rhwbullhead

I've always feared bed bugs and would try to check every room but I didn't really know what I was looking for: I figured if I saw them running around under the mattress by chance, then I knew there really was a problem.

My ignorance in checking properly cause me to stay in a room that it turns out must have been INFESTED with bed bugs (meaning not just a stray 1-2 like some people have reported seeing in some past threads I've seen).

TLDR version:
I stayed at a Wyndham owned motel brand that I'm not naming yet at a location I'm not naming yet while I await the results of their corporate investigation. I've also held off on posting to tripadvisor or to bedbugregistry.

I received 70+ bed bug bites. I have evidence it was bed bugs as I found a dead bed bug/exoskeleton of nymph bed bug on the bed sheet (I'm not an entomologist or pest control expert but it's clearly bed bug evidence, I just don't know which of those it was) that I photographed with several geotagged pics also featuring the keycard with the motel phone number on it. The next day, I began to itch like crazy and I have 70+ bed bugs bites with almost all the bites exhibiting the typical "cluster" pattern and "long line" pattern indicative of bed bug bites. This includes a long line stretching from my lower neck, across the collar bone and shoulder to the bottom of the right rear deltoid (approx 30-35 bites). I have photographed each area of bites and have documented their locations.

What would you expect as compensation? I'm most worried that I have spread the infestation to my car after putting my stuff in there that was in the room. I've left almost all my stuff in that car for fear of bringing it to the house. (I'll add that my friend also has his stuff quarantined in his car, but I think he may have brought more stuff to his place not realizing at the time the risk that posed).

Compensation time line:
I wasn't able to speak to the manger that day as he was out so we showed the lady at the front desk the bed bug evidence. The front desk offered $20 off the room ($50 something room). I only had time to do 5
minutes of research prior to checkout so I didn't realize how serious the problem was but we persisted anyway. The woman said the best she could do was give us the room for $19.99 total. We were in a rush so we didn't persist more at that time and I also did not understand the bigger problem bed bugs posed (namely, the possible great expense of having to eradicate from the home if you spread the infestation there), nor did I realize how badly I had been bitten.

The rest of the night and next morning, I researched bed bugs and read many of the past threads on flyertalk. I already understood this has become a larger problem over the years and there can be infestations in any motel/hotel from the budget ones to the luxury brands. In some threads, it seemed
people just found a bed bug or two and got transferred to a room, or got the night refunded, and got some free night(s) as compensation and some points. In a few cases, I've heard about laundering expenses being refunded (or laundering service being offered by the hotel), and I believe one thread talked about getting compensation from the insurance company of the hotel for expenses incurred due to dealing with the bed bugs and for preventive measures taken to prevent transport to home/office.

I called the corporate office in New Jersey on Monday but they were closed. They returned my call when I was sleeping the next morning. My friend called them while I was asleep and opened up a case number. They said they were currently investigating and will report on the results within a week. I
called later and was told the same thing. I told them I have photographic evidence but the rep didn't ask me to submit it. They stonewalled me when I inquired about the investigation (of course I'm not surprised as I'm sure the reps are told to stay mum, but I figured I'd try asking anyway).

It seems they might be admitting fault in the future as they already refunded the rest of what they charged me. From my research, it seems like they may, again, offer free night (s) and/or points. I think there's a small chance they try to deny the problem, but I don't see how they can when I showed the clerk the bed bug evidence and I've told them I have photographic evidence of that and of all bites in the bed bug pattern. From what I've read, they may try to say that this is the first time they had this problem and try to minimize their culpability.

What would you do now?:
To use a cliche, the ball is in their court as I can only await the results of the investigation. This gives me time to ask for some feedback here. I'm most concerned about what to do with my stuff. I've read that I can kill bed bugs by laundering the clothes in hot water and then drying them on high
heat for at least 20 minutes in the dryer. I think I'm going to go to the laundry mat and do that (so not to risk bringing them inside my place). I can't heat my dress shoes and I don't really want to heat my running shoes but I guess I have no choice.

