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  • 31 days of Hell (epically long)

    Well, it’s finally over. We finally kicked out our Guest from Hell. He was here for just about a month. I’m still waiting to read the Corporate contact reports from his latest set of complaints, but when I got to work today it hadn’t come in yet. Darn, I was hoping for some good reading. This SC is the meanest, grumpiest, grouchiest old man you hopefully never have the experience of meeting.

    He was constantly verbally abusive to everyone. I’m sur

    The Battle of the Fridge

    He came in at first for a week. He reserved a basic nonsmoking room on the ground floor. Our basic rooms do not come with minifridges or microwaves in the rooms. Indeed, when he made his reservation, we already had several long-term guests who were occupying our fridge rooms. I literally only had one room left that had a minifridge and a microwave, and it was a smoking room.

    Not long after I checked him into his standard nonsmoking room that he had reserved, he came down to argue.

    SC: “WHERE IS MY FRIDGE AND MICROWAVE?!?!?”
    Me: “You reserved one of our standard rooms. We only have a few select rooms that have minifridges and microwaves.”
    SC: “BUT I’M HERE FOR A WEEK!!!!”
    Me: “Unfortunately, all of my nonsmoking rooms with fridges are booked until next weekend. I do have one smoking room left.”
    SC: “THIS IS RIDICULOUS AND UNACCEPTABLE!!!”
    Me: “I am sorry. Fridge rooms must be requested beforehand. All I have until next weekend is smoking.”
    SC: “Are you saying you have NO nonsmoking rooms left?!?!?”
    Me: “None with fridges in them. Not until next weekend.”
    SC: “Really. Nothing. I find that hard to believe.”
    Me: “Well sir, it is the truth.”
    SC: “But I can move next weekend?”
    Me: “Yes. I can go ahead and hold the room for you for next weekend.”
    SC: “Well, fine, give me what you have.”

    We got him all set to move the next weekend, but he didn’t. It wasn’t until around his 25th day that he actually decided to move (see “Moving Rooms” below).

    The Unattended Laundry

    SC storms into the office.

    SC: “WHERE IS MY SWEATER?!?!?”
    Me: “…excuse me?”
    SC: “I was doing my laundry and someone STOLE MY SWEATER!”
    Me: “I’m sorry, but we’re not responsible for unattended…”
    SC: “YOU ARE! I WANT TO KNOW WHO STOLE MY SWEATER! ONE OF YOUR GUESTS STOLE MY SWEATER OUT OF THE DRYER!!! You need to go down there and run that lock and tell me who was in the laundry room!”

    Now, while I technically can do this, (1) it doesn’t really prove anything and (2) he wouldn’t see the report anyways. Given how irate he was, I told him I could not run the report, since I knew he would just want to see it.

    Me: “I can’t do that. The laundry room is a public area.”
    SC: “So you’re saying you can’t tell who was in there?”
    Me: “That is exactly what I am saying. I suggest next time you not leave your things unattended.”
    SC: “So you can’t run a report on that lock?”
    Me: “Nope.”
    SC: “Look, I’m just trying to ask a simple question…”
    Me: “And I gave you a simple answer. The answer is no.” (Oh yes, I did.)

    I called Corporate to give them a heads up. Interestingly, when I went to the laundry room, we do not have a disclaimer sign in there. We need to remedy that.

    The Bad Restaurant Review

    I don’t have the exact convo. I was sitting in the back office. SC was ranting to CW about how some restaurant was giving terrible customer service. His rant turned into him yelling at CW about a business we have no association with.

    When I realized the convo was going nowhere fast, I got up, closed the office door, and dialed the front desk from my phone.

    CW: “Yes?”
    Me: “Yeah, I’d like to reserve a couple rooms for the next five years…”

    We had almost wrapped up my phony reservation before SC figured out that CW was ignoring him in favor of the “customer” on the phone, and he left.

