My name is Amy C[redacted] and I am the manager at Ocean Shores Motel. I was also the person at the front desk who checked in Ms. [redacted], and I witnessed the verbal exchange the following day between Ms. [redacted] and Michael S[redacted], the owner of the motel. I have researched Ms. [redacted]’s complaint and...
her [redacted] reservation and cross-checked it against what she paid for her stay. It has become clear that the following errors and misunderstandings have occurred in this case:
1) [redacted].com gives guests a quote that does not include Washington state sales and room/board tax. Additionally, Ms. [redacted] brought a small dog. She had previously emailed me on June 30, 2015 to ask if the motel was pet friendly. I replied on the same day to let her know that yes, we love pets here and we charge a one-time fee of $20 for small dog breeds (less than 40 pounds), $40 for large breeds (40 pounds and greater) The quote of $245.98 that [redacted] gave Ms. [redacted] is simply the room rate, before tax and the pet fee were added. On Ms. [redacted]’s [redacted] reservation, it confirms that she booked the room at a rate of $155.99 for Saturday July 4, 2015 and $89.99 for Sunday July 5, 2015 (for the grand total of $245.98)
2) Here is where errors on our behalf occurred: when Ms. [redacted] checked in on the afternoon of July 4, I let her that I was sorry but the owner had informed me that [redacted] was not charging the correct peak summer and holiday rate of $129.99 per night plus tax. He had tasked me with letting guests know of the rate increase when they checked in. While updating Ms. [redacted]’s rate on our Front Desk reservation software, I made a clerical error and added the small pet fee of $20.00 twice, once to each night she was staying. She should have only been charged a one-time pet fee of $20.00. I told Ms. [redacted] that with tax and the pet fee her total came to $334.48 and she paid it in full on her Visa card.
3) Later that night, Ms. [redacted] rang the doorbell to the office. I live onsite in an attached apartment behind the office. I opened the door for her and she explained that she had been overcharged and would like a refund of $88.50 for the difference. I asked her to stop by in the morning to speak to Mr. S[redacted].
4) The following morning Ms. [redacted] spoke with Mr. S[redacted], explained what she had told me, and asked again for the refund of $88.50. Mr. S[redacted] denied the refund, stating that when she booked online, she had misrepresented the number of occupants in the room; she claimed in her [redacted] reservation that there would be two adults. In reality there were two adults and three children whose ages were approximately 12, 10, and toddler. Words between Ms. [redacted] and Mr. S[redacted] became intense and Ms. [redacted] added her dissatisfaction with the cleanliness of the room and reported that a lamp had shocked her husband and son. She slammed her room keys down on the counter and left.
5) After receiving a negative review online from the [redacted] family, I suggested to Mr. S[redacted] that although I am no expert, I believe Washington law considers the rate quote given to guests on websites such as [redacted].com and [redacted].com as a contract, and that we should have charged her the rate she reserved.
6) Following the email Mr. S[redacted] received today regarding the formal filing of this complaint, I have entered in a test folio following the [redacted]-quoted rates of $89.99 plus $155.99, and additionally added $20.00 for the small pet fee, and the Washington state and room/board tax of 11.5 percent (for a total tax of $30.59). Had we honored the [redacted] quote and had I entered the pet fee correctly, the correct sum Ms. [redacted] should have paid is $296.57 for her two-day stay.
The difference between the corrected price of $296.57 and what Ms. [redacted] paid is $37.91. We will happily refund this amount and I personally would like to apologize for my mistake and Mr. S[redacted]’s misunderstanding of online hotel rate procedure. In order to proceed with refunding this amount, I need Ms. [redacted] to email or telephone me with the same credit card number she used to check in, the expiration date, three-digit security code on the back, and her billing zip code. I have hard copies of her folio, registration card, [redacted] reservation, and email communication and will provide them to anyone involved in this dispute if they are desired.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time if you have any questions.
