Sorry to hear that this has happened to someone else - I wonder when the people at Choice Hotels will improve their quality as well as customer service? Anyway, here are the steps I took:
1. Filled out a comment card at hotel (mailed it to head office because I figured they'd throw it out if I left it at hotel).
2. Sent an email to hotel directly and then sent one to the customer service department (check on website).
3. Followed up with a letter through
www.planetfeedback.com (great customer service website).
4. Sent a letter to the vacation club (of which we are no longer members), with a carbon copy (hard copy) to Choice Hotels.
5. Followed up with several more letters through the website after receiving a less than satisfactory response - this generated a phone call from someone claiming to be an executive who promised a refund. Once I received a second call from Head Office, they denied knowing this person, and I had to start the process all over again. This resulted in a letter from the president, and a call from his executive assistant. They sent us several hundred dollars in gift certificates (with an expiry date no less!) to be used at their properties within the next year. They will not refund you money - no matter how bad your stay was. Gift certificates cost them nothing because most people probably don't use them, or forget about them. It also puts out a false perception that the company actually cares about you personally as a customer - it's a cheap marketing ploy, but it's better than nothing.
All in all, this took several months and has been one of my biggest "cases" to date (the only other customer case that took this long was the major problem I had with Northwest - but it turned out very well!). I always suggest to people that they don't send letters of complaint, but letters of concern. Highlight postives (if possible - this was basically impossible with Choice Hotels, so I made sure that I wasn't too negative) about the company, and then focus on one or two concerns. You need to be patient, but be persistent. With Choice Hotels, I was very thorough and concise (one or two concerns only - if letter is too long , they won't read it) and this greatly helped us come to a resolution. Remember, companies hear from thousands of people a day, requesting freebies, and basically telling them what a terrible job they have been doing, etc... In order to be taken seriously, you must use names & dates, follow up with emails, calls, faxes, etc... and always be prepared to offer positive solutions as to how to rectify your situation and make you a happy customer again.
Good luck with your letter. If you want more specific info you can PM me and I can give you a quick outline to the last letter that I wrote that made it's way to the president. I wish you lots of luck - it's too bad that so many companies get away with offering subpar products and awful customer service. What do you think they would have done if neither of us offered to pay for our stay? We both know the answer to that one, don't we! That is why you should try to be persistent in order to air your concerns. I only hope that one day, companies like Choice Hotels will realize how far they need to go in order to improve the quality of their product and service. Good luck!
Tiger
