A rant about a RS recommended hotel in Blois

Sorry about that experience Dan. You may also want to post on TripAdvisor.....particularly if they are one of the accommodations that read and reply to TripAdvisor reviews.
I would ask, did you get a reply to your email stating you were cancelling? If you didn't, did that not concern you? In the follow up, have you forwarded your cancellation email to the hotel to verify it was sent.....and perhaps they can check their inbox?
Not as a threat, but if you regularly review accommodations somewhere. You can let them know (with a link) that you have reviewed their services here and will do similar on other sites.
Just keep in perspective any failing of follow up or reconfirmation on your part. Diligence on ensuring both parties of an agreement are in the loop and have the same understanding falls on the user, I am afraid.

The hotelkeeper's response represents either a failure to do her job by not checking her email when she got back from her holiday (which would not be an acceptable excuse to any employer that I've been associated with) or even possibly an outright lie as an excuse to keep your money. Either way, I would definitely not want to do business with that hotel and I will remember that for our possible trip to that area next spring.

Was this a cancellable booking? Some bookings, at some hotels, cannot be cancelled. Even if you do cancel, you may still be liable for the first night. Did you book direct with the hotel, or through an agency? It might be worth checking the terms and conditions.

Regardless of the hotel with which you do business, you must confirm that the hotel has received and acknowledged your cancellation if you want to avoid being charged for a reservation you no longer want. Particularly in France, emails are more an accommodation and not an exclusive way to conduct business, particularly an email for which you never received acknowledgment of reception.

France is not the USA and customers/clients in France need be much more active, even aggressive, in their dealings with businesses to preclude disappointment.

You said that the bank could do nothing, but did you file a credit card charge back. You have the copy of the cancellation and your card was charged only recently. Fraud wasn’t involved but you paid for services you didn’t request.

First, as others have said, did you receive confirmation of cancellation? Don't assume anything. I have gone out of my way to get both cancellations/numbers in writing and reservations and because of that so far have not had a problem. I always want to make sure I have those. Second, if it was on your CC they will refund you the money and deal with the merchant from their end, but it looks like you put it on a debit card? This kind of situation is why I always use a CC because they can do much more for you than your bank (who is correct, unless it is fraud, and this isn't, then they really can't help you) and that way your money isn't tied up while you deal with it. Hopefully, with just one night that won't be an undue burden for you. Also, don't just right about it here, make sure to let the RS office know so they can check it out for future travelers.

I would call your bank and say "WHAT"? I just had to get Amex involved in a similar dispute. But I think the problem is you don't have proof you cancelled.

Lesson learned make sure you get that cancellation notice from the hotel.

why shout at the poor bank employee? It isn't her fault.

Dan, I had a similar experience where I thought I had cancelled a reservation at a hotel by sending an email and was later charged. I had sent my email to the address I received my confirmation from and thought I had taken care of it. It turns out that the email address used by the reservation confirmation system was one of those that could send email, but not receive it.

It stings a little to be charged for a hotel that you thought you had cancelled. I get this very well! However, if you look at it from the hotel’s point of view, they kept that room for you instead of selling it to someone else. They met their part of your agreement and it is not unreasonable for them to charge a “no show fee.”

This is an expensive lesson about not only sending an email canceling a reservation, but making sure you receive a confirmation of that cancellation in return. I know I’ve learned that lesson now. Perhaps others will learn from our mistakes and not face this issue thanks to your posting. I do hope that the rest of your trip went well.

When did the marketing phrase 'the customer is always right' come into play? It doesn't do the consumer a service when taken out of their country's context. This is not a global credo.
Travel teaches you that 'right' is a responsibility of both sides. Unfortunately, that is sometimes at an expense. You know the 'never assume....' phrase. We need to be adult enough to accept some responsibility for our errors or even ignorance. To avoid problems, it means being particularly vigilant and working hard on our own behalf....and getting back up in print.
Dan, hope the rest of the trip was enjoyable and, in the big scheme of things, perhaps you can see it was not an expensive lesson learned....not buying travel insurance and having to forego an entire trip - that is an expensive lesson learned.

There is a bit of blaming the victim going on here. To me, it appears that his only error was to accept a phone apology without written confirmation. The hotel management, on the other hand, operates in a very unbusiness-like manner. What kind of hotel owner doesn’t check e-mails after being away? She, then, did not follow up with a refund; nor, did she reply to further requests. My only thought for the OP is maybe he could push harder on his bank. If the cancellation policy is in writing, and he cancelled within the time frame, then the hotel did perpetrate a fraud by charging him.

I understand that this is just my opinion but I have always understood that sending an email or hard copy letter cancelling anything, whether it's a hotel reservation, a ticket purchase, a tour reservation, etc. does not, in and of itself, cancel the transaction. Confirmation must be received by the canceling party by email or hard copy letter that the request has been received for it to be enforced. By not receiving confirmation and then not following up by phone, I think you do bear some responsibility along with the hotel.

I know that if I emailed a request to cancel a reservation and did not get a confirmation reply, I would send another email or phone and I would keep trying until I got confirmation. The same goes when making a reservation by email, without a confirmation by email you cannot assume that the request had been received.

It may be that if you have proof (in the form of emails sent) that you have tried several times to cancel, then your credit card company may accept that and deny payment of the charge.

No blaming but an observation. I've had much better luck calling hotels directly. Whether to inquire, book or cancel. The European standard of reading and responding to emails, especially for small family run lodging, isn't the same as our standard, especially corporate hotels.

It's easy for me to say. I use an Ultra Mobile SIM in my (unlocked) phone primarily because it allows me to call most European countries for free. I think it's the choice of many South Americans, living in the US, because those are all free too. I bought my SIM at a little Hispanic run grocery/general store.

On the road I have a local SIM and I always call ahead if I'm running late, so they won't think I'm not showing up.

I prefer emails - paper trail.

Yes, paper trail is ideal. But, as Brad said, and is also my experience, many european hotels either do not respond at all to email, or, the response is vague at best. Your only recourse is to phone them.

Susan, I haven't had that experience. My paper trail has worked for me just fine...or as a recourse, I'll book via Booking where there is a paper trail and the hotel itself can still be emailed and I get replies from them back (albeit via the 3rd party site). It is rare for me to have to do this, however; unless it is actually their preferred booking method. With 10s of 1000s of hotels, I guess we will all have different experiences.

I too think some are too quick to judge the OP. We can only go on what he described in his post, but per that, he cancelled within the cancellation policies and when he talked to the staff, they claimed not to have read emails from a time when they were on vacation.

While it is good advice to always make sure you get a cancellation confirmation, his email was his notice that he was cancelling and the hotel didn't push back that some other cancellation notice was required. They just didn't read their emails. The error seems to be on the hotel, who should not have charged a night.

Claiming that France is of a different culture just doesn't apply here. If email cancellation is allowed by the hotel, then sending an email is sufficient. It is not good business practice to not read and respond to emails of customers, and especially if their neglect costs the customer money.

I would follow up more with your CC or bank. Establish an official claim and be sure to provide a copy of your email and the hotel's cancellation policy and any followup email communication that they had not read the email. Most likely this is not a fraud report but a charge for services not provided.

This sucks but without them sending a cancellation confirmation you can't assume it's cancelled. I've had way more expensive "travel lessons".

It’s true that in France the small hotels respond better to phone calls, so even when you write, you do need to follow up with a phone call to be sure the matter was taken care of. When I cancel, I keep their response for at least six months just in case there’s a misunderstanding.

Since you have proof and they said you wouldn’t be charged, let’s hope the refund comes through. Refunds can take time as opposed to the speed of charges.