I left cash on the bathroom counter for our stay!

[Hillbilly]

Here's a learning experience for everyone...never leave your business when you're not finished conducting business. If your guests regularly check out when no one is there to handle business you need a new model. Hire someone to come in every Sunday for the sole purpose of taking care of guests who have not yet checked out.
We're responsible for conducting the business portion in a manner that leaves nothing to be pondered by the guest. How do I pay? Where do I pay? Who do I pay? Can I sneak away without paying?
Either get payment in advance on Saturday night stays and hope they leave when they're supposed to or have someone in house to take care of things for you.
Just because this is the first time doesn't make it the last. Be proactive. As much as I hate hanging around to get the stragglers to sign their cc receipts I do it or I have someone else here to make sure it is done..

Great advice! Good old honor system no longer works these days i'm afraid.

 

[Madeleine]

Sorry this happened to you, Bob. I agree with Maddie that you probably need to change how you handle payment for Sunday check-outs if you regularly attend church. I always gave an itemized printed receipt for payment from my guest management software at check-out, along with their cc receipt when I ran their card at check in. If the guest decided to throw it in the trash after they left here, that was their deal...I had a copy for my files with their signed registration form.
Doesn't help much that you now need to navigate your way out of this situation!.

I think I just got taking advantage of........ Its my fault I did not receive payment before I left for Church. They found a way to get out of paying for their second night. I just love working for FREE!
.

I think I just got taking advantage of........ Its my fault I did not receive payment before I left for Church. They found a way to get out of paying for their second night. I just love working for FREE!

Aren't you charging them? If you decided to refund, be sure you never let them stay again. And if they write a review to tell everyone how to get a free night, be sure to respond by saying there are new policies in place to avoid any issues in the future.

 

[Generic]

Sorry this happened to you, Bob. I agree with Maddie that you probably need to change how you handle payment for Sunday check-outs if you regularly attend church. I always gave an itemized printed receipt for payment from my guest management software at check-out, along with their cc receipt when I ran their card at check in. If the guest decided to throw it in the trash after they left here, that was their deal...I had a copy for my files with their signed registration form.
Doesn't help much that you now need to navigate your way out of this situation!.

I think I just got taking advantage of........ Its my fault I did not receive payment before I left for Church. They found a way to get out of paying for their second night. I just love working for FREE!
.

I think I just got taking advantage of........ Its my fault I did not receive payment before I left for Church. They found a way to get out of paying for their second night. I just love working for FREE!

Aren't you charging them? If you decided to refund, be sure you never let them stay again. And if they write a review to tell everyone how to get a free night, be sure to respond by saying there are new policies in place to avoid any issues in the future.
.

If you take advantage of someone while they are out at church, the next place they will be staying is going to be a heck of a lot warmer than Bob's place

 

[Joey Camb]

Sorry this happened to you, Bob. I agree with Maddie that you probably need to change how you handle payment for Sunday check-outs if you regularly attend church. I always gave an itemized printed receipt for payment from my guest management software at check-out, along with their cc receipt when I ran their card at check in. If the guest decided to throw it in the trash after they left here, that was their deal...I had a copy for my files with their signed registration form.
Doesn't help much that you now need to navigate your way out of this situation!.

I think I just got taking advantage of........ Its my fault I did not receive payment before I left for Church. They found a way to get out of paying for their second night. I just love working for FREE!
.

not think sweethart - know! believe me ive been there done that, its why we now have a pay on arrival policy.

 

[Hillbilly]

Sorry this happened to you, Bob. I agree with Maddie that you probably need to change how you handle payment for Sunday check-outs if you regularly attend church. I always gave an itemized printed receipt for payment from my guest management software at check-out, along with their cc receipt when I ran their card at check in. If the guest decided to throw it in the trash after they left here, that was their deal...I had a copy for my files with their signed registration form.
Doesn't help much that you now need to navigate your way out of this situation!.

I think I just got taking advantage of........ Its my fault I did not receive payment before I left for Church. They found a way to get out of paying for their second night. I just love working for FREE!
.

not think sweethart - know! believe me ive been there done that, its why we now have a pay on arrival policy.
.

Im going to be making changes! Bad Bob! Bad Bob!

 

[Hillbilly]

Sorry this happened to you, Bob. I agree with Maddie that you probably need to change how you handle payment for Sunday check-outs if you regularly attend church. I always gave an itemized printed receipt for payment from my guest management software at check-out, along with their cc receipt when I ran their card at check in. If the guest decided to throw it in the trash after they left here, that was their deal...I had a copy for my files with their signed registration form.
Doesn't help much that you now need to navigate your way out of this situation!.