    Room Service Not Going to Service

    So for obvious safety reasons, Housekeeping does not go into a room while the guest is there. (There are very rare exceptions, mostly reserved for little old ladies who are too frail to get out of be easily.) This is one of the strictest policies we adhere to. If a housekeeper is caught in a room with a guest, they’re risking termination. That’s how serious this policy is.

    Now, SC has been with us for the better part of three weeks at this point. He has had no problems with this policy so far. But he’s psycho, and one day just snapped.

    HK was in the room. SC barged into the room and sat on the bed. HK told him he couldn’t be in the room. SC said he wanted to watch the game on TV and wasn’t leaving. HK left the room and radioed CW.

    CW, Boss Man, and I poked our head out the doors in time to see SC slam the vacuum cleaner (HK had simply left the room, and had left her supplies in the room) on the walkway.

    SC: “THIS IS THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING I’VE EVER HEARD OF! THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING!!!”

    Stalking Housekeeping

    Later that very day, HK was cleaning a room a couple doors down. The phone rang.

    HK: “Housekeeping.”
    SC: “Ah, I see you’re in room 105 now.” *click*

    This disturbed HK greatly. Unfortunately, she didn’t report it until the end of her shift. I told her next time, tell me immediately when stuff like that happens. SC was gone at the end of my shift, so I couldn’t talk to him.

    I relayed the incident to Boss Man, and told him that SC really had to go. Then I left to enjoy my days off.

    The “Anonymous” complaint

    When I returned from my days off, I discovered that not only was SC still there, but he’d paid for two more days! I issued an ultimatum. He could stay until he was due to checkout (about a week and a half more), but he would not be extending his stay, and if he pulled any more crap while on my shift, he was gone. I added a note to his file explaining this.

    We also had a guest contact report from Corporate. It was an “anonymous” complaint about how (1) HK was leaving comment cards in the room, which was pressuring him to tip and (2) HK wouldn’t clean the room while he was in there. Yeah, like we can’t figure out who called that in.

    Tax Refund

    So after 30 days in our state, you are considered a permanent guest and become tax exempt. SC wanted to know when he was getting a refund. We told him the computer automatically calculates it. Oh now, SC insists that he gets the last 30 days of taxes refunded!

    If you want your first 30 days tax-free, you must (1) pay all 30 days upfront and (2) give us a letter of intent that you plan to stay 30 days. SC did neither of these. So no refund for you!

    Too Much Room Service

    SC stormed into the office.

    SC: “WHY WAS HOUSEKEEPING IN MY ROOM?!?!?”
    Me: “Um….because they were cleaning it?”
    SC: “No, I don’t think so! I was in the bathroom, and Housekeeping went into my room, and why did they do that? They went in my room and RAN out!”
    Me: “Well, they probably didn’t realize you were in the room, and when they did, they quickly left.”
    SC: “But how did they get in?”
    Me: “They have master keys.”
    SC: “But she went all the way into my room! I think she went into the adjoining door. Can they do that?”
    Me: “Not if it was locked. There is no way to open it from the other side. She likely went back, realized you were in the bathroom, and then quickly left so she wouldn’t disturb you.”
    SC: “But why was she in my room?!?! I was in the room!”
    Me: “Yes, but if you were in the bathroom she wouldn’t know that.”
    SC: “MY CURTAINS WERE OPEN! THE LIGHTS WERE ON AND THE TV WAS ON!”
    Me: “That doesn’t necessarily mean that a guest has left.”
    SC: “IT DOES WITH ME!”
    Me: “Look, if you are so unhappy here, I’ll refund your money and you can get out of here.”
    SC: “What?!?! I’m not leaving! Oh no, I’m not leaving!”
    Me *thinking*: Damn, it was worth a shot.Me: “Look, I’m sorry HK didn’t understand your super-secret curtain code…” (Oh yes, I did) “…that means you are in the room. Now that we know the secret code, we will know for future reference. But really, the best thing is to use the deadbolt, as that will prevent them from going into the room.”
    SC: “But why was she in my room?!?! I want to talk to your boss about this!”
    Me: *to the back office* “Boss Man?”
    SC: “No, I want to talk to his boss!”
    Me: “Well, then you are welcome to do so.”
    SC: “You just have an answer for everything, don’t you?!?!” *storms out*

    I radioed HK. As it turned out, SC was in the bathroom, with the door open, and said nothing when she entered. He was just creepily standing there, letting her go about her business until she saw him!

