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Breakfast Diva

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Here's the situation. Guest made a phone reservation a month ago for 3 nights. They found us on "the internet". I immediately charged their 1 night deposit and sent our confirmation letter e-mail.
What do you think....should we keep the additional 2 night we're out and just fight the chargeback?
Note: long story has been edited out
 
I would charge them. If your policy is written, then you have no problem. There is no "grey" area.
You actually went above & beyond in offering to split the kennel cost with them.
Responsible animal owners would always check policies re: pets. The fact that they spoke with you several times & NEVER MENTIONED dogs indicates to me a complete lack of responsibility.
 
They were trying to pull a fast one. But i would only keep the deposit.
Edit - These things do take all the fun out of the whole day and maybe the week.
 
If you say your cancellation policy is strictly enforced, then enforce it -- providing, of course that there is something you can hang your hat on when the chargeback comes through. Do guests have to do something (check a box, usually) to indicate that they agreed to your policies?
 
Breakfast Diva said:
She said she knew that dogs were not allowed in the room, but didn't know about the car.
If the part about no dogs mentions no dogs in the room and in the car, she knew about it.
Responsible pet owners DO insure their pets are welcome where they are taking them. It's possible the late arrival was timed to get away with having the dogs. Not knowing you have the dog nose to end all dog noses in your house!
All of your policies are in place. If all your i's are dotted and all your t's are crossed, I don't see why you shouldn't follow your policies.
 
Breakfast Diva said:
She said she knew that dogs were not allowed in the room, but didn't know about the car.
If the part about no dogs mentions no dogs in the room and in the car, she knew about it.
Responsible pet owners DO insure their pets are welcome where they are taking them. It's possible the late arrival was timed to get away with having the dogs. Not knowing you have the dog nose to end all dog noses in your house!
All of your policies are in place. If all your i's are dotted and all your t's are crossed, I don't see why you shouldn't follow your policies..
Alibi Ike said:
Breakfast Diva said:
She said she knew that dogs were not allowed in the room, but didn't know about the car.
If the part about no dogs mentions no dogs in the room and in the car, she knew about it.
Responsible pet owners DO insure their pets are welcome where they are taking them. It's possible the late arrival was timed to get away with having the dogs.
Good points.
 
If you say your cancellation policy is strictly enforced, then enforce it -- providing, of course that there is something you can hang your hat on when the chargeback comes through. Do guests have to do something (check a box, usually) to indicate that they agreed to your policies?.
IronGate said:
If you say your cancellation policy is strictly enforced, then enforce it -- providing, of course that there is something you can hang your hat on when the chargeback comes through. Do guests have to do something (check a box, usually) to indicate that they agreed to your policies?
This was a phone reservation, so no, there is nothing to check. They only check when it's an online reservation.
 
If you say your cancellation policy is strictly enforced, then enforce it -- providing, of course that there is something you can hang your hat on when the chargeback comes through. Do guests have to do something (check a box, usually) to indicate that they agreed to your policies?.
IronGate said:
If you say your cancellation policy is strictly enforced, then enforce it -- providing, of course that there is something you can hang your hat on when the chargeback comes through. Do guests have to do something (check a box, usually) to indicate that they agreed to your policies?
This was a phone reservation, so no, there is nothing to check. They only check when it's an online reservation.
.
Do you review your cancellation policy with a phone rez? What I've gone to doing is taking the phone rez thru the guest portal on my rez page. That way I READ the policy to them and ask if they agree at which point I tell them I am checking the box that says they agreed to the policies.
I'm not sure not getting the confirmation (if TRUE) actually makes a difference if the info is clearly accessible/displayed on your website.
 
Short version... stick to your policy.
Long version... Think about how you will react if they post this publicly on TA. Even if they are 100% wrong. If you have no qualms about this and posting a Management response, then follow the short version, above. If you get a chargeback, fight it tooth and nail and back it up with printed copies of your policy pages from your website. Often the CC company will disallow the chargeback and simply do a goodwill gesture on the other side to make it up to them, without it costing you a dime.
And frankly, it's illegal in many provinces/states to leave a dog in a car overnight. What kind of responsible owner treats their dog that way?
We have a no pet policy for a very good reason, I'm allergic to cats and dogs. Many people rely on the fact that I have a no pet policy and limit allergens in the house, laundry is never hung outside (pollen) and we have no feathers in the house.
 
