Pet Peeve - Double Ringers

[Generic]

Those who sit down in the dining room and grab me to tell me that they are running late... meaning I should drop everything and take care of them right now. I had one table like that this morning, I was nice. The last time it happened... I looked the lady in the eye and said, "Is that my problem?" Her mouth dropped open and I said sweetly. "I'll go get your fruit cups and take your order just as soon as I'm done with what I'm doing." When I cleared their table afterwards there was a ten dollar bill under the husband's plate..

....When I cleared their table afterwards there was a ten dollar bill under the husband's plate.

The sign of a long suffering man!

 

[Lee2014]

Those who sit down in the dining room and grab me to tell me that they are running late... meaning I should drop everything and take care of them right now. I had one table like that this morning, I was nice. The last time it happened... I looked the lady in the eye and said, "Is that my problem?" Her mouth dropped open and I said sweetly. "I'll go get your fruit cups and take your order just as soon as I'm done with what I'm doing." When I cleared their table afterwards there was a ten dollar bill under the husband's plate..

....When I cleared their table afterwards there was a ten dollar bill under the husband's plate.

The sign of a long suffering man!
.

....When I cleared their table afterwards there was a ten dollar bill under the husband's plate.

The sign of a long suffering man!

Now an enlightened man.

 

[Tom]

Oh good grief.
I always ask when booking; does anyone is your group have any allergies, dietary needs or strong dislikes to any breakfast foods. But... there are those who say no and in between the call and arrival they have become gf or a vegetarian.
If they have dietary needs really why do they not tell us this. Not like they didnt know we would being making BREAKFAST for them with plenty of time to tell us this before sitting down at the table..

I always ask ... I do most check-in and I do all breakfasts. One nice (American) couple: "oh we eat everything!" Good. Next morning "I don't eat eggs .. " I added the (American) because some places don't emphasize eggs for breakfast, but in the US of A? Well, can't say it was a first, so I rolled with it: same breakfast, just double ham for her, no eggs.

 

[Anon Inn]

The coaster thing drives me nuts too
From this morning, “Oh dear, I’m gluten free, is there anything I can eat? Oatmeal, maybe?”
“Of course! We have gf instant oatmeal, but also, the egg dish is gf, as is the bacon, and of course, the fruit and yogurt, nuts, coconut, seeds and raisins for your parfait. “
”That’s ok. I’ll have the rice leftover from my Chinese takeout from last night.”.

The coaster thing drives me nuts too

I have that part easy in that I built my room furnishings and finished the tops with a finish that won't ring from a wet glass, of course my homemade furnishings wouldn't fit everyone's style. I wouldn't suggest altering a fine antique, but for normal, nice furniture, a coat or two of satin poly might eliminate the headache of needing coasters to protect the furniture.
.

Jim - Have you ever used a finish called 'gator hide'? That seems pretty popular with people who are refinishing furniture.
.

Jim - Have you ever used a finish called 'gator hide'? That seems pretty popular with people who are refinishing furniture.

Hi Morticia, don't think I've heard of 'gator hide', I'll have to look on the web and get educated. I use a variety of finishes, maybe depending on the mood or the project. [1] an oil base Sanding Sealer, dries fast, sands easy and several coats give a smooth reasonably durable finish. [2] for harder use polyurethane usually as a top coat over a sealer, but stinks up the house if you're using inside with heat or air. [3] a favorite lately may be shellac or a shellac based sealer, not as durable, but is an old time finish that can be easily repaired, dries almost instantly and you can clean the brush in ammonia.
.

Thanks for reminding me about shellac!
I've been slowly having custom glass tops made. One more to go in one of the guest rooms, but for now a greek tablecloth covers the many white rings. I've sanded and polished so many times, always more appear.

 

[Generic]

3PM check in time... Everyone arrived at 2:30PM... including the one that didn't answer emails and was sent self check-in... and another complaining that we didn't answer the door when they rang and they are in front of my door... except they aren't!

 

[JimBoone]

The coaster thing drives me nuts too
From this morning, “Oh dear, I’m gluten free, is there anything I can eat? Oatmeal, maybe?”
“Of course! We have gf instant oatmeal, but also, the egg dish is gf, as is the bacon, and of course, the fruit and yogurt, nuts, coconut, seeds and raisins for your parfait. “
”That’s ok. I’ll have the rice leftover from my Chinese takeout from last night.”.

