Holiday Inn Darwin Esplanade extortionate internet

[Hvr]

Well I fell for the hotel internet scam. I needed to download a 650mb file and the pricing was $28 for 24 hours, not good but not the worst I’ve seen recently.

So I am downloading and I am asked to confirm I want to continue, thinking I was agreeing to the 24 time limit I confirmed.

The file finished down loading and I did a bit of surfing and then logged off. Next morning I went to check my emails and was told that I had used the 1000mb limit. If I wanted to continue I had to agree to pay for another 24 hour period.

However, the kicker was the total cost for the initial use, $101.

It turns out that using the internet starts out as time based but after a little bit of use changes into a usage based fee.

When I raised this with the front desk staff it seemed that mine was a common complaint with no real concern. When I suggested that the wording be changed to warn of the total cost the people behind the desk said they would raise it, but their tone suggested that this was a common complaint and they didn’t really care.

The final insult was when I paid with my personal credit card and was informed there was a merchant service fee and then another fee for using Amex, a total of nearly $8 in credit card fees. Who pays bills in cash these days?


Still, I guess if a hotel is charging extortionate fees then they may as well go the full hog and gouge customers every way possible.

A disappointing end to an otherwise acceptable stay at a hotel chain where I have Gold level status.

 

[markis10]

HVR, all the corp IC/CP and HIs internet are outsourced to a third party in Australia, who also looks after many of the other hotel chains. When you first sign up it makes it very clear that the access is by time and has a data limit of 50Mb (I used it 4 weeks ago for a night).

Internet costs at hotels in Australia are high because our internet costs are high, the hotels margin is very small, I supply the hardware for the two main companies so I have a good idea how it works.

 

[k_sheep]

What a rip! Makes you want to go to the bank and pay the whole bill in 50c pieces.

Do you have any recourse for a charge back, considering you were charged for a service which had a different agreed rate?

edit: didn't realise this was the agreed rate. Withdrawn. Still, a rip!

 

[Mal]

HVR, all the corp IC/CP and HIs internet are outsourced to a third party in Australia, who also looks after many of the other hotel chains. When you first sign up it makes it very clear that the access is by time and has a data limit of 50Mb (I used it 4 weeks ago for a night).

Interestingly I've encountered the same outsourced company that IC/CP/HI use in other hotels with varying rates (haven't been to Darwin for a while, so not sure of their charges).

It does amaze me that different hotels (even in the same chain) have different rates for the same access. And even using fixed network vs Wireless can have totally different prices.

Mobile Broadband is the way to go. Prepaid through Virgin Broadband (for my personal use), I pay ~ $10 / Gb of data downloaded. My corporate dongle allows up to 20Gb per month (at superfast speeds via Telstra NextG) for a very good rate (that I probably shouldn't mention due to potential Commercial-in-Confidence reasons)

 

[markis10]

What a rip! Makes you want to go to the bank and pay the whole bill in 50c pieces.

Do you have any recourse for a charge back, considering you were charged for a service which had a different agreed rate?

As I posted, the charges are very clear, I will post a copy of the log in screen detailing that there was no difference to what was agreed when I get a chance, I pretty much have a reserved car park at that hotel!

 

[Hvr]

HVR, all the corp IC/CP and HIs internet are outsourced to a third party in Australia, who also looks after many of the other hotel chains. When you first sign up it makes it very clear that the access is by time and has a data limit of 50Mb (I used it 4 weeks ago for a night).

Whilst I read the initial log in I didn't understand this, nor would I have continued if it had been made clear. I can download 50mb for free at the local Mc Donalds and did so on the other nights I was in Darwin.

As far as I remember the initial offer was for 24 hours, it was only after I commenced that I was asked to reconfirm I wanted to continue.

A fee of $28 for 50mb is simply outrageous.

Whilst I appreciate the hotel may be charged huge fees for their internet they have a responsibility to ensure that guests fully understand the true cost of the product, not just the log on cost.

There was not a printed document for me (or other guests) to read before hand, you have to log on to get access to partial information about the costs of the internet.

I am highly literate and well educated and ended up paying the cost for misunderstanding what I consider to be a poorly written offer.

Internet costs at hotels in Australia are high because our internet costs are high, the hotels margin is very small, I supply the hardware for the two main companies so I have a good idea how it works.

