Personal stirling cheque as Italian deposit?

Rather than usual credit card details Italain hotel is asking for
deposit in form of a £ stirling cheque. Seems odd?
(credit card acceptable for balance)
--
Mike Reid
"Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso
UK walking "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Spain,cuisines and walking "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

In article ,
(The Reid) wrote:

Rather than usual credit card details Italain hotel is asking for
deposit in form of a £ stirling cheque. Seems odd?
(credit card acceptable for balance)

Yes, it does. Certainly not something I've ever encountered in Italy.

"The Reid" wrote in message
...
Rather than usual credit card details Italain hotel is asking for
deposit in form of a £ stirling cheque. Seems odd?
(credit card acceptable for balance)

I have come across this too in Italy, and US visitors are asked to send a
cheque in dollars.
Your sterling cheque is a kind of show of goodwill, that you will honour
your booking. The hotelier won't bank the cheque, and when you arrive it
will be handed back to you. You then settle the bill in the normal way. But
if you fail to turn up, then he can then bank the cheque and keep the
proceeds as cancellation fee. Because of bank charges he will get quite a
bit less than the amount made out for, but sufficient to cover his loss of
business (worked out in advance).
I think it's a very prudent practice. You don't have to send a banker's
draft or money order in euro, which will cost you in fees, and the hotelier
has his bottom line covered in case of no-show.
I have encountered similar practice in Spain for rental properties, where
they accept security deposit against breakages in sterling cash as well as
euro.

Alec

Rather than usual credit card details Italain hotel is asking for
deposit in form of a £ stirling cheque. Seems odd?
(credit card acceptable for balance)

That's probably his holiday fund for next year, safely away from the prying
eyes of the investigators from the Ministery of Finance.

The Reid wrote in message . ..
Rather than usual credit card details Italain hotel is asking for
deposit in form of a £ stirling cheque. Seems odd?
(credit card acceptable for balance)

I think the only person around here who has Stirling cheques would be
Owain...

I've certainly seen hotels in Europe that request cash deposits. Personally,
I wouldn't bother with them- there are plenty that will take a CC deposit,
and that's generally more secure. Still, accomodating of them to accept a UK
cheque (assuming they don't mean UK sterling traveller's cheque).

David

(above address will not work)

Following up to David Horne

I think the only person around here who has Stirling cheques would be
Owain...

I do that every time, maybe one day I will learn (perhaps remove
the town from my spellcheck somehow?), but old dogs...... :-)
--
Mike Reid
"Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso
UK walking "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Spain,cuisines and walking "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to David Horne and others

Still, accomodating of them to accept a UK
cheque (assuming they don't mean UK sterling traveller's cheque).

they say either.

Other points raised:-
I dont think its a tax thing, the cheque will be payable to the
hotel.
As a security an unpresented personal cheque seems flawed in that
I could cancel it tomorrow or it could just bounce.
--
Mike Reid
"Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso
UK walking "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Spain,cuisines and walking "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

The Reid wrote:

Following up to David Horne

I think the only person around here who has Stirling cheques would be
Owain...

I do that every time, maybe one day I will learn (perhaps remove
the town from my spellcheck somehow?), but old dogs...... :-)

I was born in Stirling. In the town where I grew up, Tillicoultry,
there's a furniture megashop called Sterling. The ads on the TV say
something like "Sterling. In Tillicoultry, near Stirling." Say it
quickly, and it will confuse anyone!

David

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.co.uk
davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Everything in Italy is a tax thing. They are probably depositing it
in an out of country bank. I pay two European companies for product
in US$ with checks mailed to banks not in the country of the
manufacturer.

After the check clears, it is a much less flawed deposit than a credit
card. Many credit card items can be disputed(I recognize that
USA-Europe charges are hard to reverse) for months, and frequently
reversed.

My flat rental in London requires 3 month advance payment in pounds
sterling, with limited refunds, and made out to a personal name.

On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 11:05:36 +0100, The Reid
wrote:

Following up to David Horne and others

Still, accomodating of them to accept a UK
cheque (assuming they don't mean UK sterling traveller's cheque).

they say either.

Other points raised:-
I dont think its a tax thing, the cheque will be payable to the
hotel.
As a security an unpresented personal cheque seems flawed in that
I could cancel it tomorrow or it could just bounce.

In article ,
(Alec) wrote:


"The Reid" wrote in message
...
Rather than usual credit card details Italain hotel is asking for
deposit in form of a £ stirling cheque. Seems odd?
(credit card acceptable for balance)

I have come across this too in Italy, and US visitors are asked to send
a
cheque in dollars.

Willingness to accept the cheque is a nice gesture, but what seems odd
(unless I misunderstood the OP) is *not* accepting a credit card for the
deposit.