Blizzard Blowback

[Silverspoon]

If she does write a review on TA I would respond that you were stunned. Include a copy of her note from the guest book as part of your response, along with your own comments about your initial e-mail offering to reschedule. It will make her look ridiculous at best. And in the review you can always ask her to contact you to discuss the matter. If she does, you can point out how ridiculous she looks and request that she pull her review.
So sorry this happened. This is exactly why we have decided to close during the winter. The hassles of unhappy guests, complaining about the unpredictable weather are simply not worth our time, effort and emotional stress..

She has already replied:
Please do not contact me again.
I did submit a warning to TA yesterday, after I saw her snooping on our website via GA.
If I do need to submit a response to TA, it will be pretty much a pared down version of the above. I know you all encourage responses to be short and sweet, but I tend to make them long narratives and they work.
A funny thing happened recently to reinforce my lengthy responses. We need to refinance, and when we met with Bank VP the first thing out of his mouth was: "Wow! I can't believe what jerks you have to deal with. And your responses were excellent, very professional, and on the high-end corporate level. It shows how much you care about your business." My reaction: Wow! So great to hear positive reinforcement AND Whattttt, now TA is influencing bank loan decisions? OMG
.

I didn't mean that you should contact her, but leave it open for her to contact you. A friend and popular innkeeper had a situation similar to yours arise and after harsh words back and forth on TA, with the guest coming out looking like a jerk, the guest decided to pull the review after speaking in person with the innkeeper.
Even if she didn't contact you, it leaves the impression on the reader that you want to clear up the issue in a professional manner.

 

[JBloggs]

I think there is a place for letting nut jobs fall on their own. I guess you will have to wait and see what she writes if she does write something.

 

[Momma Smurf]

If she does write a review on TA I would respond that you were stunned. Include a copy of her note from the guest book as part of your response, along with your own comments about your initial e-mail offering to reschedule. It will make her look ridiculous at best. And in the review you can always ask her to contact you to discuss the matter. If she does, you can point out how ridiculous she looks and request that she pull her review.
So sorry this happened. This is exactly why we have decided to close during the winter. The hassles of unhappy guests, complaining about the unpredictable weather are simply not worth our time, effort and emotional stress..

She has already replied:
Please do not contact me again.
I did submit a warning to TA yesterday, after I saw her snooping on our website via GA.
If I do need to submit a response to TA, it will be pretty much a pared down version of the above. I know you all encourage responses to be short and sweet, but I tend to make them long narratives and they work.
A funny thing happened recently to reinforce my lengthy responses. We need to refinance, and when we met with Bank VP the first thing out of his mouth was: "Wow! I can't believe what jerks you have to deal with. And your responses were excellent, very professional, and on the high-end corporate level. It shows how much you care about your business." My reaction: Wow! So great to hear positive reinforcement AND Whattttt, now TA is influencing bank loan decisions? OMG
.

I didn't mean that you should contact her, but leave it open for her to contact you. A friend and popular innkeeper had a situation similar to yours arise and after harsh words back and forth on TA, with the guest coming out looking like a jerk, the guest decided to pull the review after speaking in person with the innkeeper.
Even if she didn't contact you, it leaves the impression on the reader that you want to clear up the issue in a professional manner.
.

I do now realize what you meant! Yes, when I get done with all my responses, folks look like jerks! Which is why I get so many future guests from TA who arrive and say: " We loved your responses to those idiots. That's why we picked you." In fact we have two such lovely human beings here now from TA raving about everything.
I hope that if she does go to TA that she will read my responses and know that I will not hesitate to refute her with the truth (allegedly TA's motto). Btw, forgot that she also wrote this (a veiled threat?)(which I will not hesitate to post) at the end of her reversal of mood email:
"I don't believe in leaving negative comments online--that is cowardly--so I won't post any of this to the Internet. I just hope it will help you to more fully inform clients in the future."
Let's see if who's telling the truth.

