***DANGER: they stole our $50 deposit***
The room itself was to be $79.54 including tax. A $50 deposit was described as "for incidentals" such as pay per view movies-- not shocking as there seems to be brisk sex-services activity here (as soon as David got out of the car a girl who didn't look a day over 15 years old asked him if she could go back to his room with him.)
We were exhausted, and had no expectation of being defrauded. We needed to sleep. We put up the deposit.
We used no such services. We simply fed our cats, slept for a few hours, and got back on the road.
The doors were all open as we approached room 108. We parked and entered. Within a short period of time a party started next door and did not stop until morning. Loud music and what sounded like bodies slamming into the walls. Laughing and shrieking all night long. Lucky I had my headphones.
(By the way? The $50 was only if you used a debit card. They also have a cash deposit option: $150.)
There was no clerk to bring to the room in the morning, but there was no reason to worry. I expected that when the pending transaction cleared, the deposit would be resolved.
The transaction just settled tonight. $129.54.
We called the motel immediately. At first, the woman who answered the phone put David on hold--then she acted as if she had never heard of us. Next? She argued with us about Monday's calendar date. No, really. She finally asked for our last name again and immediately started yelling. She screamed: they refuse to return the deposit. (Here was their primary explanation) "you used our towel to clean up cat litter. We have pictures of it!!!"
She also said "your cat peed on the bed."
The first thing is true.
I spilled cat litter when pouring a fresh litter box for Puff and David cleaned it up and left the washrag.
1. It was clean cat litter.
2. We left their washrag to be laundered.
The second claim? We do not even pull back the coverlet on the bed-- cringe! I don't ever want to touch the things revealed under black light!--I travel with my own sensory friendly pillow, sheet, and blanket. I lay the sheet down and cover myself with the blanket.
Puff always has a fresh litter box for the night-- that's the actual reason we stop and the reason we exclusively stop at Motel 6 properties--he does not ever pee outside of one...he is exclusively an indoor cat.
We have stayed at (and reviewed) motel 6 locations around the country--this is the first one that has been disreputable.
This place had no intention of ever returning the deposit. They count on exploiting two vulnerable populations--the customers of the sex workers (who are clearly their bread and butter) and the travelers (who will be hundreds of miles away by the time the transaction settles.) read more