    Both Sides of the Story

    So I figured “talk to his boss” meant calling Corporate, so I decided to give them a ring first and tell them what was up.

    Corp: “Corp Guest Rel, how can I help you?”
    Me: “Yeah, we have a problem guest. We’ve had lots of problems with him, and he may be calling you over this latest thing.” *gives info*
    Corp: “Okay….hang on, my computer is being slow….still slow…hang on let me put you on hold.”
    Me: *dances to hold music*
    Corp: “Sorry about that. I’m all set up here, and you’re not going to believe this.”
    Me: “What?”
    Corp: “I have a guest on my other line here, and guess what property they are from?”
    Me: “Really? Wow.”
    Corp: “Yep.”
    Me: *starts to give information*
    Corp: “That’s funny. I remember last week taking an anonymous complaint about how housekeeping wouldn’t clean the room with the guest in it.”
    Me: “Yeah, that was this guy.”
    Corp: “You think so.”
    Me: “I will bet you a million dollars.”
    Corp: “I…I will not take that bet because you are probably right.”
    *we continue chatting*
    Corp: “This is kind of fun, ‘cause I get both sides of the story right here!”

    After we hung up, I collapsed in a fit of laughter.

    I do not know how big our call centers are, but seriously. What are the odds that (1) SC and I are on line with the same rep at the same time and (2) it’s the same rep who took SC’s anonymous complaint a week earlier?

    Moving Rooms

    At around the 28-day mark, SC finally decides to move rooms. After five hours, he still had stuff in his old room and was nowhere to be found, so Boss Man rekeyed the old room.

    SC came down and demanded a key to his old room. CW told him now. CW went and opened the door and stood there while SC packed up the rest of his stuff.

    No Tax Refund!!!

    Me: “Hello, this is bhskittykatt.”
    Corp: “This is so-and-so from Corp Guest Rel. I’m sure by now you are familiar with SC?”
    Me: “Oh yeah.”
    Corp: “The reason I’m calling is because I’ve tried to get in touch with Tax Dept for two days and they haven’t gotten back to me. Can you tell me what the rules are for tax exemptions for permanent guests in [my state].”
    Me: “After 30 days they become tax exempt. If they pay upfront and give us a letter of intent, they can be tax exempt for the first 30 days. Otherwise, they must pay taxes and aren’t entitled to a refund. SC had been paying sporadically throughout the month.”
    Corp: “That’s what I thought. It’s the same thing here in [Corp HQ state]. Just wanted to verify!”
    Me: "Do you want the specific law? I have it bookmarked."
    Corp: "No, I think that's all I need for now."

    (It's WAC 458-20-166, Subsection 4ai. I went through all the trouble of looking it up and have to share it with someone.)

    Why yes, you are being evicted! And no, No Tax Refund!

    So, when SC blew up at me for HK being in the room, that was Boss Man’s first real encounter with him, and he finally got serious about kicking him out.

    Boss Man: “I’m going to kick him out.”
    Me: “Tonight is his 30th night. He’s going into permanent. Can we do that? I thought we had to give three days.”
    Boss Man: “I called Legal, and they said kick him out.”
    Me: “Really? That’s…convenient.” *reaches for phone* “Shall I call our buddy to give him the news then?”
    Boss Man: “No, I’ll do it.”

    The next day, SC was still in house. Boss Man could not get a hold of him. So Boss Man slid a note under his door telling him he had to be out by noon the next day, and that we’d refund him the remainder of his deposit. (He had about five more nights left on his stay.)

