Drive Home Sunday 12/16...Anyone Worried?

[jaywbigred]

The Thruway really isn't that bad when it rains.

Lol. You think it will only be rain?

 

[tjf67]

Well now I am supremely bummed/pissed, bordering on depressed.

The girlfriend and I had booked 2 nights at the Grand Summit "Hotel" at Mount Snow. We have never been there before, but due to a variety of factors (open terrain, proximity, Kmart's new ownership, etc...) we have decided to give it a shot.

Unfortunately, I work a job where I really cannot (in the boss' eyes) miss any days between Thanksgiving and New Years. After the New Year, it becomes much more lax.

Now I understand the Hotel/Mountain having a "No Refund for Cancelations" policy. This makes sense. However, the girlfriend called up asking if it were possible to move the reservation for Saturday night to a weekend night after New Years, thus allowing us to drive home after skiing tomorrow and miss the storm. She added that we would obviously book the additional Friday for the weekend we moved the Saturday reservation to, at the normal additional cost.

The Not Polite Lady at Mount Snow replied that this was not possible.

Now, I do see their side, but it seems silly. The policy they are enforcing against us will ensure that I pay for 2 nights this weekend, and never return back to Mount Snow; the alternative I am offering them guarantees that they will receive payment for 3 nights (tonight, + a Friday in January, + the Saturday I am moving) and also earn my respect for working to accomodate a customer, increasing the chance that I book even other days in the future. I would even pay a surcharge to do this, something in the $10.00-$40.00 range.

I am going to call back at lunch and outline this analysis and offer to pay the surcharge (they do normally allow this sort of thing 48 hrs in advnace for a $15.00 surcharge). What does everyone think the chances of them agreeing are?

I am thinking 1% or so.

Perhaps the most frustrating part is that I am going through all this basically in an effort to avoid what are likely going to be EPIC conditions on Sunday/Monday. This is very upsetting.

In my memory, Nor'easters are a creature of March/April, are they not? Is my memory wrong? Can anyone recall a December Nor'easter like this before?

<big sigh>

Make sure you speak with someone that has the authority to make that change. They will do it

 

[jaywbigred]

Make sure you speak with someone that has the authority to make that change. They will do it

Well I did. "Candi" answered the phone but when she told me she couldn't do it, she gave to her manager "Donna." Donna would not make the change. I outlined to her that I would immediately book another night, right now, on the phone with her, for a weekend in January. She said its too late, the tickets have been printed and are waiting for me in the room. I said that I understood the policy and was willing to eat the cost of the ticket for skiing sunday. She said she still couldn't do it. I made it absolutely clear that I understood why the policy is in place, and that despite her insisting it was a Cancellation, it was not a Cancellation, because I was no asking for a refund, but rather a reapplciation of my money to another weekend. She still couldn't do it. I told her I thought it was silly that a manager, who has the power to make acceptions to policy, would continue to enforce a policy just for policy's sake, at the expense of making an additional Sale for the mountain. In other words, if she could make an exception to the policy, she would sell an additional night's booking for the mountain. More money in their pocket. 3 total nights instead of 2 (not to mention 2 additional "skier days" in their coeuffers and on the books, but without those additional 2 skiers using any resources, for my missed Sunday).

She paused for a minute and said that she still couldn't do it, but that I should go to the front desk tomorrow morning, and tell them a lie, that there is an emergency that I have to to leave town that night, and that they might grant me a "hold over" that I could apply to another stay. She said she had no ability to grant it, but they could, maybe.

I am not holding out hope. If I cannot do that, I will be sleeping Sunday night at the cheapest area motel and leaving Monday morning at 6 am to try to get to work by 10ish. O

OH, and NEVER returning to Mount Snow!

 

[RISkier]

Well I did. "Candi" answered the phone but when she told me she couldn't do it, she gave to her manager "Donna." Donna would not make the change. I outlined to her that I would immediately book another night, right now, on the phone with her, for a weekend in January. She said its too late, the tickets have been printed and are waiting for me in the room. I said that I understood the policy and was willing to eat the cost of the ticket for skiing sunday. She said she still couldn't do it. I made it absolutely clear that I understood why the policy is in place, and that despite her insisting it was a Cancellation, it was not a Cancellation, because I was no asking for a refund, but rather a reapplciation of my money to another weekend. She still couldn't do it. I told her I thought it was silly that a manager, who has the power to make acceptions to policy, would continue to enforce a policy just for policy's sake, at the expense of making an additional Sale for the mountain. In other words, if she could make an exception to the policy, she would sell an additional night's booking for the mountain. More money in their pocket. 3 total nights instead of 2 (not to mention 2 additional "skier days" in their coeuffers and on the books, but without those additional 2 skiers using any resources, for my missed Sunday).

She paused for a minute and said that she still couldn't do it, but that I should go to the front desk tomorrow morning, and tell them a lie, that there is an emergency that I have to to leave town that night, and that they might grant me a "hold over" that I could apply to another stay. She said she had no ability to grant it, but they could, maybe.

I am not holding out hope. If I cannot do that, I will be sleeping Sunday night at the cheapest area motel and leaving Monday morning at 6 am to try to get to work by 10ish. O

OH, and NEVER returning to Mount Snow!

Don't know how much power the manager really had but if she had the power to make the change it was a very foolish decision. Goes under the category of penny wise, pound foolish. Being able to book the room for an additional two nights and honor a reasonable request from a customer that would likely create a customer who might return to the mountain seems like a no brainer. I understand the general policy as well but this response was not a good long term business decision. I might understand it more if this was a really high demand weekend when everything was booked at premium rates, but I don't think that's the case this weekend. We had talked about trying to do a trip this weekend but at this point I'm glad we didn't cause I really need to be at work Monday morning and I think getting home Sunday might not have been doable.

 

[jaywbigred]

and honor a reasonable request from a customer that would likely create a customer who might return to the mountain seems like a no brainer.

Thanks for the vote of confidence RI. I guess this is one of those weird situations where, given our work schedules, you actually DON'T want to be booked at a resort during a major powder event.

I hereby vote that all future major storms occur only on Saturday nights or weekdays when I [or any other AZer] am on vacation!! All those in favor?

 

[ski220]

Mt. Blows is the originator of the Dept. of Mismanagement and Skier Inconvenience

 

[jaywbigred]

By way of update

She paused for a minute and said that she still couldn't do it, but that I should go to the front desk tomorrow morning, and tell them a lie, that there is an emergency that I have to to leave town that night, and that they might grant me a "hold over" that I could apply to another stay.

Bill at the front desk was super-nice and did not bat an eye at giving me a "holdover." This result in me receiving a $150 voucher to use towards another weekend stay anytime within 365 days. They couldn't do anything about the already printed lift ticket, and we were unable to unload those (for various reasons, including the ethical ones that have been discussed on AZ at various times), but all-in-all it led to a very enjoyable day skiing with excellent cruising conditions that was further able to be enjoyed by me and the gf bc we knew our ride home would not be harrowing.