8 ms·

In most hotels I've been to in more volatile parts of the world they just search bags on entry to the property - which would seem an easier and more thorough ap

by jarym 8y ago

In most hotels I've been to in more volatile parts of the world they just search bags on entry to the property - which would seem an easier and more thorough approach. If security are so concerned why aren't they doing that here? If hotel security forced their way into my room in any property I stay at at I'd be checking out immediately and would be doing a credit card charge back on any charges.

unixhero 8y ago
I would also have done that, but I don't see how. How do you perform a credit card charge back yourself?
- nickthemagicman 8y ago
  I think he means he would call the credit card company and get them to refund the charges.
- jarym 8y ago
  as @nickthemagicman says - except (at least in Europe) you have to write to the merchant (hotel) asking them to refund all charges and explain why. If they refuse or don't reply you call your credit card company and tell them you dispute the charges; they usually immediately refund you and take it up with the hotel.
  - viraptor 8y ago
    This should probably say "some parts of Europe", or a specific country. At least in the UK, the reversal can be initiated with a single call to the bank. They contact the merchant then and give you the money back immediately. In good banks it actually works with both credit and debit cards.
- joekrill 8y ago
  Almost all credit card companies in the US allow you to dispute charges. Some even allow you to do it online. Typically it's then up to the merchant to prove the charges are legitimate. And from what I've heard that's very difficult sometimes. Most larger companies simply eat the cost. And it's a significant problem for small businesses as some folks use this to cheat the system and get free things.
philip1209 8y ago
Many international hotels outside the USA search bags on entry. I just went to such a hotel in Africa, and they required the valet to bring bags to the room. I'm assuming they x-rayed the bags behind closed doors to keep it discrete. Perhaps this approach would be more tolerable in the states. (We still had to go through a metal detector on the way in)
- LyndsySimon 8y ago
  Why? It's not illegal or even against policy in many parts of the US to bring in all sorts of dangerous things. For instance - while moving from Arkansas to Virginia in 2013, I had a rifle with me in the U-Haul, and didn't want to leave it in the vehicle for it to be stolen. I just slung it barrel-down over my shoulder and carried it with all of my family's bags to the room, right past the front desk. It was a folding AK variant, which I chose for the trip because it was easy to keep accessible behind the seats' headrests, so if they were going to have an issue with a rifle that would probably be the one. Not only is this sort of thing fairly typical in many places, in some (most?) states a hotel room is considered a domicile, and it's illegal to ban firearms as a condition of renting the room.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]

by jarym 8y ago

unixhero 8y ago

I would also have done that, but I don't see how. How do you perform a credit card charge back yourself?

nickthemagicman 8y ago
I think he means he would call the credit card company and get them to refund the charges.
jarym 8y ago
as @nickthemagicman says - except (at least in Europe) you have to write to the merchant (hotel) asking them to refund all charges and explain why. If they refuse or don't reply you call your credit card company and tell them you dispute the charges; they usually immediately refund you and take it up with the hotel.
- viraptor 8y ago
  This should probably say "some parts of Europe", or a specific country. At least in the UK, the reversal can be initiated with a single call to the bank. They contact the merchant then and give you the money back immediately. In good banks it actually works with both credit and debit cards.
joekrill 8y ago
Almost all credit card companies in the US allow you to dispute charges. Some even allow you to do it online. Typically it's then up to the merchant to prove the charges are legitimate. And from what I've heard that's very difficult sometimes. Most larger companies simply eat the cost. And it's a significant problem for small businesses as some folks use this to cheat the system and get free things.

philip1209 8y ago

Many international hotels outside the USA search bags on entry. I just went to such a hotel in Africa, and they required the valet to bring bags to the room. I'm assuming they x-rayed the bags behind closed doors to keep it discrete. Perhaps this approach would be more tolerable in the states. (We still had to go through a metal detector on the way in)

LyndsySimon 8y ago
Why? It's not illegal or even against policy in many parts of the US to bring in all sorts of dangerous things. For instance - while moving from Arkansas to Virginia in 2013, I had a rifle with me in the U-Haul, and didn't want to leave it in the vehicle for it to be stolen. I just slung it barrel-down over my shoulder and carried it with all of my family's bags to the room, right past the front desk. It was a folding AK variant, which I chose for the trip because it was easy to keep accessible behind the seats' headrests, so if they were going to have an issue with a rifle that would probably be the one. Not only is this sort of thing fairly typical in many places, in some (most?) states a hotel room is considered a domicile, and it's illegal to ban firearms as a condition of renting the room.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]