BIRD TALK

Dear Bird Talk,

In February, a friend drove me to Orlando and then flew down to drive me home at the end of the month. I booked our accommodations at Best Western using my credit card, but paid in cash when we arrived at the motel. I kept the receipt for our first night in Knoxville in case we ran into a medical problem and needed proof of our date of entry into the States for insurance purposes. I kept the receipts for our second night in Lake City, Florida until I returned home, then destroyed them. Since my MC statement is mailed on the 15th of the month, I phoned on Feb. 12 and no new items had been added. When my MC statement for March arrived, I was charged for 1 room for 1 night at the Best Western in Lake City. When I phoned the motel, I was told that I had paid cash for 1 room and charged the other to my credit card. I had also paid $10 extra because I had a cat and that was also on my credit card statement. I contacted customer complaints for Best Western and was told that since I didn’t have the receipts, I was responsible.

I have certainly learned a lesson. In the future I will keep all receipts for at least 2 months following their date. I hope others will benefit from my experience.

Sincerely,

Ruth Wendorf Color

Response:
Another great tip! Keep those receipts, and in some cases they may even be tax deductible.