Letters

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday June 21, 2008

Banks, not hotels, delay money

It is important to clarify Garriock Duncan's letter (Traveller, June 7) regarding credit card payments at hotels. All hotels request a credit card guarantee when guests check into a hotel, irrespective of whether the guest intends to pay cash, has a gift card or the room is prepaid. This is to cover additional costs during the stay.

The guarantee is then covered in the final credit card transaction at check-out. However, if the guest elects to pay cash upon check-out, the hotel has to contact the financial institution and instruct them to release the guaranteed funds. Unfortunately, the financial institution can take up to two days to release those funds. The hotel does not hold those funds, contrary to Mr Duncan's assertion. We are working with the finance sector to hasten this process.

Peter Hook, general manager communications, Accor Asia Pacific

Surprise present

We have also had an issue with credit card imprints. Our children bought a night's accommodation for us at Novotel Rockford as a gift for our 35th wedding anniversary in November last year. At check-in we gave our credit card details in case any extra charges were incurred by us.

Our May 2008 Visa statement showed a charge of $199.20 for April 25 from the hotel. Our daughter had booked and paid through lastminute.com. When we queried the charge, the Novotel said they had not been paid by lastminute.com and had charged our credit card instead.

We have had little help from the hotel, the bank or lastminute.com. After daily phone calls to lastminute we have been assured that a refund would be issued within five working days. We are still waiting.

Rosalie Hunter

A continuing problem?

Beware of what Expedia does to your credit card. We recently tried to book flights to Italy in July with Expedia. On three occasions we reached the point of selecting seats on flights which it initially indicated were available but which, at the last step, we were prevented from booking. Defeated, we booked directly via the airline website. We had not realised that if you try to book flights via Expedia (whether successful or not), your credit card is "preauthorised" for the full cost early in the booking process. So we were blocked from using $18,000 in credit for nearly a week at peak season with flights filling fast. It took about seven phone calls and five emails to Expedia and our bank to get our cards unfrozen.

Expedia representatives told us they often get complaints about this. Has anyone experienced this problem on other booking websites?

Maddi and Erol Digiusto

Not sharing everything

Beware of code-share airline bookings. My companion and I recently travelled to Japan on a JALpak holiday, which was terrific value.

However, on receiving our JAL tickets I noticed that it was a code-share with Qantas on the Cairns/Tokyo route. It was a Qantas plane and no JAL staff to be encountered anywhere. The plane was a clapped-out 767 with a video projection system phased out of Boeings about 12 years ago.

On our return journey with an unwatchable video system everyone tried to get some sleep after an inferior economy class meal.

At 4.30am we were woken to be served just a glass of orange juice. Welcome to Australia! What the mainly Japanese visitors thought we will never know. So the news that Qantas is leaving the route should be welcomed if for no other reason than to save face.

Anthony Buckley

We welcome your travel-related opinions, experiences and letters. Letters may be edited for space, legal or other reasons. Email us at travellerletters@fairfax.com.au including your name, address and phone number.

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

Back to News Index | Back to Home