Overdraft charges - who's at fault?

[Dan_Brown]

Scenario is:

Tasked overseas on lonesome and staying in hotel - not a usual place we visit. Travel Cell/HRG try to book hotel but get back in touch with Dan and say that the hotel is requiring a personal debit/credit card to guarantee the room, would you mind using your card? Dan asks "what about using your GPC?" Reply, "it isn't for that".

Email trail is forwarded to me from travel people and the hotel - in the email the travel people specifically request to the hotel that the card will only be used to guarantee the room, to which the hotel replies yes.

My options are: a. Say no and let them deal with an alternative funding solution. b. Say yes and book the hotel (bit of a fastball and flights etc still need to be booked). I didn't mind and so booked the hotel using my card dealing with the same person in the emails at the hotel.

I take from my account an amount to cover the hotel costs and spends and get it converted into the country currency and off on task i go.

After the task i go to check out and hand over a wad of cash only to be told the room has been fully paid for on my card (£500+). I ask for the card to be refunded, too late. So i am sat with £500 of another countries currency and £500 taken from my account to pay for the room which i wasn't expecting. Which has pushed me into an unauthorised overdraft and £50 worth of charges - bah!

I spoke with PSF who have told me, my card, my problem - speak with the hotel.

That is a valid point and i have sent off a snotty to the hotel with all the evidence from them (emails).

However, what if the hotel don't play ball? It isn't their fault i didn't have enough cash (although it's their fault they charged my card when they said they wouldn't!)

But, what has narked me is that i was asked by the RAF to use my card and when it has gone pear shaped they have circled the wagons and "your card, your problem".

I still don't mind going that extra mile to get the job done, but this has pee'd me off a little - also, i am in the fortunate position that i didn't need an advance of pay etc, what if this was a junior, or someone else who this could have caused financial hardship for?

Or should i just mtfu and dry my eyes?

 

[vim_fuego]

Never use your own card for company business. Going the extra mile gets you a 'your card your problem' comment back and nothing else. If you have the proof that someone in the mob told you the card was just for a guarantee and that was the info you acted upon I would ask them how they are going to fix this and if they don't then put in a service complaint against them as armed with the evidence it should be an easy win. I doubt the hotel will Care...they are out to make money end of although it's worth a try...

 

[muttywhitedog]

You should be able to claim the cost of the difference in exchanging the currency back and forth if it differed from the FFR, on the grounds that there was no service provided currency exchange. You claim it back on JPA.

Eg. If you bought 500 Euros from Thomas Cook at 1.35 it would cost you £370.37, whereas the FFR is 1.40 (£357.14), then you could claim the difference (£13.20) back. Similarly, when you change it back and the exchange rate is 1.55, you'd get back £322.58 and you'd claim back the difference (£34.56).

 

[Dan_Brown]

Cheers Mutty, yes i have been doing that with past trips and fortunately i can use the remaining currecny as i will be back out there shortly.

But what about the bank charges? Should i have said no to using my card?

'your card, your problem' comment got my goat, it just means i will say no in future and advise others to do the same.

 

[muttywhitedog]

PSF's stance would probably be based on the grounds that you could have taken an advance of subsistence through JPA.

I would suggest that its the hotel's fault, particularly if you have correspondence from them confirming they wouldnt debit your card - personally, I'd be chasing them for a goodwill gesture on top of the £50 bank charges (free night?). At the end of the day if they are on the "approved" MOD list and they get blacklisted, it would cost them a damn sight more than the £50 they should refund you!

 

[Witty_Banter]

If you have an email trail stating that the card would only be used to guarantee and would not be charged, then you have grounds for a service complaint (not that I think it would get very far). Give yourself a wrap on the knuckles for being too keen - admin should have either sorted it or used a different hotel, you shouldn't have been asked to use your own card - what's the point in a hotel booking service if you have to book it on your own card? You could just book it yourself! (at least then you'd know it had been done properly...). I know that the norm is to pay for the room yourself and to claim it back (which is stupid if you ask me - what the hell is the GPC for then???) but all booking should be completed through the system, and there shouldn't be a requirement for you to get involved until it comes to paying at the desk.

- the caveat to this though, is if you made a specific hotel request (eg I want the Four Seasons in Limassol, nothing else is good enough!). In which case, they've probably bent the rules to accomodate you, so the only response from higher up would be 'dry your eyes, princess'.

 

[Spearmint]

Nobody....absolutely nobody should be out of pocket in their service to the Queen.

In future, tell them to go and ram it and give you a GPC.

 

[Digzster]

Nobody....absolutely nobody should be out of pocket in their service to the Queen.

In future, tell them to go and ram it and give you a GPC.

Totally agree with this. Years ago I moved into a section as SNCO ic that traveled a lot for their tasks. A mix of Service and CC's. I was shocked to find that some people were owed 3K+ in back claims!

It was at this point I walked into my boss's office and told him that:-

1. No more tasks on the road until all claims owing to the guys had been paid and,

2. Get GPC's to cover travel and accommodation costs.

All it needed was the balls to shout out loud and sort the paperwork, tedious I know, but we got them issued PDQ.

I tried to also get their external on task meals covered on the GPC (via receipts), but finance refused to budge on that one.