How Do I Dispute a Charge with Starwood?
If you stayed at a Starwood resort, hotel, or spa and found a charge on your bill that you don't believe is appropriate, you can dispute the charge. You should begin by talking to a representative in the Starwood Customer Care center, but if that doesn't work, you can dispute the charge with your bank, too. You also have the option of filing suit in a small claims court.
Starwood owns a wide array of resorts, spas, and hotels. As a rule, you shouldn't ever be charged for anything more than the advertised rate for your stay. However, if the property was damaged during your stay, or if you ordered room service or other such extras, you might be surprised. If you believe that Starwood made such a charge in error, then you need to dispute it and get your money back.
First Things First
Before you do anything else, collect all of the proof that the charge was incorrect that you can find. This includes any pictures you may have taken of the room where you stayed, copies of advertisements or offers, copies of your bill, and other similar items. Also, preserve any records you have of conversations between you and Starwood. Get the names of any employees with whom you discuss the matter and note the times the discussion occurred.
How to Dispute the Charge With Starwood
If you want to dispute a charge on your Starwood bill, you need to contact the Starwood Customer Care center and talk to a customer service representative. Explain to them what has happened and why you think that the charge is inappropriate. Provide any proof that is requested of you. You can call the Customer Care center, or you can go online and use the Starwood chat room. There is no help forum or customer service email.
It is unlikely that the representative you talk to can resolve the issue by themselves. Instead, higher-ranking members of the company will likely have to be brought in to review the situation. The process could take some time.
How to Initiate a Chargeback
If things don't work out in your discussions with the company, you can also try to dispute the charge with your bank. This kind of dispute is called a "chargeback." However, before you file a chargeback with your bank, you must try to work things out with Starwood. Your bank won't even consider your request until you do.
To initiate a chargeback, you should contact your bank's customer service department. The process is different for every bank, but you should expect it to take some time. Once you begin the process, your bank will contact Starwood's bank to inform it of the dispute. It might then give you a provisional credit, a refund that you will be expected to return if it finds that the charge was actually justified.
Small Claims Court
If you still want to dispute the charge after trying to negotiate with both Starwood and your bank without success, you can always try to file suit in small claims court. The process for doing this varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but your local government website should have the information you need.
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