Money grubbing FBO's

Jay Honeck wrote:

I'll be damned if I'm gonna pay to post the government's extortion on
my advertisements. I sure don't ever see a nickel of it.


Really, in Arkansas we used to get a 2% discount off the sales tax when paid
on time as a sort of collection fee. I don't know if they still do it. The
business I'm in now doesn't collect or pay sales tax. There was at least
talk of doing away with it a couple of years ago. It wasn't all that much
money for a small retailer like I was at the time. But can you imagian how
much somebody like Wal-Mart got discounted?

Jay Honeck wrote:
For example: Our price for a 1-bedroom whirlpool aviation theme suite,
with a full kitchen and delivered breakfast, is quoted as $99.95 --
NOT the $111.95 we are forced to charge our guests so that our gummint
doesn't have to do the extorting themselves.
I sure hope you let these folks know about sometime before checkout time.

Oh, sure. In fact, we let them know the total including tax while
they're on the phone making the reservation, since we have to
preauthorize their credit card before they have a reservation.

By the way -- all hotel prices are quoted this way. Go to Travelocity
or Orbitz, and every hotel's prices are listed this way, thankfully.
I'll be damned if I'm gonna pay to post the government's extortion on
my advertisements. I sure don't ever see a nickel of it.

My real price, followed by a small "plus tax", used to say it all.
Now that the politicians have pushed that tax up to absurd levels --
12% -- however, that little "plus tax" can truly come as a rude
surprise.

And you can bet that I tell every one of my guests what I think of it,
at every opportunity.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

12% is not as bad as it gets, I've seen places where it's closer to 20%
when you throw in city, county and state taxes. In the county I live in
to play golf you have to pay sales tax 5% and a 12% entertainment tax to
play at a local muni course and we are not a golf destination.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message

Oh, sure. In fact, we let them know the total including tax while
they're on the phone making the reservation, since we have to
preauthorize their credit card before they have a reservation.

Maybe I'm showing my age, but I remember only needing to give a Credit Card
for a guaranteed room. They would hold the room until 6:00 without one. Has
that changed?


By the way -- all hotel prices are quoted this way. Go to Travelocity
or Orbitz, and every hotel's prices are listed this way, thankfully.

I never noticed. Fortunately, I don't stay in hotels much anymore. BTDT. I'd
rather be home.

I'll be damned if I'm gonna pay to post the government's extortion on
my advertisements. I sure don't ever see a nickel of it.

What do you mean, you never see a nickle? Don't you get to collect it,
account for it, and remit to to the gubmint?

Jay Honeck wrote:
My real price, followed by a small "plus tax", used to say it all.
Now that the politicians have pushed that tax up to absurd levels --
12% -- however, that little "plus tax" can truly come as a rude
surprise.

Denver has the same. The auto shop I prefer is in the City & County
of Denver (I live in Arapahoe county). If I need to rent a car while
mine is in the shop, I'm forced to pay 12-13% "tourist" tax. If I
rent close to home, it's only 8%.

And they slap that on all arts & entertainment (including the opera
*and* the Broncos tickets!) as well as everything that could
possibly be considered "tourist" or "business traveler".

Now, how many "tourists" come to see the Broncos v. the 70K season
ticket holders (who are ALSO forced to pay!)?

And that's why I try to avoid spending money in the City & County of
Denver.

John Theune wrote:
12% is not as bad as it gets, I've seen places where it's closer to 20%
when you throw in city, county and state taxes. In the county I live in
to play golf you have to pay sales tax 5% and a 12% entertainment tax to
play at a local muni course and we are not a golf destination.

I'll see your golf tax and raise you....tax on a speeding ticket!

Yup, in Colorado (at least in the Front Range counties), you pay
sales tax when you pay the fine for a speeding ticket.

In article ,
Blanche wrote:

I'll see your golf tax and raise you....tax on a speeding ticket!

Yup, in Colorado (at least in the Front Range counties), you pay
sales tax when you pay the fine for a speeding ticket.

