Project Kengikat

Customer Service at the Bonaventure Hotel

// August 9th, 2009 // Uncategorized

This was supposed to be my weekend to relax and take much needed time to just chill out before jumping head first into a long week of preparing for my outreaches for homeless people and people living with HIV and AIDS. I will also be starting the week off with three medical appointments.

Since my friends are out of town I was offered a “get away” to stay at their place. The cool thing is that this “staycation” wont cost me a cent and I wont have to end up battling to get my money back nor will I be flat out lied to about the charge to my credit card and I wont have to be lied to again as to when it would be returned.

What ever happened to customer service? When companies were honest, when they cared about how they treated their customers? Whatever happened to making things right and keeping your word? Since when did the customer, the very person who is the backbone of every business, became the enemy?

I recall a time when you called a company and were able to speak with someone, or you could just walk right in and have the issue resolved right away. No lies, no excuses, no phone trees, no being transferred or no one to tell you “I’ll call you back” only to have them never call back. Are the days where the customer was king gone? Replaced with people who tell lies, act as if you have bothered them when it is their lack of training and understanding just how very important the customer is?

Far too many times companies think “give them something for free and make them go away” reapirs the damage done by their lack of care toward the people who allow them to open for business each day. Far too many times companies feel that it is ok to miss mark and not offer excellent customer service each and every time to every person that walks through the door.

I recall working for Bullock’s Department Store one summer. It was a free standing store, meaning it was not in a mall or shopping center. I was trained under a manager who said when people can to the store they came to get something and if they left without a bag, then this was because we didnt do our jobs. “people can go to a mall to browse, they come here to shop.” While working there I also learned that Bullock’s truly cared about their customer and geared all training toward making the customer happy. Later I found out why Ma loved Nordstroms so much. It wasnt so much that they had great clothes and shoes that she loved wear, but they had unmatched customer service. They still do to this day.

How many times has a company done something wrong and then take their sweet time correcting their mistake? How many times do they try make you feel like it was your fault that they screwed up and then to add insult to injury they add “We will do all we can to fix this as soon as possible” or “let us look into this and we will get back to you.”

Last week my friend sent me a message telling me that I could get a FREE room at the Bonaventure Hotel in Downtown LA. He told me because he wanted me to have a “get away” as so many people in my life do. I really appreciate him for being so kind to think of me. This is the same friend who gave me the two tickets he won to Romeo and Juliet. I was able to once again enjoy the ballet, just like I use to in what now seems like a lifetime ago. The ballet was awesome and it was FREE, he didnt ask me to give him a deposit for the tickets or tell me that I had to pay for one. He gave them to me and I had an awesome time.

After the ballet we went to the Bonaventure Hotel and we ate at the Bonaventure Brewing Company. When Tina told me she had a certificate that would entitled us to a certain amount off our meal once we ordered a certain amount, I recalled the cool times I had been inside the Bonaventure and how each and every time it was so cool. The very last time I was in the Bonaventure Hotel was in 1987 after my high school prom from Santa Monica High. Some friends threw an after party in a warehouse in Downtown LA and after that many of us had rooms at the Bonaventure Hotel. It was so cool. We went from room to room laughing and just having a great time in a great hotel.

I shared some of this memories with Tina and Andy as we enjoyed our meal at the Bonaventure Brewing Company. When we were ready to leave the waitress failed to place the coupon on the final bill. She had to be told about it, but once told she did correct it. But what sticks out is this the fact that she had forgotten.

I was warned by a friend that nothing is free anymore and there would be a hidden charge and it would hurt me in the long run. She told me this after I had already placed the reservation and right after talking to her I called the hotel to ask. I wanted to make sure there was no hidden charge and no deposit required. I was assured that this was a promotion and there would be no hidden charges of any kind, not even a deposit. I explained a bit about my situation and how I did not want to be surpised once I got there. She placed me on hold and came back and said “Mr. Carr I just checked and there will be no hidden charges or deposit required”

That wasnt the case when I arrived the very next day. The lady at the counter first asked for $100. We I told here that I was told there would be no charge she looked at me like I had just insulted her. She then asked for $85 and again I told her what I was told. I asked her for my card and expressed that I was pretty pissed to have been told one thing only to come all that way told I had to pay. She then asked what I could pay. Since I had made arrangements to meet someone to pick up her donation of diapers for a family in need, I said fine. She did assure me that this was not a charge and I would get a credit back to my card when I check out. That was not true.

At check out I was given nothing and when I asked for a receipt I was given one that showed “balance due $0” I asked for a receipt that showed the credit back to my charge. “Sir you didnt pay for the room, it was free, nothing was charged to you card” at this point the couple checking in next to me began to look over at me and the “gentleman” behind the counter. This is when I asked for his manager.

