Stuck between a rock and a hard place

[OfficeSlug]

2) go online and book the room via the website (or third party site) and pay for it at that time. I did this for my parents all the time. I used my card and booked the room in their name without any trouble.

That's actually pretty smart!

But did SC think of that? No, of course not.

[Seshat]

I love this group.

So many solutions you're all giving to Hero for next time. Keep it up!


(Sadly, there will be a next time.)

[sirwired]

That's actually pretty smart!

But did SC think of that? No, of course not.

It's not the booking that's the problem; pretty much all hotels require a credit card (or some hotels, cash) to have in case of in-room charges or damage.

[Jester]

One option would be to suggest to the guy other hotels in the area that will take credit cards over the phone.

Oh well, as others have pointed out, if you're REALLY in immediate danger, your first call should be the police, not a retail establishement.

Yes and no. There are certainly situations where the best thing one can do is to simply Get Out, rather than having the police get involved, where they may or may not take action. Some abusers are adept at hiding their abuse. Some police departments are adept at not getting involved, and some are just incompetent. And en there are cases where the abuser is in tight with the local cops, either as a friend or as a cop himself. More on this would probably have to be in Fratching, but you get the general idea.

And the danger may not be immediate, but more general, as in she was fleeing an abusive situation that might not have been violent right that minute.

My point is that not all situations are cut and dried, black and white. Some are more complex, and require different methods, such as the woman simply leaving, disappearing, getting away and not leaving any trail for him to follow. Without knowing the specific details of the case, which in this case we do not, it's hard to say which course of action is the best.

[bhskittykatt]

If it was his personal fax machine that wasn't working, places like Kinko's or UPS stores often have fax services available. Hell, I once faxed a 3rd party CC authorization form to a department store that was being nice enough to let the guy use. So those are options; they require a commute to the store, but in that sort of situation it would be worth it.

[Sakka]

For Western Union, make sure the outlet is one that gives out cash.

Where I work, we are a Western Union outlet and we only give out cheques to be deposited/cashed at the bank/credit union. Years ago, used to give out cash for western union, but the owner changed the policy years ago.