    At the end of my shift, ACW said she’d seen him go up to the room. He kept stepping out in front of her car blocking her as she was trying to get to her parking space. I waited a bit after my shift to see him get the note and watch the fallout.

    I waited. And waited.

    Later, I went home to bake some baklava (it’s not Armenian Christmas without baklava!). I returned to work to spend the night (as I was MOD), and I saw him again head to his room. I went into the office.

    Me: “I have baklava.”
    ACW: “I love you.”
    Me: “Any word from SC?”
    ACW: “I’ve heard nothing. Boss Man has heard nothing, either.”
    Me: “Hmm…well, let me know if anything happens.”

    The next morning, SC came down and began ripping into CW. She finally snapped and told him off.

    CW: “You know, ever since you checked in, you have been mean and rude, and I have been nothing but courteous to you this entire time, so you can just drop the attitude right now!” (Oh yes, she did!)

    This, of course, sent SC into another tirade.

    Oh, and he was upset because he wasn’t getting as much money back as he thought. Again, you do not get a refund on the taxes you paid! Bu-bye now!!!

    The SC made our lives hell for 31 days. He should have been kicked out long before then. Oh well. He is finally gone. He is not allowed back. I can rest happy now.

    *******

    Update: Unclaimed Refund

    Haven't gotten any contact reports from Corporate, but I did discover something.

    Apparently, SC was so upset while CW was checking him out, that he didn't get his refund!

    For some reason that I do not understand (I wasn't there. I don't get it), SC got part of his refund in cash, and the rest on his credit card (as he was paying sporadically, he had some payments in cash and others in credit. There was enough of both to give the refund as either). The cash refund was about $80. He stormed out of the office without picking it up! So right now, we're sitting on this $80, mainly 'cause nobody wants to deal with it. I'm sure we have SC's contact info somewhere, but no one wants to do it, so yeah. $80 just sitting in an envelope in the office, all because he was too pissed off to pick it up.
    Last edited by bhskittykatt; 01-17-2011, 10:35 PM.
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

  • #2
    Damn. Just...damn.

    You and all your coworkers, HK, Boss Man, et al, deserve a nice long vacation somewhere sunny and pleasant after dealing with that SC. Sunny and pleasant with lots of cookies. And baklava.

    Oh, and the SC deserves a nice long extended stay too. I have just the location in mind. A very famous locale in New York, he may have heard of it...Bellevue!
    I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem.
    My LiveJournal
    A page we can all agree with!

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    • #3
      I'll be waiting for the continuation of this story from hell with popcorn in my hand.

      Sorry you had to deal with such a complete moron loser.
      "Life is tough. It's even tougher if you're stupid" Redd Foxx as Al Royal - The Royal Family - Pilot Episode - 1991.

      Comment


      • #4
        Please tell me you can ban that asshole for the rest of his life. I would, and I think the whole HK thing is really creepy.
        ......../\
        ....../__\
        ..../\...../\
        ../__\../__\

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        • #5
          "This is one of the strictest policies we adhere to. If a housekeeper is caught in a room in a guest, they’re risking termination."


          Comment


          • #6
            I will officially lose hope in humanity if you find that Corporate gives this jerk some sort of compensation for his "troubles". Especially if the compensation comes in the form of future free nights.

            On the plus side, you would never have encountered the situation where you're on the line with the phone CSR who's also on the phone with the SC!

            Oh, and please share the baklava recipe! I just got some from a Greek restaurant today and was thinking of Googling recipes to make my own, but people's personal recipes are usually much better. Yummy baklava!
            Sorry, my cow died so I don't need your bull

            Comment


            • #7
              Quoth XCashier View Post
              Oh, and the SC deserves a nice long extended stay too. I have just the location in mind. A very famous locale in New York, he may have heard of it...Bellevue!
              What did Bellevue do to deserve this guy?

              Hmmmm. Baklava . . . .
              They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

              Comment


              • #8
                We did permaban him. I had him on the list before he even checked out.

                I don't think Corporate will bend to his whims. We've been contacting them, so they know what's up. Corporate is good about having a spine with these kinds of people.

