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Malagachia has written everything that I was thinking while reading this thread. It is a really unfortunate situation But this does seem, to me, to be the best way to handle it.
Itâs not in the same league as your situation, in terms of the cost and the grey area of whether you were responsible or not, but once I told guests that they were ok to park in a spot nearby - I was wrong and they got a ticket. I paid it in full (equivalent of a one-night stay) but I had no choice, really. Since then I am extra vigilant over where guests park.
If it were me; I would give the guests the full refund they are requesting. If the guestsâ actions cost us money we expect to be reimbursed in full. They donât have the option of saying, I shouldnât have to pay $150.00 for the toilet I broke because my stay only cost $50.00.
Thanks, Geddy. I have never not said the misquoted bus was my fault, but upon further reflection I agree that half is fair since we are all adults and ultimately responsibility for our share of mistakes. I made a costly mistake in trying to offer too much help to guests, the guests made a costly mistake in not showing some autonomy and responsibility for their own travel arrangements.
Iâm going to give them the $80. Not offer, give. They can accept it or not, I guess.
Perezo, welcome to the forum. I have nothing to add to the excellent advice you have been offered here. Although this was an unpleasant situation it led you here and that, sir, is worth the price of admission. If you stick around and do some reading on the forum you will learn enough to save you money and headache in the future so that it will all even out.
Before you refund $80, I would call the shuttle company and ask how far in advance they likely are to be full. If they respond with âit fills up 2 weeks priorâ where chances are the guests couldnât have booked anywayâŚthen donât refund a thing, and just include the explanation that the error with bus issue was irrelevant - they wouldnât have been able to get a shared shuttle anyway.
I am sorry this happened, and thanks for sharing, as it makes us all rethink about suggestions. You were only trying to be helpful.
Hold on Perezo. You are still saying that the shared shuttle still âmightâ have gotten them there on time. Were they willing to take that risk and possibly lose their flight?
This reaffirms why I am so hesitant to recommend or state anything definitive. I print out schedules, help guests learn what words they should google, provide information about cabs but I hate actually suggesting anything specific [well, besides yes you should do the Freedom Trail.] I suggest ridiculously early departure times for the airport. I have a list of about 20 restaurants within walking distance.
I had four hours of nervousness this week when I suggested a specific restaurant to guests based on what they seemed to want. This is a Mom/Pop place, red sauce joint. Would it be too expensive? Would it have the right kind of red sauce for this guy? Would he find the almost diner like ambience offensive? Thank goodness no! They were besides themselves with glee. The chicken parmesan was the best they had ever had. The cannoli was amazing. Yes, the neighborhood was sketchy as promised, but they felt like they had âlived like a local.â
If they had hated this restaurant, I would have felt responsible. I try very hard to give my guests good guidance, but I have to remember that in the end, they need to make their own decisions so I donât own their mistakes.
Thatâs so true. But thereâs a big difference between suggesting a restaurant that they may or may not like, and assuring guests that theyâll be fine getting the bus at Xam or parking their car in that spot. Thereâs a great eating spot near me (and Iâm not central) and 99% of my guests love it but thereâs always that 1% who are a) arses or b) went there on a bad night. Whatever, nobody died. But if you give specific information to guests that is wrong and so they miss their flight, thatâs a whole different matter. Obviously thatâs not what happened here but you know what I mean.
Yes - my husband is always much more eager to step in and help the guests with their plans. I always say âlet them have their own tripâ.
I used to pick guests up at the metro. It was pretty convenient for me, so, why not? Well, one group exited the metro station in a very remote direction I never would have expected. We both stood around and waited for well over an hour, them in the very hot sun. One set of guests just sat on the platform never actually coming down stairs into the station. It was late at night and no one was around. I just sat there for the longest time listening to the chu-chunk chu-chunk of the escalators. Finally, from far away, in between train arrivals, in the quiet darkness, I heard my name called very faintly. They had decided to come on into the station and look for me. One group walked to the farthest away bus stop and stood there waiting for me. They short-cut to the station has been blocked, now, but I decided to not risk it again, anyway. I wasnât really doing them any favors!
But this does seem, to me, to be the best way to handle it.
