Mischarged? Stand your ground!

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Mistakes happen, and we’ve all been on both sides of errors. So, if you find that a hotel has overcharged you – or charged you for services you didn’t consume – keep a cool head. If you remain pleasant and reasonable, the situation can generally be fixed pretty quickly. On rare occasions, however, you’ll meet with a bit of resistance.

As Christopher Elliott wrote on CNN.com, the hotels have a lot at stake in not reversing the charges associated with in-room entertainment. Since it splits the revenue with a third party (such as LodgeNet), the hotel is on the hook for up to half the fee, even if the charge was erroneous. In the case that Elliott presents, the front desk staff offered to cut the charge in half.

Do not let a hotel push this alternative on you.

A charge that is not yours is a charge you should not pay. Stand your ground. Ask to speak to increasingly higher ranking personnel at the hotel. Eventually, it is more expensive for them to talk to you than it is to swallow the charge. If you have to dash out to the airport, register your objection in writing.

If you still have not been able to settle the problem, take your complaint public. Visit the many travel review sites (such as Trip Advisor) and explain your situation. Many hotels do read these reviews and reply to customer complaints there. Take action, and they will have to, as well.

[Via CNN]

Yet another bad -cation

by Tom Johansmeyer on

“Staycation” was shoved into our lexicons over the summer, as gas prices spiked and credit was squeezed. Now, with the cost of fuel well off its highest levels, the staycation has given way to yet a new flavor of the non-vacation variatoin: the “naycation”. I still don’t know why CNN can’t just say: “The economy sucks, and nobody can afford to drop big cash on a trip. Or, if they can, they’re too petrified to do so, because … well … the economy sucks.” Instead, they are a bit more helpful, offering nine reasons why travel is likely to be down in 2009.

Highlights:

  1. The “economy stinks” (CNN lacks my edge)
  2. Staycations were boring
  3. The deals weren’t good enough
  4. We’re looking ahead to 2010

Now, there are a few others, such as “we’re tired of being lied to.” The big one here is the price of jet fuel, which has dropped from more than $140 a barrel in August to below $50 in November. C’mon guys, why are you still spanking us with surcharges?

Even with all these other reasons, it all comes back to a precarious economy in 2009. Remember that the major layoffs of 2008, in many cases, won’t be felt until 2009, as severance packages run their courses. People with jobs are petrified, and would rather stick a few thousand dollars in the bank than in the pocket of a European hotelier.

[Via Christopher Elliott (not the one who played Cabin Boy) on CNN.com]

Canadian gondola crash

by Annie Scott on

It’s that nightmare you have every time you ride a gondola. Not the one where your car falls, but the one where the tower goes down and all of the cars fall.

Yesterday at Whistler Blackcomb Resort, 177 km north of Vancouver, tragedy struck when a support tower for their gondola system snapped in half. Falling gondola cars hit a bus stop and a house, and another was suspended over an icy creek.

The good news is that all 53 passengers were successfully rescued, and while 5 required medical attention, no major injuries were reported.

Check out the story here on CNN for video footage.

Politics in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky: Last day to vote for a jackass for mayor–literally

by Jamie Rhein on

Residents of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, even people who don’t live there can vote for mayor. Following the tradition of the U.S. presidential elections, today is the last day to vote. The candidates are like no others. Up until this year, all mayoral candidates have been dogs, but the canines have competition. These days, the effort to vote in a town mayor have heated up. Travis the cat is a fierce competitor, the first time a feline has been in the race.

Then there is Higgins, the miniature donkey that is also a contender, although people can’t help resist making connections between politics and a jackass. I don’t know if that will hurt or help his chances. As of October 30, he was in 3rd place with Travis in 5th.

You can vote more than once, by clicking here. A vote costs a dollar and all proceeds go towards the Rabbit Hash Historical Society–a worthy cause, let me tell you.

Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, about 30 minutes from Cincinnati, is one of those American oddball kind of treasures on the banks of the Ohio River. The Rabbit Hash General Store has been around since 1831 and doesn’t look much different than it did then, although the goods have been updated.

The town got its name from a joke by one of the town’s people after a flood one year. All that seemed to be left to eat were rabbits and he quipped there would be no shortage of rabbit hash. Rabbit Hash. Get it?

As a bonus, when you visit here, if you follow Kentucky SR 58, guess where you’ll end up? Big Bone Lick, the place Meg recently wrote about in this post.

**I heard about this story on CBS Sunday Morning Show and had to watch. I’ve been to Rabbit Hash a few times. If you do go here, check out the Bybee Pottery if there is any in stock. It’s Kentucky pottery perfection, in my opinion.

Here is a clip about the election that was on CNN.

Names that don’t travel well

by Iva Skoch on

Whenever I am in a Spanish speaking country, I feel really special. Every time, I get a check, it says “IVA incluido.” That alone isn’t bad news for me, but since everyone else is getting checks with “IVA included,” it makes me feel, you know, a little cheap.

IVA is the Spanish equivalent for the VAT, so I find my name everywhere: from checks to car showrooms. I guess, it is not as bad as running for President with a name like Barack Hussein Obama, but CNN reports that crazy names are totally common for Indian politicians.

Here are a few of the people competing for legislative seats in India: Frankenstein Momin, Billy Kid Sangma, Britainwar Dan, Admiral Sangma, Bombersingh Hynniewta, Laborious Manik Syiem, Hilarius Pohchen, Boldness Nongrum, Clever Marak and Adolf Lu Hitler Marak.

Hitler must be a popular name in Mumbai. The restaurant “Hitler Cross” was forced to change its name, however, after Mumbai’s Jewish community protested.