Unreasonable complaints

[HotelSecurity Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close HotelSecurity]

Ok I see there seems to be more people here that have some hotel experience. So I'm going to throw out a question to see what you guys think of it. What do you think about unreasonable complaints? Let me explain by example. I had to cover for a sick officer last weekend & did a rare overnight shift. I get acall about a guest complaining that the guest next door to him is too loud. I arrive outside the rooms & put my ear against the door, I can hear the guest talking on his phone. There is no loud music, not yelling, no laughing, justing talking. On a scale of 1 to 10 the level was about 4. Obviously I did not do anything. If I did I risked having 2 guests upset, the one complaining & the one thinking, 'what I'm not even allowed to talk in my room?'

An hour later the person complaining complains again. The situtation is still the same. Granted it's 3 in the morning, but can you really order a paying guest to stop talking?

[N. A. Corbier Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close N. A. Corbier]

When I worked hotels, that's exactly what was expected of us. The Manager On Duty would agree that our hands were tied, and either call them, or send us back up there to tell them:

It is 3 AM, the guest next to you is trying to sleep, and you are talking on your phone. The walls are thin, please keep it down.

I have watched an MOD evict people for that. They call, the guy gets pissy about how he's a paying guest, next complaint (2nd one), they send me up there to order them to leave the hotel, they're being evicted.

[james2go30 Member Find all posts View Profile Close james2go30]

Tough one

Its a tough call, cause its a damned if you do damned if you don't situation. Usually we use our best judgement here and so far it has worked out and no one has been a real prick about it. But its like you "We can't even talk in our room" from my standpoint I'd feel the same way...like I'm on vacation not on lock down...but some people are odd.

[flashlightcop509 Member Find all posts View Profile Close flashlightcop509]

I've responded to those many times before; I usually listen at the door for a few minutes to how loud they are before knocking... In most cases (at 3 a.m.) it's one of two things, either guests that checked in late settling in or a gruop of rowdy snowboarders just back from the bar (Hey, HS, you ever get to deal with SnoSearch group bookings? Unruly bastiges )

Either way doesn't matter at my site; Once a compaint is lodged I'm expected to address the issue... At my resort, quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and during those hours is a State ordinance as well, but sometimes I get called for a noise complaint that occurs as early as 8 p.m., which kind of gets tricky as even the State ordinance doesn't consider it a nuisance until after 10 p.m....

Then you get the ones who figure the policy doesn't apply to them; You get called to a complaint of noise at 1:30 a.m., knock on the door, and address the occupant regarding the complaint, right? Well, then the occupant says " I'm an owner here, I paid $xxx,xxx for this unit, I can be as loud as I want"...

I love these ones...

I reply, "So, you own this unit? And because of that, you feel that the policies don't apply to you as well? Uh huh, I'll be sure to bring that up to the Homeowners Association and I'm sure the Director will be contacting you..."

The resort I'm at has the "Three Strikes" policy as well; (SnoSearch is notorious for pushing their luck with this...)First warning is a "courtesy" warning where I tell them if a second visit is necessary, the person whose credit card is on record for the unit loses their security deposit, and that if a third and final complaint is lodged, I would be returning with the MOD and a State Trooper to tell them they have exactly 30 minutes to pack up their belongings and leave, they are being evicted...

Usually, just mentioning the loss of a $300 deposit to the guy with the CC is enough to do the trick, because he knows he'll be screwed and won't recoup his money from his roomies... A bonus too, is policy concerning Possesion of Alcohol in a unit occupied by Minors (Again, SnoSearch... Can you tell I despise dealing with them? ) Obviously, we don't go willy nilly knocking on S.S. groups doors looking for the stuff, but one always seems to go hand in hand with the other... If "Strike Three" occurs, and a Trooper is present when anyone under 21 is in a unit containing alcohol, they be getting issued Alcohol Safety Referral Sheets...


Didn't mean to ramble on with this, I just finished an 8 night straight stretch on so I'm unwinding...

[james2go30 Member Find all posts View Profile Close james2go30]

Thats similar

I've responded to those many times before; I usually listen at the door for a few minutes to how loud they are before knocking... In most cases (at 3 a.m.) it's one of two things, either guests that checked in late settling in or a gruop of rowdy snowboarders just back from the bar (Hey, HS, you ever get to deal with SnoSearch group bookings? Unruly bastiges )

Either way doesn't matter at my site; Once a compaint is lodged I'm expected to address the issue... At my resort, quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and during those hours is a State ordinance as well, but sometimes I get called for a noise complaint that occurs as early as 8 p.m., which kind of gets tricky as even the State ordinance doesn't consider it a nuisance until after 10 p.m....

Then you get the ones who figure the policy doesn't apply to them; You get called to a complaint of noise at 1:30 a.m., knock on the door, and address the occupant regarding the complaint, right? Well, then the occupant says " I'm an owner here, I paid $xxx,xxx for this unit, I can be as loud as I want"...

I love these ones...

I reply, "So, you own this unit? And because of that, you feel that the policies don't apply to you as well? Uh huh, I'll be sure to bring that up to the Homeowners Association and I'm sure the Director will be contacting you..."

