Don't lock the courtesy car - PLEASE!

[Everskyward]

I've flown home twice with the keys to a car in my pocket. One was a courtesy car and one was a rental...

 

[Jay Honeck]

He probably locked the keys in the car on accident. You called him an idiot on purpose.

Im just trying to offer another perspective. You're on an Internet forum berating your customers. Is that good for business? I mean, whatever you post stays here forever.

I know I shouldn't feed the troll, but...the guy who locked the door was an IDIOT. Period, end of story. And he's anonymous, in this story, so what's it to you?

Unless you're the idiot, of course?

BTW: If he locked the keys in "by accident" he could have picked up Mr. Telephone and called us, and I would have fixed it before the next guest ended up standing there unable to get off the field. Since he didn't, we can add "jerk" to his title.

I've been in this business a long time, son. You don't need to start lecturing me about how to treat people. Our guests are treated like royalty -- better than any hotel in America (unless you know of ANOTHER hotel that lets pilots use a car for free?) -- but when someone abuses this hospitality, I call them out on it -- anonymously -- so that future guests will not abuse it "by accident".

 

[RotorAndWing]

The guy who locked the door was an IDIOT. Period, end of story. And he's anonymous, in this story, so what's it to you?

Unless you're the idiot, of course?

BTW: If he locked the keys in "by accident" he could have picked up Mr. Telephone and called us, and I would have fixed it before the next guest ended up standing there unable to get off the field. Since he didn't, we can add "jerk" to his title.

I've been in this business a long time, son. You don't need to start lecturing me about how to treat people. Our guests are treated like royalty -- better than any hotel in America (unless you know of ANOTHER hotel that lets pilots use a car for free?) -- but when someone abuses this hospitality, I call them out on it -- anonymously -- so that future guests will not abuse it "by accident".

This post says it all.

Do you seriously believe posting something like this on the Internet promotes your business? For some people ( potential customers) it has the opposite effect. Seeing a business owner berating a customer sets a negative tone.

So much for "The customer is always right". Something else that has become lost in this country.

 

[Jay Honeck]

This post says it all.

Do you seriously believe posting something like this on the Internet promotes your business? For some people ( potential customers) it has the opposite effect. Seeing a business owner berating a customer sets a negative tone.

So much for "The customer is always right". Something else that has become lost in this country.

I don't know what your problem with me is, sir, but you are an idiot if you read my post that way.

My CUSTOMER was totally screwed by the idiot who locked the car. I am DEFENDING my customer by calling out the idiot who screwed him.

And it's totally anonymous. No one is embarrassed or harmed by this tale of woe.

Read it any way you wish -- but it says more about your attitude than mine.

 

[JoeSelch]

Again, it may have been an accident.
And, the person may never realize his/her mistake ... perhaps because he/she never attempted to get back into the car (whereupon he/she would recognize the error).

 

[Jay Honeck]

Again, it may have been an accident.
And, the person may never realize his/her mistake ... perhaps because he/she never attempted to get back into the car (whereupon he/she would recognize the error).

Tell that to the poor guy who was standing there at 10 o'clock with his family, all of his luggage, at a dark airport, two miles from the nearest civilization, unable to get into the car.

Sorry -- anyone who can't figure out the rules of a FREE car isn't qualified to use it. We ask nothing in exchange for using the car except COURTESY to the NEXT guy who uses it.

And that is the only lesson y'all need to take from this thread. Remember the next guy, and everything will work out just fine.

 

[RotorAndWing]

I don't know what your problem with me is, sir, but you are an idiot if you read my post that way.

My CUSTOMER was totally screwed by the idiot who locked the car. I am DEFENDING my customer by calling out the idiot who screwed him.

Read it any way you wish -- but it says more about your attitude than mine.

We can do without the childish name calling.

I'm pointing out that getting on the Internet and berating ANY customers is not a wise choice. If you had this issue you would have been wise to quietly correct the problem. Ever hear of a "Hide a Key"?

If you think I'm the only one reading this with the same opinion, then you sir are the fool. First impressions are everything in business. Successful business owners strive to have ZERO derogatory comments pertaining to anything to do with their business and they certainly never attack customers, for any reason.

Silence is usually the better option.

 

[Fearless Tower]

I don't know what your problem with me is, sir, but you are an idiot if you read my post that way.

My CUSTOMER was totally screwed by the idiot who locked the car. I am DEFENDING my customer by calling out the idiot who screwed him.

And it's totally anonymous. No one is embarrassed or harmed by this tale of woe.

Read it any way you wish -- but it says more about your attitude than mine.

Jay, R&W has a point. You are defending one customer while trashing on another.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[MadseasoN]

I know I shouldn't feed the troll, but...the guy who locked the door was an IDIOT. Period, end of story. And he's anonymous, in this story, so what's it to you?

