Re: innkeeping: Cancellations with Gift Certificates

[Rod Dakan <rdakan@aone.com>]

I am curious about the experation date on gift certificates.

If you contribute a certificate to an auction I can see an experation
date.

But if you sell the certificate for cash then why an experation date?

I do not know about other states but the state of Washington requires
that you show the certificate on your books as a liability and if you
wish to write it off that you remit that amount to the State lost
property office.

This is much the same as if you had deposited money in a bank and then
did not remember the account. the bank cannot profit from that fact.

If the certificate is for a specific amount it should be good for ever.

If the certificate is for s specific room then you might put a
stipulation on it that it must be used by a certain date or you will be
required to pay an upgrade charge or something like that in order to
protect yourself when rates to up.

I would never upset a guest by not extending an experation date for a
resonalble time.  Remember a unhappy customer will tell 9 of his friends
of his bad experience while a happy customer will only tel 3 of his
friends of his good experience.  The bad publicity works far better than
the good.


-- 
Marilyn Dakan                           Rod Dakan
-------------------------------------|---------------------------------
Scandinavian Gardens Inn B&B         |  Dakan & Associates
Long Beach, Washington               |  (Computer Systems Consultants)
                                     |
http://www.aone.com/~rdakan          |  e-mail rdakan@aone.com