Comments on: Customer service done poorly by Ramada http://www.chrishardie.com/blog/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html Personal Blog for James Christopher Hardie Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:43:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: d.d.nichols http://www.chrishardie.com/blog/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-86835 d.d.nichols Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:35:15 +0000 http://www.chrishardie.com/weblog/archives/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-86835 We stayed in a Ramada Inn in Elk City, Okla. on 10-28-08. We had reserved the room a couple weeks in advance. When we arrived we checked in only to realize that our aarp discount wasn't applied. The receptionist said she would have to cancel that registration and make a new one. result? We were billed for two seperate rooms when we got our American Express bill. So for they have not tried to help us with the over-billing. We stayed in a Ramada Inn in Elk City, Okla. on 10-28-08. We had reserved the room a couple weeks in advance. When we arrived we checked in only to realize that our aarp discount wasn't applied. The receptionist said she would have to cancel that registration and make a new one.
result? We were billed for two seperate rooms when we got our American Express bill. So for they have not tried to help us with the over-billing.

]]> By: Greg B http://www.chrishardie.com/blog/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-40009 Greg B Sat, 25 Aug 2007 11:33:29 +0000 http://www.chrishardie.com/weblog/archives/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-40009 The San Diego Ramada Inn next to the old NTC is older but well maintained and immaculate except for the attached lounge. They cater mainly to customers from the fishing boats across the road and other non-hotel guests. If you stay there and don't like ill mannered foul mouth people you should probably avoid the lounge. The San Diego Ramada Inn next to the old NTC is older but well maintained and immaculate except for the attached lounge. They cater mainly to customers from the fishing boats across the road and other non-hotel guests. If you stay there and don't like ill mannered foul mouth people you should probably avoid the lounge.

]]> By: Disgruntled Customer http://www.chrishardie.com/blog/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-24491 Disgruntled Customer Fri, 18 May 2007 19:36:11 +0000 http://www.chrishardie.com/weblog/archives/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-24491 We made the mistake of staying at the Ramada Inn in Costa Mesa, Calif., last weekend, only to be ripped off. We had changed the date of our reservation two weeks before arriving but the hotel evidently never bothered to change it in its computer and charged us for a night we never stayed there. Mistakes like this can happen, but what was truly offensive was the stiff-arm response when I discussed it with the general manager, Edgar Santos. Instead of apologizing for the mistake and taking the charge off our bill, he insisted that "no one called" to change the reservation, in effect accusing me of lying and in effect taking $100 of our money dishonestly for a night we never stayed there. My wife warned me in advance against staying at Ramada and I'm afraid it turns out she was right. Won't make that mistake again. We made the mistake of staying at the Ramada Inn in Costa Mesa, Calif., last weekend, only to be ripped off. We had changed the date of our reservation two weeks before arriving but the hotel evidently never bothered to change it in its computer and charged us for a night we never stayed there. Mistakes like this can happen, but what was truly offensive was the stiff-arm response when I discussed it with the general manager, Edgar Santos. Instead of apologizing for the mistake and taking the charge off our bill, he insisted that "no one called" to change the reservation, in effect accusing me of lying and in effect taking $100 of our money dishonestly for a night we never stayed there. My wife warned me in advance against staying at Ramada and I'm afraid it turns out she was right. Won't make that mistake again.

]]> By: Erin http://www.chrishardie.com/blog/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-15401 Erin Tue, 20 Mar 2007 22:35:16 +0000 http://www.chrishardie.com/weblog/archives/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-15401 I am going through a huge issue right nw, I am on the phone/hold right now. I booked a trip via Ramada vacations, I called to book today. Here goes: I been transfered to 10 people, and am still on hold. I have been on the phone for 2 hours. I can't seem to book my trip because I keep getting transfered, I can't get my money back, which I think I got hosed on, and I can't seem to find anyone to help me! I was in tears today, I am at my limit. I can't believe that this is acceptable Customer Service. I am going through a huge issue right nw, I am on the phone/hold right now. I booked a trip via Ramada vacations, I called to book today. Here goes:
I been transfered to 10 people, and am still on hold. I have been on the phone for 2 hours. I can't seem to book my trip because I keep getting transfered, I can't get my money back, which I think I got hosed on, and I can't seem to find anyone to help me! I was in tears today, I am at my limit. I can't believe that this is acceptable Customer Service.