A couple of weeks ago I was in BNE and their internet costs were also very sneaky, up to 24 hours usage for (approximately) $30 but the rate was based on a calendar day, i.e. at midnight you started a new 24 hour period. Fortunately I picked this up because it was fairly clear and timed my internet usage appropriately. More than 4Gb was downloaded.

 

[straitman]

This is why I am happy to accept the free internet at SPG and Hilton.

 

[k_sheep]

Mobile Broadband is the way to go. Prepaid through Virgin Broadband (for my personal use), I pay ~ $10 / Gb of data downloaded.

Agreed - I paid $79 for the USB dohicky and 2gb, then paid .... something ... maybe $100 for 15gb valid for a year through vodafone. Thought that was good. Now I'm in Malaysia, having paid <$30 for the dohicky and then ~70c/day for unlimited high speed internet. Australian internet and phone prices suck.

 

[markis10]

A fee of $28 for 50mb is simply outrageous.

So are the costs of making phone calls from hotels, but that is the cost of providing a service that people want. Keep in mind to cable up a hotel for internet is around $1000 a room, then you need to staff a help desk etc as well as the cost of the data backhaul etc, it may seem a lot but we are not talking about a connection that has a contract with a user for 24 months such as your home connection.

I will post the log in screen so others can make a judgement on whether its clear or not, my point is the hotel is providing a service but not setting the pricing, they just add it to your bill. If you are using the net that much, grab a 3G prepaid dongle for $24 and $20-30 a month for 1Gb of data, thats what I use, the only reason I used the hotel one recently was because Markis10jr broke my modem.

 

[oz_mark]

Just glad I have iPass (which fortunately works in most hotels I stay in)

 

[Bundy Bear]

I brought one of those Optus prepaid dongles, at least you don't have to worry about stupid hotel internet costs.

It starts off at about $99 for the dongle then about $20-$40 depending on the usage.

 

[anat0l]

Nothing new here.

Suddenly, $29.95 per 24 hrs at most Australian Hilton hotels with no data restrictions is very attractive. (And of course now for Golds and Diamonds it is free of charge)

I am aware that most of the Priority Club hotels in Australia have access charged by both time and data, i.e. pay $x for y hours or z MB, which ever is first. In most NZ hotels they use a similar scheme.

Of course, in short, internet charges suck, and more so in Australia and New Zealand.

 

[wmetz]

HI

Thanks for the warning, I also never knew that some hotels charge by the mega-byte too on top over over inflated internet charges. For me, especially when overseas, I wont stay at a hotel that does not provide free internet, as need to be intouch all the time.

 

[Grooba]

HVR, all the corp IC/CP and HIs internet are outsourced to a third party in Australia, who also looks after many of the other hotel chains. When you first sign up it makes it very clear that the access is by time and has a data limit of 50Mb (I used it 4 weeks ago for a night).

Internet costs at hotels in Australia are high because our internet costs are high, the hotels margin is very small, I supply the hardware for the two main companies so I have a good idea how it works.

The In-Room internet contracts for HI Darwin, HI Esplanade and CP Darwin are not owned by an Australian company.

The prices are pretty rediculous in most hotels so as others have said it's so much cheaper to buy yourself a wireless dongle thingo and use that. Having said that, downloading a 700MB file using the internet in your room pretty much is asking for trouble. Much like making a 30 minute international call from your room - you're gonna pay through the nose for it.

 

[markis10]

The In-Room internet contracts for HI Darwin, HI Esplanade and CP Darwin are not owned by an Australian company.

The prices are pretty rediculous in most hotels so as others have said it's so much cheaper to buy yourself a wireless dongle thingo and use that. Having said that, downloading a 700MB file using the internet in your room pretty much is asking for trouble. Much like making a 30 minute international call from your room - you're gonna pay through the nose for it.

There are not too many hotels that do you an Australian owned company but your statement is not correct, the contracts for ICHG are run by ReiverNet Pty Ltd which is an Australian entity. No one owns a contract! Other hotels use Intertouch which again is an Australian company, both have foreign parents I believe (and Ipass agreements).

 

[markis10]

As promised here is the login page for the internet at the HI Esplanade where it clearly shows the data limit, Caveat Emptor indeed:

 

[medhead]

What a rip! Makes you want to go to the bank and pay the whole bill in 50c pieces.

Actual 50c coins is far too kind. My mum had a boss once who liked to do petty cash reimbursements with stamps! At the time stamps were legal tender (perhaps with an upper value limit). Provided they still are legal tender I'd much prefer to paid in stamps and I've been itching to do so for 20 odd years.