The coaster thing drives me nuts too

I have that part easy in that I built my room furnishings and finished the tops with a finish that won't ring from a wet glass, of course my homemade furnishings wouldn't fit everyone's style. I wouldn't suggest altering a fine antique, but for normal, nice furniture, a coat or two of satin poly might eliminate the headache of needing coasters to protect the furniture.
.

Jim - Have you ever used a finish called 'gator hide'? That seems pretty popular with people who are refinishing furniture.
.

Jim - Have you ever used a finish called 'gator hide'? That seems pretty popular with people who are refinishing furniture.

Hi Morticia, don't think I've heard of 'gator hide', I'll have to look on the web and get educated. I use a variety of finishes, maybe depending on the mood or the project. [1] an oil base Sanding Sealer, dries fast, sands easy and several coats give a smooth reasonably durable finish. [2] for harder use polyurethane usually as a top coat over a sealer, but stinks up the house if you're using inside with heat or air. [3] a favorite lately may be shellac or a shellac based sealer, not as durable, but is an old time finish that can be easily repaired, dries almost instantly and you can clean the brush in ammonia.
.

Thanks for reminding me about shellac!
I've been slowly having custom glass tops made. One more to go in one of the guest rooms, but for now a greek tablecloth covers the many white rings. I've sanded and polished so many times, always more appear.
.

Anon, throw out a couple of thoughts to try next time you choose to refinish a table top.
Maybe I'm efficient or just lazy, but sanding off old finish seems like work to me, so two things I've tried with decent success.
Several pieces of old family furniture that were worn and black with age and grime, I sat them outside on an old picnic table and scrubbed using 0000 steel wool and straight ammonia. The grime and old finish just melted away and water washed it away, not too much water on a veneer finish. When dry, I refinished (used stain on one that was mixed woods). Another, secretary that was too large to move far, I put a plastic on the floor and cleaned it with 0000 steel wool and denatured alcohol, from black and grimy to beautiful walnut. Ammonia and/or denature alcohol will dissolve shellac or old spirit varnish. If just finishing a table top, you probably want to work carefully in from the edge to avoid drips on the side.
For furniture I've built for heavier use, example the end tables where I sit and watch TV, I finished them in polyurethane, they have survived a couple of years of wet glasses with no rings showing on the top. A satin poly may give you protection from wet glasses with less effort or cost than a glass top and I remember our oldest son throwing a toy and smashing the glass top on a table.

 

[Anon Inn]

The coaster thing drives me nuts too
From this morning, “Oh dear, I’m gluten free, is there anything I can eat? Oatmeal, maybe?”
“Of course! We have gf instant oatmeal, but also, the egg dish is gf, as is the bacon, and of course, the fruit and yogurt, nuts, coconut, seeds and raisins for your parfait. “
”That’s ok. I’ll have the rice leftover from my Chinese takeout from last night.”.

The coaster thing drives me nuts too

I have that part easy in that I built my room furnishings and finished the tops with a finish that won't ring from a wet glass, of course my homemade furnishings wouldn't fit everyone's style. I wouldn't suggest altering a fine antique, but for normal, nice furniture, a coat or two of satin poly might eliminate the headache of needing coasters to protect the furniture.
.

Jim - Have you ever used a finish called 'gator hide'? That seems pretty popular with people who are refinishing furniture.
.

Jim - Have you ever used a finish called 'gator hide'? That seems pretty popular with people who are refinishing furniture.

Hi Morticia, don't think I've heard of 'gator hide', I'll have to look on the web and get educated. I use a variety of finishes, maybe depending on the mood or the project. [1] an oil base Sanding Sealer, dries fast, sands easy and several coats give a smooth reasonably durable finish. [2] for harder use polyurethane usually as a top coat over a sealer, but stinks up the house if you're using inside with heat or air. [3] a favorite lately may be shellac or a shellac based sealer, not as durable, but is an old time finish that can be easily repaired, dries almost instantly and you can clean the brush in ammonia.
.

Thanks for reminding me about shellac!
I've been slowly having custom glass tops made. One more to go in one of the guest rooms, but for now a greek tablecloth covers the many white rings. I've sanded and polished so many times, always more appear.
.

