The Sheraton doesn't, and Priceline doesn't have the cajones to call them on it, so we wrote them a letter. I (okay, someone) paid tens of thousands of dollars to UW so I could write a bunch of papers in college. At $64.81, this letter was a bargain, a better story, and more fun to write. It's out of my system now, and you should know that the whole experience is totally unrepresentative of Tucson people, who seem to be remarkably sweet all around, which is why we are staying here for the winter. Bike shop: nice people. Vitamin store: nice people. The bank: really nice ladies. Our landlady and her family: nicest people ever. Food co-op: you get it, right? This town is a special place full of beautiful people, and not in the fake L.A. way... the real way. These people are really beautiful. Except for the people at the Sheraton on East Grant Road. They are not nice. And Prceline is now guilty by association (their choice). Luckily, Priceline asks for feedback on every hotel stay. I LOVE feedback. I love to get it. I love to give it. When the feedback is good, I give it instantly, and then sometimes even more later if I'm still feeling tingly about the goodness. If you know how I feel about annual performance reviews and taking a freaking year to tell someone how they are doing, you will be surprised that it took me almost 72 hours to send feedback on the bedbug experience, which was not even about bedbugs, it was about weak and greedy corporate management, about which I also have strong opinions.
But no matter, we live elsewhere, and we are rich, and we just got matching '68 Schwinn bicycles and love every moment of every day, because life is too short. Next post will have photos of the bikes and the new digs. I don't want to contaminate all that yumminess with this rant. But sometimes a girl just needs a good, juicy, stark raving rant. Ben calls them imaginary knife fights. I just think it's hilarious that when I used to complain, my dad would say, "Somebody should write a letter."
Dear Priceline,
We had an unacceptable experience with one of your hotel partners, the Sheraton in Tucson, where we were set upon by an infestation of bedbugs during the night of Monday, January 19th. After calling Priceline and taking photographs of the bugs, we brought three bedbugs in a glass to the front desk at 2 am, then left and went to a different hotel. On phone calls with your agents that night and the next evening (twice) the hotel stated that they had no record of any complaint on our part, and refused to sort things out with Priceline on either occasion.
Your customer service agents were polite and tried to help, but seemed sadly powerless to resolve the issue, informing us that any recompense is at the hotel's discretion. The lack of authority and follow-through despite their clear desire to help is an indication of a shortsighted business model.
It is regrettable that Priceline has partnered with a business that is untrustworthy on multiple levels, although this misfortune could happen to anyone. However, it is unacceptable that your company’s policies have made it impossible for your representatives to make things right for your customers when we are wronged by one of your partners.
While we have had mostly positive experiences with Priceline hotels, your company’s unwillingness to make this right has left us with a feeling of distrust and a desire to save others from a similar poor experience by sharing our story via social media.
We understand that the cost of standing up to a business like the Sheraton is probably too great for your company, and to lose our business is of little consequence to you in revenue or reputation. Despite this understanding, we feel it is only fair to remind you that the long-term cost of holding profits in higher regard than customers is an obviously terrible business model that works in opposition to the way in which you hope it will. This model also demands a high price of your employees, undermining their dignity and their sense of pride in working for Priceline.
So, Priceline, because you have decided to let the Sheraton in Tucson bully you into keeping our $64.81 for your and their substandard services, please know that we no longer wish to do business with you. This is not about money; it is about trust. We do not trust you. It feels right to do business with people who choose to do right and it feels wrong to do business with people who choose to do wrong. We choose not to engage with companies and people who are too disreputable or too impotent to do the right thing when given a simple choice. Also, we are sorry for you.
Sincerely,
James-Olivia Avigail & Ben Hillman
