Ruth, an older woman, had walked into a hotel checking for any vacant rooms for rent.
She was down on her luck and all she wanted was a safe place to rest her head.
The front desk clerk, while usually polite and professional, he was in an unusual foul mood that night and took her money without giving her a receipt or looking her in the eyes.
He gave her the key card to a small room on the first floor, making sure she paid the required deposit before he granted her the stay.
When Ruth checked out a few days later, she noticed that the desk clerk had charged her more than he should have for the rental.
Feeling like she just been robbed, she went to the manager to complain, but the manager seemed uninterested like she was in on to.
The next day, Ruth went back to get a more detailed explanation of the extra fees and the overcharge for the room which she was charged two times by the hotel desk clerk.
Only to find out that was the hotel desk clerk prices and the owner didn’t know nothing about it. For seven months.
Deposit:
$50(cash)
$100(credit card)
Extra Fees and Charges
Anytime After 12am - 4am:
$75 added to price of Room Rental (1 night)
Single Rm. - $100.00
Double Rm. - $365.00
Executive Suite - $1,150.00
But in an effort on trying to cover his tracks, he had pocketed her deposit and the fees and over charged room he took that money and paid his own personal light bill before being disconnected.
When Ruth realized what was going on, she contacted the local news station and the police department and reported the crime.
An investigation was conducted, which ultimately traced the credit card to an energy company in which an energy bill was paid and the name on the energy bill led back to the hotel desk clerk.
The desk clerk was arrested for theft and fraud. Luckily for Ruth, her stolen money was returned to her.
Ruth felt thankful that the law was able to get to the bottom of the situation and punish the clerk for taking advantage of her situation.
After all, she was just trying to get some rest and was thankful that justice was served.