Anon, throw out a couple of thoughts to try next time you choose to refinish a table top.
Maybe I'm efficient or just lazy, but sanding off old finish seems like work to me, so two things I've tried with decent success.
Several pieces of old family furniture that were worn and black with age and grime, I sat them outside on an old picnic table and scrubbed using 0000 steel wool and straight ammonia. The grime and old finish just melted away and water washed it away, not too much water on a veneer finish. When dry, I refinished (used stain on one that was mixed woods). Another, secretary that was too large to move far, I put a plastic on the floor and cleaned it with 0000 steel wool and denatured alcohol, from black and grimy to beautiful walnut. Ammonia and/or denature alcohol will dissolve shellac or old spirit varnish. If just finishing a table top, you probably want to work carefully in from the edge to avoid drips on the side.
For furniture I've built for heavier use, example the end tables where I sit and watch TV, I finished them in polyurethane, they have survived a couple of years of wet glasses with no rings showing on the top. A satin poly may give you protection from wet glasses with less effort or cost than a glass top and I remember our oldest son throwing a toy and smashing the glass top on a table.
.

Thank you. Very likely old varnish so your tips should work beautifully

 

[Anon Inn]

The coaster thing drives me nuts too
From this morning, “Oh dear, I’m gluten free, is there anything I can eat? Oatmeal, maybe?”
“Of course! We have gf instant oatmeal, but also, the egg dish is gf, as is the bacon, and of course, the fruit and yogurt, nuts, coconut, seeds and raisins for your parfait. “
”That’s ok. I’ll have the rice leftover from my Chinese takeout from last night.”.

The coaster thing drives me nuts too

I have that part easy in that I built my room furnishings and finished the tops with a finish that won't ring from a wet glass, of course my homemade furnishings wouldn't fit everyone's style. I wouldn't suggest altering a fine antique, but for normal, nice furniture, a coat or two of satin poly might eliminate the headache of needing coasters to protect the furniture.
.

Jim - Have you ever used a finish called 'gator hide'? That seems pretty popular with people who are refinishing furniture.
.

Jim - Have you ever used a finish called 'gator hide'? That seems pretty popular with people who are refinishing furniture.

Hi Morticia, don't think I've heard of 'gator hide', I'll have to look on the web and get educated. I use a variety of finishes, maybe depending on the mood or the project. [1] an oil base Sanding Sealer, dries fast, sands easy and several coats give a smooth reasonably durable finish. [2] for harder use polyurethane usually as a top coat over a sealer, but stinks up the house if you're using inside with heat or air. [3] a favorite lately may be shellac or a shellac based sealer, not as durable, but is an old time finish that can be easily repaired, dries almost instantly and you can clean the brush in ammonia.
.

Thanks for reminding me about shellac!
I've been slowly having custom glass tops made. One more to go in one of the guest rooms, but for now a greek tablecloth covers the many white rings. I've sanded and polished so many times, always more appear.
.

Anon, throw out a couple of thoughts to try next time you choose to refinish a table top.
Maybe I'm efficient or just lazy, but sanding off old finish seems like work to me, so two things I've tried with decent success.
Several pieces of old family furniture that were worn and black with age and grime, I sat them outside on an old picnic table and scrubbed using 0000 steel wool and straight ammonia. The grime and old finish just melted away and water washed it away, not too much water on a veneer finish. When dry, I refinished (used stain on one that was mixed woods). Another, secretary that was too large to move far, I put a plastic on the floor and cleaned it with 0000 steel wool and denatured alcohol, from black and grimy to beautiful walnut. Ammonia and/or denature alcohol will dissolve shellac or old spirit varnish. If just finishing a table top, you probably want to work carefully in from the edge to avoid drips on the side.
For furniture I've built for heavier use, example the end tables where I sit and watch TV, I finished them in polyurethane, they have survived a couple of years of wet glasses with no rings showing on the top. A satin poly may give you protection from wet glasses with less effort or cost than a glass top and I remember our oldest son throwing a toy and smashing the glass top on a table.
.

.

 

[Anon Inn]

The coaster thing drives me nuts too
From this morning, “Oh dear, I’m gluten free, is there anything I can eat? Oatmeal, maybe?”
“Of course! We have gf instant oatmeal, but also, the egg dish is gf, as is the bacon, and of course, the fruit and yogurt, nuts, coconut, seeds and raisins for your parfait. “
”That’s ok. I’ll have the rice leftover from my Chinese takeout from last night.”.

The coaster thing drives me nuts too

I have that part easy in that I built my room furnishings and finished the tops with a finish that won't ring from a wet glass, of course my homemade furnishings wouldn't fit everyone's style. I wouldn't suggest altering a fine antique, but for normal, nice furniture, a coat or two of satin poly might eliminate the headache of needing coasters to protect the furniture.
.

Jim - Have you ever used a finish called 'gator hide'? That seems pretty popular with people who are refinishing furniture.
.

Jim - Have you ever used a finish called 'gator hide'? That seems pretty popular with people who are refinishing furniture.

