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Tooth Brush Man
I'm not sure how to start this, seeing as how it's only my second post, but I will do my best to make you relive my experiences.
During my last post, I explained that I worked at a hotel as a desk clerk. I'm not sure who has or hasn't worked at a hotel, but those who have should know that it is probably in the top five most thankless jobs on earth, along with sewage workers, telemarketers, and tech support positions.
This is the kind of job where no matter how nice you are to a person, you also have to follow and obey every rule given to you. Then there is every guest ever that expect you to break those rules to make their stay better even if it worsens the stay of those around them.
One of my favorite and most frustrating of these kinds of guests was the man who demanded I give him a free toothbrush. Now mind you, our hotel did not have toothbrushes for sale till maybe a month before this incident. The packages we got were handy little travelers packs that came with the brush, toothpaste, and a toothbrush cover. These brushes only cost two dollars and were very convienient for those who had forgotten their brushes while traveling.
Now we get to the "guy".
He came strolling up to the front desk asking if we SOLD toothbrushes, which to me was an insentive to BUY a toothbrush. I informend him that we just got them in and they cost two dollars. He then demanded that I add it to his final bill.
I have to take a step back here to inform you that the system we were running would not allow me to add 2 dollars to his account. It's not that the system wasn't capable of setting up a charge of 2 dollars, the computer just needed a specific charge be added, like a roll-away bed or a pool party. So I was stuck, I could not add the charge. At the time we were only accepting cash payment, tax free for the toothbrushes, and we were specifically told to charge for said toothbrushes.
His Immediate reaction when I told him that we could only accept cash for the product was nothing short of complete and utter rage. He had an expression that I could only relate to that of the cartoon dog from loony toons. If his eyes would have turned into red balls of fire I might have started laughing.
the guy - "What do you mean you can only accept cash for the toothbrushes?! Do you know how long I have been staying here? I pay over a grand a month to stay here!"
Our hotel was very cheap, we only charged around 35-55 dollars a night in the off season, and only about 85 during holidays and summer.
me - "I'm sorry, but we only just started selling toothbrushes and they havn't been added as a valid charge in the computer yet"
the guy - "Well I don't have any cash on me, it's all on my card. Do you have an ATM?"
me "we do not, however right across the streat the gas station has one and it's open 24 hours a day"
the guy - "I shouldn't have to cross the street to get a tooth brush"
I felt bad, but again I can't just give away product for free so i said
me - "I know it really sucks... I'm really sorry, I wish there was something I could do" (really not being sarcastic)
the guy - "You should just give the toothbrush to me! I shouldn't have to go to an atm to get it!"
At this point I'm getting annoyed, because almost every person I know keeps a small ammount of cash on them, just for situations like this
me - "I'm sorry I can not give it away for free, theres nothing else I can do"
He left to go to the ATM and comes back with an even more frustrated face. He stopped looking like a cartoon and started to look like that drunk guy across the bar who wants to hit you... Think robin williams pirate face.
the guy - "Heres your F@$*ING 2 dollars!"
me - "I'm really sorry" hand him the toothbrush
he then informed me that he's going to tell my manager that I was rude and he demanded he be reimbursed for what the ATM charged him for taking out 20 dollars. The best part was another regular guest saw the whole thing and started laughing really hard and bursts out
"OMG WAS HE A DICK OR WHAT?!"
that made my night
During my last post, I explained that I worked at a hotel as a desk clerk. I'm not sure who has or hasn't worked at a hotel, but those who have should know that it is probably in the top five most thankless jobs on earth, along with sewage workers, telemarketers, and tech support positions.
This is the kind of job where no matter how nice you are to a person, you also have to follow and obey every rule given to you. Then there is every guest ever that expect you to break those rules to make their stay better even if it worsens the stay of those around them.
One of my favorite and most frustrating of these kinds of guests was the man who demanded I give him a free toothbrush. Now mind you, our hotel did not have toothbrushes for sale till maybe a month before this incident. The packages we got were handy little travelers packs that came with the brush, toothpaste, and a toothbrush cover. These brushes only cost two dollars and were very convienient for those who had forgotten their brushes while traveling.
Now we get to the "guy".
He came strolling up to the front desk asking if we SOLD toothbrushes, which to me was an insentive to BUY a toothbrush. I informend him that we just got them in and they cost two dollars. He then demanded that I add it to his final bill.
I have to take a step back here to inform you that the system we were running would not allow me to add 2 dollars to his account. It's not that the system wasn't capable of setting up a charge of 2 dollars, the computer just needed a specific charge be added, like a roll-away bed or a pool party. So I was stuck, I could not add the charge. At the time we were only accepting cash payment, tax free for the toothbrushes, and we were specifically told to charge for said toothbrushes.
His Immediate reaction when I told him that we could only accept cash for the product was nothing short of complete and utter rage. He had an expression that I could only relate to that of the cartoon dog from loony toons. If his eyes would have turned into red balls of fire I might have started laughing.
the guy - "What do you mean you can only accept cash for the toothbrushes?! Do you know how long I have been staying here? I pay over a grand a month to stay here!"
Our hotel was very cheap, we only charged around 35-55 dollars a night in the off season, and only about 85 during holidays and summer.
me - "I'm sorry, but we only just started selling toothbrushes and they havn't been added as a valid charge in the computer yet"
the guy - "Well I don't have any cash on me, it's all on my card. Do you have an ATM?"
me "we do not, however right across the streat the gas station has one and it's open 24 hours a day"
the guy - "I shouldn't have to cross the street to get a tooth brush"
I felt bad, but again I can't just give away product for free so i said
me - "I know it really sucks... I'm really sorry, I wish there was something I could do" (really not being sarcastic)
the guy - "You should just give the toothbrush to me! I shouldn't have to go to an atm to get it!"
At this point I'm getting annoyed, because almost every person I know keeps a small ammount of cash on them, just for situations like this
me - "I'm sorry I can not give it away for free, theres nothing else I can do"
He left to go to the ATM and comes back with an even more frustrated face. He stopped looking like a cartoon and started to look like that drunk guy across the bar who wants to hit you... Think robin williams pirate face.
the guy - "Heres your F@$*ING 2 dollars!"
me - "I'm really sorry" hand him the toothbrush
he then informed me that he's going to tell my manager that I was rude and he demanded he be reimbursed for what the ATM charged him for taking out 20 dollars. The best part was another regular guest saw the whole thing and started laughing really hard and bursts out
"OMG WAS HE A DICK OR WHAT?!"
that made my night
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