Question: I booked a hotel room at the Hampton Inn Atlanta-Buckhead in Atlanta earlier this year. I paid a special online rate of $96 for one night. A few days later, I discovered that I had been charged for the room again.
This caused my account to be overdrawn and I incurred a $35 overdraft fee. I called the hotel immediately and was told they would investigate and that I would receive a call back later that day. I received no such call, so I tried to call the hotel several times but could reach no one.
I called the Hilton VIP hotline, since I am an HHonors Diamond VIP member, and they said they spoke to the manager at the local hotel and they are working on it. They told me I would be contacted. I was not.
I wrote to Hampton Inn and Hilton through its website. In the meantime, another purchase I had made before finding out about this charge posted, so I incurred yet another $35 overdraft fee. I finally received an email from Hilton three months after my stay, promising a refund. It never came. Can you help me? — Alia Naffouj, Martinez, Ga.
Answer: Hampton Inn should have refunded the extra $96, plus the overdraft fees you incurred because of its error. I’m astounded the company — Hampton is part of the Hilton family of hotels — would do this to one of its best customers. What were they thinking?