Icelandair, IHG Diamond Elite Ambassador, Hertz 5*
Posts: 610
Maybe it was actually (or should now be considered) a complimentary drink on the hotel - I have stayed at hotels where we were allowed and invited to have a beverage from the in-room fridge. (ANA Crowne Plaza Hiroshima)