Taxes in Mallorca
Jan 26th, 2014, 11:07 PM
#7
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I think you are reading your bill wrongly. The service charge and local taxes are all subject to VAT, and a frequently listed separately on a bill, so that those registered for VAT can claim some, or all, of it back.
Jan 26th, 2014, 11:37 PM
#9
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It is absolutely the norm in Europe to quote hotel prices gross of tax, I know many services meals, hotels etc in The States quote net of tax.
Mallorca has a 10% tax, as Robert posts above, some hotels (new higher end) seem to be quoting prices ex VAT which will which will simply annoy Northern Europeans like me.
Goodness knows where you hotel is coming from.
It is entirely possible that someone made a simple mistake.
Mallorca has a 10% tax, as Robert posts above, some hotels (new higher end) seem to be quoting prices ex VAT which will which will simply annoy Northern Europeans like me.
Goodness knows where you hotel is coming from.
It is entirely possible that someone made a simple mistake.
Jan 27th, 2014, 07:27 AM
#10
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It was through HOTELS.com.
I'm pretty sure, given everyones' response, that it's a math error. (Rubicund-the total was-room $211 plus tax $187= $398 X 5nights.)
I've contacted them, hopefully they'll get back to me with some good news.
Thank you so much for your assistance. It's a huge relief that this isn't the norm.
I'm pretty sure, given everyones' response, that it's a math error. (Rubicund-the total was-room $211 plus tax $187= $398 X 5nights.)
I've contacted them, hopefully they'll get back to me with some good news.
Thank you so much for your assistance. It's a huge relief that this isn't the norm.
Jan 27th, 2014, 01:27 PM
#14
BBrown - i'm confused. Did you actually pay this bill without querying it at the time? did you not have the print-out from hotels.com with you?
i always compare what they are asking me to pay with what i was quoted when i booked. There are rarely any differences but I always check.
I hope you get it sorted out.
i always compare what they are asking me to pay with what i was quoted when i booked. There are rarely any differences but I always check.
I hope you get it sorted out.
Jan 27th, 2014, 07:48 PM
#15
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I just got off the phone with Hotels.com. Very disappointing conversation with the rep there.
As it turns out, the fee included a charge for additional people (my twenty-something kids). The frustrating thing is throughout the process I'd indicated that I was booking for four people... from page 1.
When I compared hotels, I was looking for the best deal for the four of us, so the number of people was indicated on the first page every time.
Apparently, that's not how it works. For some hotels the number of guests are included in the quoted prices, for others, it's not. It makes comparison very difficult, since you don't know if you are comparing apples to apples until you get to your credit card page.
There is a tiny little "i" under taxes and service fees on that page. (The kind of "i" that you'd expect to read about % of tax breakdown and legalese.)
The room costs went from $211 per night to almost $400 per night, almost doubling the cost of our stay.
Annhig, to answer your question, I booked it online. I wasn't aware of the additional cost until I received the confirmation email although in retracing my steps, it is on the booking page (again under the taxes and service fee tiny "i"). I assumed it was an error and tried to email them once I realized the error.
So I guess it's "buyer beware". It's too bad because we need good sites like this.
While it didn't work out well for me, I hope Hotels.com will fix their site, and if they don't, I'm glad I could share this so that everyone can be aware of the problem and not make the same costly mistake that I did.
Thanks everyone for your help. I really appreciated it.
As it turns out, the fee included a charge for additional people (my twenty-something kids). The frustrating thing is throughout the process I'd indicated that I was booking for four people... from page 1.
When I compared hotels, I was looking for the best deal for the four of us, so the number of people was indicated on the first page every time.
Apparently, that's not how it works. For some hotels the number of guests are included in the quoted prices, for others, it's not. It makes comparison very difficult, since you don't know if you are comparing apples to apples until you get to your credit card page.
There is a tiny little "i" under taxes and service fees on that page. (The kind of "i" that you'd expect to read about % of tax breakdown and legalese.)
The room costs went from $211 per night to almost $400 per night, almost doubling the cost of our stay.
Annhig, to answer your question, I booked it online. I wasn't aware of the additional cost until I received the confirmation email although in retracing my steps, it is on the booking page (again under the taxes and service fee tiny "i"). I assumed it was an error and tried to email them once I realized the error.
So I guess it's "buyer beware". It's too bad because we need good sites like this.
While it didn't work out well for me, I hope Hotels.com will fix their site, and if they don't, I'm glad I could share this so that everyone can be aware of the problem and not make the same costly mistake that I did.
Thanks everyone for your help. I really appreciated it.
Jan 27th, 2014, 08:22 PM
#16
That's a pretty shocking indictment of the site that the final price is not given uniformly for every hotel when your criteria is entered for them all. I'm amazed that they get away with such a sloppy system.
Jan 28th, 2014, 01:04 AM
#20
Sorry you got caught this way, BBrown, but I'm still a bit confused? did you have to pay up front? or was this when you were leaving?
and were the rooms booked with "free cancelation" terms? i always use those as if you realise that there's been an error - theirs or yours - you can escape from the deal with no problems.
as Robert says, some of the consolidation sites are better than others. Agoda for example, takes the money up front, then charges to cancel; I got caught like that once so I won't use them.
and were the rooms booked with "free cancelation" terms? i always use those as if you realise that there's been an error - theirs or yours - you can escape from the deal with no problems.
as Robert says, some of the consolidation sites are better than others. Agoda for example, takes the money up front, then charges to cancel; I got caught like that once so I won't use them.