The resort I'm at has the "Three Strikes" policy as well; (SnoSearch is notorious for pushing their luck with this...)First warning is a "courtesy" warning where I tell them if a second visit is necessary, the person whose credit card is on record for the unit loses their security deposit, and that if a third and final complaint is lodged, I would be returning with the MOD and a State Trooper to tell them they have exactly 30 minutes to pack up their belongings and leave, they are being evicted...

Usually, just mentioning the loss of a $300 deposit to the guy with the CC is enough to do the trick, because he knows he'll be screwed and won't recoup his money from his roomies... A bonus too, is policy concerning Possesion of Alcohol in a unit occupied by Minors (Again, SnoSearch... Can you tell I despise dealing with them? ) Obviously, we don't go willy nilly knocking on S.S. groups doors looking for the stuff, but one always seems to go hand in hand with the other... If "Strike Three" occurs, and a Trooper is present when anyone under 21 is in a unit containing alcohol, they be getting issued Alcohol Safety Referral Sheets...


Didn't mean to ramble on with this, I just finished an 8 night straight stretch on so I'm unwinding...

Thats pretty much how we do things at the condos I work at too. And yea I know what you mean about owners that think they are above everyone else...run across a few of those myself. They are a pain

[james2go30 Member Find all posts View Profile Close james2go30]

Hey Flashlight cop

I feel ya on the long back-to-back days....when I go in tonight it will be day 11...sux

[HotelSecurity Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close HotelSecurity]

Havenèt dealt with SnoSearch but we often get Breakaway Tours, Getaway Tours & Games Away. They specialize in selling packages to students in the northern US states & Ontario where the drinking age is 19 or 21. It is 18 in Quebec. Like my boss says to management, "They're not coming to Montreal to visit the museums"!

Apparently some groups have found a way around the damage fees & charges for extra security. (We force these groups to pay for 1 extra security per floor). They are selling the bar hopping parts of the tour & transportation but tell the people to book the hotel themselves on-line. This is putting us in hard situations. We get all the young people not knowing that they are coming & we donèt have the extra staff to deal with them.

Back to the original question with another example. How about the little old lady who calls the front desk to complain about the noise at 23h59 on New Years Eve?

[locknid Member Find all posts View Profile Close locknid]

I work at apts a lot and we get many calls for service for loud music, dogs, noise, stomping, etc. For the most part the calls are good but other times it is someone trying to get back at another person for calling us on them or something else. Usually if it is still early in the evening and I see lights on I will knock and try to make contact to see if it is a legit call(thats if I don't hear anything from the outside). If it is later and the lights are off I will usually try and listen for the sound, and if I do I will knock to make contact, if I don't then I will usually ignore it because we most likely won't get a call back. If no one answers and I can hear sound then it will go into my report and management will usually get a little PO'd. In a hotel I would listen at the door and most likely if you can't hear anything with your ear against the door then most likely the person next door was just making stuff up or an ass.

[HotelSecurity Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close HotelSecurity]

In a hotel I would listen at the door and most likely if you can't hear anything with your ear against the door then most likely the person next door was just making stuff up or an ass.

Or an idiot. My downtown hotel is located 1 block away from the Jazz Festival that takes place in the early summer. Every year we get complaints from guest complaining about the loud music outside their room at 10p.m.. Jazz fans would kill to have a room so close to the festival.

[N. A. Corbier Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close N. A. Corbier]

"I'm sorry, sir, that music is from the city's jazz festival. There's nothing we can do about it. If it really is bothering you, sir, you can contact the Montreal Police Department and lodge a complaint. No, sir, we cannot do that for you, as the music is bothering you, sir, not us. Yes, sir, the number is 311, please dial 9 first. Good night, sir."

[james2go30 Member Find all posts View Profile Close james2go30]

Yea

We have had complaints from the bar across the from us and the guests/owners expected us to go across the road and speak to their management...like thats gonna happen. And during bike week we get the same complaints on the loud harleys and other bikes going down the road in front of us...what do they expect us to do lol.

[GCMC Security Member Find all posts View Profile Close GCMC Security]

We have had complaints from the bar across the from us and the guests/owners expected us to go across the road and speak to their management...like thats gonna happen. And during bike week we get the same complaints on the loud harleys and other bikes going down the road in front of us...what do they expect us to do lol.

Tell them it's called Thunder Beach for a reason lol

[HotelSecurity Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close HotelSecurity]

Yes, sir, the number is 311, please dial 9 first. Good night, sir."

Not yet! It's 514-280-2222. They've been talking aoout 311 in Montreal but we don't have it yet. Do many of you have 311? (For those who think Nathan & I are mistyping 911, 311 is supposed to be a number to reach the police when the situation is not an emergency.)

[N. A. Corbier Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close N. A. Corbier]

Not yet! It's 514-280-2222. They've been talking aoout 311 in Montreal but we don't have it yet. Do many of you have 311? (For those who think Nathan & I are mistyping 911, 311 is supposed to be a number to reach the police when the situation is not an emergency.)

Some cities have 311, and a lot are trying to get 211 implemented as "non-emergency community information."

I think it depends on the area, there are many areas that say, "If you need POLICE/FIRE/AMBULANCE, dial 911, no matter the problem."

[Mr. Security Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mr. Security]

.......
Back to the original question with another example. How about the little old lady who calls the front desk to complain about the noise at 23h59 on New Years Eve?

Tell her that you won't be able to handle the call until next year.