RedVee

I received a very polite email today from a hotel I checked out of in December 2011.

Basically, it said that they hadn't charged the cash part of a cash and points redemption (about £40 a night x 8 nights). They imply they thought Hilton Corporate had billed me for it and didn't realise they should have collected it until Corporate said they would not reimburse the hotel.

I've looked at the activity online and can see I paid IRO $1870 on checkout (about £1,125 at the time - this tallies with my Credit card statement). I did have extras charged to the room for F&B and airport taxis, but can't get a detailed folio on line.

I really can't remember if the bill included the cash element of the C&P stay, this was just one part of a longer trip and probably one of 30 hotel stays that year. As it was a leisure trip I don't have a copy of the folio

So I suppose I have a few options:

1. Ask for a copy of the full folio and if it doesn't include the amount requested, pay up

2. Ask for a copy of the folio and if they can't provide it, don't pay

3. Refuse to pay on principal given the time taken to raise the issue

I have a stay coming up that I don't want predjudice, but I think this is between me and the hotel, rather than me and the (Corporate) HHonors programme.

Anyone have similar experiences on which to draw?

Often1

You owe the money or you don't. If you no longer have the documentation from your checkout, it's entirely reasonable to ask for a duplicate. Do double check what you've paid against what you owed and pay the balance due, if any.

cordelli

If you owe the money pay it, if you don't explain to them why you don't.

Getting a copy of the bill will take them no time at all.

1234more

Call Hhonors and ask for Guest Assistance. When they answer, request a copy of the bill because Hhonors don't have the bill. GA will email you a copy of the bill and you can get it all straightened out.

GblTrvlr

I agree with calling HHonors and asking for assistance!

Perhaps they can help you in some manner, at least they might lend a sympathetic ear (although not sure what else they might be able to do for you).

I recently got a bill for service done 1 year after the fact! To me it shows that the business is not well-run, or at least someone on their end is quite sloppy!

Which property was it (so I can avoid)?

BobH

[QUOTE=RedVee;19296082]I received a very polite email today from a hotel I checked out of in December 2011.


/QUOTE]

My reaction is it could be a scam, particularly because it came in via Email.

One easy thing you may be able (and should do) is pull down a copy of the bill from the Hilton web site.

Bob H

stifle

This is not actually available for most Hiltons.

I think it would be in order to request a copy of the folio which should bear the total you paid, matching your statement, and if the per-night cost isn't there, pay it.

RedVee

Thanks all, they have now sent me 2 folios. One of which I paid on check out, and another with the cash element of the room stay which they appear to have sent to Hilton (although that does appear to also have a credit amount on it as well as a debit amount, so it is very confusing).

I just need to double check I didn't pay this to Hilton at the point of booking (would be unusual but was the early days of cash and points), and unfortunately the credit card I was using at the point of booking has been closed since Jan 2012 so I can no longer see statements online.

Stifle is right, in the UK you cannot access folios - you can get a basic statement of your stay if you go into activity>hotel stays. As the stay was outside of the calendar year it was not showing on my recent stays in any event.

warreng24

Last time I did points and cash at the Conrad HK, the cash part was charged immediately to my credit card, by what looked to be Hilton corporate.

However, the last time I did an advance purchase (via hhonors.com), the pre-payment wasn't charged by Hilton corporate immediately. It was charged by the hotel upon departure.

I concur with the other's advice on this, call HHonors support and see what they say. They should be able to pull the folio and the points and cash information to see when you paid the "cash" part.

RedVee

I'm pretty sure this is what happened with me for THIS stay (others I know I haven;t been billed for and have paid on check out)

But due the the time elapsed I no longer have access to the CC statements, so I can't prove I did pay without a lot of effort. The bill is inconclusive, there are 2 folios - one which tallies with the payment I made on departure for a CC I still have, another that has credits and debits that cancel each other out but still manage to leave an outstanding balance

However, I am now in communication with the General Manager rather than the admin person, and he has a great (and I mean great) customer focus from my previous dealing with him - so I trust him.

I just wonder the reaction I'd get from my clients if I billed them 9 moths late! (Not that they pay on time anyway )

LotusSooty

I had exactly the same thing a few months ago from a stay in Germany last October. That too was a points plus cash rate. I asked the hotel to give me a few days to investigate, but under no circumstance to take a payment from the card on my profile (company card, although this trip was vacation). They didn't pay any attendtion and just charged my company card causing me problems. I e-mailed the hotel manager and she immediately apologised for taking the money and for the huge delay in spotting their error and credited me back immediately.

I agree that if it is an obvious mistake that is spotted within a reasonable amount of time then you should pay. But imho 9 months is too long and they should just right it off.

Often1

That doesn't happen in Europe too often. The good news is that you know what the rules are and that they will be followed. The bad news is that they will be followed.

gengar

I agree - 9 months is far too long.

tennster

Accepting that nine months is a long time and an inconvenient wait, why does the delay negate the validity of the charge? You got to keep your money for 3/4 of a year. I don't see how that you get to beat the establishment out of it.

RedVee

Well I am very pleased to report that the General Manager is arranging for the amount showing as owed to be written off, based on loyalty "to them and the company" and the time taken to raise the issue. The response makes it much more likely I will choose this property again in the not too distant future.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and comments.