I first booked two nights at Lian Bang, for a double room with a view. One of the front desk people had enough English to help me check in easily. I was pretty sure something had gone wrong, though, when I got to my room and definitely had one of the bargain business suites, with no window. I went back to the desk and told them, and they gave me a new room key. This room was much cozier, and had a window overlooking the Zhizaoju Rd as well as a very decent bathroom. It also had a layer of dirt about 5 in wide all around the floor, threadbare towels, and garbage between the bed and the wall that nobody had noticed.
The next afternoon, I was relaxing in my room enjoying the fast (but often disconnected) wifi when someone came to my door, rubbing her fingers together and saying "Money." She radioed the English-speaking admin, who told me that I hadn't paid and had to leave. I was astonished and showed her my Expedia booking again. Eventually she said "Ok, I think you are right" and left.
I booked four more nights. On my last day, the maid came an hour before checkout and did the money-fingers thing again...and again right at checkout. She radioed the front desk, and pushed me(!) toward the ringing phone, where someone said "check out" a few times. I was nearly packed when she came back 45 mins later & radioed someone, who used a translator app to tell me that I hadn't paid enough. I showed her my bags and said I was flying home that night. 30 mins later I was gone.