 

[user 26]

very very distressing! and my take is a little different. i think SHE did not want him to shovel, and assumes he HAD to in order to get them out. or that he was asked to. or that his offer should have been declined. perception perhaps. but you don't know what he told her, if anything ... maybe later his back hurt or whatever.
i once had guests arrive early and i told them their room was not ready. 'oh no problem,' said she. i asked them to wait in the library and have coffee while i went to their room but she followed me right up the stairs.
'i can make up the bed' and she grabbed the sheets and started putting them on the bed. I told her I'd take care of it and relieved her of the sheets ... just to please wait a few minutes. He came huffing into the room with suitcases ... i was in their bathroom putting in fresh towels. 'WELL!' said he ... full of indignation, 'i didn't know we'd have to make our own bed! hurrumph ... this is not what we're paying for.'
I came rushing out to correct the impression that i'd asked for help ... pulled the sheet out of her hands and explained to him that she started to help on her own. told them to please wait downstairs. (they wouldn't budge but stood watching - him glaring) and she did not correct him but let him see what a martyr she was!!
i said, 'sorry, i was in the middle of setting up one of the other eight guestrooms when i let you in ... it's why i really can't accomodate early arrivals. ~ silence with icycles ~
'tis why i always declined help ever after and rarely allowed early check-ins.

 

[JBloggs]

If she does write a review on TA I would respond that you were stunned. Include a copy of her note from the guest book as part of your response, along with your own comments about your initial e-mail offering to reschedule. It will make her look ridiculous at best. And in the review you can always ask her to contact you to discuss the matter. If she does, you can point out how ridiculous she looks and request that she pull her review.
So sorry this happened. This is exactly why we have decided to close during the winter. The hassles of unhappy guests, complaining about the unpredictable weather are simply not worth our time, effort and emotional stress..

She has already replied:
Please do not contact me again.
I did submit a warning to TA yesterday, after I saw her snooping on our website via GA.
If I do need to submit a response to TA, it will be pretty much a pared down version of the above. I know you all encourage responses to be short and sweet, but I tend to make them long narratives and they work.
A funny thing happened recently to reinforce my lengthy responses. We need to refinance, and when we met with Bank VP the first thing out of his mouth was: "Wow! I can't believe what jerks you have to deal with. And your responses were excellent, very professional, and on the high-end corporate level. It shows how much you care about your business." My reaction: Wow! So great to hear positive reinforcement AND Whattttt, now TA is influencing bank loan decisions? OMG
.

I didn't mean that you should contact her, but leave it open for her to contact you. A friend and popular innkeeper had a situation similar to yours arise and after harsh words back and forth on TA, with the guest coming out looking like a jerk, the guest decided to pull the review after speaking in person with the innkeeper.
Even if she didn't contact you, it leaves the impression on the reader that you want to clear up the issue in a professional manner.
.

I do now realize what you meant! Yes, when I get done with all my responses, folks look like jerks! Which is why I get so many future guests from TA who arrive and say: " We loved your responses to those idiots. That's why we picked you." In fact we have two such lovely human beings here now from TA raving about everything.
I hope that if she does go to TA that she will read my responses and know that I will not hesitate to refute her with the truth (allegedly TA's motto). Btw, forgot that she also wrote this (a veiled threat?)(which I will not hesitate to post) at the end of her reversal of mood email:
"I don't believe in leaving negative comments online--that is cowardly--so I won't post any of this to the Internet. I just hope it will help you to more fully inform clients in the future."
Let's see if who's telling the truth.
.

Nice. Such a lovely person. I guess we should start that pita baton in rotation again, it is like a hot potato!

 

[Momma Smurf]

Priceless! We just learned that we are forecasted for another 6-12 inches of snow tomorrow! Went to let our current TA folks know, the very first sincere unsolicited words out of their mouths: "Please, please let us know if we can help shovel!"

 

[happykeeper]

very very distressing! and my take is a little different. i think SHE did not want him to shovel, and assumes he HAD to in order to get them out. or that he was asked to. or that his offer should have been declined. perception perhaps. but you don't know what he told her, if anything ... maybe later his back hurt or whatever.
i once had guests arrive early and i told them their room was not ready. 'oh no problem,' said she. i asked them to wait in the library and have coffee while i went to their room but she followed me right up the stairs.
'i can make up the bed' and she grabbed the sheets and started putting them on the bed. I told her I'd take care of it and relieved her of the sheets ... just to please wait a few minutes. He came huffing into the room with suitcases ... i was in their bathroom putting in fresh towels. 'WELL!' said he ... full of indignation, 'i didn't know we'd have to make our own bed! hurrumph ... this is not what we're paying for.'
I came rushing out to correct the impression that i'd asked for help ... pulled the sheet out of her hands and explained to him that she started to help on her own. told them to please wait downstairs. (they wouldn't budge but stood watching - him glaring) and she did not correct him but let him see what a martyr she was!!
i said, 'sorry, i was in the middle of setting up one of the other eight guestrooms when i let you in ... it's why i really can't accomodate early arrivals. ~ silence with icycles ~
'tis why i always declined help ever after and rarely allowed early check-ins..

