Buffalo Lodging Company

We are happy that you enjoyed your stay and accommodationsWith respect to the concern about being charged for damages, it is a policy that is applied equally for all guestsWe understand that accidents happen, but the policy for damage is in place to resolve the issueIf the issue was not resolved in this way, the cost of $1054, in this case, would need to be passed on to the next guests through higher rental rates or would come from the home owner's pocketOur policies for handling these matters are clearly stated on our website for all guests to review prior to making a reservation, so that if damage occurs, everyone knows the process for resolving it

This issue has already been resolved

Ms [redacted] check in to our office for her stay on 11/25/and immediately demanded to be moved to a different cabin because of the height restriction in the cabin that she had originally booked onlineThe ceiling height restriction is clearly displayed in bold red lettering on our website, but Ms [redacted] or whomever booked the cabin, failed to note this disclosure and made the reservation despite the details on our websiteBecause our properties are owned by separate individuals, moving her to the cabin that was open would have been equal to a cancellation of the actual property she bookedThis should have resulted in her paying separately to stay in the new property, per our cancellation policyHowever, we were doing our best to accommodate Ms [redacted] for the holiday and allowed her to move with no additional chargeThe cabin that she moved to is a beautiful new construction studio-style cabinThe structure, mechanicals, and furnishings are brand newBecause of its size, the multiple baseboard heaters in the main room are more than enough to heat the unit, especially with the mild temperatures that we had on those daysWe were also not aware that the water was only working out of the sprayer and not the faucetThere was running water in the cabin, but apparently the faucet screen was blocked with debris because of the new wellOur offices were closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday and Friday but my personal cell number is listed on the office voice mail and I had staff members on call both daysHad we been notified of the issue/s, it could have been remedied in a very short amount of timeThe cabin itself is miles out of the City of Logan and there are various spots along the way where cellular service is availableWhile I'm not "placing blame" on Ms [redacted] because she encountered these minor issues, I certainly would have traveled the minutes to a location that had cell service rather than waiting until the last day of my trip to notify someone that there was an issue and then "demand" a 2-night refundWe even have verbiage in our rental agreement that states: Refunds: We do not give refunds for power outages or bad weatherIn addition, from time to time, electronics, hot tub mechanicals, telephone and internet service, television service, and other luxuries may become inoperable during your stay due to conditions beyond our controlOnce notified of such issues, we will send a technician to address them, but no refund will be given for minor malfunctions of the above listed itemsI received a voice message from Ms [redacted] on Friday afternoon that they had checked out ahead of scheduleShe also listed various issues (a burned out light bulb, no hand towel holder, the water from the faucet, heat in the bathroom, and no firewood-the firewood had already been delivered to her original cabin)After corresponding by email for the next couple of days, I offered Ms [redacted] a $credit for her early departure (she was scheduled to leave by am the following morning and the nightly rate was $plus tax) as well as the credit for firewoodThe amount of $was credited to her account on 11/30/I feel that this compensation is more than fairI'm not disputing the fact that not having water coming out of the kitchen faucet was an inconvenience, despite the fact that there was water coming out of the sprayer, and even though the baseboard heaters were more than adequate, we would have brought an additional heater to the cabin to make her comfortableI just feel that the issues could have been remedied easily, even the day of her arrival, had she notified us that she wasn't happyWe went against our cancellation policy allowing her to move properties at the last minuteI would have even been happy to relocate her to the original cabin, as it never did get re-bookedMy staff members and myself pride ourselves in providing excellent accommodations and also being fair with all of our guests in cases like theseUnfortunately, its impossible to please everyone, regardless of how hard we tryPlease let me know where we go from here.Jenel B

While I sympathize with the guest's illness, she was aware of the cancellation policy when making the reservation, as she was required to read and accept by physically clicking an acceptance box before even entering her payment information into our systemWe would have gladly refunded her money,
had the property been re-rented by a new group, but she cancelled days prior to arrivalThe property did not get rented, likely as a result of canceling so close to the arrival date, but had shown reserved on our calendar from 10/14/17-11/20/Therefore, anyone looking at our calendar would have seen that the property showed reserved until days prior to the major holidayRegardless of her dissatisfaction, she accepted the terms upon booking, without dispute, and is now unhappy when the policy has to be enforcedWe stand behind our policies and uphold them, regardless of the circumstance or property

