Comments on: Class action: I thought USA Today at my hotel was free

By: Bill Poser

Bill Poser — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:08:53 +0000

It’s the fact that the hotel is not up front about the charge that makes this an unfair practice, coupled with the fact that if I know I’m paying for it and have a choice, I’d buy a newspaper instead of USA Today.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:06:11 +0000

My job requires about 25% travel, so I spend a lot of time at hotels including hiltons. I’d be suprised if he asked to have the $0.75 removed and it wasn’t. I don’t know that I’ve ever asked for a charge to be removed and it wasn’t.

I’ve also never been charged for a newspaper that was left in front of my door.

By: Jack Wilson

Jack Wilson — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:39:32 +0000

WN, for 8 bucks, you better get free TV!

By: William Nuesslein

William Nuesslein — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:50:34 +0000

The traveling salesman was told that the motel had $6 rooms and $8 rooms. (It is an old story.)

“What’s the difference?”

“The $8 rooms have free TV.”

By: Advice Goddess Blog

Advice Goddess Blog — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:53:05 +0000

Must We Litigate Everything?…

A man was upset that the Santa Rosa Hilton he stayed at charged him 75 cents for a newspaper he thought was free. Naturally, he filed a federal class-action lawsuit……

By: Amy Alkon

Amy Alkon — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:45:04 +0000

Must we litigate everything? A guy at a liquor store in Long Beach charged me 50 cents without telling me because I used my VISA. I noticed that the bill was high and he then said it was 50 cents extra because I used a credit card. I told him I knew that was against the credit card company’s merchant agreement, and told him to give me my 50 cents back or I’d report him to VISA. He did. I left. No lawsuit. Case closed!

By: D

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:49:26 +0000

I wish I had as much free time as that guy (he says while cruising the internet for legal matters to incur his righteous wrath).

By: Anthony

Anthony — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:29:34 +0000

@Reformed Republican: Yes. If it were part of the room rate, you’d be aware of it when shopping for which hotel to stay at. I wouldn’t have thought 75¢ would make a difference, but apparently it does, or at least the hotel management believes it does (else the hotel wouldn’t be doing it).

Strikes me as a reason to avoid Hilton (maybe just that one?), not as a reason to file a lawsuit though.

By: Reformed Republican

Reformed Republican — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:27:30 +0000

Did the guy try to get a refund before taking them to court? Is it really any different than offering a complimentary newspaper, and including the cost in the room rate, without making it a line item?

By: Titus

Titus — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:18:16 +0000

This sounds like an application of Tennessee’s unsolicited-products law, or at least the theory of it (apparently passed in response to old magazine and newspaper scams that involved delivering the publication without request and then demanding the subscription fee on the back end; now anything under a specified value is deemed a gift if left unsolicited at a residence): though I doubt 75 cents is really worth the trouble of anyone involved.