Q: I recently made a reservation for a non-refundable, non-modifiable, prepaid hotel room. Usually, most hotels note down your credit card details with the understanding that the customer will be billed only after the check-in time in case of a no-show. But this time I have been charged the full amount already, more than four months ahead of my stay. Do hotels not follow a standard practice, or are they free to do as they please? Their website does not mention that they will debit one’s credit card right away.
A: You should review terms and conditions that you signed up with the hotel. These will be treated as a contractual agreement between the hotel and yourself. If the terms state that the hotel has a right to charge money before the actual date of stay at the hotel then there has been no breach of terms. Otherwise you may have a claim against the hotel for charging you in advance.
Q: I ordered a medicine from a home-delivery service in an emergency. The person on the phone took the order and wrote down the address. The man delivering the medicine called after half an hour, and when I gave him directions to my house, he refused to come over. He said it was out of limit for the delivery service. I replied saying the person who took the order did not mention this. What can I do in this case?
A: Unfortunately, you cannot do anything against the pharmacy. If the seller refuses to deliver at the prescribed location the buyer cannot force him to deliver to that location. The seller does not have a legal obligation to deliver medicine to a buyer unless otherwise agreed between the parties. In this case if the seller refuses to deliver due to the location being beyond their delivery limit then the buyer does not have any recourse.
Q: I ordered a dish at a restaurant and asked for vegetables instead of French fries. I tried to argue that buying this side dish a la carte cost less than fries, but the restaurant refused to make the swap. Is it in the restaurant’s right to do this? What if I had an allergy?
A: Restaurants have a right to set their food menu and prices for dishes. It is at the restaurant’s discretion whether or not to swap your side order with the required dish. It is important that you should mention that you are allergic to certain kinds of foods to avoid a medical situation. Legally, however, restaurants are not obliged to make a swap even if you are allergic to a side dish offered on the menu.
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