Yes ... as I said in my post - I did sign for it. I merely post to warn others so they can notice it on their check-out form. I feel rather foolish as it is there .... but you're not looking at the stuff underneath the signature .... you're looking at the line by line charges. These are all totaled in euros ... it's just one small number which has the sterling equivalent that started me reading it in detail. My thought was "how do they know the sterling amount if I haven't charged it yet ....." ... and then I noticed the small print. This was after I'd discussed with them my new Halifax Clarity card rather than the Amex card I normally use. So they were well aware of my intyentions. Still - life is too short to discuss this further ... I simply wish to alert others so they don't make the same dumb error as me!
The hotels clearly benefit from their relationship with the banks providing DCC facilities. That's why they shove you through the process. A 3% "tax" on a bill is annoying to you, but grossed up to hotel revenue level, the scam becomes an attractive proposition.
This sort of slyness really gets my goat. So when I get caught out (and I still do get caught out
), I
always make a fuss, and the hotel
always makes an adjustment - signed chitty or not. They know they are in the wrong.
Beware: it also happens on advanced payments - no opportunity at all to agree to the transaction.