Is it actually listed as sales tax, or is it a special assessment
or other BS wording?

Every place (NY, CA, IN, OH) I've gotten a ticket has tacked on
various assessments and fees to the base ticket (which is really
just a randomly assessed tax any way).

The judge in one case described it best. "That will be a $75 fine,
and $35 for Uncle Mario." Uncle Mario was then-governor Mario
Cuomo.

John
--
John Clear - http://www.clear-prop.org/

Blanche wrote:
John Theune wrote:
12% is not as bad as it gets, I've seen places where it's closer to
20% when you throw in city, county and state taxes. In the county I
live in to play golf you have to pay sales tax 5% and a 12%
entertainment tax to play at a local muni course and we are not a
golf destination.

I'll see your golf tax and raise you....tax on a speeding ticket!

Yup, in Colorado (at least in the Front Range counties), you pay
sales tax when you pay the fine for a speeding ticket.

They so much the same around here only they call it court costs. You pay it
no matter if you take the ticket to court or not.

In article lMuOh.2180$Rp2.1203@trndny04,
John Theune wrote:

12% is not as bad as it gets, I've seen places where it's closer to 20%
when you throw in city, county and state taxes. In the county I live in
to play golf you have to pay sales tax 5% and a 12% entertainment tax to
play at a local muni course and we are not a golf destination.


places like this country... 19%

--
Eduardo K. | Some say it's forgive and forget.
http://www.carfun.cl | I say forget about forgiving just accept.
http://ev.nn.cl | And get the hell out of town.
| Minnie Driver, Grosse Point Blank

Maybe I'm showing my age, but I remember only needing to give a Credit Card
for a guaranteed room. They would hold the room until 6:00 without one. Has
that changed?

Nope, nothing has changed. When you give a hotel your credit card
number, they do what's called a "preauthorization" of your card for
the dollar amount of your hotel room rental.

This does several things:

1. It makes sure your credit card number is valid
2. It sets aside 'x' amount of money from your credit limit to pay for
your hotel room.
3. It gives the hotel a way to charge you if you no-show.
4. It serves as your room damage deposit.

Nothing is charged until you arrive, but gives the hotel the ability
to charge your card.

Without a credit card number on file, there is no reservation --
period. It's an ever-diminishing minority, but I still find it
amazing the number of people that don't have a credit card, and still
don't understand what the word "reservation" means.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Maybe I'm showing my age, but I remember only needing to give a Credit Card
for a guaranteed room. They would hold the room until 6:00 without one. Has
that changed?

Sorry, I didn't see that last part until after I hit "reply".

Many motels will hold a room till 6 PM with no credit card on file.
This they can do because they have 200 rooms, all identical, and they
rarely fill more than 150 of them on any given night -- so they have
nothing to lose if you don't show up.

We, on the other hand, have just 28 unique aviation theme suites. At
our place, if a guest reserves the Stearman Suite, it's likely that
they are really into 1930s biplanes, really want *that* suite only,
and substituting the Blackbird Suite ain't gonna cut it.

Chances are there might be other 1930s aviation buffs out there who
are trying to reserve that suite, too -- but after you've made your
"reservation", I'm gonna turn that business away because you promised
that you were coming.

In my world, a "promise" to show up -- without a credit card to back
it -- ain't worth a bucket of warm spit. In my 5 years experience as
a hotelier, if a guest isn't willing to put a credit card down as
collateral on their reservation, they almost certainly are not going
to show up. You won't lose very much money betting that they won't
show, that's for certain.

Therefore, we have a 72 hour cancellation policy for all guests --
UNLESS you are pilot and conditions drop below 1000' and 3 miles
visibility along your route of flight. For those pilots -- and ONLY
for those pilots -- we allow you to cancel right up till 6 PM without
penalty. This is our "IFR Cancellation Policy."

Drive-in guests get charged full rate if they cancel inside that last
72 hours -- and they know this up-front when they make their
reservation. We're just too small to do it any other way.

(And actually, for special events, it's a 7-day cancellation period.)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"