1. Irresponsible Travel Agency at Lobby
a. We booked a tour Wednesday midnight and paid the money of 20 toman for our trip on Friday afternoon. I was told that it would be only for the hotel resident.
b. Friday at 3 pm, we showed up at the counter on time, only to find out from the lady on duty that the tour was canceled. And we did not get any notification from that travel agency even though we clearly left our contact info in the book. The guy who took our money did not inform his colleagues that there are two visitors who wants to join the tour on Friday.
c. If they had informed us one day before, we could’ve made other plans, we could’ve stayed at hotel or look for some other tours from other agencies. But they did not care for our schedule and our money. They lady at the counter did not apologize, she just said if you had time, I would put you on Saturday tour.
d. When we told him that we did not have time since we were returning to Tehran Friday night. She then called to the guy who took our money and blamed him why he did not inform the rest of the company colleagues. It was a bit too late but she arranged to put us to some other tour operated by other agencies.
e. So, at 3:30 pm, we got on the van full of Iranian visitors. Then on the van, we were surprised to find out that we still needed to pay the operator 15 toman each on the van. The first time when we booked the tour on Wednesday, we were told by the guy that we don’t need to pay other expense except for the entrance tickets to the sites if we intend to enter and visit.
f. Also, the lady at the travel agency counter on Friday, she did not inform us before we got on the van. If I had known that we need to pay extra to get on a crowded van, I could’ve just skipped the tour and stayed at the hotel and enjoyed my afternoon.
g. Of course, we felt confused and that was why my friend Mr. Mohammadi was trying to call to hotel and ask for further clarification. But I did not know what happened, one hour past and there were not definite answer from either the hotel travel agency or from the tour operator.
h. Meanwhile, we were put into a shitty Padide Shopping Center for 50 minutes of “sightseeing”. It was not even a proper shopping mall, we could only waste our time, drinking our tea and waited for the time to pass.
2. Poor and Irresponsible Attitude on the Phone
a. And it was when I felt I needed to do something. Before this moment, I trusted it was more efficient for Iranians to communicate directly. Since I found out Mr. Mohammadi was getting more stressful and I was bored in the shitty shopping center, I decided to call to the reception to ask for supports.
b. I placed my first call at 5:40 pm, the lady at the reception or the travel agency. She understood English and I explained everything that happened politely and thoroughly on the phone. She said she doesn’t know what happened and ask my phone number. She PROMISED me to called back in 5 minutes. Then, I hanged up my phone since she said she would call back.
c. Then, 20 minutes past, no one called back and we were still trapped in the shitty shopping center. It was when I decided to call back again for another supports.
d. Then, it was a man who answered the phone. I asked politely does he know English. He said something in Farsi and then he kept me on hold for 30 second. I kept asking him in ENGLISH that if he could hear me, and ask for his response. But I did not hear any words from the other side, only silence. I guess maybe the line was not stable or not clear. So, that was when I decided to call back again.
e. This time, I got more hostile attitude from the reception. I asked him do you speak English. And he said he doesn’t speak English. I replied how is that possible for a receptionist in the best 5-star hotel in Kish Island doesn’t speak English. This was unbelievable. I then asked him do you have a manger, I wanted to speak with the manger. Then, he said there’s no manager and then I was AGAIN kept on hold for I don’t know how many minutes.
f. Things getting more out of control and I was getting more agitated. I kept calling back asking for help in English but I always go the same response from the same receptionist and then put on hold, waiting for me to hang up the phone by myself.
g. Then, I made a decision asking Mr. Mohammadi to jump in and helped me to speak with the receptionist in Faris. Then this receptionist threatened Mr. Mohammadi that he wanted to know his name and surname so that he could call a POLICE to come. I was SHOCKED when I heard from Mr. Mohammadi what the receptionist said.
h. Since when your hotel policy considered it a crime to call to the phone, asking for help in English a crime? It was the moment I decided to cancel this shitty tour and came back to hotel directly on a taxi that cost us 35 toman.
i. We asked the van driver where’s the next destination after this shitty mall. We would put you in another shopping mall and then the underground city because you would not pay another 15 toman to us, in an unfriendly tone.
3. Dishonest and Insincere Receptionist
a. After hearing this, we took a taxi and reached the hotel at 6:30pm. Upon entering the hotel, I saw the receptionist was entertaining the Arabian guests in ENGLISH. I was super upset and then kept my cool. Mr. Mohammadi asked for our luggage, passports and ID card from him since we FELT SCARED that he might want to keep it to the POLICE so that we could not leave the island as planned. See, YOUR FIVE STAR HOTEL actually made the guests having the fear of being arrested by POLICE.
b. Afterwards, when Mr. Mohammadi asked him politely in FARSI that we wanted to speak with the hotel manager. He just wanted to keep us waiting in the lobby. Because he knew that we were leaving on shuttle bus at 8 pm.
c. I decided to step in and asked him in ENGLISH that I NEED to speak with his boss RIGHT NOW. It was when I met Mr. Amir Gilarab, assistant to General Manager of the Hotel. I explained everything that happened and Mr. Amir was calling everyone for explanation. Mr. Amir offered his sincere apology but I requested an apology from the receptionist.
d. He reluctantly apologized but still wanted to find some excuse that it was because I was laughing on the other side of the phone. That was when he thought it was a prank call. He also made excuses that because I called from an Iranian sim card, and that was why he thought I was making fun of him.
e. I am very confused by your hotel management. I assumed that your hotel front desk phone has a monitor that indicate the number of the phone call. For some moment, your hotel staff said that they never got my number so they couldn’t reach me so that they could only contact Mr. Mohammadi’s number. For another time, this receptionist could recognized my number as an Iranian number so that he thought I was an Iranian making fun of him. I am very confused which one is the real case. Can you know the incoming phone number or not.
f. I got angrier because it was because of the mistakes from the hotel, I never had any laugh the whole afternoon. My whole afternoon plan was ruined and so was my beautiful image of the hotel and the island. Now, he wanted to lie in front of everyone so that he doesn’t need to take the blame?
g. Even if I could accept the agency did not inform us about the cancellation, or did not inform us that we need to pay extra money to the tour operator. I could never forgive your hotel staff turned down a phone call in need of assistance. What if I was all alone and without any Farsi proficiency, and then your hotel treated me not seriously. What was worse, I could not accept that your hotel threatened me and my friend Mr. Mohammadi that he would call the POLICE and god knows what would the POLICE do if they come. Would they believe a well-known 5-star hotel or just a foreign tourist without Farsi ability.
h. As I said to Mr. Amir, it was just like a butterfly effect. If all of them could do their jobs properly. None of this miscommunication would’ve happened. I thanked Mr. Amir to take his time and offered us a proper dinner during Chinese New Year’s Eve so that me and Mr. Mohammadi would not need to get through a pathetic CNY Eve for a delayed flight at the airport. But, I still need to make my strongest compliant to the hotel superior. It is NEVER right for your front desk to threaten anyone about POLICE. If your hotel wants to keep up with the international standard, you need to train your staff with more detailed Standard Operation Procedure. I do hope that no one would ever be scared of staying in your hotel or even just make a phone call in ENGLISH to your 5-star hotel.
El móvil 