]]> By: "PERCOLATING": media & marketing blog from Kup&Sourcer » Check out Chris Hardie’s blog posting about Ramada (and related customer service musings) http://www.chrishardie.com/blog/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-6753 "PERCOLATING": media & marketing blog from Kup&Sourcer » Check out Chris Hardie’s blog posting about Ramada (and related customer service musings) Mon, 20 Nov 2006 18:43:27 +0000 http://www.chrishardie.com/weblog/archives/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-6753 [...] Chris Hardie has some good customer service lessons from a stay at a Ramada in Eastern Pennsylvania!  See http://www.chrishardie.com/weblog/archives/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html.  [...] [...] Chris Hardie has some good customer service lessons from a stay at a Ramada in Eastern Pennsylvania!  See http://www.chrishardie.com/weblog/archives/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html.  [...]

]]> By: Katherine Porter http://www.chrishardie.com/blog/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-6751 Katherine Porter Mon, 20 Nov 2006 18:37:20 +0000 http://www.chrishardie.com/weblog/archives/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-6751 You are waaaay luckier than I! I just had the dubious pleasure of staying at the Ramada Palms de Las Cruces in Las Cruces, New Mexico (November 12, 13, and 14). I had a funeral to attend and had no other choices as to hotels; next time I’ll sleep in my car. The hotel is older and run down, but I tried to put a positive spin on it by reminding myself that it was convenient. The hotel is not super-clean, but I tried to put a positive spin on it by reminding myself that it was convenient. The hotel is under-staffed, but I tried to put a postive spin on it by reminding myself that it was convenient. I stopped trying to spin things when I checked out and discovered I had $22 in unexpected phone calls on my bill. Now there’s no denying the hotel is just shabby, dirty, and has poor service. You see, apparently every phone call from the room of the hotel, whether local or otherwise, is billed like an old-fashioned long distance call. I know that happens. Well, I knew that USED to happen. I thought hotels had stopped such racketeering some time ago. But, apparently, ethical business practices have not made it to the Ramada chain. Now, I can afford the $22. But, that’s not the point. Hidden charges are sleazy and cheesy and show a distinct lack of character. The hotel management didn’t post any indication there are charges associated with phone calls, so they are deliberately trying to hide the charges—to slip them in and gouge travelers who are too frazzled and time-constrained to be able to make a big issue of things at check-out. Well, I’m making a big issue now. I called American Express and protested the $22...news at eleven. I also wrote to Ramada via their website form and quickly received an email reponse that began: "Thank you for contacting the Ramada Customer Service Department concerning your stay at the Ramada property located in Las Cruces, NM. We sincerely apologize that the property did not meet your expectations of Ramada's high standards of guest service. This property is independently owned and operated under a Ramada franchise, and its management is responsible for meeting Ramada standards. We appreciate the time you took to let us know where this property needs to improve." Hmmmm. Apparently if a franchise hotel's management does NOT meet Ramada standcards, that's okay. In a phone call a few minutes ago, a representative of the Ramada Palms de Las Cruces explained to me that: 1. The long distance charges applied to my bill for three calls made from my room were not the hotel's fault---the phone company determines what is and isn't a long distance call. Interesting! One of the calls was to a home maybe three miles away from the hotel and lasted less than two minutes ($4.39), one was to a home maybe eight miles away from the hotel and lasted maybe three minutes ($4.39), and one was to a home probably 40 miles from the hotel and lasted about 15 minutes ($13.49). In all three cases I dialed 9 for an outside line, not 8 (which is what the phone directions indicate one must dial for a long distance call). In no case did I have to dial the area code in order to make the calls go through. Sounds like local calls to me! Oh, and I did try to make one long distance call (to Wyoming), but could not get the whole dial-8-for-a-credit-card-call process to work, so I just used the calling card on my cellular phone. 2. AND, they were not hidden charges---the policy is spelled out in the booklet in each room, even if it is not anywhere out in the open nor anywhere near the telephones. 3. AND, they are standard charges within the industry---calling "all the other hotels" (I assume within the Ramada chain, but who really cares), they determined they rip off guests the same way everyone else does. So, here's an interesting marketing study, don't you think? The lessons here, I suppose, are: • Don't make it easy for your customers to know what your products or services cost and then deny that the inflated bottom line was achieved through fine print. • Don't worry about repeat business; there are plenty of suckers out there for you to scam. • Follow the crowd, even if the resulting behaviour is sleazy; there's safety in numbers (or, at least numbers offer credibility if used as an excuse with enough force and conviction). • Oh, and one last thing! Be sure to allow anyone with a dollar to dilute your brand (franchise revenues today outweigh customer satisfaction tomorrow every time). You are waaaay luckier than I!

