Carlton Inn Midway

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/29) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] AGM
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@carltoninnmidway.com
Ms.[redacted] did stay at our hotel for a total of 30 minutes and was unhappy with the room. She booked our hotel through [redacted]...

which is a 3rd party website. She paid [redacted] for her stay not our hotel. Being that Ms.[redacted] wanted to check out and did not want to stay at our hotel we did check her out as well as reversed the credit back to the [redacted] credit card. Ms.[redacted] has fabricated most of her story and really this was unnecessary we had no problem with refunding the [redacted] credit card. MS.[redacted] sent an email today to our hotel and I have responded back to that email letting her know that we did not charge her nor did we charge [redacted] or Ms.[redacted] have yet to call our hotel as well as no one has left a voice message with me in spite of Ms. [redacted] claim that they have left messages. I hope with this response as well as the email I sent directly to Ms. [redacted] this will be all that is needed.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/06/29) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not appreciate Ms. [redacted] claims that I have fabricated my story. It is actually insulting. I was unhappy with the room because it smelled and the AC was broken. I checked out when the hotel refused to provide us with an acceptable, inhabitable room that did not smell and had functional amenities. Upon check out, we inquired about a refund and were told we needed to go through [redacted] If the hotel had no problem refunding us through [redacted] then why did they not inform us of such upon check out? Why weren't we told "I apologize, we are authorizing a refund through [redacted]
I contact [redacted] on Sunday, June 28, 2015 and spoke with [redacted]. I was informed the hotel had already charged [redacted] for the stay and only the hotel could authorize a refund. [redacted] contacted the hotel on the other line and spoke with [redacted] (sic), who informed [redacted] that the hotel manager was not there and would be in the following morning after 9 am.
I contacted [redacted] again on Monday, June 29, 2015 and spoke with [redacted] contacted the hotel and was told them same thing. [redacted] attempted the hotel again and was put through to a voicemail. [redacted] then advised me to contact the hotel directly. [redacted] then forwarded my case to their advanced claims services in order to get a better result from the hotel.
Sensing a pattern of avoidance from the hotel based on 2 days and a recorded 3 phone calls to the hotel, as well as needed advance claims services, I also filed my complaint with the Revdex.com. If anything, the complaint is justified for the state of the room and the hotel, the unprofessional manner of the maintenance person, and their unwillingness to provide accommodations to their guests who had voiced reasonable complaints about the state of their room (especially at 11 pm).
I then emailed the hotel directly informing them of the situation and that I had also contacted the Revdex.com. In my email, I informed the hotel that I would cancel my complaint upon direct or authorized refund of the $120.66 that I had paid for the room.
I received 2 emails from the hotel. The first read, "There is no pattern of avoidance- [redacted] will be in shortly to address your issues," There was no signature attached to the email, so I'm not sure who sent it.
The second email read: "Hello [redacted],
I feel bad about your bad experience at our hotel. We have already refunded the money back to [redacted]. I also have not one voicemail or email from [redacted] so I was unaware of this situation until your email. Please let me know if you need help with getting your refund from [redacted]
Upon receipt of [redacted]'s email, I informed [redacted] at [redacted] of such and forwarded a copy of the email to the advanced claims department. At this time, I am awaiting a response from [redacted] proving the refund was authorized. At no time, did I receive proof from the hotel this had been done, further fueling the he-said/she-said hearsay that is rampant in this matter.
Again, I do not appreciate and am gravely offended at Ms. [redacted] claims that I am anything but truthful. My actions were and are necessary as we are enclosing on a third day of back and forth with this situation. I have been in customer service for over 10 years and never in my life have I heard of someone in the hospitality industry be so disrespectful. I did not receive an apology or any personal contact from the hotel or Ms. [redacted] aside from the brief email. Rather, my integrity was assaulted on a public forum by this person.
For these reasons, I am not accepting the response from the business. When I receive proof that correspondence was sent to [redacted] to issue me a refund, as well as an apology for my experience at the hotel and Ms. [redacted] unprofessional and rude insult of my character, then I will accept a response from this business.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2015/07/09) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I have received my refund and attempted to respond as such, but the Revdex.com website was down at the time.
Mr. [redacted],
There was not indication published on your website or any other travel agents website about the parking situation. Had I known about the possibility of having to park in a secondary location, I would have made other arrangements.
As far as the smell, not only could I detect it, but my husband, who has a deviated septum and often cannot smell things, noticed the stench.
We were reluctantly amendable to staying in a stinky room with a hard bed as we were so exhausted, but when the noise started, it was unbearable.
The overnight driver/maintenance person was dressed in baggy/sagging pants, baggy shirt, and a doo-rag. Again, no indication that he was employed or affiliated with the hotel. In fact, when we arrived at the hotel, he was chain smoking on the bench in front of the lobby.
Not one employee offered to move our room, even after I asked politely twice over the phone before my husband came to the lobby. The front desk clerk said he could maybe switch our room if the AC could not be fixed, but they had to see if it could be fixed first. When my husband came to the lobby to check out, the clerk repeated this "maybe" promise. By that time it was almost midnight (EST). Not immediately accommodating tired guests that late at night is generally unacceptable. The combining factors of our experience are what led us to leave.
Since we have received a refund, I consider this matter closed.
However, to avoid a situation in the future with other guests, I would urge your staff to dress in an appropriate, professional manner (especially when you are located in a least than desirable area of town) and to fully disclose the nature of your parking accommodations. I would also encourage your acting manager, Ms. [redacted] to exhibit a more professional demeanor when conducting business with customers, especially those who are dissatisfied, rather than insulting their integrity in a public forum.
Thank you.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/07/09) */
Dear [redacted]
We apologize and feel badly that we were unable to meet your needs. We would like to address your concerns as follows:
By pre-arrangement with the bank next door we use their lot as an overflow lot should ours be full. The lot is well lit, adjacent to our lot and separated by just car bumpers and patrolled by our security, the same as our lot
Although we were unable to detect the odor which you smelled we did have a cleaning service deodorize the carpets, drapes and bed to eliminate any possible odor in the room
The bed is a Serta Celestial Suite, less than one year old, and we get many compliments on the comfort of our beds, I'm sorry you found it too hard
The noise from the AC unit was a simple one for us to correct. On occasion, the intake fan picks up a pebble or twig and it gets blown around in the fan blade. We simply turn the unit off, the object drops into the pan at the bottom of the unit and we turn the unit back on.
Our overnight driver/maintenance person is a Chicago Park District instructor who works weekends for us. He has always exhibited a professional demeanor and I am sorry you were offended by him
During your brief stay, all three employees on duty offered to move you and your husband to a nearby room, one offered to gladly move your belongings but you elected to not do so.
When your husband came to the lobby to inform the Front Desk Agent that you were checking out roughly 30 minutes after check in, he inquired about a refund and was instructed to contact [redacted] as you had paid them directly and they would contact us regarding a refund
With the banks being closed Sunday the credit to the [redacted] virtual card processed early Monday morning, they contacted us via email Monday evening stating they were issuing you a refund
In summary, even though we would have liked the opportunity to resolve your issues during your brief stay, you should have received a refund from [redacted] by now and we are sorry your experience with us was not a positive one.
Warmest Regards,
[redacted]
General Manager