$190 housekeeping charge

[ThePicketts]

Targeted??? Oh come on... The pillow is missing. Either the guest took it, or someone left the door open and someone else took it as a souvenir. Or it fell behind the bed and stupid housekeeping flagged it as missing.

But that they targeted because she has a 14 yr old??? That's pushing it...

I agree

 

[lbgraves]

I seriously doubt that a room check would work. Things are crazy enough that last morning. That would be one more thing those poor hosts have to get done in a very short amount of time. How would they do it? Knock on your door before early seating for those who have that breakfast?

 

[Justacruiser]

As some of the dis boarders have said..... why wasn't I charged the $190 fee for the pillow since I am the DVC member and made the reservation. That's the only reason why I had the thought of the 14yr old being flagged.

All of the adults in the room put their own cc# on file for charges.

As far as retrieving the pillow... we were in a panic trying to find a missing item, I saw it and just moved on with what we were looking for. They wanted us off the ship.

I don't think its too much to think that housekeeping would check under beds for any missing items. I also did not give much thought to the cost of the pillow.

Anyway, I spoke to DCL this morning and the inquiry is ongoing.

Why they picked that particular CC? Who know's? They just picked one. I just don't understand this.... actually I do unfortunately.

For some reason, you were running behind and looking for a different item. You notice an expensive DCL pillow underneath the bed and determine you are in to big of a hurry to retrieve it. (probably could have reached it in less than 5 seconds) But somehow you expect your housekeeping team which is now behind because you were late, to reach under the bed and pull out a pillow. Did you let housekeeping know you left one of their pillows under the bed? probably not.

And, there was a 14 year old and all other adults in the room..... And you are a DVC member.....

No offense intended, but call DCL and have the $190 placed on your credit card and be done. And it is going to be your last cruise coming up really.....

There was no malice in the billing, just pay the bill. If you didn't remember the pillow under the bed, my opinion my be different. But take responsibility for your own actions PLEASE!

 

[caribbeandreaming]

I seriously doubt that a room check would work. Things are crazy enough that last morning. That would be one more thing those poor hosts have to get done in a very short amount of time. How would they do it? Knock on your door before early seating for those who have that breakfast?

Even though I suggested a room check, I honestly don't know how this would work. Yes, it is one more thing the hosts would need to do. However, I also don't feel it's right that DCL just charges someone's credit card for $190 without giving them the chance to refute the charges. THere are probably plenty of people who don't even look at their credit card statements and just pay for something they may not have taken, and DCL is using this to their advantage. I'm not saying every single item in the room needs to be inventoried, but there should be a check of the really expensive things like the pillow (which is ridiculously overpriced to begin with) and the Wave phones. I'm sure if the OP disputes the charge with the credit card company, it will be ruled in their favor because there is absolutely no way DCL can prove something was taken. If room checks were implemented, it would protect both the guests and DCL.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Gosh, I'm of the opinion that yes, I check for all my stuff under the bed, but what IF something did get missed? I would seriously hope that housekeeping would find my missing item and I could get it back. I would hope that they would already be checking/cleaning under the bed.

Having said that, we did find an entire six pack in Dad's fridge waiting for us (thanks!) but I assumed that housekeeping left it in there for us because everyone in our party was over 21 (and we did make use of it.) But perhaps it was overlooked (which could be a concern to those who are NOT all over 21) but I seriously would hope they would be cleaning the fridges out before the new guests come, just like I would hope they would be checking under the bed for missing items (especially for their own DCL items...)

 

[dansamy]

Why they picked that particular CC? Who know's? They just picked one. I just don't understand this.... actually I do unfortunately.

For some reason, you were running behind and looking for a different item. You notice an expensive DCL pillow underneath the bed and determine you are in to big of a hurry to retrieve it. (probably could have reached it in less than 5 seconds) But somehow you expect your housekeeping team which is now behind because you were late, to reach under the bed and pull out a pillow. Did you let housekeeping know you left one of their pillows under the bed? probably not.

And, there was a 14 year old and all other adults in the room..... And you are a DVC member.....

No offense intended, but call DCL and have the $190 placed on your credit card and be done. And it is going to be your last cruise coming up really.....

There was no malice in the billing, just pay the bill. If you didn't remember the pillow under the bed, my opinion my be different. But take responsibility for your own actions PLEASE!

This party didn't take the pillow nor did they damage it. Dispute the charge with the credit card. Burden of proof is on DCL.

 

[bumbershoot]

This party didn't take the pillow nor did they damage it. Dispute the charge with the credit card. Burden of proof is on DCL.

This is still early days and they just found out what the charge was. I went to do a dispute with my cc and it stated clearly that I was to make every effort to work it out with the company. I stopped the dispute process and did just that.

 

[Niebz]

Why they picked that particular CC? Who know's? They just picked one. I just don't understand this.... actually I do unfortunately.

For some reason, you were running behind and looking for a different item. You notice an expensive DCL pillow underneath the bed and determine you are in to big of a hurry to retrieve it. (probably could have reached it in less than 5 seconds) But somehow you expect your housekeeping team which is now behind because you were late, to reach under the bed and pull out a pillow. Did you let housekeeping know you left one of their pillows under the bed? probably not.

