Innkeepers not returning messages

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JBloggs

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Honestly, I emailed AND left a voice mail and still have not heard back. What is with that? Their message did not say we are out of the office until...it just said leave a message and we will call you right back.
Are there calls you do not return? Why or why not?
I think there are so many unprofessional innkeepers out there giving the rest of us a bad name! (Not on this forum, you are all outstanding. I have no doubt about that)
 
Even if I am full for the date they want I call them back to tell them. However, my voice mail is thru the phone company so I don't know I have a message unless I pick up the phone to call out. And you just reminded me that someone called at 11 PM last night, I should check the phone...
 
We try to respond to phone calls within the hour unless they come in after hours, then we check the area code and number on the Whitepages.com reverse lookup first thing and call the next morning after we think its acceptable to call.
Obviously from the amount of time I spend around here, I'm on the computer quite bit when not busy with chores, marketing, guests, etc. so email responses are equally prompt.
Even when we go out of town, we have the laptop with us, and check messages on the phone several times a day.
Quite a few potential guests comment on our promptness and the lack of such by other innkeepers they also inquired with.
The old "early bird, gets the worm" is a philosophy we had drilled into us as kids.
 
I have an answering machine BUT if we have a power hiccup it clears. I have no control over that but it IS a reason a call may not be returned. If I am out when the power goes and it is between times I have checked the machine I have no way of knowing there was a call to return. It does not happen often enough - power out I mean - to make me pay the extra to the phone company to have their voicemail and my UPS is totally honked with my computer which is more important plus there is no space to put the answering machine near the UPS..
Edited to add that the battery does not do it either. I bought another system but it did not functiuon as well so I went back to the original and I will takes my chances as Popeye says.
 
I agree. I always made a point of responding to messages via phone or email immediately...or as soon as I was able...not longer than usually an hour. I don't understand people either. If they are in business, then they should be responding. No response...they don't get my business ever!
 
Good grief! How long has it been since you emailed and left the VMM? I always return phone messages very promptly, except sales calls. ugh. Most of the time though, I have the inn number forwarded to my cell (since I am back and forth between the 2 houses).
 
Good grief! How long has it been since you emailed and left the VMM? I always return phone messages very promptly, except sales calls. ugh. Most of the time though, I have the inn number forwarded to my cell (since I am back and forth between the 2 houses)..
Samster said:
Good grief! How long has it been since you emailed and left the VMM? I always return phone messages very promptly, except sales calls. ugh. Most of the time though, I have the inn number forwarded to my cell (since I am back and forth between the 2 houses).
I called yesterday morning.
I emailed 3 days before that and was waiting to hear back.
 
I'll fess up. There are times when I do not return calls.
Example: Friday night (of July 4th weekend) the phone must have wrung 40 times with people looking for rooms for the night or the weekend. We've been full for this weekend for months.
There were requests for a cabin for 9 people errrr....our cabins sleep only 2. We'd like a cabin for 1 adult and 4 kids....errr we're couples only.
When I did pick up the phone and tell them we had no openings they'd start with the questions
Them: Do you have any recommendations ...
ME: Yes go to (and I refer them to a local last minute page for our area that lists B&B's with openings)...
Them: but which one do you recommend...
Me: Its a major holiday weekend...I'd recommend any you find that have an opening because your actual choices are going to be VERY limited.
Them: Are any of them on the water?
Me: Only if you get really lucky and find one with a recent cancellation.
Them: Are any of them close to the wineries?
Me: We're in the FInger Lakes..they are all close to the wineries (within reason)
Them: Which wineries do you recommend?
Me: (terribly regretting I picked up the phone...terribly regretting I was raised well and could not scream at them that we are not the chamber of commerce) ....
And so it goes. So there are times when I will not return calls.
Also when we get to the point where we are full for the remainder of our season and put that on our answering machine but people still call and want us to call back to tell them in person we don't have openings...I don't usually return those calls either.
Mostly it is out of self preservation being that we have full-time jobs and are only doing this part-time.
 