Would you be worried about an infestation in the car now?

I figure I can ask for compensation for laundering expenses and for the bags. In other threads, I've seen the advice given to throw those out and some supposedly have received compensation for the expense of getting new bags.

How would you deal with the car? Would you try to get it inspected or treated? Would you try to get them to pay for that? Finally, would you worry that you brought it in the home? I didn't launder the clothes I was wearing, but I was in the car for 4 something hours after leaving the hotel and I also was at an outdoor festival for 2.5 hours so I'm hoping any that could have been on the clothes would have fallen out in that time. I also only brought up a few essential things like chargers and toiletries that shouldn't have been able to have any bed bugs in them. I did bring a pair of shoes up so I hope there weren't any in there.

Thanks for any input or advice.

chococat

Wow. Big bummer. I have no advice on the compensation part, but you can kill bed bugs by freezing them, so you can put your shoes (or anything else that would not be harmed by the freezing process) in plastic bags and then into your freezer for a week or so to kill any bugs that have taken residence.

fwoomp

Be sure if you try freezing that you have A freezer that gets cold enough--it must be at zero degrees Fahrenheit or below to be effective. The average one on your fridge won't do it, but if you have a standalone one, it might:
http://www.bedbugs.umn.edu/bed-bug-c...edbug-control/

Regarding washing/drying, you can actually skip the wash and just use the dryer (handy for stuff you worry might shrink). Any dryer you use must sustain temperatures of at least 120F long enough to kill bugs and eggs. Reports vary on how long that is. You can get sensors online that will test dryer temp. Our pest control guy said that pretty much any commercial dryer will get hot enough, though it's worth checking laundromat reviews to see. There were complaints about weak dryers at a number of the places near me. (I found that my own dryer was adequate, which was much cheaper and more convenient. It was also already next to our infested bedroom-- the "keeping THEM out" ship had sailed.)

Also, unless your suitcase can go in the laundromat dryer, just take the clothes (in a sealed garbage bag)--and deal with the case later. Please don't pass the problem to unsuspecting laundromat users, many of whom probably live in apartments and share walls with other unsuspecting people...

Very sorry to hear about your predicament, it sucks. In our case, the hotel in question turned up nothing, so I can't advise you on compensation. Ultimately, we did only have one or two, and I hope you are as lucky or luckier (left them all there).

fwoomp

You may well have brought some in on the clothes you were wearing, it's hard to say. The bugs themselves like to feed and then hide. However, if there are eggs in that set of clothes, they are unlikely to fall off by themselves--and they are quite hard to see.

I've seen mixed reports on the likelihood of car infestations. If you look for inspection and treatment for your car, inquire specifically if the company treats cars--the best way is with Vikane. Reputable companies use either Vikane or heat to do large-scale (whole house or room) treatment for bed bugs, but you run the risk of damaging the car with heat.

The Bedbugger site has a list of resources, including reputable pest control companies:
http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/a-l...ers-in-chicago

Wyndham Alison

I'm very sorry to hear this.

Please private message me your member number, phone number and address so that I can ensure that this is being researched by the correct department.

rhwbullhead

Thinking back, I changed clothes after sleeping and those are still in the car, so I should be okay here. I just now put whatever clothes I was wearing into the wash anyway just in case, though it would probably be too late now if they did have eggs in them.

I'm gonna have to use my running shoes today but since I haven't done any heat or cold treatments yet, I guess I'll just change the shoes in the parking lot and then leave them in the car again after the run.

I'm thinking about going to the doctor. What I've read says that the itching should go away eventually on it's own but supposedly the doctor might be able to give a cream or anti-histamine to speed things along. This would also have the added benefit of being further documentation of the bites, this time by a professional.

rhwbullhead

Found this article which is a good start:
http://www.whitneybogris.com/wp-cont...uglawsuits.pdf