Who's responsible?

[Alibi Ike]

Received an email a month or so after the fact that the guest left something in the room. This was a large, obvious item that the guest pinpoints as being left on the table next to the chair next to the big window. Pretty specific. And also pretty obvious.
We never found any such thing at the time or after a frantic run thru the room today looking in all the drawers, under the bed, in the nightstand, behind the chairs, etc.
Replied back to the guest that we had nothing like it in the lost and found, the housekeeper hadn't turned it in and we had just gone back to check to see if it had been tucked into a drawer. (I just emailed the housekeeper to see if she remembered it. Maybe she put it somewhere and forgot to mention it.)
Guest now accusing us of shoddy housekeeping and saying another guest probably took it home when we missed it during cleaning and we owe her another one.
What say all of you?

 

[Don Draper]

Puhlease! If it was so big/important you would have noticed it right away. Don't let someone with an axe to grind make you question yourself. You are a neat FREAK, you would have seen it. She can get herself another one. You could accuse her right back of being a liar and trying to get a free whatchamacallit out of YOU.

 

[JBloggs]

Staying at state parks they have a policy - there is a left behind/lost and found locker. Come and get it. If you don't they toss it or goodwill it after a month.
WHY DO WE feel we should spend time and fuel and money to return items to guests? Can you imagine their expression if you told them you would be happy to mail it back to them if they sent a prepaid box/envelope to you. Yes, THEY went out and got the mailer at the post office and sent it to YOU.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

A month or so after they left??? No way should you feel any responsibility or let that guest get to you. If she was so sure that she left it there, it would not have taken her this long to contact you!
Forgetaboutit!

 

[egoodell]

Usually with this they eventually find it somewhere completely different. Don't listen to them. Reminds me of another innkeeper whose housekeeper was accused of stealing expensive jewelry which was later found in a fold of the suitcase.
This accusation was from a "writer" who had been given the room for free as well.
RIki

 

[Joey Camb]

If they left it it is their responsibility long and short.

 

[birdwatcher]

I agree with everyone-after a month too late and if it was that important they would have called you much much earlier don't cave sorry charlie-their loss.

 

[gillumhouse]

#1 - if it was large and obvious, why did they forget it
#2 - if it was that important, why wait a month to contact you
#3 - would they expect a hotel to replace something THEY, the guests, left behind?
Definitely a "sorry, Charlie" reply or an ignore is in order. Save her e-mail though.

 

[Alibi Ike]

The latest is that after we explained we (spouse and I) cleaned the room that it was all 'LOL, I'll look in my house for it, no big deal.'

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Yesterday, a guest handed me a beautiful watch (expensive) and said she found it under the bed. A week has passed since the previous guest has checked-out and we can't be sure they're even the ones who left it. I'll keep it for a very long time, but it's hard to belive that no one has called us about it!

 

[Alibi Ike]

Yesterday, a guest handed me a beautiful watch (expensive) and said she found it under the bed. A week has passed since the previous guest has checked-out and we can't be sure they're even the ones who left it. I'll keep it for a very long time, but it's hard to belive that no one has called us about it!.

We have a couple of rooms with 2 beds. We do check under the beds but obviously missed checking the side of the bed along the wall. One guest moved the bed and a bottle of pills fell on the floor. Oy. I looked at the label and that guest hadn't been here for a month. Then again, she was the last person in the room so not as bad as it could have been!
I think everyone has stories of things missed during cleaning. And things that guests never call for that you would think they would (jewelry, prescriptions, etc) and things you wouldn't think they'd even miss (a shower cap, heaven help me, that I heard about for days on end when I said we couldn't find it- we had thrown it out thinking she didn't want it).

 

[Samster]

Glad it turned out OK. I don't get why if it was so important that it took them a month to email you about it? That's wierd...

 

[sandynn]

In Feb we had a wonderful two ladies here in two rooms. They were wonderful guests. One lost her purse. Last week (months later) we found it in the wardrobe. Now all of us the two guests myself and my husband searched every inch of that room. Not one guest in the past months must have see it either. It was tucked in a little hiding place in the wardrobe. She thought she must have left it at the last store she was shopping. DH was doing a little work on the wardrobe in May and found it. I called her and she gave me a FedEx number to send it back so I didn't have to pay. This was great and so easy. I was so happy to have found it for her. I know she has replaced all her things but just knowing her information was not out there was a comfort to her.

