First, the Days Inn's web page is very misleading. I was planning to go to Hilton Head Island for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I went to the Days Inn homepage. I found the hotel I wanted, and picked out the room and the days. Usually, hotels require a credit card to reserve a room and for late arrival. However, I have always had the ability to cancel a reservation. I travel a lot. Everything looked routine. So, I provided credit card information and contact information to reserve the room.
You are not told that the entire amount of the stay will be charged and that this is a nonrefundable and non-cancellable charge. I was under the impression that I had held the room and that I would be charged when I checked out. The Days Inn website is very deceptive about letting you know that they are charging you the full amount of your stay taxes included. That same day I happen to be paying bills through my bank account. I noticed a charge for $352.89. It showed Days Inn contact information beside the charge. I called the Days Inn reservation 800 number and asked to speak to a customer service rep. I explained to him that I just wanted to reserve the room and that the website didn't clearly explain that I would be charged the full amount and that the charge was non-refundable and non-cancellable. The customer service rep. Was extremely rude. He said there was nothing he could do. I told him that this was not right and that this was an unsavory business practice. Days Inn virtually tricks you into doing this type of reservation. Also, I stated that it should be stated upfront in big bold type what type of reservation you are making. He maintained his level of rudeness. I told him that I wanted to cancel the reservation. He refused. I explained that I would dispute the charge and asked to speak to a supervisor. I was disconnected.
I contacted my bank and they tried to dispute the charge. However, during the week of Christmas my bank reinitiated the charge. I was away for the holiday. December is an expensive month for most people with presents, etc. However, airfare, hotel, rental car, and activities were all paid for or included in my hotel package. It was next to the last day of my vacation. I had about $400 cash in my bank account, which would have lasted until my next pay period. There were some miscellaneous charges that you incur during traveling, for example; meals. However, there was more than enough in my account to cover the charges. Then the bank reinitiated this charge from Days Inn claiming that Days Inn would not cooperate. Because I incurred this additional charge, my account became overdrawn and I incurred additional overdraft fees totaling $68.
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