"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:Nlspd.150701$R05.147436@attbi_s53...

One lesser known fact about credit card companies is that they will screw
the VENDOR far more readily than they will their customers.

Over the past couple of years we have had a handful of guests with
guaranteed reservations not show up at the inn, who were charged for one
night's stay. Two of them simply called their credit card companies and
disputed the charge -- at which point the credit card company immediately
credited them and charged us back, no questions asked!

It was then up to US to "prove" to VISA that the guest had stayed with
us -- which, of course, they had not. Despite the fact that these
guests insisted on "guaranteed reservations", despite the fact that we had
pre-authorized their stay on their credit card, despite the fact that we
had mailed post cards to their home, reminding them of their
reservation -- and despite the fact that we followed VISA's own procedures
for no-shows to the letter -- we were totally helpless, and had to eat the
bill. No amount of documentation or phone calls mattered to VISA.

THAT is the real credit card scandal that is sweeping America right now --
but no one outside of the industry knows (or, quite frankly) cares about
it. But we ALL pay for scumbags like these in the end.


I agree that it's entirely proper to charge a no-show for the one night
stay, but unless you turned someone else away because of the guaranteed
reservation what bill are you eating?