Hotel Boutique Casa Conde- Mysterious charges to credit card

[Mcinbrass]

I had previously stayed at this hotel and for the most part enjoyed my stay. I reviewed it in the Trip Reports section . However 3 weeks after I checked out I noticed mysterious charges on my credit card. I first disputed the charged with the credit card company and then I contacted the hotel directly to inquire. This was their response:

Dear Mr Mcinbrass

Please receive from the Management and staff of the Casa conde Hotel Boutique warmest regards.

We acknowledge receipt of your email pertaining the claim from your Bank in reference to a billing dispute for the amount of $ US 126.64 ( one hundred and twenty six with sixty four cents) and the transaccion fee of $ 3.79 (three dollars with seventy nine cents)

Firts of all we do apologize for the inconveniences caused.

We had made the respective administrative investigations that applies to this matter in order to reach to the source of the problem and we realized that after further investigations your credit card information was misplaced by mistake from our night auditor and a double charge was made errounesly. Is the first time that something like this had happened at the Hotel.

Rest assure Mr. Mcinbrass that the said amount will be debited to your account with no doubt. Please indicate to us which of your accounts you will want us to debit the above mentioned funds.

Please receive from us once again our sincere apologies for the above mentioned incident.


Kind regards,


Jorge G dickerson
Operations Manager
Hotel Boutique Casa Conde
C/El Conde No. 511, DN
Santo Domingo, RD
R.N.C 1-131-13551-1

Just wanted to give everyone the heads up.

 

[banzai]

On a similar note, I recently stayed at the Hostal Condo Parque & Venus Caf? Bar, Calle Palo Hincado #165 CZ in Santo Domingo...Upon checkout (well before the 1 p.m. deadline) with a taxi waiting with my luggage, the manager hit me up for an additional nights stay. Of course, I argued with her but in the end paid the $40 USD since my luggage in the taxi was about to disappear...I haven't - but will - notate this with trip-advisor in the near future. fyi, the hotel is worn out, linens/mattresses and overall condition is poor!

 

[HUG]

Why on earth did you pay a night you didn't use? Seems odd. If you were out by COT then leave the key and walk out. Jeesh, you guys are easy targets, no wonder they try it on at every oportunity, some of you cave in.

 

[HUG]

I had previously stayed at this hotel and for the most part enjoyed my stay. I reviewed it in the Trip Reports section . However 3 weeks after I checked out I noticed mysterious charges on my credit card. I first disputed the charged with the credit card company and then I contacted the hotel directly to inquire. This was their response:

Dear Mr Mcinbrass

Please receive from the Management and staff of the Casa conde Hotel Boutique warmest regards.

We acknowledge receipt of your email pertaining the claim from your Bank in reference to a billing dispute for the amount of $ US 126.64 ( one hundred and twenty six with sixty four cents) and the transaccion fee of $ 3.79 (three dollars with seventy nine cents)

Firts of all we do apologize for the inconveniences caused.

We had made the respective administrative investigations that applies to this matter in order to reach to the source of the problem and we realized that after further investigations your credit card information was misplaced by mistake from our night auditor and a double charge was made errounesly. Is the first time that something like this had happened at the Hotel.

Rest assure Mr. Mcinbrass that the said amount will be debited to your account with no doubt. Please indicate to us which of your accounts you will want us to debit the above mentioned funds.

Please receive from us once again our sincere apologies for the above mentioned incident.


Kind regards,


Jorge G dickerson
Operations Manager
Hotel Boutique Casa Conde
C/El Conde No. 511, DN
Santo Domingo, RD
R.N.C 1-131-13551-1

Just wanted to give everyone the heads up.

These things do happen, but as the excuse was 'your credit card details were misplaced' who knows what really happened. They would not have your credit card details to misplace, would they. Online transactions are secure, inhouse transactions are electronic and secure, so.....................
Airlines are the worst for screwing up CC payments inflight, but if you notice then you're pretty well covered, as you are.

 

[curlando]

The hotel hoped you don't review your credit card statement. Always review you hotel bill also; they will try and add phone calls and minibar charges before and after you check out.

 

[donP]

As Always

"Rest assure Mr. Mcinbrass that the said amount will be debited to your account with no doubt. Please indicate to us which of your accounts you will want us to debit the above mentioned funds."

Their mind is set on debiting, debiting, debiting,...... :laugh:

donP

 

[Mcinbrass]

The hotel hoped you don't review your credit card statement. Always review you hotel bill also; they will try and add phone calls and minibar charges before and after you check out.

