Direct Marketing Fee.....NF

[lew]

As mentioned in another thread I've been staying in an Oshawa hotel while my wife undergoes surgery and I'm checking out today so they slipped my bill under the door thru the night.

 

Looking at the itemized bill I see 3 charges for $2.83, one for each night I've been here, for a total of $8.49 for something called Direct Marketing Fee.

 

I don't stay in hotels too often and have never seen it before so I went to the front desk to inquire and was told it's a fee some hotel chains charge and they use the $$$$ to promote tourism.

 

I told the front desk clerk I agreed on a price when I booked the room a few weeks ago and this wasn't included and I had no intention of paying it so it was removed from my bill.

 

I'm far from cheap and certainly not a trouble maker but it sure pi$$es me off when companies try and slip something thru to get money that I haven't agreed on.

 

It's only $8.49 per room but it must be a huge amount of money collected if everyone lets it go.

 

Anyhoo, that's my little mini rant for a Thursday morning and my apologies for wasting your time.

[Fisherman]

Not wasting our time at all Lew, you're making more of us aware of the scamming going on out there. I ran into something similar a while back at a restaurant, after threatening to call Police for fraud, the charge quickly disappeared.

[DanD]

I know what you mean Lew and it is a piss off.

I run an auto repair shop and for some things I have to sub out a car to complete the work. I took one out for an alignment that I couldn't do here. When I went to pick up the customers car; the guy had a environmental charge of $4.00 on my invoice. What's this for I asked; oh that's for the disposal of the old parts and materials used. Yea right pal you did an alignment on a vehicle that there were no materials used. That was the last job they ever did for me.

I don't charge customers a environmental charge; I'm already making my money from the labour and the mark up on the parts. It's just a scam that a lot of places are using and it's an easy thing to get away with; because it's the green thing to do????

 

Dan.

[bigbuck]

Sure they removed it without question. Sales tax is understood, extra fees....not so much. if they let you know from the get go, different story. Just another way to nickel and dime unsuspecting people. To boot, do you need Bull like this right abouut now?? Anyways, I hope Diane gets well soon.

[John]

Hi Lew, a lot of gift stores, restaurants, hotels etc., particularly in tourist areas try to charge those fees. It is a way that they improve their bottom line and is in no way a legitimate charge. I have been hit with it a number of times, particularly in areas like Niagara and told the establishment to remove the charge. I do not go back!

[TennesseeGuy]

Some mutual funds charge a 12b1 fee. Same thing and over the long haul could really add up to a huge loss for an investor.

 

Not all fund families charge a 12b1 fee.

[manjo39]

Thanks for the heads up Lew. Now if we can only do something about the bogus car dealership add-on fees.

[ketchenany]

Lew it look to me they a funding their advertising budget!

I Insert a lot of ads in my toursim magazine and at NO TIME do I see them promoting tourism!

They are promoting themselves.

The magazine that I do promotes tourism.

Good catch!

[Rod Caster]

I bet they charged you tax on that marketing charge

[Jon]

More details on fees in Niagara Falls:

 

http://canuckscribe.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/tourist-fees-charged-in-niagara-falls-are-voluntary-but-they-wont-tell-you/

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/niagara-falls-tourist-fees-collected-with-little-oversight-1.1226724

 

I hope they took it off your bill.

 

Jon

[craigdritchie]

I used to do 70 - 80 nights a year in various hotels while traveling for work. Always check the bill, and don't be afraid to question anything that isn't exactly right.

[motv8tr]

Huh, good to know. I don't stay in hotels very often, but will now do a double check on the bill if I do,

Thanks for the heads up Lew

 

Maureen

[Rich Clemens]

I had heard of this a little while back regarding this charge - that places can charge this to promote tourism. Fortunately, I haven't stayed in any place to get charged this fee. They are to remove it if requested. Wonder how many people just pay the bill without knowing what all the charges are really for.

[Big Cliff]

Good catch Lew, thanks for the heads up!

[Mister G]

Many many hotels now in the US have what they call "Resort Fees"......you book Hotel X for say $100 per night then add in taxes and it might be $112 total that you agree when you made the reservation via the Internet with either a third party like Travelocity or directly with the hotel. Then when you arrive you are notified that Hotel X has a DAILY $25 resort fee plus tax that allows you to use the wireless internet, use of the weight room and maybe a free USA paper. NO negotiating on this fee whatsoever. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ! ! !

