Scamming management/Rude employees
This was the worst hotel experience I have ever had. It started with the unpleasant manager that answered my call at 10pm to confirm check in and check out times (you know who you are M***). I could write a small novel on the events that occured the day of my check in , but instead I will keep it short and interesting enough to make sure that whomever is reading this stay CLEAR AWAY from this hotel. 1) The manager told me with an unpleasant nature that I could "check in at any time". I was in town for the Mayo clinic and been traveling to Jacksonville for a year. I have a terminal illness and was just looking for a close inexpensive place to stay. The photos looked ok, so I decided to trust that the hotel was clean and comfortable. This is a true case of "You get what you pay for". When I got to the hotel at 12:20pm I was told rudely by the girl at the front desk that they had no rooms available and that check in wasn't until 3pm. Fortunetly, I had written down the managers name and what he told me so I was able to immedietly pull it out and show her. She took the note into the back to show the manager (the same man who told me this). She came back rolling her eyes and said "ok, weellll,,,,,if that is what he said then I guess I'll have to honor that. I kindly said "thank you" as if she was doing me a favor, and went to my room, 2) As soon as I entered the room the smell of mold and wet socks hit me. Discusted, I reluctantly put my bags down on the counter. I had just had a very unpleasant procedure done at Mayo and was just wanting to get into bed at that point. I went into the bathroom only to find numerous urine stains on the toilet. Not wanting to sit down on the toilet, I took a washcloth with hot water and soap and cleaned the top of the toilet seat so that I could feel ok sitting on it. As soon as I sat down, I looked at the floors and found a huge pile of pubic hair and dirt piled in both of the corners of the bathroom. That was it for me.... 3) I left me bags in the room and went accross the street to the Courtyard Marriot (very nice hotel), and told them my situation. I was a Mayo patient that just had a procedure done. That I had a suppressed immune system and was put in a very dirty room and could not compromise staying in a hotel with such low standards of cleanliness. Unbelievably, the wonderful people there gave me the same rate. 4) I returned to the hotel, gathered my things and went to the from desk with the toilet paper covered in pubic hair. I calmly explained to the clerk (as it wasnt her fault that the cleaning lady didnt do her job), that because of my illness, I could not risk staying in the hotel. I told her that I was staying for a few days and was getting a few tests done, and that I could not put myself in a situation where I was uncomfortable at my hotel. She said that she was sorry but that she did not have the authority to make refunds and that I would have to talk to the manager ..but that he just left the site to see a "lawyer or something". I asked her what I should do and she said that I could wait for him if I wanted. I asked if she could call him and she gave me his card with his cell phone number. This is where it gets ridiculous.... 4) I walked outside into my car and called customer service for the .com site that I purchased the ticket from The nice lady on the phone listened to my situation and told me that they could not issue me a refund, that it was at the manager's discretion to issue me a full refund. 5) I called the manager, the same guy that I talked to the night before, I told him the situtation. He apologized at first, and offered to move me to another room. I kindly refused. I explained to him that I was sick, broke from being sick, and could not afford to pay for two hotels for two nights. After practically having to beg for my money back, he offered to refund me for one night. I said ok, if that was the best he could do. I then requested, given to cirumstances, that he please issue me a full refund. I had only been in the hotel room for 5 minuites before leaving to look for another hotel, by this time about and hour and a half had passed. This is where I hit my breaking point...... After requesting that he give me a full refund he explained to me that he could not do that because of the agreement he has with ***********.com. He said that they do not allow full refunds within the time frame that I was in, and that it was not up to him. I then told him that the person at ***********.com, said that it was the managers discretion whether or not to issue a full or partial refund. He replied that the person I spoke to was wrong and did not know what they were talking about. I grabbed my reciept, and realized that the policy was CLEARLY stated at the bottom of the receipt: CANCELLATION POLICY: WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETIMES YOUR PLANS CHANGE. WE DO NOT A CHANGE OR CANCEL FEE. HOWEVER, THIS PROPERTY (MICROTEL INN and SUITES IMPOSES THE FOLLOWING PENALTY TO ITS CUSTOMERS THAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO PASS ON: CANCELLATIONS OR CHANGES MADE AFTER 4PM ON ***** ARE SUBJECT TO A 1 NIGHT ROOM & TAX PENALTY. THE PROPERTY MAKES NO REFUNDS FOR NO SHOWS OR EARLY CHECK OUTS. 6) As soon as I began to read the policy at the bottom of the reciept, Mr. M***** cut me off and would not allow me to finish speaking. He firmly denied that I knew what I was talking about and would no longer hear anything that I was saying...which was "why are you telling me something that is not true? I was told by ***********.com, by your employee at the fron desk , and now by the black and white policy on the receipt, but you are lying to me and telling me that you have no control over the situation. EVEN AFTER I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS VERY ILL AND BROKE! At that point, when he knew that I had called him out, and that I caught him lying and trying to scam me, he said " I tell you what.,....I will now charge you for both nights and you can go stay somewhere else!"