I agree Swirt. My feeling is that if they've waited that long then it's their problem, not mine.
 
I'll fess up. There are times when I do not return calls.
Example: Friday night (of July 4th weekend) the phone must have wrung 40 times with people looking for rooms for the night or the weekend. We've been full for this weekend for months.
There were requests for a cabin for 9 people errrr....our cabins sleep only 2. We'd like a cabin for 1 adult and 4 kids....errr we're couples only.
When I did pick up the phone and tell them we had no openings they'd start with the questions
Them: Do you have any recommendations ...
ME: Yes go to (and I refer them to a local last minute page for our area that lists B&B's with openings)...
Them: but which one do you recommend...
Me: Its a major holiday weekend...I'd recommend any you find that have an opening because your actual choices are going to be VERY limited.
Them: Are any of them on the water?
Me: Only if you get really lucky and find one with a recent cancellation.
Them: Are any of them close to the wineries?
Me: We're in the FInger Lakes..they are all close to the wineries (within reason)
Them: Which wineries do you recommend?
Me: (terribly regretting I picked up the phone...terribly regretting I was raised well and could not scream at them that we are not the chamber of commerce) ....
And so it goes. So there are times when I will not return calls.
Also when we get to the point where we are full for the remainder of our season and put that on our answering machine but people still call and want us to call back to tell them in person we don't have openings...I don't usually return those calls either.
Mostly it is out of self preservation being that we have full-time jobs and are only doing this part-time..
I do have to agree with you on this...When we were full, we would indicate that on our machine message and I would not pick up or return those phone calls. We never took last minute reservations. If we were not booked full in advance..we only took guests with advance reservations. We did not take walk ins...except for the first and last time we ever did it...we learned quickly..they are not the B&B types and we did not want them.
 
Hmm. cats and dogs maybe.
If I call or email a vacation rental that is not hosted or partially hosted, I don't expect a call right away. It must be I am assuming they have another job and will get to it when they can. However, if I call the fully hosted B&B with full time innkeepers or staff, I would expect a prompt reply.
Actually, we try to answer every call live if we can- forward to the cell phone- and reply to email as soon as we get it.
 
I'll fess up. There are times when I do not return calls.
Example: Friday night (of July 4th weekend) the phone must have wrung 40 times with people looking for rooms for the night or the weekend. We've been full for this weekend for months.
There were requests for a cabin for 9 people errrr....our cabins sleep only 2. We'd like a cabin for 1 adult and 4 kids....errr we're couples only.
When I did pick up the phone and tell them we had no openings they'd start with the questions
Them: Do you have any recommendations ...
ME: Yes go to (and I refer them to a local last minute page for our area that lists B&B's with openings)...
Them: but which one do you recommend...
Me: Its a major holiday weekend...I'd recommend any you find that have an opening because your actual choices are going to be VERY limited.
Them: Are any of them on the water?
Me: Only if you get really lucky and find one with a recent cancellation.
Them: Are any of them close to the wineries?
Me: We're in the FInger Lakes..they are all close to the wineries (within reason)
Them: Which wineries do you recommend?
Me: (terribly regretting I picked up the phone...terribly regretting I was raised well and could not scream at them that we are not the chamber of commerce) ....
And so it goes. So there are times when I will not return calls.
Also when we get to the point where we are full for the remainder of our season and put that on our answering machine but people still call and want us to call back to tell them in person we don't have openings...I don't usually return those calls either.
Mostly it is out of self preservation being that we have full-time jobs and are only doing this part-time..
I do have to agree with you on this...When we were full, we would indicate that on our machine message and I would not pick up or return those phone calls. We never took last minute reservations. If we were not booked full in advance..we only took guests with advance reservations. We did not take walk ins...except for the first and last time we ever did it...we learned quickly..they are not the B&B types and we did not want them.
.
If really popular weekends fill up well in advance, I do put that on the message. That hasn't been happening lately.
 
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