And, there was a 14 year old and all other adults in the room..... And you are a DVC member.....

No offense intended, but call DCL and have the $190 placed on your credit card and be done. And it is going to be your last cruise coming up really.....

There was no malice in the billing, just pay the bill. If you didn't remember the pillow under the bed, my opinion my be different. But take responsibility for your own actions PLEASE!

I disagree with this. Why should they pay if they didn't take the pillow? Are you saying that everyone who leaves some bedding on the floor should be charged? That's insane and $200 for a pillow on the floor is equally insane. OP I hope you get this resolved. I do think a quick check under the bed should fall into housekeeping's duties. I bet OP didn't know the insane value of the pillow. If they did they probably would have been more careful with it.

 

[ThePicketts]

Even though I suggested a room check, I honestly don't know how this would work. Yes, it is one more thing the hosts would need to do. However, I also don't feel it's right that DCL just charges someone's credit card for $190 without giving them the chance to refute the charges. THere are probably plenty of people who don't even look at their credit card statements and just pay for something they may not have taken, and DCL is using this to their advantage. I'm not saying every single item in the room needs to be inventoried, but there should be a check of the really expensive things like the pillow (which is ridiculously overpriced to begin with) and the Wave phones. I'm sure if the OP disputes the charge with the credit card company, it will be ruled in their favor because there is absolutely no way DCL can prove something was taken. If room checks were implemented, it would protect both the guests and DCL.

WHAT!?!? Pay the bill for a pillow that you just said you believe was misplaced???? That is totally insane! $190 for something overlook, misplaced, but never stolen. That is extreme and you are either rich or from a country that rips off its citizens on a regular basis.

 

[labdogs42]

Can I ask my room host to remove this overpriced pillow and store it for me during my cruise? I sure as heck don't need it in my room and I don't want to have to worry about its wherabouts for my entire cruise! I'd rather give it back and have it bee safe and sound for my whole trip!

 

[lbgraves]

Having said that, we did find an entire six pack in Dad's fridge waiting for us (thanks!) but I assumed that housekeeping left it in there for us because everyone in our party was over 21 (and we did make use of it.) But perhaps it was overlooked ....

I think you answered that yourself. DCL doesn't give you any alcohol in your room no matter what the ages of the guests are. I remember someone posting that on the last night they pulled a suitcase out from under their bed that wasn't theirs. They hadn't paid attention when they were putting their empties under the bed at the beginning of the cruise -- and evidently their host hadn't looked after the last cruise either.

 

[Zandy595]

If you file a CC dispute (which I think you definitely need to do), it is basically your word against DCL's. They really have no way to prove you took something out of the room, so I'm fairly confident they would rule in your favor.

This is why I think DCL needs to have a more involved inventory process of the rooms if they are going to charge guest's credit cards for missing items. Either 2 things will happen with these charges - 1.) the guest won't notice or care enough to dispute the charge and DCL gets the money even if there wasn't something missing or 2.) the guest disputes the charge and DCL has no way to prove it.

It probably all evens out in the end for DCL. But I think each stateroom host should do a walk-through of the room with guests both when they check-in and when they check-out to make sure everything is accounted for.

Sounds like a good idea, but it would never happen. There's no way the stateroom hosts have the time to do that.

?????

You see a $189 pillow under the bed and don't retreive it? Really......

Just saying......

The pillow wasn't placed under the bed by housekeeping. Maybe someone moved the pillow prior to turndown (could have been under there a while) and it ended up under the bed. If the pillow was in place at turndown, the housekeeper would have moved the pillow the last night like every other night. I suspect the pillow was missing for a while. I am not 100% sure it is the cruise lines responsibility to look under the bed for the misisng pillow.

That's exactly what they should do, before they charge a guest $190 for it.

Why they picked that particular CC? Who know's? They just picked one. I just don't understand this.... actually I do unfortunately.

For some reason, you were running behind and looking for a different item. You notice an expensive DCL pillow underneath the bed and determine you are in to big of a hurry to retrieve it. (probably could have reached it in less than 5 seconds) But somehow you expect your housekeeping team which is now behind because you were late, to reach under the bed and pull out a pillow. Did you let housekeeping know you left one of their pillows under the bed? probably not.

And, there was a 14 year old and all other adults in the room..... And you are a DVC member.....

No offense intended, but call DCL and have the $190 placed on your credit card and be done. And it is going to be your last cruise coming up really.....

There was no malice in the billing, just pay the bill. If you didn't remember the pillow under the bed, my opinion my be different. But take responsibility for your own actions PLEASE!

Seriously? Just because they didn't take the pillow out from under the bed they should be charged for it? I disagree completely.


There are a lot of things that get overlooked when a stateroom host is "cleaning" a room. When we went in our stateroom for the first time there were fingernails on the floor in front of the sofa. If the room had been vacuumed after the last guest left and before we got there, there'd be no fingernails.

