Timing Part Two

Amy we could have used you this weekend. You gotta hear what happened.

We were at a five star hotel, you know, known for its white glove service.

There for a conference. Very hectic, morning till night, no time to breathe.

Come back to the room during a break and there are five guys in our room. Standing in the shower.

(Let me pause here and give you a chance to do what you will with that visual)

And there's sewage backing up, into the shower, and the guys with white gloves are trying to clean it up.

(Ew. and Oh.)

Smell in the room was kinda moldy, not as bad as you would think, so we just stayed there for the rest of the conference figuring something would automatically be taken off our bill.

It was not.

We paid the bill, but it's been bugging us ever since. This is a top, top, top tier hotel. How could they leave us to deal with a sewage back up and not offering any compensation.

They didn't offer anything? At all?

Well, they offered us to pack up all our stuff and move us to another room. But I didn't want those guys pawing through my delicates. 

(I hear you. Especially after they were pawing through less-than-delicates in the shower.)

Is it too late to do anything about this?

It's not too late at all. You can absolutely send an email explaining what happened and enclose a copy of your bill.

What Should Email Say:

1. I would start off by saying that you are loyal customers of this upscale hotel chain and that you always stay there when you can. You were thrilled to be able to benefit from their service when you agreed to attend this conference.

2. The conference was jam packed and there  was barely any time to breathe. One afternoon you ran up to your room to change and to your shock and surprise there were five guys in your shower fighting with raw sewage.

3. They offered to pack you up and move you but you had no time to think or consider this offer because you had to be back downstairs in fifteen minutes.

4. Also because no one had called/texted/alerted you in any way about the sewage issue, you were very much caught off guard and could not make a snap decision regarding your belongings.

5. In retrospect, you very much wish you had taken them up on their offer because your last night (or two) in the hotel were frankly a little gross.

6. Therefore, you are enclosing your hotel bill and you would like the last night or two taken off as if you would have had a chance to change rooms.

Comparison To Previous Example

• Both are first class and therefore you expect a high level of service from both.
• Composed salad didn't attempt to mitigate damage. White glove shower did, but you said no.
• In both cases you were disappointed with the service, you didn't react at the time, you have some remorse and you would like to know if it's too late to complain effectively

Bottom line
Hotels are more expensive than composed salad (in most cases) and therefore it is understandable that you would feel regretful weeks after the fact. Also sewage is more egregious than grapefruit (in most cases) so the margin for compromise is narrower.