Unfiltered Story #174597

(It’s a fairly slow night after a very busy weekend. The only thing really busy are the phones, mostly from people who have checked out the night previous and have some issue to resolve. Then this call pops up)
Me: Thank you for calling [Hotel], this is [Name] speaking, how can I help you?
Guest: Yeah… I checked out of your hotel yesterday, and I think I was double charged.
Me: Oh! Well let me pull up your reservation…
(The reservation in question was a two night stay)
Me: What is the amount you’re seeing charged to your card?
Guest: It is [Amount], but then I have this second receipt for [Lower Amount].
Me: Hm. Well I see that we charged you for [Amount] but I have no record of [Lower amount] being charged…
Guest: Well I have one receipt here that I got on Thursday for [Lower Amount], and then when they checked me out on Friday I got a receipt for [Higher Amount].
Me: *starting to catch on* Oh…. sir, are you seeing the charge for [Lower Amount] on your credit card statement?
Guest: I’m just looking at these receipts.
Me: Let me see… *adding up room and tax for his first night only on a calculator* Yes, that’s what I thought. [Lower Amount] is the price for just the first night of your stay, and [Amount] is for both days. If you look at the receipt for [Lower Amount] you’ll see it wasn’t actually charged, it was just the total at that point of your stay.
Guest: But it says that it would be settled to my card.
Me: And it was – as part of [Amount]. You were only charged [Amount] for your stay.
Guest: But it says I’ll be charged [Lower Amount].
Me: … you were. As part of [Amount]. *doesn’t know how to word this any more simply*
Guest: But I have a receipt for [Lower Amount].
Me: Yes, that was an earlier receipt for your total at that point in your stay and was not charged yet. Not until you checked out, when both nights were charged at once for a total of [Amount].
Guest: *clearly unconvinced* … well, I’ll have to keep an eye on it just in case.
Me: You do that, sir.