What I REALLY wanted to say!

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Aussie Innkeeper

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 16, 2010
Messages
754
Reaction score
5
Location
Mount Joy, PA
I knew it would show up sooner or later...the bad review. It appeared just a couple of days ago. I am thankful for two things: 1. that the woman's complaints are so over the top that no one with half a brain is going to consider them as truthful; and 2. that we've received several very good reviews since then, so as to 'bury' the bad one...but it's still there.
I've submitted a mgmt response, but it hasn't been approved and posted yet. This guest was ticked off because I would not pay for her rayon dress that she ruined by ironing it (heat way too high!). So, I guess this was her only way to get back at me. She just made this stuff up!
The response, of course, is socially correct and is very polite. But what I really wanted to say was (her complaints in bold)...
[COLOR= rgb(44, 44, 44)]Unfortunately, when we entered our room we were hit with an awful odor that is best described as being at a nursing home. You know that smell at your grandparents house (and not the one of fresh baked cookies)! [/COLOR]Lady, I've got one of the most sensitive sniffers around. Your room smelled like clean sheets! I spent two days trying to figure out what 'smell' you were referring to. I'd like to see some of the nursing homes you've allegedly been to.
[COLOR= rgb(44, 44, 44)]Also the B&B advertized that a refrigerator in the room and the main area of the house would be available and stocked. The refrigerator in our room was empty and it w[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(44, 44, 44)]n[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(44, 44, 44)]as dirty. The refrigerator in the main area was not well stocked and in fact we had to ask for water bottles twice. [/COLOR]There were two bottles of water in your room fridge and the fridge in the foyer has bottled water, 3 kinds of soda, beer and white wine. What else did you want? You didn't ask for water, you asked for ice...three times!! and it was happily provided!! Even when you left. The fridge in your room might have had a little ice build-up on the freezer compartment, but it wasn't dirty!
[COLOR= rgb(44, 44, 44)]Breakfast was ok, table setting was no different from what I offer at home. [/COLOR]Really? You have a candle-lit 3-course breakfast at home every day? How special for you! You also have cloth napkins with your logo on them?
[COLOR= rgb(44, 44, 44)]The furnishing are old and not very clean. [/COLOR]My sofa is less than two years old and the chairs in the foyer were re-upholstered in 2008. I really don't consider that old. All of the guestroom bedding and other 'soft' things are less than 4 years old. We do have a few older items, but they are clean and in good repair.
[COLOR= rgb(44, 44, 44)]The air-conditioner made an awful noise all night and would just turn off, at one point I could not get it back on. [/COLOR]It's called a 'thermostat', lady! There are two very simple dials on the thing and a 4 y/o could figure them out. It's a window unit, so yes, they do make a little noise, but there's nothing wrong with the unit. You turn it on and the fan makes noise.
Oh, and last, but certainly not least...[COLOR= rgb(44, 44, 44)]There is a nice-sized porch but it was dirty and not inviting[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(44, 44, 44)]. [/COLOR]This was the one thing that REALLY irritated me! Because our front porch is our guests' first impression, I take great efforts to make sure that it IS inviting..and clean! It's outside, though, so there might be a leaf or two on it at times, or maybe it was the porch baskets that she didn't like. I just bought new cushions for the chairs, swing and loveseats. Don't tell me it's not 'inviting'!!
Ok, I'm done. Sorry for the long rant! I feel better now.
 
Sorry you're going through this. As you said, she made things up. I'm glad you didn't pay for the dress SHE ruined.
You've given your response. Now put it behind you ASAP and move on to the GOOD guests!
 
Sorry Aussie, glad you were able to get it off your chest here - and I think you were too kind (lol) of course this is for general audiences.
Hope your real response shows up soon, I know it helped me get past the poop once my response was there for all to see.
Now you can go be yourself with your new guests and new wonderful reviews will be in your future!
 
sorry
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i hope that your real response was gracious and brief.
i am wondering about management responses. if you respond, will that bring the negative review back up to the top or will it just be a response under it and keep that review in its current place in the line (buried)?
 