Charge the whole stay...exactly as you said they are going to do a chargeback on the deposit anyway so you might as well uphold ALL the policies. You will have a date/time stamp on your email when you sent the confirmation, sometimes that is good enough for the cc company.
They tried to pull a fast one, they timed the late arrival to get around the policy. Isn't it at least a BIT amusing when they figure out that YES, we have a reason for EVERYTHING we do (your poor dog having to go through this, in this case). NO responsible dog owner would even CONSIDER letting their pet spend the night in the car, that is horrible.
 
Charge the whole stay...exactly as you said they are going to do a chargeback on the deposit anyway so you might as well uphold ALL the policies. You will have a date/time stamp on your email when you sent the confirmation, sometimes that is good enough for the cc company.
They tried to pull a fast one, they timed the late arrival to get around the policy. Isn't it at least a BIT amusing when they figure out that YES, we have a reason for EVERYTHING we do (your poor dog having to go through this, in this case). NO responsible dog owner would even CONSIDER letting their pet spend the night in the car, that is horrible..
Don Draper said:
Charge the whole stay...exactly as you said they are going to do a chargeback on the deposit anyway so you might as well uphold ALL the policies. You will have a date/time stamp on your email when you sent the confirmation, sometimes that is good enough for the cc company.
They tried to pull a fast one, they timed the late arrival to get around the policy. Isn't it at least a BIT amusing when they figure out that YES, we have a reason for EVERYTHING we do (your poor dog having to go through this, in this case). NO responsible dog owner would even CONSIDER letting their pet spend the night in the car, that is horrible.
Ditto DD!
With them arriving late odds are they were going to try to slip the dogs in the room. With their quick to spout going to dispute the deposit I presume they were planning this from the get go.
BTW - I require a reply to my confirmations especially when the reservation is made by phone. It seals the deal so to speak. I tell them they must reply to my confirmation to finalize the reservation. When they don't reply I call to give them one more opp to finalize or the room is opened back.
 
Wow that is complicated, but then it is simple. Your policies, they agreed, you charge them, done deal, they can dispute it. "Well we showed up with two dogs and..." I would charge in full. Well, I would probably back down and not charge in full, but my ANSWER IS CHARGE THEM IN FULL.
 
PS A lady showed up tonight with a very large duffle that I said "How many dogs do you have in there?" and then laughed. I thought afterward, SHE BETTER NOT! But like you BD our dog would let us know before they got to the door!
 
In re the kennel option offered...most kennels won't take dogs without advance notice and all their vacc record. Quite possibly these folks did not have that, either. The kennel where we take our dog won't even take a faxed copy from the vet in the next town. We've been taking our dog there for 6 years and we still have to bring the paperwork with us every time.
Slight sidetrack here, but I would leave my dog in the car overnight. Not if it was 90 degrees and the windows had to be shut, but with clement weather, not a problem for either us (me or the dog).
 
Charge the whole stay...exactly as you said they are going to do a chargeback on the deposit anyway so you might as well uphold ALL the policies. You will have a date/time stamp on your email when you sent the confirmation, sometimes that is good enough for the cc company.
They tried to pull a fast one, they timed the late arrival to get around the policy. Isn't it at least a BIT amusing when they figure out that YES, we have a reason for EVERYTHING we do (your poor dog having to go through this, in this case). NO responsible dog owner would even CONSIDER letting their pet spend the night in the car, that is horrible..
Don Draper said:
NO responsible dog owner would even CONSIDER letting their pet spend the night in the car, that is horrible.
I dont agree with that, where BD is located it is not hot and many dogs are crate trained anyway. They probably stay in the vehicle all night (I am picturing a Honda SUV with dog noses pressed against the back window).
confused_smile.gif
People camp in vehicles such as that and with pets. - just sharing the "i wouldn't go at it from that angle - bit. People stay at relatives and leave their dogs in their vehicles, and YEAH I BET THE VEHICLE IS LOVELY INSIDE - not.
But the main thing was they were staying MORE THAN ONE NIGHT, so what about that?
Edited to add: There is a convertable Ferrari in our parking lot and I would love to camp in it overnight, please oh please (but it's yellow)
ferrari-california-1.jpg