That is an amazing story. If you can recall, how did this end. You left me hanging with them standing with you in the bedroom with silent icicles.

 

[Arks]

Priceless! We just learned that we are forecasted for another 6-12 inches of snow tomorrow! Went to let our current TA folks know, the very first sincere unsolicited words out of their mouths: "Please, please let us know if we can help shovel!"

.

"Please, please let us know if we can help shovel!"

DO NOT LET THEM HELP! I like seashanty's story. You let one help, the other one sees them as abused, and the "abused" one doesn't correct it. HE helped. SHE complained. SHE helped, HE complained. A good lesson learned.
The moral of all this, I think, is never let a guest help, unless they are alone!

 

[Momma Smurf]

Priceless! We just learned that we are forecasted for another 6-12 inches of snow tomorrow! Went to let our current TA folks know, the very first sincere unsolicited words out of their mouths: "Please, please let us know if we can help shovel!"

.

"Please, please let us know if we can help shovel!"

DO NOT LET THEM HELP! I like seashanty's story. You let one help, the other one sees them as abused, and the "abused" one doesn't correct it. HE helped. SHE complained. SHE helped, HE complained. A good lesson learned.
The moral of all this, I think, is never let a guest help, unless they are alone!
.

Oh, we said, no, no, thank you! But these are true New Englanders who know that we all pitch in in the face of adversity. We don't selfishly whine. By the way, they are at least a dozen years older than the other couple, who were ten years younger than we. And it was both the new she & he chorusing ensemble.
Says me, who has 8 Mayflower ancestors.

 

[user 26]

happykeeper - (with apologies to momma smurf, i didn't mean to steal your thread) they were cold to me the whole rest of the time. nit picky - they loved 'real maple syrup' but why didn't i have vermont maple syrup? (because we were in maine and maine has maple trees, too). they didn't realize there would be so much fog in the harbor in the morning as if it was my fault (and did they read the advice about weather i sent them?) luckily i had a salty but sweet old grandpa of a guest who met their whinging with 'isn't it grand?' and 'isn't it marvelous?'
but what happened to the sweetly smiling guests at my door who asked if they could please, oh please, check in early and would stay out of my way?
must have been part of the jeckell and hyde family who visited momma smurf.

 

[Momma Smurf]

happykeeper - (with apologies to momma smurf, i didn't mean to steal your thread) they were cold to me the whole rest of the time. nit picky - they loved 'real maple syrup' but why didn't i have vermont maple syrup? (because we were in maine and maine has maple trees, too). they didn't realize there would be so much fog in the harbor in the morning as if it was my fault (and did they read the advice about weather i sent them?) luckily i had a salty but sweet old grandpa of a guest who met their whinging with 'isn't it grand?' and 'isn't it marvelous?'
but what happened to the sweetly smiling guests at my door who asked if they could please, oh please, check in early and would stay out of my way?
must have been part of the jeckell and hyde family who visited momma smurf..

We are comforted in knowing that all members of the Jekyll and Hyde family do leave and go back to their lives of self inflicted misery!

 

[happykeeper]

Priceless! We just learned that we are forecasted for another 6-12 inches of snow tomorrow! Went to let our current TA folks know, the very first sincere unsolicited words out of their mouths: "Please, please let us know if we can help shovel!"

.

"Please, please let us know if we can help shovel!"

DO NOT LET THEM HELP! I like seashanty's story. You let one help, the other one sees them as abused, and the "abused" one doesn't correct it. HE helped. SHE complained. SHE helped, HE complained. A good lesson learned.
The moral of all this, I think, is never let a guest help, unless they are alone!
.

When guests try to help, I make a big funny scene.
Oh my - I can't let you help. The boss is in the kitchen ( we switch around after I get all the plates out) and if he sees that, I'll get fired.
Everyone laughs, they put the dish down, and everything and everyone goes back to them being on vacation.