BITE ME!

WARNING: This post was written for the sole purpose of venting. Consider yourself warned!

I have worked my butt off this season preparing for our work Christmas party. Last year, the "MEN" of the business thought it would be nice of them to move the party to Provo, to accommodate the employees in Utah County. So I did. It was a nice party at the Provo Marriott. They served a yummy buffet, we learned the proper way to fold a napkin(I can teach you sometime!) and were even serenaded by a few of the employees, with songs such as "Walking Round In Womens Underwear" and "The Restroom Door Said Gentlemen." Then the company paid for all the employees to stay the night. It was a great time. Everyone agreed that we should do it again this year. When we got to the hotel this year, they required us to put our personal credit card number on file, just in case. You know, in case I spill my Martinellis Sparkling Grape Cider on the carpet, steal a bath robe or rent pornos. I did not see any harm in that. They said there would not be any charges on my card unless I accrued some incidentals on my bill. Fine, I get it. You don't trust me. Whatever.

I got to work this morning, after a nice and relaxing weekend at the Marriott to find out that I had overdrawn on my account, been charged transferring fees and had bills put on my "emergency" credit card that I have stashed/hidden in my home. Some of you who know me, mainly my husband, know that I am anal about my bills and my bank accounts. If you spend money and dont tell me, you are dead meat. If I pay for something, I call ahead and triple check my online bank statement to make sure I have enough to cover the charge. Yeah, anal is the right word. Immediately, I called my MIL who works at the credit union and together we tried to tackle the culprit. After a little research, she informed me that the Provo Marriott had placed a hold on my debit card. WHAT? I didnt steal anything. I did not damage anything. My husband and I even spent the dang night in seperate beds! WHY?
When Darrel and I go to Denver, we rent a car. We always pay with our debit card and we are always told that there will be a $150.00 hold on the card until we return the vehicle. We understand that. However, this time, since I spoke directly to the employee in charge of booking all the rooms in advance, I was personally told, we will not place anything on the cards unless they accrue some incidentals. They did not mention a hold, they did not disclose any sort of hidden charges. GRRRR! Now I have a mess to clean up that could have been avoided by a simple employee stating the simple phrase, "We will be placing a hold on this card until Monday." How hard is that?

Mark my words.....Next year, I will be taking my business to the Best Western.