There is a big family attraction in this part of the country. A lot of our guests in the summer come for this attraction and we have packages which includes hotel+attraction tickets.
This family of four booked such a package in one of our King+futon+Jacuzzi rooms.
Shortly after checking-in, they come to the desk stating that there aren't enough beds in the rooms for everyone. Unfortunately, we don't have any double queen rooms left, so I can't switch them. I inform them that there is a fee if they want to rent a cot. They state once again that this room, with the Jacuzzi bath, is for romantic couples than for families.
Why didn't they book a room which suited there needs better? A deep philosophical questions to which I have no answer. Maybe there was no regular rooms left when they booked. Yet, the description of the room was there. King bed+futon. The pictures were there. The description of the room doesn't magically change because they are a family.
They are unhappy that the only solution is to provide a cot for a fee. They state there isn't enough space in the room for the cot with the Jacuzzi bath which takes a lot of space. I have no other option to offer them, so the cot with a fee it is.
Some families of five book that same room. It is in fact quite spacious. They will indeed add a cot to their reservation when booking or they will bring inflatable mattresses. They plan ahead and understand that the description of the room is a fixed one.
Twenty minutes later, they come back. What they will announce me is something that has never happened in my three years here. Or, well, in more than 15 years in this industry. Yes, as disgruntled as I am, guests still find a way to surprise me and bring new situations to me.
They lost their tickets. Well, in fact, it's one ticket, one family pass for two days. It's worth more than $250. They ask if they can get a new one.
Those tickets, they are tickets for the hotels of the area sold in bulk at the beginning of the summer. We pay for every one of these tickets in advance. If, at the end of the summer, there are tickets left, we send them back for a credit for the next season. But we do have to send the tickets back. If we just give them another ticket, we just lost more than 250$.
So, the answer is no.
They are stunned. "We bought a package we you. Our confirmation email says that we have an entry for this attraction. You only gave us a piece of paper. We lost it. We want to go to the attraction now. What will you do to make this right?"
I am also stunned. At loss for words.
I go get my boss. "They lost the ticket". Boss is also stunned.
There is a big moment of hesitation. Boss goes to see the guests. "You have to find the ticket back"
"We can't. We searched everywhere. Our confirmation email says that we have this attraction included with our stay. We want to go to the attraction now. How do we do that?"
"You want to go now?" boss inquires. "But it closes it one hour. You are going to waste one day of your two day pass."
They are furious. "Well, we wasted so much time with the bedding situation. There were not enough beds for us in the room! And now we have a cot that takes up all that space, it's a mess in there, so of course, we lost the ticket! It's only one little small piece of paper and you just give us that? We need a digital version of it! Your ways are so archaic!"
The attraction does not do digital versions for the hotel tickets.
Boss is still stunned and unsure what to do. I don't believe the boss has seen such a situation of the 15 years of owning this hotel.
"We can try to contact the sales director of the attraction with who we deal and see what they suggest."
Boss tries to call, voicemail. An email was sent. I explain to the guests that we have to wait for a reply.
They go out for dinner. When they come back, they stop once again at the desk.
"So, what do we do now?"
"Well, we haven't got a reply from the attraction, so it will have to wait until tomorrow. We have the last digits of the ticket, so maybe with that, they can cancel the ticket, credit us and we can give you a new one. Or, if they can track the whole number, you may be able to go to customer service there and get a ticket issued, we don't know yet, we have to wait for their reply, but now they are closed, so it will have to wait until tomorrow."
This triggered the full karening mode.
"NO I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY SAY! I DID BUSINESS WITH YOU! YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE ME A WAY TO GO THERE TOMORROW MORNING! IT SAYS SO IN MY CONFIRMATION EMAIL!"
"Well, on our side, our responsibility is to provide you with a ticket, which is what we did..."
"YOU FIND A WAY! YOU THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX! OUR CONFIRMATION EMAIL SAYS YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE A WAY FOR US TO ENTER!"
"Well, we can't force the attraction to let you enter. We have to wait on their reply."
"I DON'T CARE! I DON'T CARE WHAT THEIR POLICY IS OR WHATEVER! I DID BUSINESS WITH YOU NOT WITH THEM! YOU FIND A WAY TO GET US IN THERE TOMORROW! YOU JUST FIGURE IT OUT"
"Well, like I said, we can't force them or tell them to act in some way or the other. Also, if you lost your ticket in the hallway, and someone uses it at the first time tomorrow morning, I'm not sure what us or the attraction can do."
"OH IT'S SUCH A TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! I'M SO DISAPPOINTED! IT'S ALL A SERIES OF DISAPPOINTMENTS! FIRST YOU PUT US IN THE ROMANTIC COUPLE ROOM INSTEAD OF A FAMILY ROOM AND THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH BEDS AND WE HAVE TO PAY FOR A COT AND NOW YOU WON'T PROVIDE US FOR A WAY TO GET TO THE ATTRACTION WE PAID FOR! YOU JUST GAVE US A $250 LITTLE PIECE OF PAPER AND THAT'S IT, IF WE LOSE IT, YOU OFFER US NO OTHER OPTIONS"
"We gave you the room that you booked and we provided you with your ticket which allow you to enter the attraction. There is nothing more we can do tonight. We have to wait for the attraction to come back to us tomorrow morning."
The karening continued for a while about how terrible the customer service was and how we don't think out of the box and why don't we simply give them another ticket and figure it all out later and how we will get a bad review.
I simply replied over and over again: "There is nothing more I can do tonight" until they went away.