I think I just got taking advantage of........ Its my fault I did not receive payment before I left for Church. They found a way to get out of paying for their second night. I just love working for FREE!
.

I think I just got taking advantage of........ Its my fault I did not receive payment before I left for Church. They found a way to get out of paying for their second night. I just love working for FREE!

Aren't you charging them? If you decided to refund, be sure you never let them stay again. And if they write a review to tell everyone how to get a free night, be sure to respond by saying there are new policies in place to avoid any issues in the future.
.

If you take advantage of someone while they are out at church, the next place they will be staying is going to be a heck of a lot warmer than Bob's place
.

Thats too funny! You guys have put a smile on my face! I thought for awhile you would be reading about me on the news!

 

[Hillbilly]

Sounds like a simple scam to me! Did he lock his room when he left? Did he drop his keys off at the office? No one would leave that kind of money just laying there, especially if you have housekeepers. Like JB said, nice tip.
No receipt, no payment.
As far as payment on arrival, we don't do that because a lot of our guests purchase things during their stay and I don't want to pay swipe fees 3 times for one guest (deposit, arrival, extra purchases). If we didn't sell a lot of extras, I would probably charge them on arrival.
Don't worry about the bad reviews. The guy will look like an idiot no matter how he spins it..

This is why we have not charged their balance until they leave. We have a gift shop and a lot of people buy things on the last day! This couple did not come to breakfast their last day. It's always something! Thanks for the lift me up!

 

[JBloggs]

Just remember, we always make drastic changes to policies after one bad experience, sometimes we need to rethink how we do things, other times just write it off. If we all did everything due to the bad apples, we would have pretty miserable places to stay!
And in the end, we become those really worn out grouchy unbearable innkeepers that people always tell us about, and we all understand why they are that way, but it doesn't matter, we can't be that way.
Life goes on...this too shall pass.

 

[Madeleine]

Sounds like a simple scam to me! Did he lock his room when he left? Did he drop his keys off at the office? No one would leave that kind of money just laying there, especially if you have housekeepers. Like JB said, nice tip.
No receipt, no payment.
As far as payment on arrival, we don't do that because a lot of our guests purchase things during their stay and I don't want to pay swipe fees 3 times for one guest (deposit, arrival, extra purchases). If we didn't sell a lot of extras, I would probably charge them on arrival.
Don't worry about the bad reviews. The guy will look like an idiot no matter how he spins it..

This is why we have not charged their balance until they leave. We have a gift shop and a lot of people buy things on the last day! This couple did not come to breakfast their last day. It's always something! Thanks for the lift me up!
.

You can have it both ways...at check-in run the card to open a folio. That way you have the card swiped for the amount of the stay. If someone wants to add something to the folio at check out or during their stay, you only have to add the extras into that folio.
Make a separate folio for each room. You won't have more than one open folio per room number at any time because you close the folio when the room checks out. The room charges have been approved. You're good to go.
Of course it's tough to change a working policy for one loser, but sometimes that one person is the tip of an ugly iceberg.

 

[Copperhead]

Sounds like a simple scam to me! Did he lock his room when he left? Did he drop his keys off at the office? No one would leave that kind of money just laying there, especially if you have housekeepers. Like JB said, nice tip.
No receipt, no payment.
As far as payment on arrival, we don't do that because a lot of our guests purchase things during their stay and I don't want to pay swipe fees 3 times for one guest (deposit, arrival, extra purchases). If we didn't sell a lot of extras, I would probably charge them on arrival.
Don't worry about the bad reviews. The guy will look like an idiot no matter how he spins it..

This is why we have not charged their balance until they leave. We have a gift shop and a lot of people buy things on the last day! This couple did not come to breakfast their last day. It's always something! Thanks for the lift me up!
.

You can have it both ways...at check-in run the card to open a folio. That way you have the card swiped for the amount of the stay. If someone wants to add something to the folio at check out or during their stay, you only have to add the extras into that folio.
Make a separate folio for each room. You won't have more than one open folio per room number at any time because you close the folio when the room checks out. The room charges have been approved. You're good to go.
Of course it's tough to change a working policy for one loser, but sometimes that one person is the tip of an ugly iceberg.
.

Good idea Maddie! Our's is set up that way but since I do not have extras I do not use. But this is what Hotels do. They scan the card, get approval for payment then leave it open for extras, close on departure.