I reserved a room at the Holiday Inn in Washington DC and used my credit card to guarantee it. They charged the card for the room and told me I'd gone for a pre-paid rate, even though I wasn't offered any other rate to choose from. Then when the job changed and I wanted to shift the reservation, it was going to cost me another $100, plus nearly 20% in taxes and fees. And they refused to refund the money they'd made me pay, even though I wanted to cancel the reservation a week in advance.
That is theft, plain and simple. It'd be one thing if I'd made the reservation and not shown up; that would've meant them keeping the room available for me, so I could see them charging for that. But Holiday Inn is taking $190.00+ of my money and providing me nothing in the way of services just because they can, and it pisses me off. But after an hour on the phone and talking to half a dozen people, the only response I consistently got was, "Sorry, nothing we can do." Well, Holiday Inn's never getting another penny out of me, the motherfuckers. I get better treatment at Best Western and La Quinta, and for a lot less outlay.
But y'know, it's not just them that's pulling this crap. American Airlines once kept $400 for a ticket that I couldn't use because the job was canceled, and that was with me letting them know 3 weeks in advance. If I wanted to change the ticket, it would have cost an additional $200 just in fees, let alone any difference in air fare. I haven't flown the damned airline since...and I notice they're in bankruptcy now. Couldn't happen to a nicer group of scumbags.
Well I'm tired of dealing with a culture where corporations do nothing but figure out ways to fuck you over and politicians let them do it. Amazon, for example, uses its ranking system to help obscure how they're probably underreporting sales to the authors. Banks charge ludicrous interest rates on credit cards even though the main rate is down near zero, or jack up the rates they've "guaranteed" for no reason (I had the interest on a MasterCard doubled when it was taken over by B of A). Another bank promised me 20,000 points if I signed up with their Visa, so I did...and they refused to give them to me because I didn't check the right box, or something. And arguments went nowhere. So I use that card for business, only, and keep no balance on it. (Having it's part of the reason I've able to start paying that MasterCard down, so I'm willing to let this one pass.)
And don't get me started on the thieves on Wall Street who looted people's savings and investments. I'd long thought it was immoral to own stocks, but they proved to me it's also stupid, because you're trusting sociopaths with your money...hell, your life savings. We can see how that turned out, and our so-called system of justice has done damn near nothing about it, let alone the politicians who helped set this vile system up.
The devil has the world by the throat, and everybody acts like there's nothing you can do. Well the hell with that shit. I'm going after Holiday Inn. No fucking way they're stealing my money without a fight.
UPDATE: After my bitching all over the place, Holiday Inn agreed to honor the rate I'd been charged for on another night. Since I have to be in DC on the 27th, I agreed. While I'd have preferred a refund, I appreciate them doing that much, at least, so I'm not out the cost of the room. But it's still ridiculous I had to go through this to get it.
That is theft, plain and simple. It'd be one thing if I'd made the reservation and not shown up; that would've meant them keeping the room available for me, so I could see them charging for that. But Holiday Inn is taking $190.00+ of my money and providing me nothing in the way of services just because they can, and it pisses me off. But after an hour on the phone and talking to half a dozen people, the only response I consistently got was, "Sorry, nothing we can do." Well, Holiday Inn's never getting another penny out of me, the motherfuckers. I get better treatment at Best Western and La Quinta, and for a lot less outlay.
But y'know, it's not just them that's pulling this crap. American Airlines once kept $400 for a ticket that I couldn't use because the job was canceled, and that was with me letting them know 3 weeks in advance. If I wanted to change the ticket, it would have cost an additional $200 just in fees, let alone any difference in air fare. I haven't flown the damned airline since...and I notice they're in bankruptcy now. Couldn't happen to a nicer group of scumbags.
Well I'm tired of dealing with a culture where corporations do nothing but figure out ways to fuck you over and politicians let them do it. Amazon, for example, uses its ranking system to help obscure how they're probably underreporting sales to the authors. Banks charge ludicrous interest rates on credit cards even though the main rate is down near zero, or jack up the rates they've "guaranteed" for no reason (I had the interest on a MasterCard doubled when it was taken over by B of A). Another bank promised me 20,000 points if I signed up with their Visa, so I did...and they refused to give them to me because I didn't check the right box, or something. And arguments went nowhere. So I use that card for business, only, and keep no balance on it. (Having it's part of the reason I've able to start paying that MasterCard down, so I'm willing to let this one pass.)
And don't get me started on the thieves on Wall Street who looted people's savings and investments. I'd long thought it was immoral to own stocks, but they proved to me it's also stupid, because you're trusting sociopaths with your money...hell, your life savings. We can see how that turned out, and our so-called system of justice has done damn near nothing about it, let alone the politicians who helped set this vile system up.
The devil has the world by the throat, and everybody acts like there's nothing you can do. Well the hell with that shit. I'm going after Holiday Inn. No fucking way they're stealing my money without a fight.
UPDATE: After my bitching all over the place, Holiday Inn agreed to honor the rate I'd been charged for on another night. Since I have to be in DC on the 27th, I agreed. While I'd have preferred a refund, I appreciate them doing that much, at least, so I'm not out the cost of the room. But it's still ridiculous I had to go through this to get it.
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