Have you booked a hotel room at a great price only to find out upon check-out that there was an extra $50 “resort fee”? Suddenly that great price is not so great after-all. This situation happens to many unsuspecting travelers everyday. Sometimes the extra fees can be for the gym or the internet. But, what if you don’t use the gym or the internet? It does not seem fair for you to have to pay extra for amenities that you do not use and that were not disclosed to you in the original price that you thought you were paying.
There was a very well known Las Vegas hotel, that has since been torn down, that had an extra $2.00/person charge for electricity. Two dollars per person does not seem like much, but in my opinion the cost of electricity should have been included in the cost of the room, not an add-on fee at the time of check-in.
According to a recent Los Angeles times article, Consumer Advocate Ed Perkins, who, with Charlie Leocha, Executive Director of the Consumer Travel Alliance, and Kevin Mitchell, Chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, sent the Federal Trade Commission, (FTC) a letter of complaint, stating that this practice “Is an inherently deceptive process.
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/23/travel/la-tr-spot-20120923
As a consumer protection attorney I am looking into the legality of this “extra fee” practice and will be sure to keep you posted regarding my progress. If you are a consumer that has been the victim of fraud or deceptive practices please contact my office, The Law Office of Todd M. Friedman at (877) 449-8898.