I just had the dubious pleasure of staying at the Ramada Palms de Las Cruces in Las Cruces, New Mexico (November 12, 13, and 14). I had a funeral to attend and had no other choices as to hotels; next time I’ll sleep in my car. The hotel is older and run down, but I tried to put a positive spin on it by reminding myself that it was convenient. The hotel is not super-clean, but I tried to put a positive spin on it by reminding myself that it was convenient. The hotel is under-staffed, but I tried to put a postive spin on it by reminding myself that it was convenient. I stopped trying to spin things when I checked out and discovered I had $22 in unexpected phone calls on my bill. Now there’s no denying the hotel is just shabby, dirty, and has poor service.

You see, apparently every phone call from the room of the hotel, whether local or otherwise, is billed like an old-fashioned long distance call. I know that happens. Well, I knew that USED to happen. I thought hotels had stopped such racketeering some time ago. But, apparently, ethical business practices have not made it to the Ramada chain.

Now, I can afford the $22. But, that’s not the point. Hidden charges are sleazy and cheesy and show a distinct lack of character. The hotel management didn’t post any indication there are charges associated with phone calls, so they are deliberately trying to hide the charges—to slip them in and gouge travelers who are too frazzled and time-constrained to be able to make a big issue of things at check-out.

Well, I’m making a big issue now. I called American Express and protested the $22...news at eleven. I also wrote to Ramada via their website form and quickly received an email reponse that began: "Thank you for contacting the Ramada Customer Service Department concerning your stay at the Ramada property located in Las Cruces, NM. We sincerely apologize that the property did not meet your expectations of Ramada's high standards of guest service. This property is independently owned and operated under a Ramada franchise, and its management is responsible for meeting Ramada standards. We appreciate the time you took to let us know where this property needs to improve." Hmmmm. Apparently if a franchise hotel's management does NOT meet Ramada standcards, that's okay.

In a phone call a few minutes ago, a representative of the Ramada Palms de Las Cruces explained to me that:

1. The long distance charges applied to my bill for three calls made from my room were not the hotel's fault---the phone company determines what is and isn't a long distance call. Interesting! One of the calls was to a home maybe three miles away from the hotel and lasted less than two minutes ($4.39), one was to a home maybe eight miles away from the hotel and lasted maybe three minutes ($4.39), and one was to a home probably 40 miles from the hotel and lasted about 15 minutes ($13.49). In all three cases I dialed 9 for an outside line, not 8 (which is what the phone directions indicate one must dial for a long distance call). In no case did I have to dial the area code in order to make the calls go through. Sounds like local calls to me! Oh, and I did try to make one long distance call (to Wyoming), but could not get the whole dial-8-for-a-credit-card-call process to work, so I just used the calling card on my cellular phone.