Hi Morticia, don't think I've heard of 'gator hide', I'll have to look on the web and get educated. I use a variety of finishes, maybe depending on the mood or the project. [1] an oil base Sanding Sealer, dries fast, sands easy and several coats give a smooth reasonably durable finish. [2] for harder use polyurethane usually as a top coat over a sealer, but stinks up the house if you're using inside with heat or air. [3] a favorite lately may be shellac or a shellac based sealer, not as durable, but is an old time finish that can be easily repaired, dries almost instantly and you can clean the brush in ammonia.
.

Thanks for reminding me about shellac!
I've been slowly having custom glass tops made. One more to go in one of the guest rooms, but for now a greek tablecloth covers the many white rings. I've sanded and polished so many times, always more appear.
.

Anon, throw out a couple of thoughts to try next time you choose to refinish a table top.
Maybe I'm efficient or just lazy, but sanding off old finish seems like work to me, so two things I've tried with decent success.
Several pieces of old family furniture that were worn and black with age and grime, I sat them outside on an old picnic table and scrubbed using 0000 steel wool and straight ammonia. The grime and old finish just melted away and water washed it away, not too much water on a veneer finish. When dry, I refinished (used stain on one that was mixed woods). Another, secretary that was too large to move far, I put a plastic on the floor and cleaned it with 0000 steel wool and denatured alcohol, from black and grimy to beautiful walnut. Ammonia and/or denature alcohol will dissolve shellac or old spirit varnish. If just finishing a table top, you probably want to work carefully in from the edge to avoid drips on the side.
For furniture I've built for heavier use, example the end tables where I sit and watch TV, I finished them in polyurethane, they have survived a couple of years of wet glasses with no rings showing on the top. A satin poly may give you protection from wet glasses with less effort or cost than a glass top and I remember our oldest son throwing a toy and smashing the glass top on a table.
.

.

 

[Generic]

Another pet peeve.... calls, ask for dates, we are full... and then wants me to give them a price. I can't give you a price, I don't have any room.... I'm full. I can't give a price on something that doesn't exist. And prices change based on date and which room. But they keep on insisting that you give them a price. And I keep on insisting that I can't, because there is no price on something that doesn't exist...
Maybe they are trying to do a price-match to get a better price from X or BK, but you can't!

 

[Morticia]

Another pet peeve.... calls, ask for dates, we are full... and then wants me to give them a price. I can't give you a price, I don't have any room.... I'm full. I can't give a price on something that doesn't exist. And prices change based on date and which room. But they keep on insisting that you give them a price. And I keep on insisting that I can't, because there is no price on something that doesn't exist...
Maybe they are trying to do a price-match to get a better price from X or BK, but you can't!.

"Well, we rented our last room for $250, does that help?"
Just give them a price. Stop beating your head against the wall. Make something up. Make it super cheap, or outrageously expensive, or as close to what the room went for as you can remember.
I do this all the time. It does not hurt. It take 2 seconds. It takes less time than telling them why you can't tell them.
Face it, I'm old and I don't have time for this back and forth stuff. ;-)
2 people at the door today said we were holding a room for them. I asked who they spoke to because we don't hold rooms for same day callers. They gave me the name of the guy down the street. Fair enough, I told them that. Then they wanted to know if I had rooms. Sure. Then they wanted to verify who they had actually called. Back out to the car for the piece of paper they wrote stuff on. Back inside to tell me. I verified where to find the place they had called.
"Well, how much are your rooms?" I told them. 10 minutes I'll never get back, but maybe the other place will grump at them and I was nice.

 

[Highlands John]

Another pet peeve.... calls, ask for dates, we are full... and then wants me to give them a price. I can't give you a price, I don't have any room.... I'm full. I can't give a price on something that doesn't exist. And prices change based on date and which room. But they keep on insisting that you give them a price. And I keep on insisting that I can't, because there is no price on something that doesn't exist...
Maybe they are trying to do a price-match to get a better price from X or BK, but you can't!.

I get this one a lot....
"What's the room rate?"
"Is breakfast included?"
"How far are you from the airport?"....................blah blah blah
What does it matter..............I don't have any rooms. Go away!

 

[JimBoone]

Another pet peeve.... calls, ask for dates, we are full... and then wants me to give them a price. I can't give you a price, I don't have any room.... I'm full. I can't give a price on something that doesn't exist. And prices change based on date and which room. But they keep on insisting that you give them a price. And I keep on insisting that I can't, because there is no price on something that doesn't exist...
Maybe they are trying to do a price-match to get a better price from X or BK, but you can't!.

and then wants me to give them a price. I can't give you a price, I don't have any room.... I'm full. I can't give a price on something that doesn't exist.

