$50 cancellation fee for cancelling 4 months in advance?

I will admit, I missed the small print on the website of a small Key West inn, that stated there is a $50 cancellation fee for ANY reservation that is cancelled. I honestly would have never booked the room, if I knew there was such a policy. I needed to cancel the reservation, for a room reserved at the end of June, and was informed I would be charged the cancellation fee. Is it just me, or does that seem a bit excessive for a reservation cancelled 4 months in advance? I think I had the room reserved for a week or two. The reason I am asking, is when my husband called to ask them (very politely) to waive the $50 cancellation fee, the manager on duty was extremely rude and condescending. He ended up refunding the cancellation fee, and telling us we could never book a room at their inn again! Talk about poor customer service! I am stunned! Believe me, I will never try to stay there again. I am purposely not naming the inn, because I am not trying to bad mouth the inn, I am more concerned with the cancellation policy. What do you think of a $50 cancellation fee for a reservation cancelled 4 months in advance? (printed on the website, but not on the confirmation letter). Were we asking too much for the inn to waive the cancellation fee? I feel like that policy is just bad business.

$50 cancellation fee for cancelling 4 months in advance?

Well if it%26#39;s in print, of course they have the right to do it. Is it right? Heck no....four months, they can sell that room quite easily. I%26#39;m glad you challenged it and won, but I would suggest you call the KW Innkeeper%26#39;s Assn and perhaps the KW Business Guild, and complain about the rudeness and ';ban'; you experienced. It will have an effect! The Innkeepers are a tight bunch, and don%26#39;t like this stuff getting out, so they%26#39;ll do something right away. (Unless, of course, the person you talked to is the VP of the Assn...)

$50 cancellation fee for cancelling 4 months in advance?

I know it%26#39;s not quite the same, but if I were to cancel my house I have reserved at anytime I%26#39;d be out $250. I believe if you cancel in the last 60 days that goes up too.

I have a rental with a cancellation fee on it too. The reason? One is that we have people book it, put a deposit down and then shop some more. I would have phone calls from other people wanting the place and I would have to tell them it was rented. Then the first people would call back and cancel for a number of reasons. Sometimes because they were ';holding'; it in case they didn%26#39;t find a place they liked better. Now, I have lost other customers that would have rented. Many people rent far in advance because of plane tickets, vacations, busy season here or whatever. I can%26#39;t recoup what I have now lost because someone else%26#39;s plans were changed. With the fee I now have a lot less people just ramdomly book. If you look at a lot of the websites for the smaller, independently owned motels and rentals, most have the fee. I have a few bookings for June, what I have now will most likely stay that way. I am now getting my calls for August.

The place I am booked with has a $20 or $25 cancellation fee. I never thought it was unreasonable.

You said it was a small Key West Inn. That would suggest that they probably have very few rooms. Most Inns have cancellation fees, and I don%26#39;t think it is at all unreasonable. Lots of people book four months or more in advance, and the Inn had that room reserved for you. Four months, two months, one month, it seems to me that they were generous to refund your money. Supposed I wanted to book rooms there for a wedding party and because you had a room booked my wedding party couldn%26#39;t be accommodated. I%26#39;d have to find another Inn...then you cancel. The Innkeeper just lost a wedding party, and possibly a full house for the weekend.

I wouldn%26#39;t have any problem with a cancellation fee. I know that the owners need to cover themselves. This is why they usually suggest buying trip insurance.

Any policy has to be ';fair'; to all parties involved.

I personally think a $50 cancellation fee is reasonable. The fee is to help offset some of the expenses the inn has in procesing the cancellation.

I%26#39;m guessing that they will be able to rebook the room, but I%26#39;m also sure that is is a hassle for them as well.

Maybe the manger had a bad day (he got in an arguement with his wife, ran over the neighbors dog, found out his daughter is pregnant) That happens to everyone. There is always a single ';straw that breaks the camels back';. I%26#39;d bet your husband was the straw today.

Life is way too short to let this ruin your day, much less ruin your vacation. It sounds like you got what you wanted, let it go.

We%26#39;ve found that a lot of places in Key West have a cancellation fee policy. It seems to be the rule, rather than the exception. As long as they are up front about the charges when you book, I don%26#39;t see anything wrong with it. I do think it should have been spelled out on the confirmation letter. The B%26amp;B we stayed at last October (and will be staying at again this year) clearly states their policy on the confirmation letter -- and we had to print and sign the letter and send it back to them acknowledging that we understand and accept the policies. Not a bad idea; everyone knows up front what is expected.

Cancellation fees are reasonable. They need be clearly printed on all correspondence. Usually, cancellation fees escalate as the c/i date approaches . That%26#39;s fair.

A $50- cancellation fee 4 months out is unreasonable (methinks) and it was stated (you say) on-line but not in the confirmation you received. Technically, I side with you.

The dude at the Inn should%26#39;ve kept his cool, he lost a customer for good. You won%26#39;t tell us who it is (I agree that you shouldn%26#39;t) but I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll tell all your friends. ';He'; could have handled it better and when his phone isn%26#39;t ringing he%26#39;ll know it%26#39;s your friends not calling.

Usually, cancellation fees escalate as the c/i date approaches . That%26#39;s fair. I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll find a great place and have a wonderful time.

Chill,

K

Cancellation fees are the norm these days, especially at resorts and B%26amp;B%26#39;s. Know the rules before booking. Buy travel insurance. I always buy it when planning a vacation for a few reasons. First, if you get sick or an emergency comes up, insurance covers the cancellation fees. Second, if the airline screws up and you miss flights and connections, they can help. Third, if your luggage gets delayed or lost, travel insurance will cough up enough money so that you aren%26#39;t wearing the same clothes for the whole trip. Fourth, if you get sick while on vacation, they provide medical help as well as evacuation (very useful when traveling overseas) if necessary. Generally travel insurance costs ~ 7% the cost of your entire trip.