Tucker House Inn

Fair
Traveller Type: young couple
  : Even though we paid for 2 nights we did not stay there - we drove past it and it looked nice.I have to start my review here since the "what I didn't like" box limits the amount of space I can use.I haven't traveled in a while, so booked this hotel quickly. I glanced at the pet rules which stated "Pets are allowed on request. Charges may apply" and then at the fine print which said "Guests are required to show a photo ID and a credit card upon check-in. Please note that all special requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply." Normally I would have asked about the dog charges, etc but I was in a hurry and failed to ask. Within minutes of booking I received 2 long messages from the property enumerating numerous policies, some relating to pets, many not. The most objectionable policy listed was "Guest authorizes up to a $500 charge on their card upon departure in the event of property damage. Damage includes, but is not restricted to: noise complaints, common or private property damage, excessive cleaning charges, lost or broken or missing common or private property items, smoking inside the property, pet damage inside the property and all charges relating to security company or police involvement regarding property occupant’s behavior while in the property or on common premises." It also stated that the pet fee is $45 per pet per night, which is almost a quarter of the room fee. (continued in next box)
  : I immediately wrote the property and asked to cancel the booking. Their response was that since I had booked via booking.com that I should contact them to cancel. I contacted booking and they asked the property to cancel. The property then refused stating: "We have been fair and transparent with them regarding our pet policies. We are not willing to cancel this reservation for free.” While they certainly let me know their policies after I booked they did not let me know before I booked, otherwise I wouldn't have booked. I don't think being "transparent" after there are no other options is fair. The part about keeping our credit care for damage due to smoking in the room wasn't even about the pet.At this point another manager wrote me and said that it was impossible to know if I was bringing a dog before I booked so they couldn't tell me all these rule. (Seriously? most hotels have this information on the booking page - they even give space for "fine print") But that they would refund my pet fee if we didn't bring the pet. At this point I noticed that they had not only charged the $432 for the room, they had also charged over $99 for the pet fee (90 plus tax). I soon after told them that we weren't staying there and to please refund the pet fee. They only refunded $90 - not the other $9.45. I believe this is human error and not some nefarious plot to gain an additional 10 bucks, but it made me glad that I didn't trust them further with my credit card.It seems like any problem customers voice about the property is met with - you should have called. Why be on booking.com if you expect people to call? I haven't called about booking a hotel since 1998. Why not give all the policies in a truly transparent way in the space that is allowed on this site?