Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Management blindness and loosing customers

Traders at the Maldives do have customer feedback forms just like any other hotel. But what's the point if you do not act on the feedback. How tolerating the customers would be and for how long before walking away.

Not too long...at least only until a proper alternative arrives.

Traders at Male in the Maldives offer complimentary speed boat service from Male international airport to the capital Male which is roughly a 5 minute ride.

Now imagine this. You make a booking and specifically communicate with the reservations department regarding your flight times and request for a prompt pick up.

Situation becomes even more critical when your flight lands in Male at midnight, 00.30 to be exact.

Ok, they are not there waiting for you although far away resort islands have sent their boats for pick up. So you call them and remind them that you are there!

1.00Am local time they are still not there and you remind them again. You call them again at 1.15Am they still don't make it. What is an hour in the Maldives one might argue. Not if you are on a business trip with morning meetings the next day morning and not of you are the only tourist in the airport!

Fair enough, but how did they try to win back me as a customer?

Obviously I was mad but the guy who came to pick me up was arguing that I should have come in a earlier flight. The lobby manager and his staff (who were there on 2nd morning) acted so so dumb and clueless and simply said sorry.

No recovery plan at all.

On my account I have asked the manager who appears to be a career hotelier to speak to me tomorrow morning. Let's see in his capacity as to how is he going to handle my situation.

1 comment:

Welcome to Dassalessons @dassaonline said...

The duty manager finally did speak to me the next day afternoon and profusely apologized for the pick up matter. He came up with me up the lift and walked me the room talking about the incident. He did appear to emphasize with me but the truth and matter was he did not.

His explanation was that probably there was a communication error. But when I confronted with email evidence on the correspondence, he did not have an answer.

Again clearly there was no recovery plan.

However I decided to lay the case to rest with that.

Well chances are that incident prompted me to look else where and I am indeed considering that option.