I am a longtime fan and customer of The Beachcomber Inn and have stayed here for many years prior to the big renovations when the rooms were very rustic, and after the renovations. My love of San Clemente goes back decades.
Well, a couple of days ago, 10/5/21, I was on the phone with a woman (was on duty at 12:15 on 10/5/21) in the front office at The Beachcomber. I was calling to see if the tragic oil spill in Huntington Beach that occurred 10/1/21 had reached San Clemente yet. Nearby Dana Point Harbor had closed earlier in the day on 10/5/21. I have reservations for 3 rooms that start this Sunday 10/10/21, which I made a year in advance in October of 2020. I am a loyal customer and have sang The Beachcomber's praises to friends that have become regular customers. I honestly feel protective of this place, and that's why I'm writing this review. Something needs to be done.
I called to discuss the potential to cancel the reservation should the beach be closed due to toxicity and health concerns for the public. My confirmation email from Beachcomber dated October 11, 2020 (last year) indicates there is a 72 hour cancellation requirement for stays of 1-3 days. So, I say in passing to the woman, "Well, I hope the beach isn't forced to be closed. I'll make sure to call by 10/7/21 to meet the 72 hour requirement early."
Her reply was, "We have a new cancellation police that went into effect Jan 1, 2021 so reservations must be cancelled within 2 weeks prior to your stay."
My reply to her was, "I have my copy of a written agreement entered in to by myself and Beachcomber that allows a 72 hour cancellation. I'm sure the courts would say the written agreement is valid and binding should it come to that. The fact that you say you changed your policy wouldn't stand up when this agreement was entered into by both parties. You can't change what was already agreed to, especially with no communication. Do you have proof that you advised me of this?"
It got worse from there. She decided to use the often-used, but irrelevant tactic of simply repeating that they changed the policy over and over, "even on our website." And she also used the insulting customer service tactic of asking me a question then talking over what I was saying. I called her on all of this a number of times, but she kept doing it. Then I said, "You're probably going to start apologizing for my feelings any second now." I didn't have to wait too long. Within 30 seconds she said, "I'm sorry you feel that way," which is not an apology but rather, an insult. This made me laugh out loud at her response and I said, "Oh my gosh. I just predicted and said you would apologize for my feelings and you just did that. Another really bad customer service tactic."
After all this, it looks like the beach is going to remain open so we'll go on Sunday. I didn't even have to cancel and look what happened. I felt like I needed to complete this review because I see that another customer in June 2021 got treated the same after she made a reservation a year in advance (prior to the 1/1/21 policy change) and needed to cancel because her sister had Covid. This time, they took her money and refuse to refund it. She had to cancel for a legitimate reason and they treated her like that. Another long-term customer being horribly treated.
I told the woman on the phone that the phone call was horrendous and I'd never been talked to like that by anyone at a hotel where I was going to stay, AND have already made reservations for NEXT year.
Here's the thing: The Beachcomber's 13 cottages pull in anywhere from $215 to $500 per night. Each room generates between $1505 - $3500 for 7 days x 13 cottages = $19,565 - $45,500 PER WEEK. This comes out to $1,020,175 to $2,372,500 per year. AND if it's true that the property has been owned by a family since 1947 you can bet the property is paid off and this is all profit after paying overhead.
My point: Whether they care about the customer is absolutely suspect. I can tell you from first-hand knowledge that they don't care as much as they used to. Everyone that tries knows how hard it is to get a reservation. There will be plenty of unsuspecting customers waiting in line to snatch up a room. Perhaps they've chosen money over the customer. Sadly, it looks like their response to the pandemic we've all suffered through is to take out their "we need more money" vengeance in the worst possible way: on loyal customers. Shame on them.
I wonder if the owner of the property knows they refused to refund that customer's money. Whoever the owner of the property is, or the property management company's legal counsel is needs to be made aware of this incident and the ongoing treatment being unleashed by the office staff. This is absolutely ridiculous for anyone to be subjected to these kinds of interactions. I'm considering cancelling my reservation for next year. They undoubtedly won't care. read more