sorry
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i hope that your real response was gracious and brief.
i am wondering about management responses. if you respond, will that bring the negative review back up to the top or will it just be a response under it and keep that review in its current place in the line (buried)?.
seashanty said:
i am wondering about management responses. if you respond, will that bring the negative review back up to the top or will it just be a response under it and keep that review in its current place in the line (buried)?
Yes, I kept it brief. Did not go into the specifics. Had the help of some other folks to write it. I've seen too many negative, defensive responses that make the situation worse and reflect poorly on the respondent.
As far as I know, the response is posted right after the review and does not bring it up to the top of the list. Thank goodness!
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I feel your pain Aussie! It just happened to me too. I just don't understand how anyone can just make up lies! Not only do they want to hurt our business, but they want to hurt us personally. It's just not right.
I had been waiting for 2 months for this review to happen...just when we thought maybe they wouldn't do one, WHAM!
I'm so sorry you're going through this.
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The worst part is that I cannot even try to explain my side of it b/c it then looks like I'm making excuses. I really wish I could have put something in the response addressing her ruined dress, but could not without looking defensive. I suppose the good news is that we do get the last word. Of course, if anyone wants to message her on T/A and harass her, then I suppose I can't stop you.
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I feel your pain Aussie! It just happened to me too. I just don't understand how anyone can just make up lies! Not only do they want to hurt our business, but they want to hurt us personally. It's just not right.
I had been waiting for 2 months for this review to happen...just when we thought maybe they wouldn't do one, WHAM!
I'm so sorry you're going through this.
pita.gif
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Hey, how did you get a slide show on your TA page?
 
I feel your pain Aussie! It just happened to me too. I just don't understand how anyone can just make up lies! Not only do they want to hurt our business, but they want to hurt us personally. It's just not right.
I had been waiting for 2 months for this review to happen...just when we thought maybe they wouldn't do one, WHAM!
I'm so sorry you're going through this.
pita.gif
.
Hey, how did you get a slide show on your TA page?
.
I don't know, it just started to do it!
 
I had this - cheapo couple booked cheapest room during very busy period - event they were attending was cancelled due to the weather and I saw no reason why they should cheap out on me
this became a "housekeeping issue" therefore in my response I casually mention how sorry I am that they could not attend said event and had to stay in HGT despite this due to our cancellation policy and that we would like to take this opportunity to remind future guests that for events that may be affected by the weather it is advisable to buy travel insurance - the idea is that future guests read between the lines.
 
Yes, that's the best way to handle these attacks on our policies. Use it as an opportunity to point out how really reasonable we are and try to get across (in not so many words) that the complaining guest is being a complete arse.
I figured ONE of us in the equation had to show some decent common sense. I was not going to stoop to her level (well, at least for joe general public to read, anyway).
 
I read the review. The on thing that stood out for me was this statement... "And don't expect much in the way of water pressure." Does she know or does she not? That's a VERY odd statement. The other statement is that she says the smell was somehow hermitcally sealed in the room but then other places said the smells abound. It's just NOT consistant. Also, because she doesn't have a location, it could easily be a fake review. It is certainly way over the top... if I saw it with all the others I would just assume it was FAKE.
I'm sorry about that review. It usually does spur a lot of new great reviews.
But if you have the correspondence with her, I would certainly send that to T/A and tell them about the problem and why she wrote the review. You can't fake a review simply because you are blackmailing the owner. It's a violation of the ToS.
 
Reminds me of the F B posting I got last month. She kept upping the ante until I said no and then posted how rude and unhelpful I was. As we hashed here, if she had done a T A I would not have cared as I have good reviews but F B goes to everyone and his brother and ANY response from me would have made me look defensive. There is absolutely no way for us to tell what WE were dealing with. Sorry you had to deal with it. Flip her the bird mentally and stay your happy self.
 
T A published my response to the review..
That was a very humble reply and I know how tough that would have been to write. I think that was very appropriate because you have such wonderful reviews.
I, on the other hand was a bit snarky with my response. I just couldn't help it. It's so obvious when looking at the graph of the ratings that we have 115 fabulous reviews and now 6 'terrible'. There's no middle ground. The terribles were (except 1) because they didn't read our website and didn't know what & who we are before they got here, and I wouldn't give them their money back. I refuse to be blackmailed.
 
Yes, I too have found that most complaints from smaller establishments like ours tend to stem from the guest's failure to READ the policies and then ACCEPT the fact that they do apply to them, too.
 
T A published my response to the review..
I read your reply. I would have used it as a free way to advertise without having to pay T/A and pointed out many of the things that you did mention like what is in the refrigerator in the room, in the common refrigerator, when you changed furniture, etc. So that anyone who reads the bad review also gets your positives. Or turn her negatives into other people's positives. Talk yourself up without regard to what she did.
 
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