I don't want to offer to help people anymore

[bhskittykatt]

So last week, a couple wanted some recommendations for a restaurant. However, they wanted a restaurant with a bar next to it. Now, I live in a different place than [city I work in] and am not very familiar with their downtown scene or where things are in relation to each other. I can parrot off places that my coworkers mention which is usually fine, but if you want specific information about a place then I have to use the power of Google.

I answered as many menu questions as I could about the restaurants I knew of. They were specifically wanting to watch a hockey game. I offered to call around since I really don't know who does and doesn't have TVs. They didn't want me to call though and decided to just call a cab and have the driver make recommendations. So I called them a cab and they went on their merry way. Hey, I offered to be helpful. They seemed to be in a good mood as they left and I thought nothing of it. I was just like, "Yeah, unfortunately I'm from [other city] but the cab drivers here would definitely know better than me where the hot spots are. Have fun tonight!" It was....well, it was perfectly normal-seeming to me.

This is what they wrote about me:

Check in girl was VERY rude, looked like she just woke up. When we asked if there any pub's nearby and mentioned we heard about the Mexican rest in town, she said she didn't know of any. IT IS NEXT DOOR to the Mexican rest! Educate your staff! There are only a handful of rest in town!

Woah, what? First off, Google did not inform me that there's a bar next to that restaurant. And....how was I rude? I smiled. I offered to call around to the places I knew to see who was showing the game.

The GM spoke with the guest and this is what he said in his email:

She said bhskittykatt was very unwelcoming, rude, short in her answers, did not encourage any “experiential” conversation, and obviously hates her job.

We ended up refunding all the money she paid as well as the monies her mother-in-law paid due to poor treatment on the desk.

So after a completely benign and pleasant conversation where I didn't know everything off-hand but offered my best, this bitch turned around and called me rude and unwelcoming and got a full refund.

At least I'm not in any trouble since the bosses agreed that didn't sound like me at all. She still got a refund for her lies, though, so that pissed me off.

Fuck that bitch sideways with a fork.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

I don't understand this, or why they got anything refunded. A front desk person being 'rude' (either indifferent or uninformed about the topic being discussed) is not a reason to need a refund on a hotel room. Not knowing where a bar that plays hockey games is not a reason to need a refund on a hotel room. Having desk staff look like they just got up (wtf does that mean, was your hair untidy or your mascara slightly smeared?) is not a reason to get a refund on a hotel room.

Sleeping in your car because your hotel room floods when the sprinklers go off is a reason to get a refund on a hotel room. Having to move rooms at 2 in the morning because your drunk neighbour comes through the drywall between the rooms is a reason to get a refund on a hotel room. Spending the night in ER because the light fixture comes loose and falls on your head and you need 20 stitches is a reason to get a refund on a hotel room.

I've had a few problems in hotels before. I've received compensation for some of them, I've had dinner certificate for the restaurant, free visit to the spa, even a free room upgrade. I can't imagine complaining let alone expecting compensation for some of the 'problems' you and other hotel workers relate to us.

It pisses me off too, and I wasn't there and have no stake in your or any hotel.

[mathnerd]

I know it's Big Brother-ish, but I swear there needs to be high-def audio/video recording of every single customer interaction ever because of this bullshit.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

That time in Yellowstone were the hotel fire alarm went off as we were dropping off to sleep and just about made us shit ourselves, we got nothing comped. And liked it.

[notalwaysright]

It's so irritating, SCs can just lie about anything and are rewarded for it. They probably realized what their bill was and decided to complain in the hopes of getting a free ride. Congrats for them, and I hope they enjoy their bad karma. A camera wouldn't be a terrible thing, but then management would have to actually stand up to the customer and say "what about this exchange did you find objectionable?" and in my experience management would rather give the money back.

And unless I'm completely insane, the hotel is not actually in town, so it's not like you drive through it on your way to work.

[bhskittykatt]

And unless I'm completely insane, the hotel is not actually in town, so it's not like you drive through it on your way to work.

You're not insane. The town is on the other side of the harbor and I don't go anywhere near it. (Technically we're inside the city limits...they nicely wrap around the Resort and the nearby neighborhood full of richy-richies. Clever how they managed to do that to get the tax base. You actually have to leave the city limits and then later re-enter them to get to downtown.)

It's almost a 20 minute drive from The Resort to the town. It's about a 45 minute commute to this town from where I live, which is tiny and has nothing to offer for me to visit on personal time so yeah, I go by what coworkers who live out here tell me and that's all I got.