Unless you're the idiot, of course?

BTW: If he locked the keys in "by accident" he could have picked up Mr. Telephone and called us, and I would have fixed it before the next guest ended up standing there unable to get off the field. Since he didn't, we can add "jerk" to his title.

I've been in this business a long time, son. You don't need to start lecturing me about how to treat people. Our guests are treated like royalty -- better than any hotel in America (unless you know of ANOTHER hotel that lets pilots use a car for free?) -- but when someone abuses this hospitality, I call them out on it -- anonymously -- so that future guests will not abuse it "by accident".

Wow.

Jay, people sometimes take on a different personality or comes across the wrong way on the internet. I'm sure you're a friendly guy in person but this is all wrong, sir. You've complained about your customers on POA before and I can tell you without a doubt that's it's cost you at least two potentional customers.

Just trying to help you, bud. I'll stop wasting your time.

 

[Everskyward]

BTW: If he locked the keys in "by accident" he could have picked up Mr. Telephone and called us, and I would have fixed it before the next guest ended up standing there unable to get off the field. Since he didn't, we can add "jerk" to his title.

Huh? If they locked the keys in the car by accident they probably didn't realize they did it. Some people instinctively lock the car when getting out as it's an engrained habit. I had someone lock my keys in the car when I stopped to let her off and got out to say goodbye. My keys were in the ignition and the engine was running.

 

[JoeSelch]

Wow.

Jay, people sometimes take on a different personality or comes across the wrong way on the internet. I'm sure you're a friendly guy in person but this is all wrong, sir. You've complained about your customers on POA before and I can tell you without a doubt that's it's cost you at least two potentional customers.

Just trying to help you, bud. I'll stop wasting your time.

At least.

 

[Kelvin]

So much for "The customer is always right". Something else that has become lost in this country.

The "customer is always right" is BS to begin with...it should be stated that "the customer always HAS rights..."

 

[RotorAndWing]

The "customer is always right" is BS to begin with...it should be stated that "the customer always HAS rights..."

Sorry, I disagree. Without customers there is not a business.

Back to my "stay silent" and move on stance, just remember the guy that Jay is trashing. If this guy was (probably) reading this, don't be surprised if he goes to different sites and "reviews" his stay at the hotel. All he needs to do is write such remarks as "roaches found in the room" "kids had bed bug bites", etc, etc. Think that doesn't have an impact?

Learning from mistakes, placing a corrective action ( Hide a. Key) and moving ahead will result in positive results.

 

[Kelvin]

Disagree all you want...

Simply being a customer don't make you always right...as a customer, I have been wrong on more than one occasion...and probably will be again...

..and do you actually really think that this type of behavior, if carried out, make the customer right? Giving fraudulent review with contrived issue...it makes the customer a fraud and a liar...

What is "right" about that?

Sorry, I disagree. Without customers there is not a business.

Back to my "stay silent" and move on stance, just remember the guy that Jay is trashing. If this guy was (probably) reading this, don't be surprised if he goes to different sites and "reviews" his stay at the hotel. All he needs to do is write such remarks as "roaches found in the room" "kids had bed bug bites", etc, etc. Think that doesn't have an impact?

Learning from mistakes, placing a corrective action ( Hide a. Key) and moving ahead will result in positive results.

 

[Doggtyred]

Wow.

Jay, people sometimes take on a different personality or comes across the wrong way on the internet. I'm sure you're a friendly guy in person but this is all wrong, sir. You've complained about your customers on POA before and I can tell you without a doubt that's it's cost you at least two potentional customers.

Just trying to help you, bud. I'll stop wasting your time.

It's cost him more than two. His childish rants have turned me off. At one time I would have considered going out of my way to stay there if I was going to the Corpus area. I also no longer tell my friends about his place, which I used to do.

 

[RotorAndWing]

Disagree all you want...

Simply being a customer don't make you always right...as a customer, I have been wrong on more than one occasion...and probably will be again...

..and do you actually really think that this type of behavior, if carried out, make the customer right? Giving fraudulent review with contrived issue...it makes the customer a fraud and a liar...

What is "right" about that?

You're misreading what I'm trying to say here.

Sometimes it's better to remain silent, fix the problem and move on.

Assigning blame accomplishes nothing, and in this case could have dire consequences.

 

[saracelica]

Jay - I recognize that you had customers at the airport at 10p with no access to the car. That would be irritating if that were me as well. However, maybe next time you can charge a $25 deposit for using the car. If they "dent it, wreck it, make it unusable for the next person" they don't get the deposit back. For some the $25 they wouldn't flinch but for others I'd be sure that everything was kosher. I worked 3rd shift at a grocery store several years ago. I had the keys to the office. Put them in my pocket and drove the 1/2 hour home. They called me and said "We need the keys" total accident on my part that I left them in my pocket. Accidents happens - maybe the previous customer had an issue and had to get off the ground and beat a storm. You should've kept this on the DL in my opinion. The title of this should be in the reservation documents for when people book rooms and are checking out. Or you could do as others suggested and have a spare key somewhere on the premises.

