Credit card name doesn't match guest name?

[Proud Texan]

Morticia
Other than this confirmation and payment problem..
Why would you not accept another persons payment?........as if someone else was paying for a birthday present?........I understand you provide gift cards....
Is it that you would not accept a cc from a 3rd party cause of....confirmation, cancellation problems?........damages to the property?.......the 3rd party disputing the charge, stating they never stayed there?.

All I want is to be paid. As long as the credit card goes through, it's not our responsibility to police anyone. That's why credit cards have fraud departments and that's why we have law enforcement.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

I do quite a bit of 3rd party charges and haven't had a problem. I take a deposit the day they make the reservation, then if it's a 3rd party, it gets charged in full on the day our cancellation policy hits (10 days prior).

 

[Morticia]

Morticia
Other than this confirmation and payment problem..
Why would you not accept another persons payment?........as if someone else was paying for a birthday present?........I understand you provide gift cards....
Is it that you would not accept a cc from a 3rd party cause of....confirmation, cancellation problems?........damages to the property?.......the 3rd party disputing the charge, stating they never stayed there?.

If someone buys a GC I mail the GC to them at the address provided. Generally the GC doesn't get used before the person has a chance to view their cc statement. SO, if it WAS a stolen card (not likely) there is time to rectify the situation before someone books.
This was made at midnight, to arrive today. Names didn't match, number in party didn't match, email failed. All indicators that something is amiss.

 

[Morticia]

Morticia
Other than this confirmation and payment problem..
Why would you not accept another persons payment?........as if someone else was paying for a birthday present?........I understand you provide gift cards....
Is it that you would not accept a cc from a 3rd party cause of....confirmation, cancellation problems?........damages to the property?.......the 3rd party disputing the charge, stating they never stayed there?.

All I want is to be paid. As long as the credit card goes through, it's not our responsibility to police anyone. That's why credit cards have fraud departments and that's why we have law enforcement.
.

All I want is to be paid. As long as the credit card goes through, it's not our responsibility to police anyone. That's why credit cards have fraud departments and that's why we have law enforcement.

If the card was stolen but went thru because it had not yet been reported I think, but I am not sure, that YOU lose. The money gets pulled from your account. This was just too short notice for me. But, judging by the tone of the guest, she had been paying for her whole vacation with her mother's cc.
Had there been some sort of 'please contact me if you need more info' from the actual cc holder, I could have called her to verify she actually HAD the card. All I had was the name and address of the guest and no info about the cc holder.
Maybe I'm wrong. I usually speak to someone buying a GC or paying for someone else's vacation.

 

[Proud Texan]

Morticia
Other than this confirmation and payment problem..
Why would you not accept another persons payment?........as if someone else was paying for a birthday present?........I understand you provide gift cards....
Is it that you would not accept a cc from a 3rd party cause of....confirmation, cancellation problems?........damages to the property?.......the 3rd party disputing the charge, stating they never stayed there?.

All I want is to be paid. As long as the credit card goes through, it's not our responsibility to police anyone. That's why credit cards have fraud departments and that's why we have law enforcement.
.

All I want is to be paid. As long as the credit card goes through, it's not our responsibility to police anyone. That's why credit cards have fraud departments and that's why we have law enforcement.

If the card was stolen but went thru because it had not yet been reported I think, but I am not sure, that YOU lose. The money gets pulled from your account. This was just too short notice for me. But, judging by the tone of the guest, she had been paying for her whole vacation with her mother's cc.
Had there been some sort of 'please contact me if you need more info' from the actual cc holder, I could have called her to verify she actually HAD the card. All I had was the name and address of the guest and no info about the cc holder.
Maybe I'm wrong. I usually speak to someone buying a GC or paying for someone else's vacation.
.

If the card was stolen but went thru because it had not yet been reported I think, but I am not sure, that YOU lose. The money gets pulled from your account.

That is why you pre-verify a card before they arrive then swipe it when they arrive. I would think that a stolen credit card would be reported within 24 hours.
We recently had someone use our credit card fraudulently to make several small purchases. Within a very short time, we were contacted by our credit card's fraud department. If someone's card or number is used without their knowledge, they will be notified in short order and the card will be blocked. It's not like this kind of thing is new or like it's going to go away. Are we supposed to process credit cards in an atmosphere of paranoia? I don't think so. Let the system work.

