paranoid old lady week

[thehippie777]

These are cute, yet sad. Must be paranoid little old lady week or something.

Red light of dooom

Me: Hello, Front Desk
SC: Hi, yes, there is a thing on my wall with a red blinking light. I am just so worried, is something wrong?
Me: Um...are you looking at your smoke detector??
SC: I am not sure. I have never seen anything like it before ever. Is something happening, did something go wrong? Is there an emergency?
Me: Um...if you aren't hearing anything then no everything is fine... Would you like me to come up & take a look at what you are seeing for you?
SC: Oh, would you? If it's a smoke detector, I have never seen one like it. The one I have at home makes a noise.
Me: Well, so do those if they sense smoke...I will be up ASAP. I have a bunch of people & the phone is ringing, but I will come up as soon as I can.
SC: Okay, thank you so much!
---------Time passes, at least 20 minutes, I was slammed and alone. I decide to call her & let her know I am on my way.------
SC: Hello, yes you don't need to come up. I haven't smelt or seen anything. That light is just so strange!!!
Me: Are you sure you don't want me to assure you it's the smoke detector?
SC: Oh yes, I will just lay turned away from it and hope that if something is wrong I will know.
Me: Okay....



Wow. Paranoid.

I won't put the dialog. But, it took me at least a half an hour to get this lady all checked in etc. 1. Lady comes in needing a room, she immediately tells me to not announce the room number or what floor it is on (no problem there, aren't supsta unless a guest wishes to be assured they are reading the number correctly). 2)Did she mention she wants to see the room first? She had a rolling suite case with her, she brings that with her. She is gone for 20 minutes, I try calling to make sure she understands she must pay for the room to stay in it. She comes down just as I hang up for a no-answer. 3)She wants to make sure her info is private, and won't be exposed to other guests. 4)She wants to pay in travelors checks. It takes her 7 minutes to fill them out, and if I looked away she would stop because she insisted I had to watch her sign etc. 3)NG was struggling helping another guest, and that guest kept interrupting me cuz NG was being useless. 4)After taking her ID and protecting it as she was terrified, got her cc, and her payment with cashier's checks, she insisted on reading EVERYTHING on the registration slip. This took another 7 or so minutes, so in the mean time I checked in other guests. 5)After everything was finaly in order she drug all of her crud 3 times back & forth to her car.

[mattm04]

Are these the same people who use fire sprinklers as coat hangers and get confused as to why their room is flooded.

[LillFilly]

I understand her wanting to keep her information and room private but...she was still kinda weird.

My old hotel NEVER said the room number out loud, just 'And this is your room number' and pointed to the inside of the folding card the key was in. But, as the group was scattering across the lobby you'd hear "Hey, my room's 241, meet me there later!" and so-on. Sigh. So much for security!

[Mnemjian]

SC: Oh, would you? If it's a smoke detector, I have never seen one like it. The one I have at home makes a noise.

I find that worrisome. I bet her smoke detector is beeping because it's out of batteries or otherwise incapacitated Hopefully she doesn't ever need it to actually work...

[EvilEmpryss]

I bet her smoke detector is beeping because it's out of batteries or otherwise incapacitated Hopefully she doesn't ever need it to actually work...

Hotel smoke detectors blink to show they're powered correctly. Since she wasn't hearing an alarm, all she was seeing is the power light. It can be creepy, and could remind one of the blinking light on some camcorders, so one might wonder if one is being recorded in the night... if one were as paranoid as the lady paranoid about her information was.

[EricKei]

She wants to pay in travelors checks. It takes her 7 minutes to fill them out, and if I looked away she would stop because she insisted I had to watch her sign etc.

Well, this, at least, I can understand. I've only seldom had to deal with these things, but it was always my understanding that the user is supposed to countersign them in such a way that the cashier sees them doing it (theoretically to cut down on fraud/make sure the sigs match)

[Chromatix]

Yes, but you don't have to watch them filling in the rest of the form.

[Dentarthurdent]

This makes me giggle, especially the idea of laying in the other direction so you wouldn't have to see the mysterious red light...what goes on in people's heads?

My old hotel NEVER said the room number out loud, just 'And this is your room number' and pointed to the inside of the folding card the key was in. But, as the group was scattering across the lobby you'd hear "Hey, my room's 241, meet me there later!" and so-on. Sigh. So much for security!

I was a desk clerk once and was told the most fabulous story (to illustrate why we don't say room numbers aloud) by my GM. I no longer recall the proper details, but it went something like this. "John Smith used to get beat up every day in middle school by Steve Jones. He hasn't seen Steve Jones in years, but they HAPPEN to both be checking in to our hotel at the same time! John Smith doesn't recognize Mr. Jones...UNTIL the foolish desk clerk says "Here you are, Mr. Jones! Room 237!" and the name "Jones" sparks long-dormant memories in John Smith's head! He memorizes the room number, and, THAT NIGHT, John Smith heads for 237 with his sawed-off shotgun...."

Now imagine all this in a thick Kentucky accent and try to keep a straight face.