Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

Adjustments for Complaints Made After Check-Out
Some guests who are dissatisfied with their lodging experience do not inform the
hotel about their problems until after departure. Guests may wish to avoid what they
perceive as face-to-face conflict with a front desk agent. Others may believe that a
written complaint is a more powerful statement of dissatisfaction. In other cases,
guests who were reasonably satisfied when they checked out will, after further con-
sideration, conclude that they had a legitimate complaint and decide to inform the
hotel. FOMs should deal with such guests in the same professional and guest service-
oriented manner that they would use if the guests were still registered.
From an accounting perspective, guests who complain after check-out represent
special cases. Consider Marion Pennycuff, a business traveler and frequent guest who
stayed at the Altoona Hotel on a Tuesday night. When he departed the next morn-
ing, he waited for 10 minutes to check out because the front desk agent was involved
in a personal telephone call. Marion waited until the call was finished, checked out,
and paid the bill with his credit card. Later, Marion wrote the FOM (i.e., Allisha
Miller) complaining that he missed his airline flight because it took so long to check
out. If the FOM believes that this guest deserves a room rate adjustment, she should
follow preestablished procedures for recording the refund.
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