I usually pay for all my own stays. Recently, I had a company paid stay. I did not know that I would be at a Hilton property until just before I got there. After checking in at 1 am, I realized that I had not stayed at this property chain for many years and had no idea what my My Way pick was. It was set to the breakfast option. My company was providing a limited buffet breakfast in the conference room for all of us, nothing to do with HH. Most people where not even members of HH. I changed my pick to bonus points.
After getting home and checking my account, I was pleased to see I recieved points for my stay, but no bonus points.
Now as I said, I am not familier with how company paid stays work. I am frustrated with trying to anticipate what to choose for My Way
So, I called CS and asked about the bonus points, thinking that since I changed my option after checking in, that was why they did not post. Explained that it was impossible for me to have anticipated the stay and make the change before checking in.
She let me know that I should not have gotten any points at all. Well, thats fine. I don't want whats not mine. The hotel made a nice mistake. She then informed me that I had been given an upgrade and would not get any bonus points. No, I was in a standard room just like every one else in my group and an upgrade is not even a My Way option with this chain, HGI.
She continued to be very snotty. Then she asked if I had gotten free breakfast and since I had that she would not issue the bonus points. Once again, breakfast had nothing to do with HH.
She very grudgingly said that she would issue the bonus points this one time, but since I had called in for adjustments so many times, that this would be the LAST time it would be allowed. WHAT!!
I have called in twice because for some reason my AMEX online booking bonus had not posted on two different stays. It was easily resolved, but shows as a service adjustment.
Sorry for the long post, I am just so angry that she basically told me that if I feel my account is not correct I am not to call!!! As a side note, she never did post the bonus points.

You mention that it is a company paid stay so, if the company paid the hotel directly, you are very lucky you got points to begin with. Honestly, I think you're overreacting for 1K points when you got a couple thousand, most likely, that you weren't even due. If you changed your preference after check-in, it's understandable that the 1K points did not post.

Frankly, you got everything you wanted...and more...so I'm uncertain what the beef is.

Bobette

Bobette,
I was afraid people would think this was about the points, so I repeatedly pointed out that was not the issue. They can take the points back. The issue is that I was told I could not call in and get my account adjusted if there was an error. Read the title of the post.

Just because she said that doesn't mean that will actually happen. I would think that if you are obviously owed points, and it is their error, that they will post them. If a bona fide error takes place and a CSR refuses to post them, ask to speak with a supervisor.



Bobette

Yeah, that's the risk with customer profiling.

Not defending them, but she probably had no clue why you called in the past, only for an adjustment and made the assumption it was something like this. Honestly, to them it sounds like you are playing the system, asking for one benefit (bonus points) after you have been given another one (breakfast or an upgrade) when you checked in.

The time to make changes is before checking in, which you could not do, or at check in (they should have asked you how you wanted your benefit or confirmed it at least).

I am a bit confused and will go ahead and ask just for kicks...

1. You but you had called two other times when your AMEX booking bonus did not show. The My Way options for each brand are centrally located so I am guessing they were chosen sometime semi-recently.

2. If it "wasn't about the points" which you stated more than once, why did you call in the first place?

TR7
I'm not sure I understand your 1st question. I stay at hilton family properties regularly, but had not stayed at an HGI for several years, so I probably chose an option when My Way first came out and have not looked at that particular brands options since then. I'm not sure what that has to do with AMEX?
As I have stated, I originally called about points. My issue and topic for my post is about customer service.

deleted, company policy

I knew what hotel I was going to, hotel #1. Enroute, between the airport and the hotel, the driver got a call to take me to hotel #2 {HGI}, instead. I would guess the the block booking for hotel #1 had been filled and they were now placing people in hotel #2. Unknown to me, there were several different hotels booked for this event.

It sounds like customer service rep took the OP as a habitual complainer. It sounds like she/he was probably accurate.

Bingo!!! We have a winner.


MisterNice

Often customer service systems don't capture what you think.
even if there is data in the system, the CSR may not notice it or find it.

Rude and mean CSRs is part of the Industry. once can understand that nobody has a perfect day or performs perfectly. Ultimately, the larger a company is and more CSRs they have; the more likely they have bad apples.

This does remind me of some major mobile phone companies that drop complainers. In this case, those calling up to a thousand times in a year.

All of MyWay settings are for extra points can't justify the small I mean small perks vs the extra points. Also I would say 50% of the time if you ask you'll get the MyWay Perk as the front desk doesn't really care.

Realistically, the hotel industry is a "gut" for front desk (and other) staff - that is to say more than a few merely pass in and pass out in short order. This means there's a reasonably high chance of getting someone who is untrained, unskilled or uncaring. The management is between a rock and a hard place: provide a lot of direction and training, you are likely preparing an employee for a competitor who offers a few cents more hourly, and you are back where you started. Very much a Sisyphean task, IMO.

Front loading a bit of "being a good customer" can be a lot of help in helping create a comfortable stay - being calm, patient, nice, explaining, clarifying, being prepared with a booking hard copy in case there is a serious glitch or misunderstanding, keeping it even and factual if needing to speak to a manager, maintaining reasonable expectations, having an understanding of what a hotel can do and can't do because of factors like occupancy load, etc. It certainly has paid off for me over the years. Prioritizing my battles and expenditure of energies is important to me too; I am just not up to handing a hotel employee so much power they can ruin my trip by their small affronts or mistakes, real or perceived.

And if things go sideways, one can often pull those chestnuts out of the fire with more of the same. In one Canadian property, though I was not directly affected other than by the ambiance, I noted a restaurant manager who was frankly abusive to employees. I wrote a one sheet brief, but factual, sharing of my observations with the manager - I received a thank you note with an invitation to a free stay in the future (a notation was made that the individual in question "is no longer with us").

Please don't direct negative remarks at the OP's personality or habits or anything else of a personal nature.

thanks

squeakr
co mod HH