OMG ! Lesson learned

If I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have luck. This has nothing to do with my presentation that I attended. But you must here this story.


So I checked in on Monday to the Sheraton South in Bloomington, MN where CTG happens. I am told that I must leave a credit card on file with a $40 hold for any charge I may send to the room (food, drink, internet, movies). So I agree that I will leave the card just for the $40 but I do not want the hotel to hold my credit card for the hotel because a PO is being faxed to the hotel once the accounts receivables contacts me with the cost of the stay. The receipt I signed was for $40 on my ATM card. So tonight before heading down to dinner, I decided to check my bank card ... guess what the brain surgeons did... you got it charged my ATM for $1206 for my hotel stay. The most amusing piece of this is this - it isn't human error, it is the systems fault. yes, the systems is not the who checked me in. the system is not who swiped my card and had a conversation with. the system is not the one that checked my photo id. The system can't do anything unless the HUMAN helps it operate. They said the girl did everything correct according to procedure. Except that she did not uncheck the box that said charge to the card.


The kicker of all this is that the hotel received the PO for the cost of the stay today. They were paid in full. If I didn't check my account tonight, they would have been paid twice for the hotel stay.


So tomorrow, I have to go to the front desk again, they will take me to the "business office" so we can fix this. I am sure it is going to be a nightmare for the next few weeks until we can fix this nightmare.


Here is my lesson:


I will never again use my ATM or credit card for incidentals. I am going to go to purchase a Visa gift card for $50. They can charge the $40 to the gift card and if the "system" wants to charge the credit card more -- Good Luck.


I understand that errors happen. But when the "system" doesn't allow you to check past notes, what was received for the customers account and you can't fix the issue immediately there is a problem. All the manager on duty had to do is fax a letter to my bank to release the funds. Except she couldn't do that because " the system" doesn't allow her to do that. What she could do was given me dinner in the restaurant.


So there is my Lesson. I hope no one else has this issue. I will start to blog about the exhibit hall and workshops I attend tomorrow.