In Reply to: rip-off posted by mcwilly on Friday, 4. March 2011 at 19:59 Bali Time:
For the first time this coming trip, I've had to pay a one night deposit on the booking I made direct with the hotel (same hotel group actually). I didn't use the online booking system as I found I got a MUCH cheaper rate by emailing them direct and asking for a discount for my one month stay.
They asked for credit card details to charge for the first night only, so I went to the post office and purchased a prepaid credit card for $100 value, which covered the cost. That way if anyone decides to try a sneaky and charge me for anything else, the card will bounce as it has no credit left on it.