....and hung up on me. That is what people do when they have dug themselves into a hole that they cannot get out of. They run away. You can imagine I was not going to let this slide.....no matter how sick and tired I was feeling by this time. 7) I called corporate customer service and explained the entire story. She was very nice, but explained that all she could do at the moment, was put in a complaint with all of my statements, adn that someone would call me back in a few days. I was so upset at this point wanting justice. I asked the rep if she could stay on the phone with my while I went inside to speak to the manager. I wanted him to know that our conversation was being listened to by a customer service rep. I repeated our entire conversation to him as she listened and he denied everything to my face! He knew that she was listening as I had her on speaker phone and denied all of the lies and then walked away in the middle of the interogation because he could not fend for himself. I calmly said to the rep that I was sorry to have to put her through that, but that I could not have this turn into a situtation where it was going to be my word against his. His actions clearly prooved his guilt. 8) At the end, he refused to give me a refund because he said there were no charges made to my card! Of course I had to call my credit card company and put HER on speaker to prove it. But because the room was purchased through ***********.com, it did not say "Microtel Inn" on the pending charge. He actually denied the charge was from him even though it was for the EXACT amount that was on my room bill and the ending of the pending chargers name was "travel"......omg. I was just in total disbelief that this person was given the responsibility of running a hotel. He was rude and completely heartless. I know a lot of people would have gone yelling and screaming at the fron desk when they were put in a smelly filthy room, but I didnt. I was polite all the way up until I realized I was being lied to. Oh, I left out the yelling between emplyees when I was checking in, and the obnoxious girl who clocked in right in the middle of the chaos, who listened to my credit card company over speaker say the amount pending and ***********"travel.com", shook her head a mummbled to her ignorant self " thats not even our hotel!!"...she had no idea what had taken place and had not place to put in her two cents. I had been treated so poorly at this point, it was like pooring salt on a wound. I calmly put her in her place after her snide comment...and of course, she had nothing to say in response. I walked back into the hotel for the last time to turn in my keys and to "check out". They handed me a piece of paper that did not look like a check out form. As I walked out of the buidling for the last time, I remarked at how unbelievable it was that I was treated so poorly after reacting to the situation so politely, that I was lied to , and then treated like garbage by fellow employees knowing nothing about the situtation. I said to Mr. M***** " I hope you can sleep well tonight, because you and I both know what happened here today. You tried to scam a sick, broke, mother of three, after putting her in a filthly hotel room, and were caught. You will be contacted by corporate very soon.....sleep well." And as I walked out the door Mr. M***** replied " and I hope you get better REAL sooon maam". A perfect comment from a perfectly dispicable heartless human being. I got a phone call days later with an appology from corporate and a check in the mail of the full amount. They assured me that this "manager" would be handled. In the end, justice was served. I thank Microtel Corp. for being very patient and for standing by there word. Mr. M******* I'm sure that you will read this one day. You may have put me through hell for one day, but Im sure that the reprocussions from your actions (proven by our recorded conversation) will far exceed what I experienced that day. You should not be in the customer service business. I realize that you may have a quota to meet for your rooms booked, but there is such a thing as manners and morals. You may have had a difficult life that has made you who you are, but I have had it hard too. I have am 34 with three boys and have a terminal illness. I could be angry at the world too, and take it out on other people, but I choose not to. In fact, I am quite the opposite, and if a person who had a suppressed immune system kindly requested a refund because she was put in a filthy room with urine stains and pubic hair. I would understand that she was probably afraid to get exposed to a lot of germs and would not feel comfortable staying in my hotel. I even offered you proof that I was a Mayo patient. I was not some rude vacationer with high expectations and demanded a free room or more. My advise to you is to get out of the customer service industry, first of all...you do not belong there.....and to take a deep look inside at the person you are. Then, work on changing yourself to be a better human being.