 

[Proud Texan]

One Day you stated my reasons right there. One time we had a 3rd party (last year) and the card was declined, I refused to let the guests leave til they paid, they called the card holder and she was not there. Then they called someone ELSE who gave me their cc details to pay for their stay, it was a real mess.
Another time the college paid for a guest speaker who no showed and then they refused to pay for it. We had a P.O. and after that i required a credit card and charged in full in advance. They were jerks about it. And then...yet another time, a travel dept for a health care system, refused to pay up til they had ALL OF OUR personal details like SS#'s etc, I was not pleased with that one at all!
I suggest a GC if they want to pay for another persons room. If at all possible. It also states on it NO CASH VALUE..

...yet another time, a travel dept for a health care system, refused to pay up til they had ALL OF OUR personal details like SS#'s etc, I was not pleased with that one at all!

That would be when you threaten to call the authorities with charges of theft of services, which is a felony in most states.

 

[Morticia]

Morticia
Other than this confirmation and payment problem..
Why would you not accept another persons payment?........as if someone else was paying for a birthday present?........I understand you provide gift cards....
Is it that you would not accept a cc from a 3rd party cause of....confirmation, cancellation problems?........damages to the property?.......the 3rd party disputing the charge, stating they never stayed there?.

All I want is to be paid. As long as the credit card goes through, it's not our responsibility to police anyone. That's why credit cards have fraud departments and that's why we have law enforcement.
.

All I want is to be paid. As long as the credit card goes through, it's not our responsibility to police anyone. That's why credit cards have fraud departments and that's why we have law enforcement.

If the card was stolen but went thru because it had not yet been reported I think, but I am not sure, that YOU lose. The money gets pulled from your account. This was just too short notice for me. But, judging by the tone of the guest, she had been paying for her whole vacation with her mother's cc.
Had there been some sort of 'please contact me if you need more info' from the actual cc holder, I could have called her to verify she actually HAD the card. All I had was the name and address of the guest and no info about the cc holder.
Maybe I'm wrong. I usually speak to someone buying a GC or paying for someone else's vacation.
.

If the card was stolen but went thru because it had not yet been reported I think, but I am not sure, that YOU lose. The money gets pulled from your account.

That is why you pre-verify a card before they arrive then swipe it when they arrive. I would think that a stolen credit card would be reported within 24 hours.
We recently had someone use our credit card fraudulently to make several small purchases. Within a very short time, we were contacted by our credit card's fraud department. If someone's card or number is used without their knowledge, they will be notified in short order and the card will be blocked. It's not like this kind of thing is new or like it's going to go away. Are we supposed to process credit cards in an atmosphere of paranoia? I don't think so. Let the system work.
.

They had NO credit card to swipe. The room was supposed to be paid in advance by the mother. I don't allow that. You have to present a credit card on arrival and it has to be in your name. Not mom's, not dad's, not the husband/wife if it's the other person standing there.
I don't get this. I know my firend gives her cc to her kids and they go shopping. Every store in town takes the card with someone else's name on it and let's the kids spend hundreds of dollars. I've had wives hand me their husband's card and say, 'Everyone else takes it.' Really? What happened to verifying the sig on the back matches the one on the receipt? Or that at least the NAME matches?
Kids try this all the time...'My parents said it was ok to use their card.' Fine, then tell the parents to come to the door, check you in and sign the statement that they will be responsible.
Anyway, in this case it is moot. Once she got the confirm with the charges for all the guests, not just the ones her mother stated were coming, she cancelled. If she was going to have to pay, she wasn't going to come. And I guess mom nixed the extra person charges.

 

[One Day]

I do quite a bit of 3rd party charges and haven't had a problem. I take a deposit the day they make the reservation, then if it's a 3rd party, it gets charged in full on the day our cancellation policy hits (10 days prior)..

I do quite a bit of 3rd party charges and haven't had a problem. I take a deposit the day they make the reservation, then if it's a 3rd party, it gets charged in full on the day our cancellation policy hits (10 days prior).

