1 /5 Mark: Extremely disappointing experience. I was charged a surcharge on a DEBIT card, which appears to be illegal under the Dodd-Frank Act, and then sales tax was applied to that surcharge, which may also be unlawful per the 2019 NY Supreme Court ruling. On top of that, the tax charged itself appeared inflated.
I explicitly informed staff of the improper debit surcharge, yet it was still applied. This strongly suggests this practice is being imposed on ALL debit card users, not an isolated mistake.
This matter has been reported to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, Visa, and my banking institution.
What’s even more troubling is that this appears to be a systemic issue across nearly ALL Heavenly Village merchants, not just one location. As first-time visitors to Tahoe, we were met with hidden fees, questionable tax practices, and annoyed, short-tempered staff instead of hospitality.
Heavenly Village and its merchants need to adopt lawful, transparent payment practices. These violations will always be reported. Very disappointing introduction to Tahoe.