The response is completely out of lineThe damages were pre-existing before our arrival and we have communicated that to the business including pictures we hadIt is unacceptable that they are saying that accidents happen! The accidents may have happened with past guests, but not with usWe did not cause any damage to the propertyThis business is unfairly charging us (without consent) for someone else's faultI would need to take the legal route if this is the stance the business continues to take

as I stated in my complaint I admitted to being aware of the policy but I am upset due to the fact the business could not see beyond the policy in this particular circumstance. Sometimes being able to show sympathy to individual circumstances speaks volumes as to the type of business you are running. There are unforseen conditions that arise that do not fall into a day window. Realizing and understanding these circumstances do occur and being able to work with your consumers will eventually lead to future reservations

I am rejecting this response because:I didn't even book the trip 60 days in advance. I think since the company did have my phone number that someone should have taken the time to explain the cancellation policy. If I had been told that I would not get any of my money back I would have not made the reservation. What about the extras? Does the owner of the cabin also collect on them?  Have you ever heard of such a policy. I think that everyone should be made aware of their policies. I did get upset with them. I think anyone would when they were getting charged almost $800.00 for nothing. If you think this is fair I guess there is nothing more that I can do, but I really feel like this company needs to  understand that taking advantage of people is not right. I wold like to contact the actual owner to see what they think. 
Regards,
[redacted]

I reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find the resolution is satisfactory to me. Buffalo Lodging has reached out to me and advised they will issue a refund and their prompt response is much appreciated.

While we truly want all of our customers to be happy, we have policies that have to be followed to best represent the best interests of the property owners that we represent. This specific person rented a cabin, as stated. The policies are not only available on our website, but an online booking...

requires the guest to check a box to confirm that they understand and agree with the policies. Upon making the reservation, a confirmation email was sent on 10/12/16, explaining the same policies. The cancellation policy states "General Cancellations: Cancellations more than 60 days in advance are subject to a $75 Cancellation Fee. Cancellations sooner than 60 days from Check In date will not receive a refund unless a new reservation made by a different party takes the place of the cancelled dates. The refund will be the equivalent of the new rental, a full refund, or whichever is less. Note that the "new reservation" does not mean that the guests who are cancelling have the option to reschedule." We received a phone call on 10/24/16, from the complainant, stating that they were unable to make it because his wife could not get off for work. The complainant became extremely aggressive and loud on the phone with my employee when she explained that he would not get a refund (per the policy that he agreed to when booking) unless we were able to get the cabin booked by a new group. He then demanded to speak to the owner, so I obliged and returned his phone call, explaining the same. He then threatened to launch a smear campaign, telling everyone he could how unfair our company is, etc.That cabin was not rented for the dates that he canceled, and he, therefore, did not receive a refund. He chose dates in one of our busiest times and allowing a refund on such short notice because of his poor planning would have resulted in unnecessary revenue loss for our owner. That cabin was rented all but 7 days in the entire month and the 23rd couldn't be rented because we do not allow one night rentals and the reservation he had booked (up until the day he was set to arrive) singled that one day out on the calendar.Its with a clear conscience that we chose not to issue the refund, as this guest should have been well aware of the policies as well as his wife's schedule prior to making the reservation.

This issue has already been resolved.

We are happy that you enjoyed your stay and accommodations. With respect to the concern about being charged for damages, it is a policy that is applied equally for all guests. We understand that accidents happen, but the policy for damage is in place to resolve the issue. If the issue was not...

resolved in this way, the cost of $1054, in this case, would need to be passed on to the next guests through higher rental rates or would come from the home owner's pocket. Our policies for handling these matters are clearly stated on our website for all guests to review prior to making a reservation, so that if damage occurs, everyone knows the process for resolving it.

Ms. [redacted] check in to our office for her stay on 11/25/15 and immediately demanded to be moved to a different cabin because of the height restriction in the cabin that she had originally booked online. The ceiling height restriction is clearly displayed in bold red lettering on our website, but...

