5 ms·

While we're at it, might as well complain about hotel "resort fees," which I feel are far more predatory since they are NOT included in the reservation rate you

While we're at it, might as well complain about hotel "resort fees," which I feel are far more predatory since they are NOT included in the reservation rate you pay online, and are often difficult to find prior to showing up at the hotel. Plus they usually cover things that used to be no-brainers like use of the fitness center and daily newspaper. I'm surprised the online reservation sites and the host cities haven't fought back against this practice. Booking a $75 room with a $30 resort fee robs the booking site of nearly a third of its commission, and the city of the same proportion of the hotel taxes. (the sales tax charged on the resort fee is not the same as the hotel occupancy taxes charged on the room rate.)

mercyandgrace 8y ago
I was at a bar on the Las Vegas strip not too long ago, and even they had some form of 'resort fee/tax'. I was really taken aback. I'm not sure the legal ramifications but I should have refused to pay.
- russtypinn 8y ago
  Was a band playing? That might have been the live entertainment tax. As a Vegas resident I thank you for helping to pave my roads. /s https://tax.nv.gov/FAQs/Live_Entertainment_Tax___FAQ%E2%80%99s/ https://tax.nv.gov/FAQs/Live_Entertainment_Tax___FAQ%E2%80%9...
  - listenallyall 8y ago
    Decent roads, horrible schools: https://www.rgj.com/story/news/education/2018/01/17/nevadas-education-system-again-ranks-worst-nation/1037619001/ https://www.rgj.com/story/news/education/2018/01/17/nevadas-...
    - cbluth 8y ago
      Have you been through Vegas recently? Even the roads are horrible, but I thought it was just because of the weather.
  - kchoudhu 8y ago
    You mean our baseball stadium. And definitely not our schools.
- listenallyall 8y ago
  Most likely a "concession fee." Lively discussion here: https://vitalvegas.com/beware-the-deceptive-cnf-charge-at-beer-park-hexx-kitchen-at-paris-las-vegas/ https://vitalvegas.com/beware-the-deceptive-cnf-charge-at-be...
  - mercyandgrace 8y ago
    Funny enough, I was at Beer Park. Needless to say I will not be going back.
  - CogitoCogito 8y ago
    That discussion expectedly devolves quickly into whether or not it is okay to deduct the fee from the tip. I would normally be on the server's side, but in this case the server could have avoided the confusion by simply telling the patron about the fee from the beginning. Had he/she done that from the get-go, then deducting the fee from the tip would be ridiculous (in fact not paying it at all would be ridiculous, since the patron would have been aware of it from the beginning). But if the server doesn't do that, that I honestly have little sympathy if the tip were to take the hit. That said of course the first step should be to raise hell to management right there on the floor so that all other patrons hear as well. And the maybe the 0th step should be to not support establishments such as these (though that won't save you the first time if you don't know about these shenanigans).
reustle 8y ago
On a somewhat similar note, hostels in Scandinavia (at least Norway and Sweden) generally always charge for pillowcase & sheet rental (a few euros), which are mandatory. They also don't allow any external sheets or sleeping bags for hygiene reasons.
- tallanvor 8y ago
  I've never experienced that at any hotel in Norway or Sweden. That sounds more like a charge you would expect in a hostel.
  - reustle 8y ago
    > That sounds more like a charge you would expect in a hostel. I've stayed in hostels in >25 countries and have never had to pay for bed sheets besides there
    - Angostura 8y ago
      You do in Youth Hostels in Belgium, certainly.
    - SOLAR_FIELDS 8y ago
      I have had to do it in Belgium as well, so I am not quite sure it’s entirely limited to Scandinavia. I have also stayed in hostels in several countries and only had to pay once though so can at least offer that it is pretty rare in non-Scandinavian countries.
- croisillon 8y ago
  I remember drying after shower with my bedsheet in a hostel in Portugal where I would have had to pay for a towel, those were the times!
AnimalMuppet 8y ago
My personal gripe is banks' "inactive account fee". Is my account being inactive costing them any money? Well, no, it's not costing them any more money. It might mean that they don't have opportunity to charge other fees, but what it really seems to be is "if you're not paying attention to this account, we'll start charging you this fee because you won't notice".
- jtokoph 8y ago
  I think it’s the banks way of taking some of the money before it’s legally taken by the state. In many if not all states, if a bank account is inactive for 3-5 years, the state considers it “lost” and takes the money until it’s claimed in the future. So the bank will try to drain as much as possible for themselves before that happens.
- Terretta 8y ago
  It costs money. Your transactions are tip of the iceberg compared to the mass of regulatory requirements banks have to fulfill for each customer. You can learn about some of that by Googling down the “KYC” (“know your customer”) rabbit hole. Banks make money on putting deposits to work and on transactions. To cover costs of having to maintain regulatory compliance regarding account holders, there’s a minimum amount of deposits needed before interest off putting parked money to work pays enough, or minimum number of transactions before transaction fees pay enough. So, you get minimum deposits requirements, or inactive account fees.

