first call today...

[aries89]

This one is actually very mild compared to some other sucky customers I've encountered. But he was a jerk, this was just earlier today, and I feel like complaining about him, so here we go.

I get on the phones, it's my first call of the day.. and what a great way to start the day.

Me: Thank you for calling reservations, this is Aries89, how may I help you?
Him: January 1. New York City.
Me: Sure, and how many nights will you be staying?
Him: One. And it must be at [name of hotel], NOT any of the other ones.
Me: Unfortunately, sir, that hotel is sold out---
Him: NO! You do NOT tell me that!! I just called yesterday, they said they had rooms available!! I've been using you guys for 25 years, and this is how I'm treated. This is why I hate calling you, your service is horrible. You spend so much time asking me questions *in a nasty mimicking voice* what city and state, how many nights... I'M the client, I should be the one asking questions, not you!!! And they told me yesterday that there were rooms left!!! This is crazy! Oh God, you don't know what you're doing to me! *hangs up*

Ok, that was basically the shortened version of it, I can't remember everything he was rambling on about. According to the timer on my phone, he was going off at me for a little over 6 minutes. Ok, so yeah he's frustrated that his hotel sold out so fast--but hey, the hotel only has so many rooms in the place, not a whole lot I can do to get you one once they're gone (and we have a hotel that's not even a block away w/ availability, but of course that simply will not do!)

I also don't see why he is so upset that we ask him a couple simple questions How would we make a hotel reservation for him without knowing where he wants to go and when? Ugh.

[auntiem]

I get variations of this guy all day long. Why didn't he book the room yesterday when they had them and save you the 6 minute rant?

[smileyeagle1021]

I know I posted this in another thread (about getting a quote on locksmith prices) but I think it relates very well to your problems with people not wanting you to ask questions

you may like to know you aren't alone in that... hotels are the same, to give you a price quote we need to know
1. how many adults and children in the room
2. your smoking preference
3. assuming there is an option between rooms with one and two beds based on how many are staying which you would prefer
4. whether you want a standard or upgraded room
5. why you are traveling to the area, we need this to know whether we need to give you a corporate rate, a government rate, a rack rate, or a package rate.
6. what discounts you have such as AAA or AARP
7. most important of all we must know when you are traveling, because our rates can and do change every single day of the year.

failure to answer all 7 of those questions (I don't care what order you tell them to me as long as I get all 7 of them) will result in an inaccurate quote.

oh, and i'm sure you also love the people who get upset when the hotels change rates or variation of that the rate they wanted is no longer available (ie, 7 day advance booking and it's now only 6 days in advance)

[MoonChild2007]

Wouldn't it have been smarter to set the date WAY in advance since oh, a lot of people are going to reserve hotels for New Years Day?

I just called yesterday, they said they had rooms available!! I've been using you guys for 25 years, and this is how I'm treated

Well if he had been using this company for 25 years, then clearly they have been doing something right. it amazes me how customers always use how long they have been with X company if they don't get what they want.

I should be the one asking questions, not you!!!

What a stupid comment. WE are the ones who take care of all your crap. WE are the ones who put YOUR info into the system so there would be no problem. What an idiot.

[SnapAddict218]

I always loved it when they would rant and not let me get a word in. Then hang up.

I don't have to do anything, and the fact that they woudn't shut up long enought for me to talk meant that snaps didn't have to worry about her smart mouth misfiering.

heh.

[mattm04]

I would love to just let the SC's tell me what they wanted to, and then(in this case) when they get booked into the crappiest, most rat infested and drug infested hotel in NYC...Well you get the idea.

[earl colby pottinger]

This is so strange to me

This is so strange to me, I just came back from a week's cruise in the Carribean.

Dec.9-16, when did I book it? January of this year. Not only did booking early insure I could get a cabin (The newest ship has some classes of rooms fully booked a year in advance), but since I had a class 6A and they ran out of these rooms and there was still more demand I got upgraded to an 8B room and I even got a discount on the room from $600pp to $470pp.

I don't know if hotels do the same but I do know booking well in advance pays off.

And before the end of this year I expect to book a cruise in Nov/Dec. 2008 and another in Feb. 2009. And I am sure that I will get what I want because I will order them while they are still available!

[Knightmare]

This is why I could never have a job involving phones; I would laugh at the callers all the time. I'd forget to hit the mute button and the caller would hear a stifled guffaw.

I have a new coworker that used to work in a call center here in town for a major cell carrier. He was amazed that, when I used to work for RadioShack, we would call his operation daily to set up cell phones. I asked him how he liked working for a call center, and his reply was "Dude.. don't get me started. I hated it! Too many bitches bitching just to bitch."

[It shouldn't]

Oh, I get people calling all the time for price quotes for various services..... multiple times!!! Like it's going to get cheaper the more they pester you. (I sometimes start tacking on $5 a pop after the first five calls It usually takes them about 3 more calls to even notice it's going up ) And with every call they ask if we have apointments open on a certain day to do it.
Me:"Yes we still have an opening for then, would you like to shedule it?"
Sc:"No, I'll have to think about it."

Of course they'll wait/think until the morning of that day to call and try and shedule. Well, guess what, now we're booked solid. Then I get various rants on how they took the day of work, resheduled Dr. appointments, etc. and now we won't do it...... Waaaaah!

[Jade Panurple]

Every single time someone calls my hotel to make a reservation, and they start giving me the "I have to think about it" line, I make sure to tell them that they can always reserve and cancel 24 hours in advance so they won't be charged, and more than likely, there won't be any rooms available by tomorrow. Sometimes this involves me telling a little white lie and saying that we only have one or two rooms left. It sure does save me a LOT of headache later on, especially now that people are travelling for the holidays.

[Phone Jockey]

I've had a lot of idiots like this. There's no way to please them b/c they're blaming you for their laziness & stupidity.

[tropicsgoddess]

I've had a lot of idiots like this. There's no way to please them b/c they're blaming you for their laziness & stupidity.

Same here. Four years of that crap.

[Tito]

Why didn't he book the room yesterday when they had them and save you the 6 minute rant?

Because that's too logical. You need to remember logic & SCs don't mix.

What an asshat that SC is! I'm glad he did not get what he wanted. I hope he ends up having to sleep on a park bench when he goes to New York.