Heated Exchange Over a $250 Restaurant Cancellation Fee (hotel, buy)

[GeePee]

I long for the day that the words Celebrity and Chef are no longer associated.
Just make my food.

[bostongymjunkie]

Originally Posted by GeePee

I long for the day that the words Celebrity and Chef are no longer associated.
Just make my food.

I hear ya, but as long as a large chunk of the population remain entrenched in pop culture and celebrity worship, it won't change.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-a...y-williams-1c/

[Schuttzie]

Originally Posted by msRB311

Well maybe they should ask themselves why so many people were just blowing them off...I'm sure all restaurants have had people blow them off at one point or another...but if it's happening that much ask yourself why. $250 for a reservation you didn't show up to because you couldnt make it is a lot of money. Maybe they forgot.

There are a lot of restaurants out there but these days you do need a reservation in most cases. It's actually aggravating that it's nearly impossible to walk in anywhere these days without one. If I make a reservation to go out to eat, I'm there.

In this case, they didn't forget but ended up in the hospital. But maybe there are some that do forget.

Originally Posted by msRB311

The restaurant owners response was pretty nasty. Owning a restaurant isn't easy, even if your location is Hanover st, north end. A restaurant owner telling a customer they screwed over her and her staff is pretty classless. She went into the business, there will be disappointing customers at times who don't come through, but calling them pathetic is just poor form.

Every business owner is all about profit these days and her response speaks volumes of what it's all about. It isn't really about the customer, she also probably could care less about her staff...she's just mad that she lost money. The customer is right that empathy is gone.

Agreed!

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by sandsonik

I've been following this as well. There seems to be a disconnect where the owner thinks the patron has been reimbursed by travel insurance and is being dishonest by alsoo disputing the credit card charge, thus making out on the situation.

I'm not sure they're right. But I'm also not sure they really handled this via travel insurance or via a dispute to their cc.

I can't relate; if a restaurant is upfront (and they were) that a canceled reservation is going to cost me $250, I'm not even making that reservation.

Yeah, she's wrong. It just doesn't work that way. If he used his credit card's included travel insurance like he said he did, he would file a claim directly through the CC company. They wouldn't allow him to double dip by also disputing the charge. If he disputed the charge and the company approved the dispute, he couldn't then go ahead and file a travel insurance claim. It's one or the other, it cannot be both.

To your point, he could be completely making the "travel insurance" piece of it up. I said earlier that I find it bizarre that a CC company would issue a chargeback on a travel insurance claim. To me, that would be like if you crashed your car into a tree and your insurance company charged the car dealership back for the price of your vehicle in order to pay your claim. That's not how insurance works. They eat most of that cost and have structures in place to absorb those costs. The fact that the restaurant was charged the $250 by the CC company makes me think that he might have disputed the charge and is just saying it was a claim because that looks better. But If that's the case, I'm surprised his CC company would actually proceed with the chargeback. They don't do them lightly, and in his case, he put down his CC for a reservation that had a clear cancellation policy. It wasn't fraud and it wasn't a vendor that didn't honor their obligation.

Either way, the restaurant owner's primary beef should be with the credit card company rather than attacking the customer. She's right to be mad. But ultimately, the CC company is the one who made the decision to issue the chargeback.

[msRB311]

Originally Posted by Schuttzie

In this case, they didn't forget but ended up in the hospital. But maybe there are some that do forget.

i'd say ending up in the hospital (if it really happened) is a bigger reason than just forgetting.

I think this whole incident is just a sign of the times and how greedy people can be. Back in the day a no show for a reservation was never that big of a deal...now it comes with a $250 fine and angry email exchanges with a restaurant owner.

Will spas and hair salons start doing the same thing or maybe they already do?

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Either way, the restaurant owner's primary beef should be with the credit card company rather than attacking the customer. She's right to be mad. But ultimately, the CC company is the one who made the decision to issue the chargeback.

Faulty logic. The customer asked the CC company to do the chargeback.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by msRB311

i'd say ending up in the hospital (if it really happened) is a bigger reason than just forgetting.

I think this whole incident is just a sign of the times and how greedy people can be. Back in the day a no show for a reservation was never that big of a deal...now it comes with a $250 fine and angry email exchanges with a restaurant owner.

Will spas and hair salons start doing the same thing or maybe they already do?

I have cancelled many reservations with just a "thank you for letting us know"
Sounds like this is a place that thinks very highly of themselves.

[msRB311]

Originally Posted by GeePee

I have cancelled many reservations with just a "thank you for letting us know"
Sounds like this is a place that thinks very highly of themselves.

Exactly, plans change...a restaurant is supposed to be a fun social atmosphere, something fun to do in one's free time. No one should be called pathetic and get angry emails from the owner for not making it to a reservation. Everyone is obsessed with being rich these days though so I guess every damn penny/loss counts to them.

[redplum33]

The way I see it, this type of reservation is roughly the equivalent of buying a ticket to a game or a concert. If for whatever reason you can't attend the game or concert, you can't get your money back.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by redplum33

The way I see it, this type of reservation is roughly the equivalent of buying a ticket to a game or a concert. If for whatever reason you can't attend the game or concert, you can't get your money back.

But you can sell your seat to said concert. as restaurants usually do with cancelations.