 
Charge the whole stay...exactly as you said they are going to do a chargeback on the deposit anyway so you might as well uphold ALL the policies. You will have a date/time stamp on your email when you sent the confirmation, sometimes that is good enough for the cc company.
They tried to pull a fast one, they timed the late arrival to get around the policy. Isn't it at least a BIT amusing when they figure out that YES, we have a reason for EVERYTHING we do (your poor dog having to go through this, in this case). NO responsible dog owner would even CONSIDER letting their pet spend the night in the car, that is horrible..
Don Draper said:
NO responsible dog owner would even CONSIDER letting their pet spend the night in the car, that is horrible.
I dont agree with that, where BD is located it is not hot and many dogs are crate trained anyway. They probably stay in the vehicle all night (I am picturing a Honda SUV with dog noses pressed against the back window).
confused_smile.gif
People camp in vehicles such as that and with pets. - just sharing the "i wouldn't go at it from that angle - bit. People stay at relatives and leave their dogs in their vehicles, and YEAH I BET THE VEHICLE IS LOVELY INSIDE - not.
But the main thing was they were staying MORE THAN ONE NIGHT, so what about that?
Edited to add: There is a convertable Ferrari in our parking lot and I would love to camp in it overnight, please oh please (but it's yellow)
ferrari-california-1.jpg

.
As JB said, we are located in an area that is typically not that hot (it's in the 70s today). I really don't think that's the issue though. The issue is that we have created our no pet policy (even in the car) because of past history. It just will not work here with our dog. When people leave their animals in the car, they get up in the morning, let the animals out to do their business in my yard, exposing other guests to animals I don't know and I don't want that liability either! Our insurance company knows we do not accept dogs as guests.
Nevertheless, I told them they could stay if they parked their vehicle in a different area, just not the parking lot. THEY made the decision to leave, I did not throw them out. Our local kennel is very lax. They would have had no problem taking in the dogs with just a phone call to the vet. office. They just felt that they had no obligation to fulfill their obligations.
 
Short version... stick to your policy.
Long version... Think about how you will react if they post this publicly on TA. Even if they are 100% wrong. If you have no qualms about this and posting a Management response, then follow the short version, above. If you get a chargeback, fight it tooth and nail and back it up with printed copies of your policy pages from your website. Often the CC company will disallow the chargeback and simply do a goodwill gesture on the other side to make it up to them, without it costing you a dime.
And frankly, it's illegal in many provinces/states to leave a dog in a car overnight. What kind of responsible owner treats their dog that way?
We have a no pet policy for a very good reason, I'm allergic to cats and dogs. Many people rely on the fact that I have a no pet policy and limit allergens in the house, laundry is never hung outside (pollen) and we have no feathers in the house..
"Long version... Think about how you will react if they post this publicly on TA. Even if they are 100% wrong. If you have no qualms about this and posting a Management response, then follow the short version, above."
I've thought about the TA aspect. Seems to me that if they did a review, they would have to expose the fact that they had 2 dogs in their car, which is why they didn't stay. This doesn't seem to me to be a horrible thing. The management response would be that our policies are clear, we stand behind them and we don't allow pets on our property to protect ourselves and all our guests. And, that's a good message for others to take note of when making a reservation with us.
 
