![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
customer non-service
[address]
August 3, 2005
Customer Relations Department
LivInn Suites
11385 Chester Rd.
Cincinnati OH 45246
To Whom It May Concern:
I recently visited Cincinnati and, after seeing good reviews on the web, chose to stay at your hotel. I had an unsatisfactory experience with your hotel that I would like to bring to your attention. To summarize, there were two problems: my reservation was not honored, and when there turned out to be major problems during the first night of my stay I received very little assistance.
The first problem came when I checked in. Though I had made a reservation specifically for a non-smoking room, I was told when I arrived that this was only a "preference" (they had not said that at reservation time) and I would have to settle for a smoking room. Had I not already made arrangements to meet someone at this hotel two hours later, I might have walked out at that point. The room I was given reeked of tobacco, triggering my allergies within an hour.
The second problem began later that night. The people in the room next door were very loud -- this, of course, is not your fault, though you might need better sound insulation. However, after my knocks on their door went unanswered, I called the front desk at midnight and asked for help. The noise continued for some time and I called the front desk again to be told that no one had answered a phone call to the room. I asked that someone go to the room and speak with them, and the noise died down soon thereafter.
However, at 4:00 AM I was awakened again by more noise, and I called the front desk again. That time they must have answered the phone, because a few minutes later they began pounding on the shared wall and shouting obsencities at me. I was eventually able to go back to sleep.
When they woke me again at 6:30 AM I gave up, dressed, and went to the front desk. Under normal circumstances it would have been appropriate to move the disruptive party to a different room rather than inconveniencing a well-behaved guest, but since your staff had revealed the source of the complaint and the multiple people in that room had reacted violently, I did not feel safe remaining in my room and asked for a new room.
I was first told that there were no rooms available in the category for which I had paid (with the implication that there were higher-priced rooms available). Eventually your staff found another room and gave me a key. The person at the front desk apologized for the inconvenience but did not offer any assistance in moving my belongings. I had to do that myself.
I thought that at the very least I might receive a partial credit on my bill, but when I checked out after two nights I was charged full price. Had I stayed at a Motel-6 I might have expected that, but I had an experience rather worse than my last Motel-6 visit and paid twice as much for it. It was clear that the people working the desk on a Sunday morning were not enpowered to address this, so I did not press it.
It is my hope that you are as appalled by these events as I am and that you will re-evaluate your policies and procedures to make them more customer-friendly. I will wait a few weeks before adding a review to the web site where I found you so that I can take into account your response to this letter.
[signature, room numbers, dates]
Their reply:
August 14, 2005
[address, salutation]
I was sorry to hear that your last visit to our hotel was unsatisfactory. Thank you for bringing certain issues to our attention so we can address them. We take the satisfaction of our guests very seriously. Please accept the enclosed voucher for a complimentary stay. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced.
[signature]
Comments
Ok, they get points for apologizing. I have no way of knowing if they will in fact make any changes, but maybe they will.
But -- where did this meme come from that to compensate you for bad service, we'll give you a coupon for future use so that, maybe, you won't get bad service again? What happened to refunds? I know, vouchers are cheap; this one has a one-year time limit, so the odds of being able to use it are low. (I assume they're a chain but I haven't checked what other cities they're in.)
The Volkswagen dealership did the same thing; when I complained that they had damaged my car and caused me considerable inconvenience, their response was a coupon good for a free detailing -- which would, of course, involve entrusting my car to them again, because the coupon isn't transferable. Needless to say, they got off without any burden there. (And my letter to the head office produced squat.)
Now, LivInn Suites has not treated me nearly as badly as VW did, and I could have pressed the issue at the time. I'm not saying that they owe me anything; clearly by handing over my credit card I reqlinquished that claim. But it would have been decent of them to give a partial refund instead of a voucher. Had they done so I would be telling the world that they stand for quality, and I would give them another chance if staying at their hotel ever became relevant again. As it is, I can't do that.
This isn't customer dis-service, exactly; it's more like non-service. They missed an opportunity to be good guys. Oh well.
Say <i>WHAT‽</i>
(Oh, if that character didn't come through, it's an interrobang.)
Re: Say <i>WHAT‽</i>
I was. But that pissed-off-ness was directed toward the neighbors, with whom I had no recourse. (Still, I'm a little pissed that the hotel folks told them who complained. Granted, there was a 50-50 chance of them guessing anyway, but...)
I'm considering sending a nastygram. I'm also considering copying my letter (or maybe just linking this entry) in reviews posted on travel web sites. I don't have a vendetta, but I think it's fair to present the facts of what happened to other potential customers.
no subject
They already know you aren't likely to come back, and especially know that you are unlikely to return to their establishment within a year. The voucher is the ultimate kiss-off. The voucher is for, what?, one night? They also know that, if you do choose to use the voucher, you are likely to need to stay for more than one night. In other words, the "compensation" they sent you is either not going to be used and costs them nothing or is going to force you to spend more money with them therefore increasing their coffers.
And, to top it off, that was a form response. They didn't read your letter more than to know that you were complaining about bad service. Which means they will not be addressing your complaints.
Yep, I'd call that dis-service.
no subject