mercyandgrace 8y ago

I was at a bar on the Las Vegas strip not too long ago, and even they had some form of 'resort fee/tax'. I was really taken aback. I'm not sure the legal ramifications but I should have refused to pay.

russtypinn 8y ago
Was a band playing? That might have been the live entertainment tax. As a Vegas resident I thank you for helping to pave my roads. /s https://tax.nv.gov/FAQs/Live_Entertainment_Tax___FAQ%E2%80%99s/ https://tax.nv.gov/FAQs/Live_Entertainment_Tax___FAQ%E2%80%9...
- listenallyall 8y ago
  Decent roads, horrible schools: https://www.rgj.com/story/news/education/2018/01/17/nevadas-education-system-again-ranks-worst-nation/1037619001/ https://www.rgj.com/story/news/education/2018/01/17/nevadas-...
  - cbluth 8y ago
    Have you been through Vegas recently? Even the roads are horrible, but I thought it was just because of the weather.
- kchoudhu 8y ago
  You mean our baseball stadium. And definitely not our schools.
listenallyall 8y ago
Most likely a "concession fee." Lively discussion here: https://vitalvegas.com/beware-the-deceptive-cnf-charge-at-beer-park-hexx-kitchen-at-paris-las-vegas/ https://vitalvegas.com/beware-the-deceptive-cnf-charge-at-be...
- mercyandgrace 8y ago
  Funny enough, I was at Beer Park. Needless to say I will not be going back.
- CogitoCogito 8y ago
  That discussion expectedly devolves quickly into whether or not it is okay to deduct the fee from the tip. I would normally be on the server's side, but in this case the server could have avoided the confusion by simply telling the patron about the fee from the beginning. Had he/she done that from the get-go, then deducting the fee from the tip would be ridiculous (in fact not paying it at all would be ridiculous, since the patron would have been aware of it from the beginning). But if the server doesn't do that, that I honestly have little sympathy if the tip were to take the hit. That said of course the first step should be to raise hell to management right there on the floor so that all other patrons hear as well. And the maybe the 0th step should be to not support establishments such as these (though that won't save you the first time if you don't know about these shenanigans).

reustle 8y ago

On a somewhat similar note, hostels in Scandinavia (at least Norway and Sweden) generally always charge for pillowcase & sheet rental (a few euros), which are mandatory. They also don't allow any external sheets or sleeping bags for hygiene reasons.

tallanvor 8y ago
I've never experienced that at any hotel in Norway or Sweden. That sounds more like a charge you would expect in a hostel.
- reustle 8y ago
  > That sounds more like a charge you would expect in a hostel. I've stayed in hostels in >25 countries and have never had to pay for bed sheets besides there
  - Angostura 8y ago
    You do in Youth Hostels in Belgium, certainly.
  - SOLAR_FIELDS 8y ago
    I have had to do it in Belgium as well, so I am not quite sure it’s entirely limited to Scandinavia. I have also stayed in hostels in several countries and only had to pay once though so can at least offer that it is pretty rare in non-Scandinavian countries.
croisillon 8y ago
I remember drying after shower with my bedsheet in a hostel in Portugal where I would have had to pay for a towel, those were the times!

AnimalMuppet 8y ago

My personal gripe is banks' "inactive account fee". Is my account being inactive costing them any money? Well, no, it's not costing them any more money. It might mean that they don't have opportunity to charge other fees, but what it really seems to be is "if you're not paying attention to this account, we'll start charging you this fee because you won't notice".

jtokoph 8y ago
I think it’s the banks way of taking some of the money before it’s legally taken by the state. In many if not all states, if a bank account is inactive for 3-5 years, the state considers it “lost” and takes the money until it’s claimed in the future. So the bank will try to drain as much as possible for themselves before that happens.
Terretta 8y ago
It costs money. Your transactions are tip of the iceberg compared to the mass of regulatory requirements banks have to fulfill for each customer. You can learn about some of that by Googling down the “KYC” (“know your customer”) rabbit hole. Banks make money on putting deposits to work and on transactions. To cover costs of having to maintain regulatory compliance regarding account holders, there’s a minimum amount of deposits needed before interest off putting parked money to work pays enough, or minimum number of transactions before transaction fees pay enough. So, you get minimum deposits requirements, or inactive account fees.