2. AND, they were not hidden charges---the policy is spelled out in the booklet in each room, even if it is not anywhere out in the open nor anywhere near the telephones.

3. AND, they are standard charges within the industry---calling "all the other hotels" (I assume within the Ramada chain, but who really cares), they determined they rip off guests the same way everyone else does.

So, here's an interesting marketing study, don't you think? The lessons here, I suppose, are:

• Don't make it easy for your customers to know what your products or services cost and then deny that the inflated bottom line was achieved through fine print.
• Don't worry about repeat business; there are plenty of suckers out there for you to scam.
• Follow the crowd, even if the resulting behaviour is sleazy; there's safety in numbers (or, at least numbers offer credibility if used as an excuse with enough force and conviction).
• Oh, and one last thing! Be sure to allow anyone with a dollar to dilute your brand (franchise revenues today outweigh customer satisfaction tomorrow every time).

]]> By: Chris http://www.chrishardie.com/blog/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-4468 Chris Sat, 07 Oct 2006 00:27:10 +0000 http://www.chrishardie.com/weblog/archives/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-4468 Last week I got what appears to be the final correspondence on the matter: "Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to apologize for your terrible stay at the Ramada Inn Pocono Pennsylvania. I am giving you a 20% discount on your entire bill. I hope that you will continue to do business at our facility. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to call me anytime. Thank you and have a wonderful day. Sincerely, Jessica A. Wentz Sales Manager, Ramada Inn Pocono" It was a nice enough letter, I guess. It looked like it had been xeroxed a few times, and that with the "dear sir or madam" part makes me wonder if it was a form letter too. The enclosed credit notice let me know that Ramada Inn and its affiliates may contact me about their goods and services unless I call or write to opt-out; it would be really disappointing if they follow through on that. Last week I got what appears to be the final correspondence on the matter:

"Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to apologize for your terrible stay at the Ramada Inn Pocono Pennsylvania. I am giving you a 20% discount on your entire bill. I hope that you will continue to do business at our facility. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to call me anytime. Thank you and have a wonderful day.

Sincerely,
Jessica A. Wentz
Sales Manager, Ramada Inn Pocono"

It was a nice enough letter, I guess. It looked like it had been xeroxed a few times, and that with the "dear sir or madam" part makes me wonder if it was a form letter too. The enclosed credit notice let me know that Ramada Inn and its affiliates may contact me about their goods and services unless I call or write to opt-out; it would be really disappointing if they follow through on that.

]]> By: Chris http://www.chrishardie.com/blog/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-3909 Chris Sat, 09 Sep 2006 18:12:17 +0000 http://www.chrishardie.com/weblog/archives/2006/08/customer-service-done-poorly-by-ramada.html#comment-3909 The initial response from Ramada appears to be a form letter: "Dear Mr. Hardie: Thank you for contacting us concerning your stay at the Ramada, Lake Harmony. Please accept our apology for the problem <i>[sic]</i> you encountered. I appreciate the time you took to contact us. At Ramada, we are committed to providing you with high quality services and facilities. Feedback like yours helps us improve. The information you provided has also been forwarded to the hotel's General Manager, and you can expect to hear from him within 7 working days. Again, thank you for bringing this to my attention. We appreciate your staying at Ramada and look forward to seeing you again, many times. Sincerely, Keith J. Pierce Ramada Worldwide, Inc." The initial response from Ramada appears to be a form letter:

"Dear Mr. Hardie: Thank you for contacting us concerning your stay at the Ramada, Lake Harmony. Please accept our apology for the problem [sic] you encountered. I appreciate the time you took to contact us. At Ramada, we are committed to providing you with high quality services and facilities. Feedback like yours helps us improve. The information you provided has also been forwarded to the hotel's General Manager, and you can expect to hear from him within 7 working days. Again, thank you for bringing this to my attention. We appreciate your staying at Ramada and look forward to seeing you again, many times.

Sincerely,
Keith J. Pierce
Ramada Worldwide, Inc."

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