While we all hate being overcharged for something, it’s likely that 22-year-old Charlotte Smith is the winner in the category of paying too much.
Smith, a 22-year-old from the United Kingdom recently visited Budapest and spent two nights at the Bo18 Hotel Superior, according to Business Insider.
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The hotel in question is a three-star property, so one would think Smith was scoring a bargain right?
Not so much. When her vacation came to an end, instead of getting a bill for about $199, the transaction was actually submitted for about $66,000.
Who out there wouldn’t faint when seeing that charge come through? (Kardashians aside).
While the hotel discovered its error rather quickly, the charge had already been posted to Smith’s credit card, according to Business Insider, along with a whopping $3,700 in transaction fees.
And that’s not all.
The balance in Smith’s bank account was only about $490 at the time of the error…because not everyone keeps a spare $70,000 cushion for overdrafts.
The entire matter was discovered by Smith when she attempted to make a mere $5 purchase and was rejected.
“I saw on my statements the amount the hotel had charged me and completely panicked,” she told the Daily Mail.
We feel you. Who wouldn’t panic? (Or downright faint.)
Smith’s next move was to reach out to Barclays U.K. to resolve the matter. But that’s when things got worse.
The bank told Smith that it could not stop every transaction on the account and that she was responsible for it. Note to self and consumers everywhere – don’t bank with Barclays U.K.
Smith further told the Daily Mail that because she had authorized the payment, it was “all my fault and the error was down to me. They were very rude and patronizing and didn’t want to help.”
Again, don’t bank with Barclay’s friends.
The next day, Smith posted on her Facebook page, saying “Barclays U.K. are the worst service ever absolute joke of a company!”
Smith later spoke with The Points Guy and confirmed her story. Luckily, according to the publication, Barclays finally (came to its senses) forgave the charges.