Short version... stick to your policy.
Long version... Think about how you will react if they post this publicly on TA. Even if they are 100% wrong. If you have no qualms about this and posting a Management response, then follow the short version, above. If you get a chargeback, fight it tooth and nail and back it up with printed copies of your policy pages from your website. Often the CC company will disallow the chargeback and simply do a goodwill gesture on the other side to make it up to them, without it costing you a dime.
And frankly, it's illegal in many provinces/states to leave a dog in a car overnight. What kind of responsible owner treats their dog that way?
We have a no pet policy for a very good reason, I'm allergic to cats and dogs. Many people rely on the fact that I have a no pet policy and limit allergens in the house, laundry is never hung outside (pollen) and we have no feathers in the house..
"Long version... Think about how you will react if they post this publicly on TA. Even if they are 100% wrong. If you have no qualms about this and posting a Management response, then follow the short version, above."
I've thought about the TA aspect. Seems to me that if they did a review, they would have to expose the fact that they had 2 dogs in their car, which is why they didn't stay. This doesn't seem to me to be a horrible thing. The management response would be that our policies are clear, we stand behind them and we don't allow pets on our property to protect ourselves and all our guests. And, that's a good message for others to take note of when making a reservation with us.
.
Breakfast Diva said:
"Long version... Think about how you will react if they post this publicly on TA. Even if they are 100% wrong. If you have no qualms about this and posting a Management response, then follow the short version, above."
I've thought about the TA aspect. Seems to me that if they did a review, they would have to expose the fact that they had 2 dogs in their car, which is why they didn't stay. This doesn't seem to me to be a horrible thing. The management response would be that our policies are clear, we stand behind them and we don't allow pets on our property to protect ourselves and all our guests. And, that's a good message for others to take note of when making a reservation with us.
Ah a woman after my own heart...publish and be damned. Yes. If they do it certainly puts your policies right out there and lets you say, 'Yes, these are our policies.'
It's always a matter of guests never putting themselves in a bad light so they leave out BIG details- like the late arrival, the dogs, the fact that you offered to split the cost of the kennel to help them out, that you offered to let them stay if they could park their car out of the way.
They will play it that after a long, grueling drive in a strange place over back roads they were met by an innkeeper in a scruffy bathrobe who told them to park their car in the woods, far away from where they were staying and they feared having to walk from the woods to their cabin. And, when we refused to park in the woods and we asked for our money back, because really, there she was in that bathrobe with her crazy dog bouncing off the door, she refused and we had no choice but to leave and drive all the way back to town and try to find a place to stay. Then we found out she charged us for all three nights. Unbelievable! We are fighting this with our credit card company. Etc, etc...
(I should write these for a living...)
 
Short version... stick to your policy.
Long version... Think about how you will react if they post this publicly on TA. Even if they are 100% wrong. If you have no qualms about this and posting a Management response, then follow the short version, above. If you get a chargeback, fight it tooth and nail and back it up with printed copies of your policy pages from your website. Often the CC company will disallow the chargeback and simply do a goodwill gesture on the other side to make it up to them, without it costing you a dime.
And frankly, it's illegal in many provinces/states to leave a dog in a car overnight. What kind of responsible owner treats their dog that way?
We have a no pet policy for a very good reason, I'm allergic to cats and dogs. Many people rely on the fact that I have a no pet policy and limit allergens in the house, laundry is never hung outside (pollen) and we have no feathers in the house..
"Long version... Think about how you will react if they post this publicly on TA. Even if they are 100% wrong. If you have no qualms about this and posting a Management response, then follow the short version, above."
I've thought about the TA aspect. Seems to me that if they did a review, they would have to expose the fact that they had 2 dogs in their car, which is why they didn't stay. This doesn't seem to me to be a horrible thing. The management response would be that our policies are clear, we stand behind them and we don't allow pets on our property to protect ourselves and all our guests. And, that's a good message for others to take note of when making a reservation with us.
.
Breakfast Diva said:
"Long version... Think about how you will react if they post this publicly on TA. Even if they are 100% wrong. If you have no qualms about this and posting a Management response, then follow the short version, above."
I've thought about the TA aspect. Seems to me that if they did a review, they would have to expose the fact that they had 2 dogs in their car, which is why they didn't stay. This doesn't seem to me to be a horrible thing. The management response would be that our policies are clear, we stand behind them and we don't allow pets on our property to protect ourselves and all our guests. And, that's a good message for others to take note of when making a reservation with us.
Ah a woman after my own heart...publish and be damned. Yes. If they do it certainly puts your policies right out there and lets you say, 'Yes, these are our policies.'
It's always a matter of guests never putting themselves in a bad light so they leave out BIG details- like the late arrival, the dogs, the fact that you offered to split the cost of the kennel to help them out, that you offered to let them stay if they could park their car out of the way.
They will play it that after a long, grueling drive in a strange place over back roads they were met by an innkeeper in a scruffy bathrobe who told them to park their car in the woods, far away from where they were staying and they feared having to walk from the woods to their cabin. And, when we refused to park in the woods and we asked for our money back, because really, there she was in that bathrobe with her crazy dog bouncing off the door, she refused and we had no choice but to leave and drive all the way back to town and try to find a place to stay. Then we found out she charged us for all three nights. Unbelievable! We are fighting this with our credit card company. Etc, etc...
(I should write these for a living...)
.
Thanks for the good chuckle AI! I'm sure I'll be depicted just as you described.
The ironic thing is, if they had just settled with us keeping the deposit, we would have let the other 2 days go without charging them. But once he told me he would dispute even the deposit, I was done.
 
