That Will be 50 Dollars

The hotel we stayed at this week has self-pay parking and when you have a room, they add it to your key card and you can use that to get in and out of the lot.  When we were leaving the hotel Thursday at 5:45 a.m. to drive to the airport, we had already checked out and I gave the front desk my key.

Well, of course we couldn't get out.  I tried pushing the "Push for Assistance" button and was connected to the hold music and no one every answered.  I tried pushing the Lost Receipt button.  The machine's response?  "Fifty dollars, please." I think not.  At least it was polite.  Luckily another guy came up to the gate at that point and we used his card to get out.  Turns out he works there.  Whatever.  This, by the way, is not the first time I've tangled with a parking garage "attendant."