Poor Telephone Etiquette
Feb 5, 2000, 11:10 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 1999
Posts: 6
Poor Telephone Etiquette
Here's a message I sent Hilton re poor telephone etiquette:
On Saturday, 5 February 2000, at approximately 10:00 p.m., I called a friend of my colleague who was staying at the Hilton Houston Nassau Bay & Marina to relay an important message. My colleague only gave me her friend's room number and the first name of the hotel guest.
I know that for security reasons, I should have asked my colleague for the last name of the guest I was trying to contact. But I didn't have that information and tried to call anyway. The woman who answered the phone sounded as if this was the last thing she would rather do. Her tone was very unprofessional (like I should not have called the hotel because I was distrubing her) and she did not even enunciate (blame it on the Texan drawl, perhaps). So I had to ask her again, in a very nice tone, to repeat what she just said. This elicited a very condecending tone from her: "I said," she emphatically replied, "what-is-the-name-of-the-guest-you-are-trying-to-reach?!!" I could have protested to her rather demeaning response. Instead, I calmly told her I only had the first name of the guest and the room number and did not have the last name. To this she replied, "That's a weird name and you should know the last name of the guest!" She connected me to the room anyway and I was able to relay the message to my colleague's friend.
I think the comment she made (in reference to weird) was uncalled for. I suggest this woman who answered the phone (she sounded like she was working at the front desk due to the ambient noise) undergoes further training on telephone etiquette. Or, if it is an attitude problem she's having, she should NOT be in this industry in the first place.
No wonder Hilton does poorly in the Freddie awards for customer service and other client-related services. I have posted this message on the Flyertalk Board to let people know how incompetent some of your staff are in the Houston Nassau Bay property. Maybe the next time they answer the phone, they would think twice and would be more polite to callers.
Sincerely,
JT
On Saturday, 5 February 2000, at approximately 10:00 p.m., I called a friend of my colleague who was staying at the Hilton Houston Nassau Bay & Marina to relay an important message. My colleague only gave me her friend's room number and the first name of the hotel guest.
I know that for security reasons, I should have asked my colleague for the last name of the guest I was trying to contact. But I didn't have that information and tried to call anyway. The woman who answered the phone sounded as if this was the last thing she would rather do. Her tone was very unprofessional (like I should not have called the hotel because I was distrubing her) and she did not even enunciate (blame it on the Texan drawl, perhaps). So I had to ask her again, in a very nice tone, to repeat what she just said. This elicited a very condecending tone from her: "I said," she emphatically replied, "what-is-the-name-of-the-guest-you-are-trying-to-reach?!!" I could have protested to her rather demeaning response. Instead, I calmly told her I only had the first name of the guest and the room number and did not have the last name. To this she replied, "That's a weird name and you should know the last name of the guest!" She connected me to the room anyway and I was able to relay the message to my colleague's friend.
I think the comment she made (in reference to weird) was uncalled for. I suggest this woman who answered the phone (she sounded like she was working at the front desk due to the ambient noise) undergoes further training on telephone etiquette. Or, if it is an attitude problem she's having, she should NOT be in this industry in the first place.
No wonder Hilton does poorly in the Freddie awards for customer service and other client-related services. I have posted this message on the Flyertalk Board to let people know how incompetent some of your staff are in the Houston Nassau Bay property. Maybe the next time they answer the phone, they would think twice and would be more polite to callers.
Sincerely,
JT
Feb 5, 2000, 11:20 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 39
I agree with DINX. I had a similar experience in NYC at the Millennium property. The hotel operator kept on hanging up on me. When, on the nth time I called and complained, she gave me this attitude that only New York City is famous for. I even wrote to the manager on duty but did not even get a reply.
But then again, I'm really not surprised: Hilton is NOT Starwood... I hope there are Hilton lurkers here...
But then again, I'm really not surprised: Hilton is NOT Starwood... I hope there are Hilton lurkers here...
Feb 7, 2000, 9:49 pm
#3
Join Date: May 1999
Location: JFK, LGA, EWR
Programs: AA Platinum (Lifetime), United GS, HHonors Diamond, Shangri-la Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 549
gosh, i don't know.
poor service and badly-trained employees lacking motivation don't seem to me to be confined to just one hotel, airline, or car rental comany. i've had experiences like this at wyndham, marriott, hilton, embassy suites, westin, sheraton, and even ritz carlton properties. i think we can only draw conclusions from our experiences with these companies over time.
if, over time, nearly every hilton you stay at - or every hilton you call to leave a message at - provides subpar service, then by all means make a generalization about the quality of their customer service overall.
my own experience has been that hilton pretty much provides excellent customer service, even though i've recently had two very bad hilton experiences (at the pleasanton and torrance, california hiltons).
and by the way...
what's with all the new york bashing that seems to run from forum to forum on flyertalk? is it really necessary to say that she gave you an "attitude that only New York City is famous for?"
clearly, dinx found someone in houston who is famous for this attitude, too.
in fact, wherever there are employees who choose confrontation or apathy over customer concern, you'll be likely to find this attitude.
even - may i be so bold as to suggest - in boston!
[This message has been edited by UK Stages (edited 02-07-2000).]
poor service and badly-trained employees lacking motivation don't seem to me to be confined to just one hotel, airline, or car rental comany. i've had experiences like this at wyndham, marriott, hilton, embassy suites, westin, sheraton, and even ritz carlton properties. i think we can only draw conclusions from our experiences with these companies over time.
if, over time, nearly every hilton you stay at - or every hilton you call to leave a message at - provides subpar service, then by all means make a generalization about the quality of their customer service overall.
my own experience has been that hilton pretty much provides excellent customer service, even though i've recently had two very bad hilton experiences (at the pleasanton and torrance, california hiltons).
and by the way...
what's with all the new york bashing that seems to run from forum to forum on flyertalk? is it really necessary to say that she gave you an "attitude that only New York City is famous for?"
clearly, dinx found someone in houston who is famous for this attitude, too.
in fact, wherever there are employees who choose confrontation or apathy over customer concern, you'll be likely to find this attitude.
even - may i be so bold as to suggest - in boston!
[This message has been edited by UK Stages (edited 02-07-2000).]
Feb 8, 2000, 12:04 am
#4
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Kirkland, WA
Posts: 6,932
Boston is the worst. New York is second. Yes, I have had consistent poor customer-service experiences at Hilton and only occasional ones at Starwood (that are actually made up for by corporate). So I agree compltetely with yout philosophy, UK Stages, and regret that Hilton in the US falls into that category of not worth doing business with for me.