Short version... stick to your policy.
Long version... Think about how you will react if they post this publicly on TA. Even if they are 100% wrong. If you have no qualms about this and posting a Management response, then follow the short version, above. If you get a chargeback, fight it tooth and nail and back it up with printed copies of your policy pages from your website. Often the CC company will disallow the chargeback and simply do a goodwill gesture on the other side to make it up to them, without it costing you a dime.
And frankly, it's illegal in many provinces/states to leave a dog in a car overnight. What kind of responsible owner treats their dog that way?
We have a no pet policy for a very good reason, I'm allergic to cats and dogs. Many people rely on the fact that I have a no pet policy and limit allergens in the house, laundry is never hung outside (pollen) and we have no feathers in the house..
"Long version... Think about how you will react if they post this publicly on TA. Even if they are 100% wrong. If you have no qualms about this and posting a Management response, then follow the short version, above."
I've thought about the TA aspect. Seems to me that if they did a review, they would have to expose the fact that they had 2 dogs in their car, which is why they didn't stay. This doesn't seem to me to be a horrible thing. The management response would be that our policies are clear, we stand behind them and we don't allow pets on our property to protect ourselves and all our guests. And, that's a good message for others to take note of when making a reservation with us.
.
Breakfast Diva said:
"Long version... Think about how you will react if they post this publicly on TA. Even if they are 100% wrong. If you have no qualms about this and posting a Management response, then follow the short version, above."
I've thought about the TA aspect. Seems to me that if they did a review, they would have to expose the fact that they had 2 dogs in their car, which is why they didn't stay. This doesn't seem to me to be a horrible thing. The management response would be that our policies are clear, we stand behind them and we don't allow pets on our property to protect ourselves and all our guests. And, that's a good message for others to take note of when making a reservation with us.
Ah a woman after my own heart...publish and be damned. Yes. If they do it certainly puts your policies right out there and lets you say, 'Yes, these are our policies.'
It's always a matter of guests never putting themselves in a bad light so they leave out BIG details- like the late arrival, the dogs, the fact that you offered to split the cost of the kennel to help them out, that you offered to let them stay if they could park their car out of the way.
They will play it that after a long, grueling drive in a strange place over back roads they were met by an innkeeper in a scruffy bathrobe who told them to park their car in the woods, far away from where they were staying and they feared having to walk from the woods to their cabin. And, when we refused to park in the woods and we asked for our money back, because really, there she was in that bathrobe with her crazy dog bouncing off the door, she refused and we had no choice but to leave and drive all the way back to town and try to find a place to stay. Then we found out she charged us for all three nights. Unbelievable! We are fighting this with our credit card company. Etc, etc...
(I should write these for a living...)
.
Thanks for the good chuckle AI! I'm sure I'll be depicted just as you described.
The ironic thing is, if they had just settled with us keeping the deposit, we would have let the other 2 days go without charging them. But once he told me he would dispute even the deposit, I was done.
.
Breakfast Diva said:
Thanks for the good chuckle AI! I'm sure I'll be depicted just as you described.
The ironic thing is, if they had just settled with us keeping the deposit, we would have let the other 2 days go without charging them. But once he told me he would dispute even the deposit, I was done.
So the answer is clear. Saying we will dispute it means they meant to bring the dogs along, and arranged the late check in to sneak them onto the property itself.
If it were just some nature loving people and acted sad that their dogs were being left out, etc then it is a different "attitude" altogether.
 
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