Woman furious after $1400 charge by Perth Novotel for false fire alarm
A woman who stayed at the Novotel in Perth Langley has been stung by a $1400 fee she said she knows nothing about.
The woman who did not give her name, was staying at the upmarket hotel to attend the Ministry of Sound concert at Kings Park.
She said she had showered and blow-dried her hair when the fire alarm went off. Moments later, fire crews arrived at her door and determined that the top-of-the-range Dyson hair dryer was the cause of the alarm.
No further action was taken at the time, and she checked out of the hotel the following morning without incident.
Three days later, the woman noticed $1400 had been deducted from her credit card, turning a $240 stay, into one that cost six times the initial amount.
When she queried it with the hotel, she was told it was for the fire department call-out.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), charges a $1,337 fee to have crews attend a property. An additional $63 is charged to hotels for false alarms. The DFES discourages hotels from passing the cost on to guests.
The debit left the woman’s card in the negative and she spent an entire day trying to have the charge reversed.
Speaking to The West Australian she said, "They sent no email, I called the hotel, [reception] said it was in their terms and conditions.
"So, if you’re at a buffet and the alarm goes off are they going to charge you for burning your toast? ... It’s disgusting and cowardly."
The woman accused the hotel of refusing to take her calls and not letting her speak to a manager.
The hotel’s manager reversed the charge only after media attention.
Jonathan Jackson, 18th December 2023