 

[Paradise]

Just had a voicemail (we don't answer after 7pm) from a guest who stayed several days ago.
This morning after having bathing suits hanging on the line for 5 days we put them in the bin.
This afternoon we received a call from one of the guests saying that they'd left them & wanted them back. I explained that we weren't sure who they belonged to, asked all in-house guests, & then discarded them. He understood & was pleasant.
Just now the OTHER guest (they were here together) left the message DEMANDING to be compensated for his $110 bathing suit & yelling about how dare we throw HIS property away, etc....
I just rescued the two bathing suits from the trash bin (luckily we hadn't gotten ride of them).
We've emailed the voicemail guest saying that we recovered two bathing suits that may be his & that if he would like to provide an address & permission for us to charge his card (approximately $10) we would mail them back.
This is just a vent, but HOW DARE HE THREATEN ME...The gaul of people. I really wanted to ring him straight back & tell him where to shove his tiny bikini bottom (for $110), but obviously can't....

 

[Alibi Ike]

Just had a voicemail (we don't answer after 7pm) from a guest who stayed several days ago.
This morning after having bathing suits hanging on the line for 5 days we put them in the bin.
This afternoon we received a call from one of the guests saying that they'd left them & wanted them back. I explained that we weren't sure who they belonged to, asked all in-house guests, & then discarded them. He understood & was pleasant.
Just now the OTHER guest (they were here together) left the message DEMANDING to be compensated for his $110 bathing suit & yelling about how dare we throw HIS property away, etc....
I just rescued the two bathing suits from the trash bin (luckily we hadn't gotten ride of them).
We've emailed the voicemail guest saying that we recovered two bathing suits that may be his & that if he would like to provide an address & permission for us to charge his card (approximately $10) we would mail them back.
This is just a vent, but HOW DARE HE THREATEN ME...The gaul of people. I really wanted to ring him straight back & tell him where to shove his tiny bikini bottom (for $110), but obviously can't.....

See, reading your story puts mine in perspective for me. They left it, you threw it out, it's gone, tough luck.

 

[Joey Camb]

Just had a voicemail (we don't answer after 7pm) from a guest who stayed several days ago.
This morning after having bathing suits hanging on the line for 5 days we put them in the bin.
This afternoon we received a call from one of the guests saying that they'd left them & wanted them back. I explained that we weren't sure who they belonged to, asked all in-house guests, & then discarded them. He understood & was pleasant.
Just now the OTHER guest (they were here together) left the message DEMANDING to be compensated for his $110 bathing suit & yelling about how dare we throw HIS property away, etc....
I just rescued the two bathing suits from the trash bin (luckily we hadn't gotten ride of them).
We've emailed the voicemail guest saying that we recovered two bathing suits that may be his & that if he would like to provide an address & permission for us to charge his card (approximately $10) we would mail them back.
This is just a vent, but HOW DARE HE THREATEN ME...The gaul of people. I really wanted to ring him straight back & tell him where to shove his tiny bikini bottom (for $110), but obviously can't.....

what a complete gimp! ( would use stronger language) if they leave it it is their responsibility!

 

[Paradise]

Just had a voicemail (we don't answer after 7pm) from a guest who stayed several days ago.
This morning after having bathing suits hanging on the line for 5 days we put them in the bin.
This afternoon we received a call from one of the guests saying that they'd left them & wanted them back. I explained that we weren't sure who they belonged to, asked all in-house guests, & then discarded them. He understood & was pleasant.
Just now the OTHER guest (they were here together) left the message DEMANDING to be compensated for his $110 bathing suit & yelling about how dare we throw HIS property away, etc....
I just rescued the two bathing suits from the trash bin (luckily we hadn't gotten ride of them).
We've emailed the voicemail guest saying that we recovered two bathing suits that may be his & that if he would like to provide an address & permission for us to charge his card (approximately $10) we would mail them back.
This is just a vent, but HOW DARE HE THREATEN ME...The gaul of people. I really wanted to ring him straight back & tell him where to shove his tiny bikini bottom (for $110), but obviously can't.....

See, reading your story puts mine in perspective for me. They left it, you threw it out, it's gone, tough luck.
.

Unfortunately, I've now learned that the next time I'll just lie & say we never saw it (if the person is a threatening jerk & we would need to DIG through garbage)...

 

[Penelope]

When our son was 6 months old we were travelling cross country for a funeral. Stayed at a HIExpress in PA on the highway. Slept poorly that night. Skipped the boo-fay for breakfast and got back on the road. About 60 miles down the road, I realize we've left his baby blanket that his great-grandmother made him on the dresser. Frantic, I called the hotel only to be told that anything that is left is to be claimed within 36 hours or it's garbage. Well, we still had a 10 hour trip ahead of us. A 4 day stay at our funeral destination. There was NO way we could turn around that day. No way we could get back in 36 hours. Into the garbage (I'm assuming) it went