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#221
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So making poor decisions is an excuse for allowing corporations to screw
people over double when they are down? There is a limit to everything, and the credit card co's have crossed the line. Joe Public deserves the same sort of protections the credit card co's have been given by congress to **** the average consumer. Mike, you appear to be under the impression that the consumer is powerless in the face of the big, bad credit card companies. I'm here to tell you that you now have more power against them -- and subsequently against the companies you used your charge card to purchase items from -- than at any time in history. You literally don't have to pay for ANYTHING on your bill, if you claim it to be fraudulently charged. Your word to a clerk over the telephone is now good enough to get ANY charge reversed, instantly -- and it's up to the store or service provider that charged you to prove that it ISN'T a fraudulent charge. The old system has literally been stood on its head, and there's a world of sh*t coming down the pike for consumers -- who aren't even aware it's coming -- because of it. So, specifically, what new kind of protections are you looking for to use against the credit card companies? -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#222
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The only real idiots when it comes to credit are the ones who apply for
every card offer they get and max them all out while paying minimum payments, if that. I work with a guy who did that. He was filing bankruptcy and getting everything reposessed in a year or 2. This is frighteningly common. In the early 90s I served as a volunteer on the board of directors of an employee credit union at a small newspaper. As a director, I had a direct say on whether people -- my co-workers and friends -- received loans of all kinds. We were VERY free and easy with our policies and procedures, but there were people -- some very prominent people -- who literally were one paycheck away from utter disaster. They were literally spending EVERYTHING they made on minimum loan payments, yet they were applying for another loan from us. In one notable case, we had to turn down a loan to a VERY important person in the organization -- for a snowmobile! This woman could not muster enough credit to borrow the pittance required to buy a snowmobile -- yet, from the outside, she looked like a pillar of the community. We saw this same predicament many times, much to my amazement and dismay. In each case, they were incredulous that we wouldn't loan them the money. Credit cards are like booze. For some, used sparingly, they are healthy. For others, they are addictive and deadly. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#223
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We'll never know -- I threw BOTH of them out right after we opened, after
they tried to charge us 5% for each transaction. (The other cards -- Visa, Mastercard & Discover -- charge us "only" 4% for the privilege of "working" with them.) Given this, why don't people like yourself offer discounts for cash any longer? Seems like less use of credit cards would be to your advantage. Are there other reasons that make credit cards convenient from the vendor viewpoint? Mostly it's a personnel problem. Our rate structure (with 9 different kinds of suites, and a myriad of discounts) is so complex, I'd be afraid to throw a "cash discount" into the mix. However, I've been known to work out "side deals" for my Usenet friends... ;-) -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#224
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has American Express or Diners Club done the same to you?
(just curious) We'll never know -- I threw BOTH of them out right after we opened, after they tried to charge us 5% for each transaction. (The other cards -- Visa, Mastercard & Discover -- charge us "only" 4% for the privilege of "working" with them.) um, does making a reservation at your place require a credit card? If you want a "guaranteed" reservation, yep. If you want a "contingency" reservation -- where anyone who walks in the door with cash can bump you -- nope. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#225
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Well in my case I don't have a 'real' credit card. I have a debit visa
(work just the same). I keep most of my spendable money in checking then use the Visa the same as cash. If I can't afford something then I don't buy it. It does NOT work the same. a) Don't try renting a car. And don't try using to reserve a hotel suite. Most debit cards (unless it's a "dual" debit/credit card) will not work with a preauthorization -- which is what is required to make a guaranteed reservation. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#226
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Jay Honeck wrote:
Did you tell them that if they didn't show they would be responsible for one night's payment. Yes. Over and over, abundantly. With a guaranteed reservation, we'll hold the suite all night. I've twice been on the reverse side of this situation where a hotel gave me a guaranteed reservation and then failed to hold a room available. Once the room had been reserved with either Visa or Mastercard and the hotel basically told us that we were on our own but could use the pay phone in the lobby to search for another place to stay. Complaining later to the credit card company got us nowhere. The other time an AMEX card had been used to hold the reservation and the treatment was quite different. They apologized for having overbooked, arranged transportation to another hotel and paid for my first night's stay there plus a few free phone calls so I could let others know where I was staying. I heard similar stories from others and apparently AMEX had a much stricter policy of making both the hotels and customers adhere to the guaranteed reservation policies. |
#227
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In article Ctcqd.474453$D%.367363@attbi_s51,
"Jay Honeck" wrote: And don't try using to reserve a hotel suite. Most debit cards (unless it's a "dual" debit/credit card) will not work with a preauthorization -- which is what is required to make a guaranteed reservation. :-( Then I won't be able to make a reservation for business travel at your hotel. -- Bob Noel |
#228
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:-( Then I won't be able to make a reservation for business travel at
your hotel. Or anywhere else, for that matter. I don't know of a single hotel (or even small B&B in our market) that doesn't pre-authorize guaranteed reservations on a credit card. It's the only way a hotel has of protecting itself against bogus reservations and no-shows. We can always do a "contingency" reservation without a card, but it's not guaranteed. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#229
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I've twice been on the reverse side of this situation where a hotel
gave me a guaranteed reservation and then failed to hold a room available. Once the room had been reserved with either Visa or Mastercard and the hotel basically told us that we were on our own but could use the pay phone in the lobby to search for another place to stay. Complaining later to the credit card company got us nowhere. The other time an AMEX card had been used to hold the reservation and the treatment was quite different. They apologized for having overbooked, arranged transportation to another hotel and paid for my first night's stay there plus a few free phone calls so I could let others know where I was staying. I heard similar stories from others and apparently AMEX had a much stricter policy of making both the hotels and customers adhere to the guaranteed reservation policies. Amex had nothing to do with it. You just found a hotel that unscrupulously overbooks, but still has a conscience about doing so. Unscrupulous hotels that over-book are trying to fight the no-show/bogus reservation problem by playing the odds, rather than getting guaranteed reservations and following through with charging no-shows. When everyone actually shows up, someone gets screwed. You were "it" that night. We NEVER over-book. Since each suite is unique, represents a different era of aviation history, and is often specifically requested, it's pretty tough to substitute one suite for another. Thus, with a guaranteed reservation, that suite is yours -- no matter when you show up. But, on the flipside, in exchange for this kind of service we will charge you if you don't show up -- period. One exception that ONLY pilots receive: If you are flying in, and conditions drop to below VFR minimums anywhere along your route of flight, you may cancel up to 6 PM without penalty. This "IFR Cancellation Policy" has proven to be VERY popular with our private pilot guests, as you can imagine! (We instituted it after running into hotel issues ourselves over the years. Face it, flying a light plane isn't the most reliable form of transportation, and thus we ended up never making hotel reservations in advance, for fear of being charged for no-showing. This resulted in some nasty sleeping experiences, on occasion, when we couldn't find a decent hotel room.) -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#230
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That ain't right. I can see the guarantee thing during a known busy weekend,
but if I make a reservation (contingency) and show up at or ahead of the reservation time just to find out you don't have a room because somebody else showed up before me with cash, I'm hauling somebody into court. mike regish "Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:Srcqd.164139$R05.153882@attbi_s53... If you want a "contingency" reservation -- where anyone who walks in the door with cash can bump you -- nope. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
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