Even more fun with the marriott in san diego! Yesterday I discovered an additional $80 charge from the Marriott Gaslamp in San Diego on my debit card. This was charged on saturday, almost a week after I had checked out.
We called today to see what the charge was for. I knew there was no damage to the room, we didn’t take any towels or pillows, our one room service charge was included in what I paid when we checked out and the internet charge went through on the day we arrived.
So what could it be??
We got one of the folks at the front desk – and they absolutely no idea what the charge was for. No clue. They forwarded us to the manager, who wasn’t available so we left a message.
If we don’t hear back from her by tomorrow (with a good reason for the charge) I’m going to call my bank and see what my options are. I suspect they charged me for shipping my five boxes back to memphis via fedex. The Marriott in Atlanta pulled that one on me back in 2003 – charged me around $50 to ship my 3 boxes for me. Keep in mind that I used my own fedex account so all the boxes were already shipped and had all the information on them when the marriott employee picked them up from my room – all they did was hand them over to fedex. (they didn’t try that again in either 2004 or 2005).
So I’m kinda thinking that’s what it is. Considering how the marriott charges you for nearly everything else, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had tried to pull the charge-for-shipping thing again. If that’s what it is, they will most definitely be taking that off, in addition to getting an earful over the whole experience.
I swear, I’ve never had such a bad experience with a hotel.
While I’m ranting, there was a weird moment when we were checking in. I’m not counting this up as one of the “bad” things – but one of the weirder things I’ve had happen while traveling. The whole room was under my name – I was paying for it, but as usual the Travel Planners website (who you go through to book hotel rooms for Comic Con) asked for the names of the other people staying in the hotel. Business as usual. When we checked in at the Marriott this year, they asked to see my ID to confirm I was indeed who I said I was – ok, sure, security is good and well. Then they wanted to see Ash’s, too. SO yeah, ok, ash dug hers out (she hadn’t expected to have to show it again and had stored it away). Then they asked where our third person was (Chase) and we told the guy he wasn’t coming in until tomorrow. He said when Chase got there for him to come to the desk and show his ID as well. We thought that was strange but agreed, I remember thinking, what a pain, but if it’s for security, ok.
So when Chase got there the next night we all went up to the desk so he could show his ID. He did, and it took several minutes for the woman at the desk to understand that we weren’t checking in, we had just been told he had to show his ID. So she looked at his, ok’ed it, then wanted to see one of ours as well. Ummm. Ok. Ash had hers in her pocket so she pulled it out and showed her. Then the woman at the counter said she needed to see mine, too. I was in costume at the time and, while I had, it wasn’t very handy. But I dug it out and showed it to her too. Then she all, OK here’s a key for you! for Chase.
It was just very weird and seemed like overkill to me. I really wanted to tell that woman I didn’t have it and see what she’d do.
Geesh.