September 12, 2016
I am hopeing to wake up soon. Really I am. After 600 people thru or more, this is not a true accounting btw. I was not ‘counting, it just feels like I had been hit by a truck or similar type largish thing that could knock you into the next whelm. Over whelm. Like a boxer in the ring, the reservation that will not cancel, pooped up again.
You may recall my dear and gentle readers, the singer of some repute withdrew from the stage in the big little city. Thus the saga of the cancellation started. I thought nothing of it when inn it came. Fired off the standard confirmation, “what time are you coming email.” It was determined that it would be noon. Then went about my life in a bed and breakfast in the summer tourism trade. FULL STEAM AHEAD. I wrote the name and the booking agency in my reservation book in pen.
NOW to know that one agency owns all but one of the on line reservations systems. She booked on Hotels and it came thru to me on Expedite. I had her maiden name, she made it in her married name and is wedded. I had I think her work number, she was at home. Emailed saying, I could not cancel, I can’t, only she could. I thought I had forgotten to be honest to write a reservation down, having two names, thinking I had overbooked, the 674th panic ensued.
She returned the email, or maybe buy this time we were calling each other, saying she had no record of Expedite booking. Some how discovered it was made thru another. Her husband too had checked his records as well. I had and would only clue in later about Hotels being owned by the other company MUCH later. Back and forth we went several times. I called Expedite, she called, they called us, there were three ways, phone calls. I am on a first name basis with three people in Missouri. Slowly and somewhat painfully, the picture emerged.
I have a 72 hour policy. One that does not stick, not by my doing, as with all my policies of life, all others seem to be malleable in my life. Except for this one. If you cancel in that window there is no refund as I cannot usually fill the room without great big huge efforts. (Now most of my life is a great big huge effort but as per usual I digress) I am not a galactic hotel in anyway, which in all honesty I forgotten about the policy. The person with the same name as one of my sisters, gets caught in a web of intrigue as I am about to, asks to cancel the room, as the singer is sick. No problem, or so I thought. Behind that, there were a flood of requests for the same thing. It would turn out I was empty but for one room, on a long weekend. Am I bitter? That will be answered in another life time.
Thus after a bit of back and forth, as did the guest who will never come here, ever, by this point, I really thought, I had canceled and the guest thought she had canceled. I deleted her name, and phone number out of my book with white out thinking that maybe I would get guests to fill in the white spot, no that was not to be. It was fortuitous in fact that I had not been able to write over this spot, as I scrapped off the white out to find out her phone number.
FAST FORWARD TWO WEEKS. Mentioning this at a family eating binge in brief, the tale not the eating, an amusing tale at a family birthday gathering. Mom and I return, there was another email, saying I was still charging the customer from HOTELS. WOULD I PLEASE DO SOMETHING. The guest asks me in the first volley of emails, of the night, late at night, to credit the credit card, which I have not done at any point in this whole convoluted affair. I cannot access the credit card at this time anyway, as it was canceled thru Expedite but not Hotels, but I digress.
Back we go and I have to find the date, in the white out as I have forgotten, which being a woman of a certain age should be no surprise. THEN climb aboard not only my reservation system but the huge on line booking system. Which decides it is time to arbitrarily change my password, just for fun. I have to think of one I will recollect even if it is written down.
My mom, is in departure mode, getting anxious, chattering about boarding passes, wheelchair access in my ear, throwing her papers, including maps of surrounding areas of the big grapefruit of north America around. While reminding me it is my aunts birthday, can we call her ? I am thumping and banging around trying to get into cancellations and get the phone number of Missouri again.
The doorbell rings, and it is a neighbor with my heavy metal sign that has blown over (HA!) and was in the middle of the street. I run out the door to get the other one several blocks away, she follows me wanting thanks which she gets eventually. Back I come. Call Expedite with the number I have found. With and find the email that the guest who has never stepped foot in the door has sent. I give the name and number to the lovely little girl in Missouri and ask her to contact Hotels, as I cannot. She can and does we hope and in the meantime I am setting up a phone call with Florida. I am multitasking and hoping to sell. That is not possible on a Sunday night, but we did give birthday greetings to a second person in the day, via the computer this time. Assurances all round that we have killed the reservation once and for all. This morning the guest in the last email of the night, assures moi that she will call directly henceforth. Here we go, ONWARD. In Japan, I am famous in certain special circles – mainly as someone who is trying to break down and enlighten the conventions of Japanese art. Takashi Murakami
Lucy P and Moi