When you stay at a hotel and the service isn’t up to par, you expect to be able to discuss it with someone. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Staff will occasionally claim that there is nothing they can do to prevent refunding your money or giving you a room in another part of the hotel. This means you can’t stay where you are, but you also don’t have much room to go. If this has happened to you, you are not alone, but you are not powerless. Learn what to do if the hotel refuses to refund your money and avoid being stuck with an exorbitant hotel bill you didn’t intend to pay!
If you are denied a refund, you may be able to sue for that cost. The Fair Credit Billing Act (FTC) of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides some protection for consumers who have been denied refunds for services they have not utilized or have never consented to acquire. If the hotel has violated the FTC Act, then you can file a lawsuit against them. The first step is to determine whether you have a case. If the hotel refuses to refund your money because you cancelled too late, you may be out of luck. If, on the other hand, the hotel refuses to reimburse your money for any other reason, they may be held accountable for your losses. Hotels can be held liable in three ways for failing to repay clients’ money: breach of contract, quantum meruit, and conversion. To win one of these cases, you must demonstrate that the hotel owes you money or property based on an agreement or promise.
The initial step should be to acquire all of your documents. The initial confirmation email, any emails you exchanged with the hotel, the phone conversation tape (if available), and any printed communication from the hotel are all included. After gathering all of your possessions, draft a letter requesting a full refund due to the events of your stay. Demand letters are a way of formally requesting something from the person or business that owes you money. The letter is frequently written and will include the amount owing, the reason for the debt, the amount of time they have to pay, and what will happen if they do not comply.
If the demand letter does not address your situation, you should consider hiring an attorney. When someone owes you money, you have several legal options. Before taking any action, you should counsel with an attorney who is competent in this area. It is recommended that you should not sign any agreement that offers less than what you believe you are owed. Finally, most businesses only provide refunds under specified circumstances, so it’s critical to read the terms of service before making a purchase.