[John Bacon]

I had heard of this a little while back regarding this charge - that places can charge this to promote tourism. Fortunately, I haven't stayed in any place to get charged this fee. They are to remove it if requested. Wonder how many people just pay the bill without knowing what all the charges are really for.

 

I wonder what kind of enforcement is in place to ensure that the fees collected are used to promote tourism.

 

Companies can be audited for sales taxes, etc.; so there is a reasonable assurance that the taxes you pay are actually remitted to the government. I doubt that there is a similar enforcement for these fees. If a hotel as to collect the fee and not use it to promote tourism, then I would consider that to be fraud.

[kickingfrog]

Waiting for the airline style pricing for hotel rooms.

 

Bed fee: $ 4.95

Doorknob for bathroom charge: $2.99... or $9.99 if you've had a lot to drink

Lock on the door surcharge: $7.77

Air: $1.99

 

Getting screwed to sleep in a lousy bed: Priceless

[Freshtrax]

Travellodge Belleville just stole a dollar .99$ from me this morning with this crap. Didn't realize till Just

now. Not impressed. They call it a tourism levy

Edited November 10, 2014 by Freshtrax

[Mike Pike]

Thanks for the heads-up, Lew. Nasty little bit of gouging there. I'll keep a better eye on my bills in future.

[manitoubass2]

Waiting for the airline style pricing for hotel rooms.

 

Bed fee: $ 4.95

Doorknob for bathroom charge: $2.99... or $9.99 if you've had a lot to drink

Lock on the door surcharge: $7.77

Air: $1.99

 

Getting screwed to sleep in a lousy bed: Priceless

So true its sad.

[kickingfrog]

One more thing to watch out for in your itemized hotel bill:

 

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-buzz/british-couple-fined-for-giving-hotel-bad-review-on-173327314.html

 

A British couple had an additional charge billed to their credit card that the hotel said was policy for bad reviews. The room was $64 for one night and the extra fee was for $177.

 

Not sure how accurate/fair the review was but this will not likely end well for the hotel.

[Rod Caster]

Just had a 3% direct marketing fees at the days inn in Ottawa. I told Them I would not pay the fee as it's not a tax and it's voluntary. They refused to remove it. The GM had to come out and explained to me that in the fine print I agreed to pay for "... HST and all other applicable fees". I said so, if you add a sunshine fee or random jerk fee, I have choice but to pay it? He said , you had a choice not to book here.

 

Lousy hotel and creepy GM. Pissed me right off. I'll be looking into this further to see if this is indeed and mandatory or if is lying to me. I'll be reporting to the BBB and other agencies if I got screwed.

[lew]

When it happened to me in Oshawa in November and I told them I wouldn't pay the fee, the clerk said it was strictly voluntary and in no way was I obligated to let them rip me off and the fee was withdrawn from my bill.

[G.mech]

Just had a 3% direct marketing fees at the days inn in Ottawa. I told Them I would not pay the fee as it's not a tax and it's voluntary. They refused to remove it. The GM had to come out and explained to me that in the fine print I agreed to pay for "... HST and all other applicable fees". I said so, if you add a sunshine fee or random jerk fee, I have choice but to pay it? He said , you had a choice not to book here.

 

Lousy hotel and creepy GM. Pissed me right off. I'll be looking into this further to see if this is indeed and mandatory or if is lying to me. I'll be reporting to the BBB and other agencies if I got screwed.

 

Forward him a link to this thread and when he sees how many people are reading about it he may re-think the fees....

[John]

Just had a 3% direct marketing fees at the days inn in Ottawa. I told Them I would not pay the fee as it's not a tax and it's voluntary. They refused to remove it. The GM had to come out and explained to me that in the fine print I agreed to pay for "... HST and all other applicable fees". I said so, if you add a sunshine fee or random jerk fee, I have choice but to pay it? He said , you had a choice not to book here.

 

Lousy hotel and creepy GM. Pissed me right off. I'll be looking into this further to see if this is indeed and mandatory or if is lying to me. I'll be reporting to the BBB and other agencies if I got screwed.

Which Ottawa Days Inn was it?