May depend on area, price and reason for visit, got such a call recently, nope, I'm full that weekend and the next, but I have a nice room two weeks from your date, potential guest called back and booked the dates I had available, of course each area is different, I expect here they are coming to the mountains for leaf change and the alternate date may still be useful for such a holiday.

 

[Morticia]

How about the folks who turn on the A/C when it's 55 degrees outside? Not sure what they think is going to happen.

 

[NC Innkeeper]

Guest waking up extra early and not being considerate of the other guest that are, well were sleeping.

 

[ChrisandShelley]

YES! We have a small sign under the doorbell that says "Please be Patient". It's not like we're at the starting block ready to pounce when the doorbell rings. Even if we are in the recliner, it still takes us a minute to get from the living room of our apartment to the front door. Mostly we're making cookies, working on marketing or bookkeeping, doing some sort of maintenance task, or a million other possible tasks. But this day and age, people expect you to be right at the door within a nanosecond of them ringing it.
I even got a snarky comment from a lady when I said, "Hello, how are you?". She said, "Fine, now that you've answered the door."
I had about 20 smart ass comments go through my head, but I just said sorry for the wait and checked her in.

 

[JimBoone]

YES! We have a small sign under the doorbell that says "Please be Patient". It's not like we're at the starting block ready to pounce when the doorbell rings. Even if we are in the recliner, it still takes us a minute to get from the living room of our apartment to the front door. Mostly we're making cookies, working on marketing or bookkeeping, doing some sort of maintenance task, or a million other possible tasks. But this day and age, people expect you to be right at the door within a nanosecond of them ringing it.
I even got a snarky comment from a lady when I said, "Hello, how are you?". She said, "Fine, now that you've answered the door."
I had about 20 smart ass comments go through my head, but I just said sorry for the wait and checked her in..

My door sign says "please wait while I grab a robe and slippers", I've thought of adding to it say "I'm not deaf, just slow" for those that like to keep ringing the bell.

 

[Generic]

YES! We have a small sign under the doorbell that says "Please be Patient". It's not like we're at the starting block ready to pounce when the doorbell rings. Even if we are in the recliner, it still takes us a minute to get from the living room of our apartment to the front door. Mostly we're making cookies, working on marketing or bookkeeping, doing some sort of maintenance task, or a million other possible tasks. But this day and age, people expect you to be right at the door within a nanosecond of them ringing it.
I even got a snarky comment from a lady when I said, "Hello, how are you?". She said, "Fine, now that you've answered the door."
I had about 20 smart ass comments go through my head, but I just said sorry for the wait and checked her in..

My door sign says "please wait while I grab a robe and slippers", I've thought of adding to it say "I'm not deaf, just slow" for those that like to keep ringing the bell.
.

I've been tempted to write. Ring once for the innkeeper, twice for the ogre.

 

[Morticia]

YES! We have a small sign under the doorbell that says "Please be Patient". It's not like we're at the starting block ready to pounce when the doorbell rings. Even if we are in the recliner, it still takes us a minute to get from the living room of our apartment to the front door. Mostly we're making cookies, working on marketing or bookkeeping, doing some sort of maintenance task, or a million other possible tasks. But this day and age, people expect you to be right at the door within a nanosecond of them ringing it.
I even got a snarky comment from a lady when I said, "Hello, how are you?". She said, "Fine, now that you've answered the door."
I had about 20 smart ass comments go through my head, but I just said sorry for the wait and checked her in..

My door sign says "please wait while I grab a robe and slippers", I've thought of adding to it say "I'm not deaf, just slow" for those that like to keep ringing the bell.
.

I've been tempted to write. Ring once for the innkeeper, twice for the ogre.
.

I've been tempted to write. Ring once for the innkeeper, twice for the ogre.

ha ha

 

[Morticia]

Listened to this conversation on the phone today:
Gomez: no, the rate isn't lower because it's the last room, it actually should have been higher so you got lucky.
Gomez: on event weekends we don't do any discounts.
Gomez: AARP? No, no discounts on event weekends.
Gomez: AAA? No, no discounts on event weekends. We're like farmers, you know. We have to make hay while the sun shines.
All of that from a person who booked the cheapest b&b room in town after not being able to find anything else available. It was the only room open because the guests who usually take it for 4 nights couldn't make it this year.