Ms. [redacted] or whomever booked the cabin, failed to note this disclosure and made the reservation despite the details on our website. Because our properties are owned by separate individuals, moving her to the cabin that was open would have been equal to a cancellation of the actual property she booked. This should have resulted in her paying separately to stay in the new property, per our cancellation policy. However, we were doing our best to accommodate Ms. [redacted] for the holiday and allowed her to move with no additional charge. The cabin that she moved to is a beautiful new construction studio-style cabin. The structure, mechanicals, and furnishings are brand new. Because of its size, the multiple baseboard heaters in the main room are more than enough to heat the unit, especially with the mild temperatures that we had on those days. We were also not aware that the water was only working out of the sprayer and not the faucet. There was running water in the cabin, but apparently the faucet screen was blocked with debris because of the new well. Our offices were closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday and Friday but my personal cell number is listed on the office voice mail and I had staff members on call both days. Had we been notified of the issue/s, it could have been remedied in a very short amount of time. The cabin itself is 7 miles out of the City of Logan and there are various spots along the way where cellular service is available. While I'm not "placing blame" on Ms. [redacted] because she encountered these minor issues, I certainly would have traveled the 5 minutes to a location that had cell service rather than waiting until the last day of my trip to notify someone that there was an issue and then "demand" a 2-night refund. We even have verbiage in our rental agreement that states: Refunds: We do not give refunds for power outages or bad weather. In addition, from time to time, electronics, hot tub mechanicals, telephone and internet service, television service, and other luxuries may become inoperable during your stay due to conditions beyond our control. Once notified of such issues, we will send a technician to address them, but no refund will be given for minor malfunctions of the above listed items. I received a voice message from Ms. [redacted] on Friday afternoon that they had checked out ahead of schedule. She also listed various issues (a burned out light bulb, no hand towel holder, the water from the faucet, heat in the bathroom, and no firewood-the firewood had already been delivered to her original cabin). After corresponding by email for the next couple of days, I offered Ms. [redacted] a $100 credit for her early departure (she was scheduled to leave by 11 am the following morning and the nightly rate was $175 plus tax) as well as the credit for firewood. The amount of $119.42 was credited to her account on 11/30/15. I feel that this compensation is more than fair. I'm not disputing the fact that not having water coming out of the kitchen faucet was an inconvenience, despite the fact that there was water coming out of the sprayer, and even though the baseboard heaters were more than adequate, we would have brought an additional heater to the cabin to make her comfortable. I just feel that the issues could have been remedied easily, even the day of her arrival, had she notified us that she wasn't happy. We went against our cancellation policy allowing her to move properties at the last minute. I would have even been happy to relocate her to the original cabin, as it never did get re-booked. My staff members and myself pride ourselves in providing excellent accommodations and also being fair with all of our guests in cases like these. Unfortunately, its impossible to please everyone, regardless of how hard we try. Please let me know where we go from here.Jenel B.

Attached is a screen shot directly from our reservations website. This step is required when making a reservation online. Notice that a potential guest is required to click the box that states that they have "read, understand and agree to the above listed Policies". Also note, that this step is required prior to even entering the credit card information. When accepting a reservation made online, which would, again, be required to adhere to these procedures, we assume (since the guest has checked the box that states that they "read, understand and agree to the above listed Policies") that this guest has, in fact, read and does, in fact, agree with and understand the policies. Therefore, its not standard practice to call each and every individual guest who makes a reservation to ensure that they comprehend the policies to which they have already agreed. I'd like to point out, that, not only did this complainant have a chance to review these policies prior to making the reservation, and at the time of booking, but also after we had accepted the request and sent a confirmation email with the same policies. If, at any time prior to, or even directly following making the reservation request, the guest had called to verify the cancellation policy because he was either unsure of the definitions or unsure of his wife's schedule, we would have happily explained them to him. He didn't call until the day of his arrival, and that was only to state that he wasn't able to come and fulfill his reservation. We will not be refunding any money or providing any of our owners' personal information. They choose to use our company to represent them in managing their properties so that they are not dealing directly with guests.