'I tried to warn someone... they never listen': Beach town tourist refuses to pay hotel bill, calls front desk to gloat

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
May 3, 2024 3:00 PM EDT

Hotel front desk workers are responsible for many things, but fixing poor customer decisions is not one of them. One hotel worker at a popular beach destination knows that all too well in the aftermath of an incident with one customer that really stood out. 

Taking a summer trip to the beach can be an amazing way to relax and unwind for a few days. You can start each morning with a hotel breakfast, then spend your days with your toes in the sand while the kids build sandcastles. After spending the day swimming in the ocean and strolling the boardwalk, you can return to your hotel to swim and get a good night's sleep. But you've got to book that hotel room early. Some beaches have their hotel rooms for the summer months get booked out months in advance. If you want that room for July, you may have to book in June. This person writes that at the hotel they worked at, room prices could hit nearly $300 per night during that busy season. 

One guest found out the hard way what happens if you book a pair of rooms and then just decide to not stay there, for some reason. The guest seems like a really unpleasant fellow. To their credit, the hotel worker was a complete professional every step of the way. In the end, their patience and calmness paid off in the best way. You can check out the whole story down below. 

Then, check out the story of the new Florida resident who's decided to rally against a strict HOA. 

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  • 01
    work 'It's a lot of money, but it's 100% his fault'
    via smartworkscoworking on Unsplash
  • 02
    I tried to warn someone not to dispute his no- show charge, but they never listen.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 03
    Long story- I work at a big brand name hotel in a beach town. In the summer, our rates skyrocket to almost $300 a night, and we are usually sold out. Someone booked 2 rooms for a long weekend, and decided not to show or bother calling to cancel. Our no-show policy is pretty standard - 1 nights cost for each room you booked. This gentleman was charged over $500 total for his 2
    via u/[deleted]
  • 04
    no-show rooms. It and it's a lot of money, but it's 100% his fault. The gentleman called me a couple weeks later when he got his credit card bill. I explained to him our policy, and that he wouldn't be getting a refund. He went off, "you don't know who you're messing with", "I'm not paying you idiot", yada yada. Eventually told me he was just going to dispute it with his credit card company.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 05
    This is basically what I said to him: "Sir, if you want to dispute the charge with your bank, you have every right to do that. I would not personally recommend it though. If this was a case of a stolen credit card, I would agree with you, but we have documentation showing you were informed of the no-show policy. However, if you wish to pass this issue along to the bank, I will gladly deal with them".
    via u/[deleted]
  • 06
    When you dispute a charge, the bank will front you the money while they investigate. When he got money from the bank right after he filed a dispute, he called me to GLOAT. He told me how stupid I was, yada yada. What I don't think he understood, is that the money is pretty much a loan, under the assumption that his charges really were fraudulent. Which they weren't.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 07
    I easily won the dispute, proving that he willfully did purchase these rooms, and was informed of the no-show policy. Then the bank billed him back for the money they fronted him. He called me again. Lucky me. He told me that the bank was billing him, and that I had to pay it. He said because it all started with my hotel, it was our responsibility to pay his bank bill. At this point I didn't even know what more to say. I just said "no, have a good
    via u/[deleted]
  • 08
    day", and hung up. Down the road, he called AGAIN, saying that his credit card company was threatening to turn over the bill to collections if he didn't pay. Now he wanted us to pay $800 because of the interest. I told him that his personal finances are his own business, and to stop calling. I tried to warn him in the beginning.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 09
    Oh man this is even more delicious just by the fact that he called to brag to you at some point
    via r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk
  • 10
    kittymctacoyo His dumbass could have been charged with a felony larceny charge for doing that!! I found this out by calling my bank to inquire about a charge for that amount. At the time I legitimately thought it was fraudulent. The bank did too based on how the line item was named an acronym used in a known airline ticket
    via u/kittymctacoyo
  • 11
    scam at the time. I wanted whoever did it to be pursued heavily, so I asked about every detail of what would happen going forward. Part of that info was that folks who knowingly dispute a legit charge of this amount can be charged with a felony larceny something or other.
    via u/kittymctacoyo
  • 12
    I found out two days later that mine was a legit charge from a tire place I wasn't aware my husband had gone to. No idea why their company name was not available to my bank. Though the bank told me it was likely they'd never be able to determine where that charge actually originated due to how odd the only available info was, I still called back and sheepishly
    via u/kittymctacoyo
  • 13
    told them to reverse the refund.
    via u/kittymctacoyo
  • 14
    opmageek Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
    via u/opmageek
  • 15
    dr_strangelove13 This is one of those times when simply being nice might have changed things. I recently sent my parents on a trip using points for two nights, but due to weather, they got tstuck on a layover, so I used points to put them up in a hotel where they were, and then they arrived at the correct hotel the next day and stayed one night.
    via u/dr_strangelove13
  • 16
    But despite the fact that I called the hotel to explain, they still charged me the points for both nights. I understood; I called last minute, they probably couldn't rent out the room that late, and since it was on points, there's a whole certificate thing that complicates matters, so I expected to just lose the points.
    via u/dr_strangelove13
  • 17
    But, the next time I was on a customer service call for another issue, when the incredibly helpful rep asked if there was anything else she could do at what should have been the end of the call, I said, "Actually, maybe there is..." and explained the situation. She said she could put in a request with the hotel to get the points refunded, but that it would be complicated and
    via u/dr_strangelove13
  • 18
    potentially lead nowhere, so instead, she just "gifted" me the points on the spot.
    via u/dr_strangelove13
  • 19
    muhbaddoe So I got into a car accident about 6 towns away from where my reservation is at & the front desk canceled & refunded my 3 day booking with no issue, they just asked that I provide them with the work order for repairs within 48 hours. Is this normal, or did I just get a really nice manager?
    via u/muhbaddoe
  • 20
    ShortStackStunna Congratulations The icing on the cake is the interest he's now responsible for paying. I'm glad you stood your ground OP.
    via u/ShortStackStunna

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customer service bank credit card front desk customers tales from the front desk beach phone calls money
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