Would you process the full payment when the cancellation policy hits if it was the first party ?
Do you inform the 3rd party that they will be charged in full according to your cancellation policy?
I wouldn't imagine many problems with 3rd party CC payments if the booking is well in advance..........I envision more problems if the booking is days before the arrival date.

 

[One Day]

I'm going through in my head all sorts of scenarios regarding the 3rd party payment........conclusion..........the Gift Card seems the most logical end solution
Though I would imagine that the 3rd party would be.....lets say....put out by having to pay in full, in advance for what ever # of nights stay.....then again..........the gift card is not all that different than a gift card for any retailer or a Visa gift card....of if they pruchased for a gift a flat screen tv......instead of the 2 nights stay.
On a side note.........do you find folks becoming more crafty or more folks trying to get out of cancellation payments, short stay cancellations.....weasel discounts?........more declined charges?.

a side note.........do you find folks becoming more crafty or more folks trying to get out of cancellation payments, short stay cancellations.....weasel discounts?........more declined charges?

No, I find taking a days deposit at the time of reservation results in none of the above. I've only had one no show no call, and a couple of late cancels, and none disputed being charged in full.
.

a side note.........do you find folks becoming more crafty or more folks trying to get out of cancellation payments, short stay cancellations.....weasel discounts?........more declined charges?

No, I find taking a days deposit at the time of reservation results in none of the above. I've only had one no show no call, and a couple of late cancels, and none disputed being charged in full.

Very cool......
Would this 3rd party payment discussion we are having have more impact for a facility of say 7 rooms or more?..........less of a problem for a 5, 4 or 3 room facility?

 

[One Day]

Wondering.......
Does PAII or any of the conferences.....aspiring seminars discuss the 3rd party payment.....stolen CC's and the like?
I am asking for it appears that lodging accomodations can often times be booked by a 3rd party.........I wouldn't think it unusual.......when I did alot of traveling....we did this all the time......1 party would do the booking, reserve accomodations on their CC.........paid by each party at the time of checking in.
This discussion brought to light the what if the reservation transaction is declined ........but no contact info is given of the CC holder at the time of booking...........
Just how to avoid such or related problems

 

[scrambled_eggs]

How do you folks handle a 3rd party payment from a tavel agency. I just had an agency call too book some rooms for guests and they had me use their credit card for the full payment of the rooms. They never signed anything. I just charged it by keying it in. Does anyone request anything more...such as a signed fax from the card holder with a photocopy of the card? I know that is how we did it at the Holiday Inn.

 

[Copperhead]

In this example the timing compiled with everything is a major factor. Most fraudulent charges are done in a very quick order.
As said in another thread, I do take 3rd party payments - business ones. And I require a 3rd party authorization form be faxed to me.
The issue with some of these is that they do want your Tax ID etc. so they can then send you a 1098 (or one of those tax forms). This is common practice in the medical fields. I was very alarmed when I was first asked for this info. and then called my CPA for advice. They do this for their tax doucmentation - anyhooo, it was a legit request I found out & then had no issues with giving this out. What this does is ensures the business that YOU are a legit. business and that the payment is accounted for by the IRS.
In a thread last spring, I mentioned a call where the person had no CC and wanted to reserve. When I said I only take reservations with CC to hold, they said they would call back with a friends... Well, that will not fly here either. Then they wanted to send me a check.... nope, as it was within my 30 day window to accept one. At that time I did not think of the GC idea, but there had been a thread about those gift cards that you can purchase. So I mentioned that to them and told them the amount to have on the card. Once they had the card, they called and I went ahead and processed their entire stay - previously agreed (usually I only take 1 night).

 

[Morticia]

Wondering.......
Does PAII or any of the conferences.....aspiring seminars discuss the 3rd party payment.....stolen CC's and the like?
I am asking for it appears that lodging accomodations can often times be booked by a 3rd party.........I wouldn't think it unusual.......when I did alot of traveling....we did this all the time......1 party would do the booking, reserve accomodations on their CC.........paid by each party at the time of checking in.
This discussion brought to light the what if the reservation transaction is declined ........but no contact info is given of the CC holder at the time of booking...........
Just how to avoid such or related problems.

