Days Inn falls short

Warning: gzinflate() [function.gzinflate]: data error in /home/secretsh/public_html/wp-includes/http.php on line 1787

Welcome to the secret shopping blog, our diary of the secret shopping and mystery shopping world.

I ofeten have less than wonderful exeoriences with businesses and sometimes think I should complain…specially as a secret shopping insider!

I was driven to write a note to Days Inn about an experience I had at one of their properties. Here it is.

Dear Mary,

I received your letter of 10/10. Here is the history of events leading to the attempt to cancel my reservation at the New Paltz Days Inn. On Weds. The 2nd of October I stayed a night at the Inn. The room smelled bad, the heater was incredibly noisy, and there was human hair in the bathroom sink and tub. There was dust and dirt in areas that should be easy to reach for the cleaning staff. It was very late, around midnight, when I checked in, after a full day of travelling from Central Missouri.

The last thing I wanted to do was to spend more time awake comparing and changing rooms. The next morning when I went to check out, there was no one in the office, so I left my keys at the desk waved to the cleaning staff person that I saw in the distance in the walk –way and went about my day. I then called the customer service line later in the day to cancel the reservation I had made for the three days in question. The customer service line said they could not help me and referred me to the local property. I called the local property and spoke to a woman who answered the phone, She said only the owner can cancel the reservation. I played phone tag with him during the day and was unable to reach him.

I made it clear to both the customer service line reps and the woman at the property that this was an unusual circumstance. I understand you have a 72-hour cancellation policy. That is fine under usual conditions. When I finally did talk live to Mr. Patel from the local store, he made it clear to me he would not cancel the room or refund the $407.00 dollars in question, even if I felt the room was a dump.

I travel frequently and know others who travel frequently. If this issue is resolved to my satisfaction. That is, if my credit card is refunded the $407.16, I will assure you that I will tell everyone I can about how you were able to make it right with me and I will pledge to stay at a Days Inn whenever possible in each of the 15 business trips I am planning next year. If the only response I get from this situation is “too bad, so sad”, I will never stay at a Days Inn ever again and will be as loud a voice as possible complaining about the “gotcha” tactics that you and your local property have used in this instance.

I leave the ball in your court. Is it the goal of your department to make it right with a customer or to create interference and try and wear down my resistance to a “gotcha” tactic? If your customer service department is seen as a profit center by your superiors, then refunding the $407.16 to my credit card would create immeasurable good will as well as real revenue from my business and the business of others I tell about you. On the other hand the profit from the $407.16 could never even come close to the lost revenue and lost good will that will happen because of it.

Sincerely ,

Tron Jordheim

Since I am posting this two years after I originally wrote it, you know they never refunded my money and I have not stayed at another days inn, and I am still complaining.

Too bad for them.

Tweet This Post 

Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.