The explanation they gave was implausible, since they had to physically charge my credit card, and they needed a reason for doing so. Someone actually had to use the terminal and charge it. Thats why I dont believe the explanation given to me.

 

[TropicalPaul]

I work in another hotel - Casa Sanchez Boutique Hotel - and just wanted to point out that Casa Conde Boutique Hotel has nothing to do with us and is a completely different property.

Regarding these charges, I wonder if what is going on is that staff are writing down credit card details when guests arrive or maybe photocopying card details. Hotel rooms normally sell for set prices, so you often charge exactly the same amount to a number of different customers. For example, if your rooms sell for US$ 50 a night, you'll have a lot of US$ 50, US$ 100, US$150 charges. Someone comes in and pays cash, the staff pick a credit card from a few weeks ago for a charge with the same value, charge that guest again, and pocket the cash. Most of us wouldn't notice a second charge from a hotel, especially if it appeared a few weeks later. It's quite a clever scam but I have heard about it happening before.

 

[Xavier_Onassis]

If you have a card managed by FIA Card services (and they manages a LOT of them), you can request a new card that will have a chip in it.
It will not cost you anything, and they will FedEx the new card if you tell them you need it right away.\

Bank of America and Fidelity Amex both use FIA.

 

[yacht chef]

Now that is the same old DR we have come to now.

 

[malko]

I do use CC with chips, ie pin code...... only at lasirena and national ( not mad, eh...).
Well even there, from time to time, they still have to input them manually....... they send u to the front desk.
So it doesnt solve all eventual problems.

 

[robbiee]

and why on earth would someone pay in DR by credit/ debit card...
craziness...I would never do that.
btw. when i was paying online for some things, it already happened 2 times that my cards numbers were stolen and later charged - it was always after paying in US online shops...always looked like a job of some insider of online shop.... and they say that Russians are the worst thieves online....

Why on earth did you pay a night you didn't use? Seems odd. If you were out by COT then leave the key and walk out. Jeesh, you guys are easy targets, no wonder they try it on at every oportunity, some of you cave in.

 

[TropicalPaul]

A hotel can key in card details for any card, including cards with chips. Its called a Cardholder Not Present transaction and it doesn't ask you for the PIN. So unfortunately having a card with a chip isn't going to help you here.

 

[Mcinbrass]

I work in another hotel - Casa Sanchez Boutique Hotel - and just wanted to point out that Casa Conde Boutique Hotel has nothing to do with us and is a completely different property.

Regarding these charges, I wonder if what is going on is that staff are writing down credit card details when guests arrive or maybe photocopying card details. Hotel rooms normally sell for set prices, so you often charge exactly the same amount to a number of different customers. For example, if your rooms sell for US$ 50 a night, you'll have a lot of US$ 50, US$ 100, US$150 charges. Someone comes in and pays cash, the staff pick a credit card from a few weeks ago for a charge with the same value, charge that guest again, and pocket the cash. Most of us wouldn't notice a second charge from a hotel, especially if it appeared a few weeks later. It's quite a clever scam but I have heard about it happening before.

This does seem plausible.

 

[Aguaita29]

Are the cards with chips really any safer?
Someone opened a Netflix account with my BR card, shortly after I had renewed it and got the one with a chip. This is the first time this has happened to me!

 

[Mcinbrass]

Sadly, This hotel still has not straightened this out with my credit card company since I notified them on April 22.

 

[AlterEgo]

Sadly, This hotel still has not straightened this out with my credit card company since I notified them on April 22.

Did you put in a dispute with your CC company? Once you do that they contact them for proof, and they normally issue a temporary refund pending the investigation.

 

[Mcinbrass]

Did you put in a dispute with your CC company? Once you do that they contact them for proof, and they normally issue a temporary refund pending the investigation.

I have but a permanent credit has not been issued which means that the vendor has not straightened this out w the credit card company as yet.

 

[Jaime809]

I have but a permanent credit has not been issued which means that the vendor has not straightened this out w the credit card company as yet.

My credit cards give the vendor 10 days to respond. After that 10 days, the charge is reversed unless they can provide something with my signature (or other legit documentation supporting the sale).

 

[TropicalPaul]

Cardnet in DR is very keen to hang on to their commission in my experience. If there is a dispute, they give the hotel a set time to respond, but I have experiences of not responding in the set time, and a couple of weeks later Cardnet has still not reversed the transaction. I get the impression it is very hard to win if you dispute Dominican transactions.