I tried to redeem a gift certificate we paid for at a silent auction to benefit The International School in Monterey. I called and made reservations for a Tuesday night in March. They took my credit card info for a refundable $35 security deposit. They knew we were celebrating my birthday, and offered a bottle of wine as a gift. Very thoughtful.
When we arrived shortly after 3 PM and presented the certificate they refused to honor it. The manager explained why he would not accept it. I was disappointed, but I understood.
We were willing to just let it go and take the loss (after all, we PAID for the certificate). I said it was not a “tragedy” and we could just go home. What happened next floored me. They said because of their 72 hour cancellation policy, they were going to charge my credit card $159.50 for a room I was not going to use!
By the way, the parking lot was empty! I believe we would have been their only customers that evening. Perhaps their appalling management......
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