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This one happened right before I got off shift so I didn't get a chance to add it to my reports.....I mean, I understand the guy's problem but sheesh.
As I'm sure most of you back east know there's a lot of god damn snow there right now. So we had tons of flights canceled last night and tons of people calling trying to find hotel rooms. Most of them have been from Air Canada, United, etc....airlines that don't typically give us trouble. ( America West/US Air is the tard convoy that always causes us a ton of trouble. )
So this guy calls in...does he need a room? Sort of. His flight was canceled yesterday and he stayed overnight last night. But now he can't leave the hotel or catch a flight because he's Jewish (Shabbat?). So no traveling. So he wants to book a room at the same hotel for tonight and tomorrow.
This is where the problems start.
We're an emergency line for stranded passengers. We can find you a hotel room for a discounted rate for one night only so you can catch a flight out the night day. We're *not* a reservation service. We can't book in advance nor can we book multiple days. We get you one room, cheap, for the night until you can catch your flight out and you have to confirm with that hotel that you're coming inside of an hour or they will give your room away ( They aren't charities afterall. )
This isn't good enough obviously. He wants a room at the same hotel for the next 2 days but he doesn't want to pay the full rate. He wants the discounted rate for stranded passengers. But he's not stranded, he's voluntarily staying for 2 more days even if its because of a religious belief. So I can't help him.
I explain this, several times, and tell him he'll have to simply ask the hotel he's already at to extend his stay for a couple of days. But he doesn't want to pay their rate, he wants our distressed passenger rate which, say it with me again, he can't get because he's technically not stranded. He's stranding himself. The airline had made arrangements to fly him out this morning but he declined because of the Shabbat.
But is that the end? Oh no, no no. He keeps countering my explanation with the "Ya but I need" routine. Then he asks for someone "higher up". I tell him I'm as high ranking as he's going to get this early in the morning. He asks for the supervisor. I get to use my favorite line: "I am the supervisor". He begins asking for the just this once exception. I once again shoot him down.
I explain....again....this time in even more vivid detail. See, the way this system works is hotels hold a number of rooms for us ( out of the goodness of their hearts ), call us and tell us how many. Then we book them. I can't offer a discounted rate at just any hotel, it has to be a hotel willing to give it that has spare rooms. The hotel he's at does NOT have any rooms to spare us at this time. It is impossible to get him that room for that rate there. If he wants to stay he has to pay the normal rate and make arrangements with them.
But can't you talk to the hotel and get them to make an exception? NO. Thats not how it works. The hotels offer this service through us because they're NICE. Not because we have any authority to command them to. But you work with these hotels all the time so you talk to them and get it for me! NO DAMMIT.
Finally I use my last resort: Cruel realty. I inform him that it is TECHNICALLY IMPOSSIBLE as our software does not even allow for bookings in advance or for multiple days. Which is true. It doesn't. Because we're not a travel agency, we're an emergency service.
Total call time so far? About 3-4 minutes. But its not over.
Now he wants a discounted rate elsewhere (Thought you couldn't travel? In fact you specifically said no cars, taxis, planes, etc...). So I offer him the only hotel I have with any space ( Remember there's like hundreds of people trying to find a room in Toronto aside from this schmuck. ). After more arguing ( Can you get me it for 2 days? NO! I answered that already! It is technically impossible on every level. If you want 2 days, you pay for the next day. ).
Finally I get him booked at this other hotel.
So the morale of the story?
1) I respect your and anyone else's beliefs but do not expect the world to conform to them.
2) I guess it wasn't that important if saving $15 ( Which is about the cost of the cab to the other hotel! ) is a bigger concern then observing the Sabbath.
I lost count of how many times he said "ya but I need" or "ya but you don't understand I'm Jewish so" and expected me to do the impossible for him.
Whew....ok, I feel better now. I needed to rant that one out.
As I'm sure most of you back east know there's a lot of god damn snow there right now. So we had tons of flights canceled last night and tons of people calling trying to find hotel rooms. Most of them have been from Air Canada, United, etc....airlines that don't typically give us trouble. ( America West/US Air is the tard convoy that always causes us a ton of trouble. )
So this guy calls in...does he need a room? Sort of. His flight was canceled yesterday and he stayed overnight last night. But now he can't leave the hotel or catch a flight because he's Jewish (Shabbat?). So no traveling. So he wants to book a room at the same hotel for tonight and tomorrow.
This is where the problems start.
We're an emergency line for stranded passengers. We can find you a hotel room for a discounted rate for one night only so you can catch a flight out the night day. We're *not* a reservation service. We can't book in advance nor can we book multiple days. We get you one room, cheap, for the night until you can catch your flight out and you have to confirm with that hotel that you're coming inside of an hour or they will give your room away ( They aren't charities afterall. )
This isn't good enough obviously. He wants a room at the same hotel for the next 2 days but he doesn't want to pay the full rate. He wants the discounted rate for stranded passengers. But he's not stranded, he's voluntarily staying for 2 more days even if its because of a religious belief. So I can't help him.
I explain this, several times, and tell him he'll have to simply ask the hotel he's already at to extend his stay for a couple of days. But he doesn't want to pay their rate, he wants our distressed passenger rate which, say it with me again, he can't get because he's technically not stranded. He's stranding himself. The airline had made arrangements to fly him out this morning but he declined because of the Shabbat.
But is that the end? Oh no, no no. He keeps countering my explanation with the "Ya but I need" routine. Then he asks for someone "higher up". I tell him I'm as high ranking as he's going to get this early in the morning. He asks for the supervisor. I get to use my favorite line: "I am the supervisor". He begins asking for the just this once exception. I once again shoot him down.
I explain....again....this time in even more vivid detail. See, the way this system works is hotels hold a number of rooms for us ( out of the goodness of their hearts ), call us and tell us how many. Then we book them. I can't offer a discounted rate at just any hotel, it has to be a hotel willing to give it that has spare rooms. The hotel he's at does NOT have any rooms to spare us at this time. It is impossible to get him that room for that rate there. If he wants to stay he has to pay the normal rate and make arrangements with them.
But can't you talk to the hotel and get them to make an exception? NO. Thats not how it works. The hotels offer this service through us because they're NICE. Not because we have any authority to command them to. But you work with these hotels all the time so you talk to them and get it for me! NO DAMMIT.
Finally I use my last resort: Cruel realty. I inform him that it is TECHNICALLY IMPOSSIBLE as our software does not even allow for bookings in advance or for multiple days. Which is true. It doesn't. Because we're not a travel agency, we're an emergency service.
Total call time so far? About 3-4 minutes. But its not over.
Now he wants a discounted rate elsewhere (Thought you couldn't travel? In fact you specifically said no cars, taxis, planes, etc...). So I offer him the only hotel I have with any space ( Remember there's like hundreds of people trying to find a room in Toronto aside from this schmuck. ). After more arguing ( Can you get me it for 2 days? NO! I answered that already! It is technically impossible on every level. If you want 2 days, you pay for the next day. ).
Finally I get him booked at this other hotel.
So the morale of the story?
1) I respect your and anyone else's beliefs but do not expect the world to conform to them.
2) I guess it wasn't that important if saving $15 ( Which is about the cost of the cab to the other hotel! ) is a bigger concern then observing the Sabbath.
I lost count of how many times he said "ya but I need" or "ya but you don't understand I'm Jewish so" and expected me to do the impossible for him.
Whew....ok, I feel better now. I needed to rant that one out.
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