Your place sounds really cool. 1000nm trip is a little bit much for me at this point.

 

[Aztec Driver]

The customer is, most definitely, not always right. Most of the time they think they are right, or have been violated in some way, but that is only their perception of the situation, brought on by their inconvenience from the problem. It is usually because of a selfish desire on their part.

In this case, however, the previous user could have innocently locked the car out of normal behavior, without thinking about it. That doesn't make him/her an idiot. If he/she found out that they did it, they may genuinely feel significant remorse at the problem they caused.

As much as I rarely agree with R & W, he is right on. Detect the problem, fix it quietly, and learn from the experience. You are as much to blame as the previous user for not having some kind of fail safe in place for the occasional "moron" that is apt to frequent your establishment. You can be irritated at the situation, but just say what happened without calling your customer an idiot. Haven't you done anything that was patently stupid for which you would easily have been confused with an idiot? I sure have, and sometimes even in aviation.

And Jay, you want total and complete blithering stupidity? Try working with the general populace in a service industry. These people do not want the service they need, so they are already irritated and disgusted. Add to that the inconvenience of having to stay home to have something repaired, the fact that they have to pay for it when they think it should be warranted, and you have a real nasty attitude much of the time. Quite often, even people I know to be very nice people otherwise, will treat the technician with contempt, only because they are angry at the problem. Less than stellar people bring all sorts of issues.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Any possibility a local security patrol / officer locked it up after finding it unlocked at night with no one around? Might not have been your customer...

I understand the frustration. Describing what happened and looking for suggestions on how to prevent it in the future is cool. I have to agree with others that calling customers "idiots" in a public forum will harm business in the long run (even if they are).

 

[darrell]

The CEO at my last employer put it nicely...

"The customer is not always right. However, whether the customer is right or wrong is irrelevant. All that matters is that they continue to be a customer."

 

[Alexb2000]

So the "idiot" pilot accidentally locks the keys in the car.

The "smart" pilot shows up late, can't use the car, so he gets ****ed at the person offering the car for FREE?

The "smart" inn keeper then publicly berates the "idiot" pilot for affecting the "smart" pilots use of a FREE car and in doing so clearly turns off potential customers.

Maybe the "smart" thing to do in a world full of keyless "idiots" and "smart" freeloaders is tell everyone to call Avis or a Taxi?

 

[Bob Noel]

The CEO at my last employer put it nicely...

"The customer is not always right. However, whether the customer is right or wrong is irrelevant. All that matters is that they continue to be a customer."

Nope. Some customers are simply not worth it.

 

[bbchien]

Cab? where Jay is? You would do better hiking. It might come after she's done with whatever she's doing, provided she's got her phone on.

Even in Peoria, IL pop 120,000, cabs are an (?) are they coming? proposition. He's out in the styx.

 

[Fearless Tower]

Nope. Some customers are simply not worth it.

While there is some truth to that, it should be viewed by the proprieter as the exception rather than the norm.

 

[jesse]

Jay -- this is pretty simple to prevent. You must understand people will make mistakes..expect it to happen and design procedures to correct them easily.

In this case just put a spare key in:

Stick it on the vehicle and if someone calls you saying its locked or the key is missing you can tell them where to find it.

It's habit for people to lock cars, mistakes happen. You've never accidentally locked something? I think the idiot word is a bit powerful and seriously hope you reconsider that.

As someone that designs systems that people will break I consider it my mistake for not building graceful methods of handling the mistakes of the user. Surely you should realize this could happen. Build a procedure to handle it and move on with life.

 

[jjflys]

As someone that designs systems that people will break I consider it my mistake for not building graceful methods of handling the mistakes of the user. Surely you should realize this could happen. Build a procedure to handle it and move on with life.

The Japanese even have a neat word for this error proofing concept called Poka-Yoke. People make mistakes, to err is human. Calling them idiots, especially when they are customers or employees is another mistake, although a potentially pricey one.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Wow, are you old hens still cackling about this?

While you silly people have continued to trash me for "talking badly" about an anonymous person no one will ever meet or can ever identify, my day has been filled with this:

Yep, the wine has arrived! Yee haw!

And this!

Yep, it was a great day to fly to the Lone Star Museum in Galveston:

Now...quit worrying yourselves about the poor idiot who locked the keys in our courtesy car, and how I've somehow impugned this anonymous person's reputation -- or mine. The important thing is that the folks who were victimized Friday night left today and were ecstatic with the royal service we provided, they used our courtesy van (and were kind enough to top it off with gas) for two days, and had a wonderful time on the island.

