Thursday, April 14, 2011

How Discerning Are You?



This was originally going to be a post about a hotel that I have always wanted to stay in, however whilst doing research for the post I happened upon trip advisor and to be honest there were far too many genuinely negative reviews for me to possibly write about it on this blog, granted, the hotel in question also had many positive reviews but the amount of negatives for the cost, starting price for a room per night £300 rising to £620 per night and that is with no extras had me aghast.  What really shocked me was the owner/management response to the complaints on trip advisor, they said it all really, customers had already complained about the arrogant and defensive manner in which the owners/management had dealt with complaints sadly this was backed up by their responses to the complaints on trip advisor and I read all of them!

What really rankles is the fact that whoever the guest; the discerning, well travelled or someone who has scrimped and saved for an extra special treat, the hospitality in a hotel who's starting price is £300 should be second to none.  I am not naive there will always be complainers and the person looking to beat the price down, no matter how good or bad the service is but the important thing is not what the complaint is but how the recipient deals with it, no one should put up with aggression or downright rudeness, there is a way to complain and a way to deal with it.  The customer is always right, if he delivers his complaint in the correct manner then the recipient should return the courtesy by dealing with the complaint in the correct manner and many hearts have been won by the way an establishment deals with a complaint or a tricky issue.  Word of mouth is the best form of advertising, these days word of mouth is rife on the internet so it's even more important to get it right, get it wrong and you run the risk of losing hundreds of potential customers.


Apologies for quoting a cliché but 'people do buy people first' good training and education stands for a lot, the art of teaching perception and being able to deal with people in the correct manner even if they are rude or arrogant is still of paramount importance, call me old fashioned but I believe that these values should still be upheld, no matter what the value of the business.


10 comments:

  1. I think you are quite right...there will always be glitches and it is how both parties approach the problem that matters.
    Courtesy is important...and it counts for me.

    It is infuriating when one's reasonable approach is seen as weakness and treated with arrogance.

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  2. Well put indeed!! I am totally with you 100% on this!!

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  3. of course, you are right...but there are lots of shoddy places out there that don't seem to care about customer service.. I always refer to tripadvisor before booking a hotel anywhere. I also, always review the hotels that I stay in.....

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  4. Hello:
    We are in total agrement with you here and can only add that Hungary has a very long way to go before its customer service reaches anything like an acceptable level in the main. Unfortunately, there are too many instances of people dealing with clients who remember that, under previous regimes, their job did not in any way relate to the customer so it did not matter in the least if the customer was satisfied or not. Things are changing but very slowly and we really feel that it is only through customers complaining....firmly but politely....that change happens.

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  5. Absolutely with you 100%...people should always be placed before things. Hopefully those making the complaint also keep this in mind and complain in the "right way."

    I am more sorry you were let down in that the place you always wanted to stay became a let-down for you. Hopefully they will do their best to earn your trust back.

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  6. For that sort of price I would expect the most wonderful service on earth! If a £70 a night country house B&B in Yorkshire can give me the best treatment I've ever had, I wouldn't take any crap from somewhere daring to charge £300+ and then being rude about it!

    I think you've got totally the right attitude towards it. I always take Trip Advisor with a pinch of salt because people leave the most bizarre reviews sometimes that leave me wondering exactly what they expect from a hotel. There are ways for management to deal with these things though (I've even been on training sessions about them!) and the big no-no is to get into a slanging match or be rude to your customers, no matter how much you want to be. Point out inaccuracies in their review, yes. Just don't be rude!

    Hope you found another hotel for your break.

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  7. Hi Alex, your right there are a lot of ridiculous comments on trip advisor that do leave you wondering but you can spot the genuine one's, now businesses can leave their own comments in response to the complaints/reviews, unfortunately in this case they just proved the complainers/reviewers right and that is what put me off.

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  8. I do agree with you - what a shame that it had been a hotel you were looking forward so much to visiting. Love your reference to Fawlty Towers through the photo btw ;)

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  9. Dash this is a great post. I have not travelled to London since 1994 because I was treated rudely by hotel staff, cab drivers, shop girls,etc. and I just said that I'm never going to spend my hard earned dollars in that city again.
    Since then, most firms in the travel/luxury sector have upgraded their customer service so I'm willing to try London again.

    In my business customer service is EVERYTHING. We bend over backwards to make sure that our clients are happy.

    As for reviews and comments on the websites such as Trip Advisor. I think that it is only fair for company management to be able to respond to comments and criticisms. There are so many fake negative comments left by competitors, that it is only fair.

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  10. I have to say I agree with you. I often wonder what people in the service and hospitality fields think arrogance will gain them. I think no matter what level of hotel you are at, you should be treated warmly and graciously.

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