We've had a lot of bookings made by 'the secretary' but the biz person always has their biz card in hand at the door. No issues with that at all. And, for my issue today I thought that might be the case. I looked up the names and both work for the same org, I thought maybe a sec'y had booked them in. EXCEPT there was a kid involved, too.
And, most of the time, the sec'y calls to insure we're a 'real' biz that will treat their road warriors properly.
In this case, I had no way to contact the person whose cc info I was given. The phone number was for the guest, the email was for the guest.
Had I been able to contact the cc holder, I would have processed the card as others have said, 'Right then.'
Usually, I have weeks to send an email to inform the guest they have to present their card on arrival, regardless of who books the room. This happens often with couples traveling together. Or, when MOB/G books the inn for guests. Guests submit their cards on arrival and don't expect MOB/G to pay for them. But we know all of this in advance.

 

[One Day]

Yes CH...........a 1099..........it absolves them of the payroll tax, and insurance liabilities
I see it as a confirmation of a business to business transaction.

 

[Morticia]

How do you folks handle a 3rd party payment from a tavel agency. I just had an agency call too book some rooms for guests and they had me use their credit card for the full payment of the rooms. They never signed anything. I just charged it by keying it in. Does anyone request anything more...such as a signed fax from the card holder with a photocopy of the card? I know that is how we did it at the Holiday Inn..

I've just run the card a few days before arrival to insure it was valid. Then I send the receipt with a cover letter to the travel agency. Usually, there is an approach made thru an email about the guests and the travel agency info. I always research the agency online as best I can to make sure there are no 'scam' reports on them.
This has worked pretty well the 2-3 times I've done it. Guests have been good, albeit a little goofy at times. Mostly Harmless as we like to say.
I keep the emails that they send stating who is coming and that I can charge their card. Along with the info that anything else the guest wants is NOT to be put on the TA's card!

 

[scrambled_eggs]

How do you folks handle a 3rd party payment from a tavel agency. I just had an agency call too book some rooms for guests and they had me use their credit card for the full payment of the rooms. They never signed anything. I just charged it by keying it in. Does anyone request anything more...such as a signed fax from the card holder with a photocopy of the card? I know that is how we did it at the Holiday Inn..

I've just run the card a few days before arrival to insure it was valid. Then I send the receipt with a cover letter to the travel agency. Usually, there is an approach made thru an email about the guests and the travel agency info. I always research the agency online as best I can to make sure there are no 'scam' reports on them.
This has worked pretty well the 2-3 times I've done it. Guests have been good, albeit a little goofy at times. Mostly Harmless as we like to say.
I keep the emails that they send stating who is coming and that I can charge their card. Along with the info that anything else the guest wants is NOT to be put on the TA's card!
.

Thanks for that info!

 

[Breakfast Diva]

I do quite a bit of 3rd party charges and haven't had a problem. I take a deposit the day they make the reservation, then if it's a 3rd party, it gets charged in full on the day our cancellation policy hits (10 days prior)..

I do quite a bit of 3rd party charges and haven't had a problem. I take a deposit the day they make the reservation, then if it's a 3rd party, it gets charged in full on the day our cancellation policy hits (10 days prior).

Would you process the full payment when the cancellation policy hits if it was the first party ?
Do you inform the 3rd party that they will be charged in full according to your cancellation policy?
I wouldn't imagine many problems with 3rd party CC payments if the booking is well in advance..........I envision more problems if the booking is days before the arrival date.
.

Would you process the full payment when the cancellation policy hits if it was the first party ?
No, only if it's a 3rd party.
Do you inform the 3rd party that they will be charged in full according to your cancellation policy?
Yes, the 3rd party has to be notified. I do reservation "requests" with my webervations, so they don't have a reservation until I ok it. Most of our reservations are in advance. I can't think of a time when it was at the last minute.

 

[Morticia]

Got another one today.

 

[Morticia]

Got another one today..

What's up with mommy & daddy paying for vacations? Am I really out of touch with the way the world works now?

 

[Samster]

Got another one today..

What's up with mommy & daddy paying for vacations? Am I really out of touch with the way the world works now?
.

Maybe it's a special occasion? Birthday, anniversary, honeymoon, babymoon?