Just as importantly (for you guys who don't seem to understand this) the guy who locked the keys in the van had a great time, too -- AND he is blissfully unaware of what trouble he caused, or how concerned y'all are about his anonymous well being.

You guys crack me up.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Cab? where Jay is? You would do better hiking. It might come after she's done with whatever she's doing, provided she's got her phone on.

Even in Peoria, IL pop 120,000, cabs are an (?) are they coming? proposition. He's out in the styx.

Actually, if you read the post you would know that we DID call the guest a cab, when they couldn't use our courtesy car. IMHO, if I promise someone a vehicle to use, I had damned-well better provide it.

Cab service here is surprisingly good. It's called "In-Taxi-Cated", which fits the island pretty well, IMHO.

 

[Brad Z]

Tonight we had a pilot fly in at 10 PM only to find our last remaining courtesy car at the airport LOCKED with the keys inside.

Wow, are you old hens still cackling about this?

While you silly people have continued to trash me for "talking badly" about an anonymous person no one will ever meet or can ever identify, my day has been filled with this:

Yep, the wine has arrived!

Now...quit worrying yourselves about the poor idiot who locked the keys in our courtesy car, and how I've somehow impugned this anonymous person's reputation -- or mine.

I just borrowed a courtesy car the other day and returned it after the FBO closed. Guess what, they asked me to lock the keys in the car. It's not exactly an unreasonable thing to do.

I really don't get why you come on here and rant about a guest, and then tell us to chill out when people defend him. Starting a thread does not entitle you to the only opinion.

If this board was "Innkeepers of America", and you were just trying to vent, I'd get it. But we are your customers and potential customers. What procedural error may I commit and risk being labeled an idiot if I were to stay at your hotel? (Yes, I have called a front desk before because I could figure out how to make the AC work)

Hint- don't ever call a customer an idiot publicly ever...you'll never gain customers doing so.

 

[Bob Noel]

While there is some truth to that, it should be viewed by the proprieter as the exception rather than the norm.

Not just "some truth", it is certainly without doubt true.

And I concur wrt it's the proprieter's call and that it should be the exception rather than the norm.

 

[Steve Foley]

One more suggestion:

Have your friend the locksmith remove the tumblers from the door lock, and the ignition lock too. That way they will open/start with anything you can stick in there (screwdriver, letter opener,) but will still look like it's locked.

 

[BillyBH]

For goodness' sake. Its a FREE car provided by the hotel. Some irresponsible idiot screwed it up. I think the hotel is to be commended for being willing to put up with BS surrounding their FREE car. The offending idiot should be sheepishly embarrassed, not "offended", but who cares if he is offended?

Thanks again to the management for putting up with the "entitlement" displayed by some of the respondents actually defending the idiot. The suggestions, including, suggested maintenance to make it easier on everyone except the guy providing the FREE car are unbelievable.

 

[denverpilot]

I'm just glad there are caring folks like Jay running hotels still. I've spent enough nights of my life in McHotel.

Pick your poison, Mariott, Hyatt, Hilton, whatever. BTDT.

Their staff won't be losing any sleep over any of the problems in those chains, and haven't found one yet that provides courtesy crew cars at airports.

Carry on, Jay. Hopefully we'll get to stop in for a visit this year still, sometime.

 

[rpadula]

One more suggestion:

Have your friend the locksmith remove the tumblers from the door lock, and the ignition lock too. That way they will open/start with anything you can stick in there (screwdriver, letter opener,) but will still look like it's locked.

And everyone on the internet knows it's not!

 

[MadseasoN]

Thanks again to the management for putting up with the "entitlement" displayed by some of the respondents actually defending the idiot. The suggestions, including, suggested maintenance to make it easier on everyone except the guy providing the FREE car are unbelievable.

People make mistakes. Pointing out this fact is not "defending" those people.

Like it or not sometimes we have to 'babysit' other people. And people 'babysit' you and I too sometimes too without us knowing it.

 

[hopmedic]

Yes. People do make mistakes. Often those mistakes are inadvertant and can even go unnoticed. Blasting the guy like this is a good way to lose customers. If it were me, I'd fix it and let it go.

I'd go with the hide-a-key that several have suggested, and since you promise a car at the airport, I would add something to my checklist: After someone uses the car, go to the airport and be sure that it is usable again.

 

[focal_plane]

Jay,

We're still planning to get by for a weekend sometime. And we will not lock the door.

Jonathan

 

[Steve Foley]

And everyone on the internet knows it's not!

But everyone on the internet already knows it's supposed to be unlocked with the keys inside. This will only help everyone on the internet when someone accidentally locks the car.