[RobertM]

Fuck that bitch sideways with a fork.

I do believe the rough end of a pineapple works just as well!!

[eltf177]

It's so irritating, SCs can just lie about anything and are rewarded for it. They probably realized what their bill was and decided to complain in the hopes of getting a free ride. Congrats for them, and I hope they enjoy their bad karma. A camera wouldn't be a terrible thing, but then management would have to actually stand up to the customer and say "what about this exchange did you find objectionable?" and in my experience management would rather give the money back.

I agree with this. And I agree a camera would be good evidence of these lies, especially if management can use it to deny refunds. In this case a refund was definitely NOT warranted!

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

This is why I hate that so many hotels have that, as its called elsewhere on these boards "please steal from us" guarantee. I don't know why the hospitality industry is so known for easy refund policies but that seems to be the case.

Unfortunately, as we all know, that just encourages the SCs.

My guess, maybe the food at the restaurant wasn't very good or they didn't get to see the whole game or just their night went bad in general and they wanted someone to blame for it.

[eltf177]

My guess, maybe the food at the restaurant wasn't very good or they didn't get to see the whole game or just their night went bad in general and they wanted someone to blame for it.

Not only that, get reimbursed as well!

[AccountingDrone]

I swear, if I owned a freaking hotel with a stealfromme guarantee, I would fucking videotape every single check in and out, and tape every freaking call to the damned desk.

[HotelMinion]

This is why I hate that so many hotels have that, as its called elsewhere on these boards "please steal from us" guarantee. I don't know why the hospitality industry is so known for easy refund policies but that seems to be the case.

Unfortunately, as we all know, that just encourages the SCs.

My guess, maybe the food at the restaurant wasn't very good or they didn't get to see the whole game or just their night went bad in general and they wanted someone to blame for it.

I guess they (corporate) got tired of listening to tons of complaints "My microwave wasn't workin' so I wanna refund!" "The decor was ugly and the room key wouldn't work, I wanna refund!" "I got stuck in the elevator and my toilet broke I wanna a refund!" They got TONS of these I imagine.
Sick of them they granted power to the FD for refunds. I actually prefer it because before then, I got my head nearly bit off for stupid things. Like chomped off. I wish I was kidding. Now 50% of the time, I just say "Ok well, would you like a refund" to a spitting, spewing guest and they calm down....50% of the time. Tho, I've seen some aren't satisfied. Whatever. =P What else can I do?
I think whenever a guest gets mad at a FD worker, it's two bad things: the workers gets pissed off and quits (sometimes) and the guest leaves angry and hissing at corp. This refund policy helps a bit. We're not supposed to offer tho, the guest should ask so very rarely I do it like when I'm about to pop.

[Aislin]

I lived near (pretentious ritch resort town) and to combat this little problem many resorts had a fun solution. My friend was hired as a front desk clerk. As part of her training she got to eat at all sort of fancy restaraunts, on the company, take a hot air ballon ride, a helicopter tour, complementary water skiing lesson, a jeep tour of all the local tourist destinations, a tour of local bars and hotspots, tours of the local winery and brewery, a white water adventure and a salsa dancing class. All so she could better inform the guests of alllll the area had to offer. I am not joking. The people who stayed there were gold plated assholes and she had a photo album at the desk to PROVE she had done alllll the things she endorsed because quite often they would question how a "poor person" could have possibly done all those things. She explained with a smile it was all part of her training.

[Evannah]

She could have actually got you fired for that. I've known it to happen. Lucky that it didn't come to that, but she should definitely NOT have gotten her money refunded. And that part about how looking like you just woke up, I'm not sure what that was supposed to mean, but way to make it personal. Maybe she meant you looked tired? In that case, she is scum. I'm tired ALL the time. I can't shake it. Ever. Blame my anti-depressants. Don't blame me. People need to realise that some things are totally out of control and that sometimes, what might seem obvious (ie someone who comes to work tired staying up all night playing video games, or going clubbing), actually isn't. People need to stop judging, especially when it comes to making a complaint against someone.

Just think: karma's a bitch

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

This is why I hate that so many hotels have that, as its called elsewhere on these boards "please steal from us" guarantee. I don't know why the hospitality industry is so known for easy refund policies but that seems to be the case.

Cut-throat competition would be my guess on that. Don't want people to draw conclusions about an entire chain of hotels based on one bad experience and avoid that chain everyplace they go.