Marco came out and told me the very same thing. “There was no charge to your card. We took an authorization and it was deleted. It was show back on your card tomorrow.” That was not true.the card was charged and the next day there was no credit back to my card. I again called my credit card company just as I did when I stood there with Marco and they told me the same thing. “Mr. Carr the card was charged by the hotel and there is no record of the charge being reversed.”

I called the hotel and this time I spoke with someone in the executive office. She listened to me and she said she would call back and she did. She told me that I should never have been charged a deposit and the card was charged and not issued a credit. She assured me she would take care of it. She also offered to mail me a check for the same amount of the charge and a stay in one of the suites to make this up to me. I told her that I wasnt complaining to get something for free. This was a problem and it needed to be fixed, not for me, but for all people who stay in that hotel. She gave me her word that it would be fixed that day and I would get a letter from her in about a week with the check and voucher for another “free” night stay.

Well once again this did not happen, the charge remains on my card and my credit card company shows no record of the charge being returned. They didnt take an authorization, they charged the card and it has yet to be corrected.

Today I had bills due that I needed that money for. I made the lady in the executive office fully aware of this and she said she she would make sure the credit back to the card would be done that day. However it was not done. Now I have the cost of the bill, plus an additional charge on top of this I have a fee from the card as well. So a room that was supposed to be free has now cost me $75 in fees plus the cost of the bill that didnt clear today. So this pissed me off and I called the hotel. Only to learn that the word that was given to me was nothing more then someone blowing smoke up my ass. All the talk about how she wanted to correct this and make it right was nothing more then a bunch of bull shit. Nothing more then “give them something for free and make them go away” approach to customer service.

To add insult to injury I get bounced from person to person for more then 20 minutes one front desk person even saying “What an ass” thinking the call was on hold. “when you bad mouth the person on the line, make sure you have them on hold first.” I then was given to France who was equally as rude and dismissive. He was the manager in charge after Marco had gone home but had no power to correct the charge to my card. He told me he would have someone named “Myra” fix it tomorrow

Yeah the days of customer service are long gone and the days when I had such cool experiences at the Bonaventure Hotel are also gone. Tomorrow morning I will get up to ride the bus to Downtown LA to get this matter corrected. This makes has been like a hemorrhoid in my ass. I have never had a hemorrhoid before but if I ever do have the misfortune of getting one, I will name it “Westin Bonaventure Hotel”

While I did enjoy my get away to the hotel I am now sorry I did it, it has cost me way more the free and while I did give the hotel a rating of 7 in my review I am now changing it to ZERO minus because of how this was handled so very badly by people who are supposed to be managers, leaders or examples if you will for the people who work under them. From Marco to Susan and now France this hotels management sucks ass and therefore they can KICK ROCKS.

Even if I were to stay in the suite that has been offered to me it will not be a true measure of the quality of service that is available at the Bonaventure Hotel. The staff will be alerted that I am in the hotel, in what room and how long I would be there and therefore told to give the best possible level of service. They will be instructed to make no mistakes, so I can see how great things can be at the Bonaventure Hotel, but this wont be the true level or a real measure of the service. It will be a feeble effort to repair lousy way this entire situation was handled and it will not correct or make things right at all.

“give him a room and make him go away” How bout doing things right the first time and when you cant do that, then fix them the second time and when you cant do that, then just admit that what you’ve done can not be repaired.

I fully understand that mistakes happen and that no one is perfect. The lady from the executive office and I talked about this in great detail. In fact she was very surprised that it had even taken place, but she didnt nothing to make sure it wouldnt happen again, especially not to the same person in the same week.

So instead of resting and preparing myself for my busy week, tomorrow I will be forced to get up and head to Downtown LA and spend time “baby sitting” the Bonaventure Hotel and once again asking them as nice as I can to please return the money that charged to my credit card.

KICK ROCKS

For my friend who told me about the free night stay, please dont think you did anything wrong because you did not do anything wrong. You thought of me enough to tell me about an offer on something that was supposed to be “FREE” and I fully appreciate you for thinking of me in the first place. This was caused by the staff of the Bonaventure Hotel and the blame falls squarely in their lap.

From 22 to 36 years old I was a private chef with an awesome catering business. I even owned a BBQ join for a short time and not once did I even have to tell a client or customer that I was sorry or have to offer something for free because I or someone on my staff screwed up. Not once. Since I started my organization I have never had to say sorry for something I’ve done, but I’ve had to say sorry to people I serve because someone who had volunteered to help me went back on their word. Just like the lady who had the diapers she wanted to donate but never called me back. Even though the family in need go the diapers and two gift cards to Ralph’s I did offer her an apology because I said I would have them there Wednesday afternoon, not that evening but things that were out of my control prevented me from doing this, but the bottom line is that I gave my word.

Marco you gave me your word, Susan, you gave me your word and even the person that monitors the twitter page, you too gave me your word that this would be corrected and all three of you have failed to even make sure that the process was even started. That’s really sad and I had a better stay and service at the Union Rescue Mission