                I fixed embarassing typo. My mind is always in the gutter, and unfortunately it leaks into my writing sometimes.

                And here's the baklava recipe I used from AllRecipes.com (though I added a little sugar to the nut mix). I've never actually found phyllo dough at my normal grocery store. There is actually a Mediterannean specialty grocer less than a block from my house, so I buy all my pita bread and phyllo dough there (and Mini Snacks).
                Last edited by bhskittykatt; 01-09-2011, 08:59 PM.
                Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Quoth bhskittykatt View Post
                  And here's the baklava recipe I used from AllRecipes.com (though I added a little sugar to the nut mix). I've never actually found phyllo dough at my normal grocery store. There is actually a Mediterannean specialty grocer less than a block from my house, so I buy all my pita bread and phyllo dough there (and Mini Snacks).
                  Emmmm. Baklava . . .

                  Thanks!
                  They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    WOW! I can't believe what a complete thoroughbred ASS this guy was. Good on you for keeping copious notes and documentation and keeping Corporate filled in. He won't have a leg to stand on
                    The report button - not just for decoration

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                    • #11
                      There was no excuse for him being such a jerk, but I can fully appreciate the tax question. When lodging taxes run appx 20%, that's a whole lotta coin.
                      A lion however, will only devour your corpse, whereas an SC is not sated until they have destroyed your soul. (Quote per infinitemonkies)

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                      • #12
                        Nice, I'm happy that your boss booted him out. I'm sorry that you had to go through 31 days of hell.

                        Does your company have the system that matches guests to their profile and gives you an alert about potential problems?

                        How long is the guesthole's ban for? I think it should be for life.
                        Accountant by trade, Night Auditing Drunksitter by choice.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Quoth geek007 View Post
                          How long is the guesthole's ban for? I think it should be for life.
                          Yeah, he's banned for life. People get wiped off our DNR list after about a year, unless they're listed under police request or aggravated misconduct. Then they stay on the list forever. So I put him in under aggravated misconduct.
                          Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Quoth bhskittykatt View Post
                            Both Sides of the Story

                            So I figured “talk to his boss” meant calling Corporate, so I decided to give them a ring first and tell them what was up.

                            Corp: “Corp Guest Rel, how can I help you?”
                            Me: “Yeah, we have a problem guest. We’ve had lots of problems with him, and he may be calling you over this latest thing.” *gives info*
                            Corp: “Okay….hang on, my computer is being slow….still slow…hang on let me put you on hold.”
                            Me: *dances to hold music*
                            Corp: “Sorry about that. I’m all set up here, and you’re not going to believe this.”
                            Me: “What?”
                            Corp: “I have a guest on my other line here, and guess what property they are from?”
                            Me: “Really? Wow.”
                            Corp: “Yep.”
                            Me: *starts to give information*
                            Corp: “That’s funny. I remember last week taking an anonymous complaint about how housekeeping wouldn’t clean the room with the guest in it.”
                            Me: “Yeah, that was this guy.”
                            Corp: “You think so.”
                            Me: “I will bet you a million dollars.”
                            Corp: “I…I will not take that bet because you are probably right.”
                            *we continue chatting*
                            Corp: “This is kind of fun, ‘cause I get both sides of the story right here!”

                            After we hung up, I collapsed in a fit of laughter.

                            I do not know how big our call centers are, but seriously. What are the odds that (1) SC and I are on line with the same rep at the same time and (2) it’s the same rep who took SC’s anonymous complaint a week earlier?
                            This part cracked me up. Because even if there's 1 rep, the odds are slim that he'd get you and the SC at the same time. So freaking awesome!
                            To right the countless wrongs of our days... We shine this light of true redemption, that this place may become as paradise...Oh, what a wonderful world such would be...

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Naw, the SC was just quick on the draw. It's entirely possible that they have only one or two reps at the call centre - I wouldn't expect volume on a complaint line to be heavy unless the chain was gigantic.

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