 

[lanejudy]

Personally, I think it would be helpful if DCL *clearly* posted a list of items that belong in the room and which would result in a charge if missing after the cruise. Most new cruisers have no idea there should be a red pillow, to say nothing of thinking to mention it's missing, and most of us do not think about a decorative pillow costing nearly $200. Many people also post about charges for missing laundry bags. Things we don't usually think to look for unless we need to use them. Posting this info *might* encourage people to check that they are indeed in the room on arrival and report it to the host/hostess if not. Of course, no guarantee people will be smart enough to read such a notice but at least DCL could state they posted it.

OP, I think it's highly likely that the charge will be removed once you get your complaint to the right person. The key is to remain calm and exlain that you recall seeing the pillow under the bed when getting ready to leave should help. DCL doesn't want to make passengers angry unnecessarily, but after many of those red pillows went missing from the Dream's early voyages, this became a big issue. Good luck!

 

[TDC Nala]

I am the dvc member,I booked the cruise. It seems to me they targeted my sister for the missing pillow because she has a 14 year old.

When they left the room, was the pillow missing? They're only supposed to charge that if the pillow is missing. No matter who's in the room. Unless it's being alleged that they were charged even though the pillow was still in the room.

If you take a photo of the pillow when you come onboard, that proves only that the pillow was in the room when you got there. If, for example, someone walks in while the host props the stateroom door open because they want the pillow, or the stateroom host decides to take the pillow home themselves, or the pillow gets lost or accidentally removed by the host after the first day, then proving the pillow was there when you checked in won't prove anything.

Dispute the charge, and if they ask say that you saw the pillow under the bed on the last day and you know your group did not take it.

Can I ask my room host to remove this overpriced pillow and store it for me during my cruise? I sure as heck don't need it in my room and I don't want to have to worry about its wherabouts for my entire cruise! I'd rather give it back and have it bee safe and sound for my whole trip!

This sounds like trouble waiting to happen. Just put the pillow on top of the cabinet or something and make sure it gets put back on the bed when you leave.

 

[sabrecmc]

I don't think it is too much to expect that housekeeping would vacuum under the bed, or at least check for dropped items. That can't be that uncommon that stuff ends up left under there. Certainly, before a charge like that is applied to a guest's account, someone should, you know, open some closet doors, check under the bed, that kind of thing. I also agree that if it weren't for this board, I'd never assume that pillow cost $190. More like $30, to be honest, so it wouldn't even register that this is something special to be particularly careful with, like the Wave phones or Mickey band, which look like they'd be pricey if I lost them.

 

[Zandy595]

Personally, I think it would be helpful if DCL *clearly* posted a list of items that belong in the room and which would result in a charge if missing after the cruise. Most new cruisers have no idea there should be a red pillow, to say nothing of thinking to mention it's missing, and most of us do not think about a decorative pillow costing nearly $200. Many people also post about charges for missing laundry bags. Things we don't usually think to look for unless we need to use them. Posting this info *might* encourage people to check that they are indeed in the room on arrival and report it to the host/hostess if not. Of course, no guarantee people will be smart enough to read such a notice but at least DCL could state they posted it.

OP, I think it's highly likely that the charge will be removed once you get your complaint to the right person. The key is to remain calm and exlain that you recall seeing the pillow under the bed when getting ready to leave should help. DCL doesn't want to make passengers angry unnecessarily, but after many of those red pillows went missing from the Dream's early voyages, this became a big issue. Good luck!

There's still the opportunity for a less than moral guest to read this list, put the pillow in their suitcase (on the first day) and then tell the host it's missing?

There are at least three of these pillows on ebay right now. One is going for $399.99

 

[lanejudy]

There's still the opportunity for a less than moral guest to read this list, put the pillow in their suitcase (on the first day) and then tell the host it's missing?

Absolutely...a person with lower morals will do what they want, regardless.
But those of us who are more conscientious will report it to avoid a hassle like OP's. I thought I had read they were going to have a letter/list but closer to the last day. My thought was so many people do report "X was missing when we arrived and we got charged for it" that a list posted in the stateroom would help. Maybe not.

 

[Justacruiser]

the moral of the story is pick up the pillow if it on the ground, even if it is not yours.

 

[Justacruiser]

Absolutely...a person with lower morals will do what they want, regardless.
But those of us who are more conscientious will report it to avoid a hassle like OP's. I thought I had read they were going to have a letter/list but closer to the last day. My thought was so many people do report "X was missing when we arrived and we got charged for it" that a list posted in the stateroom would help. Maybe not.

By the way, in this case they had the pillow. If she would have placed it on the bed when she found it, there would be no issue.

 

[neg58]

Absolutely...a person with lower morals will do what they want, regardless.
But those of us who are more conscientious will report it to avoid a hassle like OP's. I thought I had read they were going to have a letter/list but closer to the last day. My thought was so many people do report "X was missing when we arrived and we got charged for it" that a list posted in the stateroom would help. Maybe not.

Who would want a gross pillow that people have put their feet on, their drooling faces on, and who knows what else on? I didn't even want to touch it when I was in the cabin, never mind take it home. I don't find it attractive and wouldn't match anything in my home.

Nancy