The Inn at Market Square

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/11/21) */
Contact Name and Title:***, GM
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@imszion.com
We apprise our guests of Illinois' zero tolerance smoking ban upon check inThis process has not changed since our opening
nearly four years ago as we respect the state's initiativeAcceptance of our non smoking policy is confirmed by the guest's signature on the registration card
Upon check out, we always conduct a separate inspection along with our housekeeping routine since many of our guests are here as patients of Cancer Treatment Centers of America
The inspection revealed tangible remains of smoking in full view, specifically a full undisturbed ash on the carpeting by the balcony doorNo mention of it being located in the track was ever made by us as that was not the case
The card presented was charged for the room stay at 8:am and the smoking fee was assessed at 10:am following the inspectionTo aid in this process, we would be happy to forward an additional copy of the folio upon request documenting the time span
We have over employees including cooks, clerks, banquet, admin and maintenance staff so it is unclear just how any one would have been identifiable as specific to housekeeping, especially while still wearing their coatsI pray the guest's conclusions of someone's role here is not based solely upon gender or ethnicity stereotypes; all of our team members are cross-trained, including myself
Regarding, ownership, I am the company's registered agent with the State of Illinois, not the ownerI introduced myself as the General Manager and provided my card showing my titleI further invited the Director of Housekeeping, who had personally seen the smoking debris in the room, to speak with the guest
At this point the gentleman friend of the guest began swearing, threatening to contact the police, Attorney General and to falsely claim we had bedbugs via social media if we did not refund the fee in cash immediatelyI explained we followed the policy they agreed to upon checking in and suggested they contact their bank to file a protestTo assist, I then reached out to the guest's bank, identified myself as the General ManagerI handed the guest the phone so she could notify them of her objection to the fee
The gentleman with the guest began approaching other guests in the lobbyHe was shouting and warning them not to stay with us as we were 'frauds, liars and thieves'I had no further option at that time than to restate our policy, encourage them to contact their bank and wish them a safe journey, which I didThank you
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/11/24) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not accept this response
We are non-smokers and did not smoke in the hotel or ever
Whether or not their check in contract contained blatant warnings about their smoking policy I have my doubts, but regardless it didn't and doesn't apply to us because we are non-smokers
One of the arriving staff members was new that day and identified herself as a housekeeper to the front desk clerk ReneeAs there were no cleaning carts in the halls I can assume the rooms were not being cleaned at 8:am
My bank fraud claims dept tells me the time that the $fine was charged was at 9:am immediately after checkout
Therefore it is my conclusion that this was indeed intentional fraud
When we discovered that $was charged to my bank account we had to turn around and drive all the way back to the hotel to address the problemMs.*** response and accusations were so shocking we began to realize we were victims of intentional fraud and we were growing upset by the way we were being treatedThere was no way to convince them we were non-smokers- they would not listen to reason or even consider that they were mistaken, they were intent on keeping our money
We offered to let them look in our belongings, car, and smell our clothes to prove that we do not smoke but they refused
We asked her to call the police and she refused so we went straight to the station after leaving the hotel
Additionally, Ms.*** violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act section ILCS 505/ 2NN by writing down my debit card number on a sheet of scrap paper during the phone call to my bank, even though she was holding my debit card, resulting in me having to cancel my debit card and order a new one the same day at my bank branch in Wisconsin
This is a violation of Illinois law
It is my belief that an investigation into this establishment's practices by the IL Attorney General's Office is warranted for the protection of the greater publicI filed a complaint with them the same day I contacted the Revdex.com
Ironically, we desired and paid for a non-smoking room as non-smokers ourselvesIn fact I had just visited the emergency room in Sheboygan, WI the day prior for a severe sinus infection and was taking Clindamycin and Antivert prescriptions at the time of our stay
I am concerned that we were given a room that contained "tangible remains of smoking," if it were on the carpet as they say (the precise location of the ash changed several times in their telling of the story)
If there actually was ash on the rug from a prior guest or housekeeper I believe we are entitled to a refund of our room fee
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2014/12/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I would like Ms*** to provide the described copy of the security camera video tape, as it will show that she is now lying about the bank card transaction
She did write down my debit card number on a scrap of paper, a tablet which read "SCRIBBLE notepad" in large print across the topI observed that when I had to approach her location at the desk, as she handed the phone across the counter to me to speak with my bank because they needed verification of my social security number and personal information to complete the chargeback request
She did not shred anything
It is shocking and amazing to me that she is lying about this: the whole thing is a lie, from the smoking accusation, the timing of the charge, who cleaned the room and when, who found the "ash" and where it was located, and now this about the phone call and debit card!
If in fact there is a security videotape, it will show that she did hold my card, write down the number and did not shred anything in my view as she has now claimed
This person's insistence on continuing to lie and misrepresent herself and her actions are tantamount to criminal behavior
My "demand for cash" is based on principle: if they did not clean my room properly and there were "tangible remains of smoking" in my room then I was given a smoking room that was not properly cleaned and therefore I am requesting a refund
If not, then I was needlessly and wrongfully harassed, accused, and robbed of $as part of an intentional act of fraud on the part of this establishment
Either way I am very dissatisfied and intend to pursue this until I am satisfied with a resolution- whether it is a refund or just to warn the public about what happened to me there
It is not counterproductive for the public to be alerted to a potential scam being perpetrated by a business
Final Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2014/12/10) */
Thank you