Improper hotel fees rack up on consumer’s card

• Reprints

Updated: January 13, 2012 8:11AM

D ear Fixer: On Nov. 17, I called my bank-by-phone number to budget what I had for groceries. To my surprise, my account was in the negative by $96.24.

This was caused by a debit of $122.48 from Comfort Suites in Columbia, Mo. My family had stayed there a few days earlier. They had charged my debit card — which was given to them for incidentals only — instead of putting the charges on my husband’s credit card, which was used for the reservation.

I called the hotel and they said if my husband would call with his credit card information, they would credit my account and put the $122.48 on his card. So he did that, and they charged his card.

Meanwhile, I asked my bank if they would remove the $34 overdraft fee. The teller found there was now a second debit of $122.48 that had just been charged!

The bank kindly removed the overdraft fee, but stated that if the account was still negative the following Monday, I would be assessed daily fees of $8. I live paycheck to paycheck.

I also was assessed $10 for moving money from my savings in an attempt to cover this.

I complained again to the hotel, but the next day, my balance remained at negative $204.48. I also had a second $34 overdraft fee.

The bank was kind enough to remove the second overdraft fee and suggested I file a dispute.

I know that human error is not only possible but inevitable. But I haven’t heard a single apology from anyone in authority at Comfort Suites.

Julie Modesto, Portage, Ind.

Dear Julie:

It’s common for hotels to place a “hold” or “block” on a credit or debit card to make sure they get paid, but this was beyond screwed up. Normally, the hold gets removed when the transaction goes through. That can take up to 15 days if payment is made on another card (as was done here, when they finally put this on your hubby’s card). But why they debited your account twice is anyone’s guess.

We took this to Choice Hotels International, which apologized and promised to follow up with the independently owned hotel. There, you got less satisfaction — just an e-mail from a manager thanking you for staying there and not directly addressing your issue.

In the end, you told us, your bank acted on the dispute and the second debit was taken off. You were lucky to not incur any $8 daily fees. As for that $10 fee for moving money from your savings, we asked Choice Hotels International to help you out, but never did get a response.

A blessed resolution

Dear Fixer: Last February, I sent in an application to the Vatican for a Papal Blessing for my in-laws’ 25th wedding anniversary. I included the required documentation, which included a letter from their parish priest. The parchment blessing document was supposed to arrive by May — plenty of time for the September anniversary. The check I sent for $45 was cashed in March.

I didn’t receive it. Twice, I wrote letters with a copy of the deposited check.

In October, the papal blessing finally arrived. However, I also received an invoice saying I owe 35 euros (about $46). I have already paid for the blessing. We did receive what we paid for, but now we need to get them to take away this incorrect bill.

David New, Chicago

Dear David:

You wrote The Fixer that you couldn’t believe you were “getting the runaround from the pope.” We’ll assume Pope Benedict XVI can take a joke (after all, he has been quoted as saying that God has a great sense of humor).

And we have some good news. After we sent your problem to the Holy See’s press office in Rome, Archbishop Felix del Blanco Prieto sent a very apologetic explanation. Apparently, they did mail the first parchment, but since they use regular mail, there was no way to track it after it went missing. Then they sent out the second parchment, but accidentally enclosed another invoice — which you may ignore.

He also explained that the parchments are not a money-making venture. Any offerings made in exchange for a parchment are used for charity.