Hotel security damaged my car, and the security company and the hotel refuse to pay for it.
I checked my stepmom, Barb, into the Best Western at 10 pm on December 27, 2018. As per hotel policy, I was allowed to valet park my vehicle on the premises. The driver's side interior door handle was already damaged when I left it with the valet, but the driver's side exterior door handle was intact and working properly. All of the car windows were fully raised.
The next morning at 10:45 am, Barb and I went to my car in the lot. It had been moved to another spot. I immediately noticed that my driver's side exterior car door handle was missing, rendering the door unusable and forcing me to enter my car by climbing over the passenger seat. In addition, all the doors were unlocked the driver's side rear window was rolled down. Barb and I immediately reported this to the two employees working at the front desk. The man in line behind us reported that someone had stolen the front plate off his rental car, which was parked next to my car.
The employees spoke to the manager, Danny Hyun, and reported that he would review the security camera footage and speak to the security guard on duty during the night to discover what happened to the cars. In the meantime, I was told to contact the security guard's company, Simon Security Services Patrol Inc, and speak to Joevany A. Guevara for compensation. The manager never spoke to me or Barb directly, despite walking past us several times and being only feet away from us in the next room.
I spoke twice with Joevany and made arrangements to meet with him at 4 pm on December 28, 2018 at the hotel so he could inspect my car. I arrived at 3:50 pm. After waiting for nearly an hour, I asked the front desk what happened. They said Joevany arrived at 3 pm, but as I was not there, he left with the promise to return later in the evening. Barb and I canceled plans in order to be at the hotel to see him, but he never returned. He has since not answered my calls or returned my messages.
On the 29th, I left word with another employee at the front desk. I gave him my contact information to pass along to the manager and asked to set a meeting with the manager. Barb asked that $200 be taken off her hotel bill to cover the cost of repairs. The employee said he would look into it. I left my phone on all day, but never received a call or text from anyone at the hotel.
On the 30th, Barb spoke to a front desk employee who said the manager would not reduce the bill until he could determine who was at fault: the hotel or the security guard. He didn't want to pay for the damage and was hoping to foist it off to the unresponsive security company. Barb then accompanied me to the front desk where I asked for the corporate customer service number to submit a complaint. I also informed the employee I had complained to the Better Business Bureau and Best Western corporate and was perfectly fine taking the matter to small claims court. I asked her to pass that information to the manager along with my contact information yet again. However, I still didn't hear back from the manager.
Today, the 31st, before Barb checked out of the hotel, we finally saw the manager, Danny, at the front desk and spoke with him. He told us the security company needs to pay for it. He dialed Joevany and handed the phone to us. Joevany admitted the guard broke the exterior door handle, but falsely claimed that it only broke because the inside was broken. Had he kept the appointment I set with him, he would have seen for himself that the unlocking mechanism still works, but the plastic piece that allows you to get a grip on the handle and pull was broken off. It's not connected to the inside handle. Joevany was rude and refused to pay, saying he would see me in court instead.
I later returned to the hotel and made Danny look at the damage. He said he understood, but didn't want to be out the money for repairs. Apparently, he thinks it's acceptable for me to be out the money instead. I warned him he hadn't heard the last of this, and he hasn't. The manager's refusal to deal with this, despite being given ample time and opportunities to do so, is rude, unprofessional, and unacceptable. He's the one that hired security. It's his job to interface with them, not hand the phone to me to deal with it, and then blow me off. It's called the hospitality industry for a reason. Having worked in it myself, I know that sometimes you just have to be out the money in order to take care of the customer. At the very least, be willing to speak with me immediately and not send out your powerless employees to do it for you.
I need to be compensated for this immediately in order to have it fixed. I can't afford it otherwise as I live on a very tight budget. It's also taken time and enjoyment away from our vacation. Don't waste your time staying at a place that doesn't care for its guests. Horrible. less