The Final Word on the $358 Triple Latte

[Bertha Venation]

for background please see this archived thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=531951

From the bank: Confirmation that, as I was told on the day the snafu was discovered, it's true: due to their "new system," they could have done nothing to have reversed the charges.

From the hotel: Received in Wednesday's post, a gift certificate for dinner for four up to $175 (not including alcohol) and an apology from the hotel's general manager.

From my cardiologist: "god dammit, stop with the espresso!!"

[ProfessorGAC]

1. Well, That's Better. Huh?

Never fail to complain when you've been wronged, i always say.
The Professor

[Catshrink]

2. WOW!!!

That was some latte afterall! Glad they made good on this for you, in fact, I think they went above and beyond. Enjoy your dinner.

[Bertha Venation]

6. I was hoping for a weekend stay.

But I'm grateful for the gift certificate for dinner. We've decided to take Mrs. V's best friend Dorothy, and Doris, an elegant, beautiful elderly woman of brilliant heart & soul whom we all consider our surrogate mother.

Besides, at a holiday party I won a weekend stay at another hotel in Philadelphia, so that makes me happy. Can't wait!

[Rainbowreflect]

7. I hope you all have a wonderful time at your dinner.

Also enjoy your weekend at the other hotel, when ever you take that.
Happy New Year, Bertha.

[WillParkinson]

3. Listen to your cardiologist!

Look how those damn things raised your blood pressure.

[Robb]

4. Hey, great!

Sounds like a happy ending to me! :toast:

[NJCher]

5. heh

I knew you were due a real goodie for that one.

Enjoy that meal! And the apology note is nice, too.


Cher

[SheilaT]

8. That's nice

and I'm glad you posted this update.

Don't forget to tip with extreme generosity, since you won't be out of pocket for the meal itself.

[HamstersFromHell]

9. A friend of mine who worked at a bank told me once...

...that if you really wanted to screw someone up, all you had to enter a huge charge on their card "by mistake" and never process that transaction out (actually receiving payment). In effect, you are placing a "hold" on their account for the amount of the charge, and by never actually processing it through, it usually takes 5-7 business days for the hold to automatically lift. (Although you are supposed to "close out" charges daily, some merchants who do low volume on credit/debit may only close the terminals out once a week.) I knew this because we had a customer who was being a total jerk toward us, demanding that since we had a computer system on sale, it was logical for him to be able to take the full retail price of one component off since he didn't need/want it. (That would have put us from making a slim profit to selling for a loss.) I was telling his story to the friend when she asked if he used a credit/debit card and told me how to "fix" him. Needless to say, while it sure sounded like a good idea, I never actually did such.

Banks instituted this as a way to cover their own asses....someone could set up an false account checking with a debit card, with as little as $100 in it, then make numerous $100 purchases all over town before vanishing into anonymity.

I'm certainly glad you got things straightened out, but it's still scary that even an "innocent" mistake can tend to financially hobble someone and the onus to "fix it" falls not on the banks/merchant, but the consumer.