Yours truly
Amy C. C[redacted]
Manager, Ocean Shores Motel
[redacted]
Ocean Shores, WA 98569
[redacted]
[redacted]@oceanshoresmotel.com
My name is Amy C[redacted] and I am the manager at Ocean Shores Motel. I was also the person at the front desk who checked in Ms. [redacted], and I witnessed the verbal exchange the following day between Ms. [redacted] and Michael S[redacted], the owner of the motel. I have researched Ms. [redacted]’s complaint and...
her [redacted] reservation and cross-checked it against what she paid for her stay. It has become clear that the following errors and misunderstandings have occurred in this case:
1) [redacted].com gives guests a quote that does not include Washington state sales and room/board tax. Additionally, Ms. [redacted] brought a small dog. She had previously emailed me on June 30, 2015 to ask if the motel was pet friendly. I replied on the same day to let her know that yes, we love pets here and we charge a one-time fee of $20 for small dog breeds (less than 40 pounds), $40 for large breeds (40 pounds and greater) The quote of $245.98 that [redacted] gave Ms. [redacted] is simply the room rate, before tax and the pet fee were added. On Ms. [redacted]’s [redacted] reservation, it confirms that she booked the room at a rate of $155.99 for Saturday July 4, 2015 and $89.99 for Sunday July 5, 2015 (for the grand total of $245.98)
2) Here is where errors on our behalf occurred: when Ms. [redacted] checked in on the afternoon of July 4, I let her that I was sorry but the owner had informed me that [redacted] was not charging the correct peak summer and holiday rate of $129.99 per night plus tax. He had tasked me with letting guests know of the rate increase when they checked in. While updating Ms. [redacted]’s rate on our Front Desk reservation software, I made a clerical error and added the small pet fee of $20.00 twice, once to each night she was staying. She should have only been charged a one-time pet fee of $20.00. I told Ms. [redacted] that with tax and the pet fee her total came to $334.48 and she paid it in full on her Visa card.
3) Later that night, Ms. [redacted] rang the doorbell to the office. I live onsite in an attached apartment behind the office. I opened the door for her and she explained that she had been overcharged and would like a refund of $88.50 for the difference. I asked her to stop by in the morning to speak to Mr. S[redacted].
4) The following morning Ms. [redacted] spoke with Mr. S[redacted], explained what she had told me, and asked again for the refund of $88.50. Mr. S[redacted] denied the refund, stating that when she booked online, she had misrepresented the number of occupants in the room; she claimed in her [redacted] reservation that there would be two adults. In reality there were two adults and three children whose ages were approximately 12, 10, and toddler. Words between Ms. [redacted] and Mr. S[redacted] became intense and Ms. [redacted] added her dissatisfaction with the cleanliness of the room and reported that a lamp had shocked her husband and son. She slammed her room keys down on the counter and left.
5) After receiving a negative review online from the [redacted] family, I suggested to Mr. S[redacted] that although I am no expert, I believe Washington law considers the rate quote given to guests on websites such as [redacted].com and [redacted].com as a contract, and that we should have charged her the rate she reserved.
6) Following the email Mr. S[redacted] received today regarding the formal filing of this complaint, I have entered in a test folio following the [redacted]-quoted rates of $89.99 plus $155.99, and additionally added $20.00 for the small pet fee, and the Washington state and room/board tax of 11.5 percent (for a total tax of $30.59). Had we honored the [redacted] quote and had I entered the pet fee correctly, the correct sum Ms. [redacted] should have paid is $296.57 for her two-day stay.
The difference between the corrected price of $296.57 and what Ms. [redacted] paid is $37.91. We will happily refund this amount and I personally would like to apologize for my mistake and Mr. S[redacted]’s misunderstanding of online hotel rate procedure. In order to proceed with refunding this amount, I need Ms. [redacted] to email or telephone me with the same credit card number she used to check in, the expiration date, three-digit security code on the back, and her billing zip code. I have hard copies of her folio, registration card, [redacted] reservation, and email communication and will provide them to anyone involved in this dispute if they are desired.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time if you have any questions.
Yours truly
Amy C. C[redacted]
Manager, Ocean Shores Motel
[redacted]
Ocean Shores, WA 98569
[redacted]
[redacted]@oceanshoresmotel.com