I had called ahead by about twenty minutes to this inn in order to see if they had a room available. I called twice and no one answered, so I assumed that they were closed. I checked the Yelp page for their hours, and saw that they were open, and decided to stop by. I had walked up to the counter and waited for a few minutes as some people were in back talking quite loudly in an unfamiliar language. I had waited so long that I decided to ring the bell, and waited another few minutes.
A gentlemen emerges from the back, and he was relatively warm and friendly. I asked if there was a room available, and there was, so I decided to take it having seen the Yelp reviews.
As I went to the room, I passed some of my neighbors who had just come back from the pool, talking excitedly. I went into the room, set my stuff down, and immediately noticed the age of the room and its components; the room was also cold. I had turned the cranky heater on to full blast, which isn't saying much, and put my water in the freezer, as the fridge was not cold. I tried out the bed, seeing that the covers were flat and lifeless, thus I assumed the mattress would be less than appealing.
I laid down, not moving the covers, trying to convince myself that I could get a good night's rest. I noticed the noises in the hallway and a very obvious humming sound, possibly from the fridge, maybe from the central heating system, I'm not sure. It was distracting, regardless.
Having not touched anything in the room, I decided to gather my courage and speak to the innkeeper. I shy away from conflict, and I was quite apologetic that I had even been saying that I didn't find the inn to what I need to sleep.
Ready?
I motion up to the counter, ring the bell, and wait. The man emerges again, and I apologize profusely, stating, "I don't want to be a pain, but I don't think that I can sleep here; the mattress is discomforting and there's a noise-"
"What noise?"
"There's a sort of humming sound... Maybe from the central air?"
"I've been here twenty-eight [or some-odd, I forgot since I was so shocked by his next actions] years, and I have never heard this sound."
"I'd be happy to show you! It's just in the room and you can hear it now." I pointed to the ceiling because that's where it was coming from. "Do you hear it?"
"No. There is no sound."
"Okay... If you want to hear what I mean, can I show you?"
He mumbles and follows me half-way down the hallway to my room before stopping and saying, quite rudely, "Do you want to sleep or are you just here to complain?"
I wasn't sure what to say... honestly, I was confused and thought he misspoke as there was no reason for him to be belligerent. "I'm... sorry, sir? I'd like to sleep, but as I mentioned, there are a few things... I'm so sorry to be such a pain!"
"No, when women like YOU come in here and cause trouble and you just want to complain." It was broken English. What can I do? I'm sorry. I'm not sure if it was a language barrier or what, but, here's the kicker:
"I am not here to complain, sir, I'm so sorry. I just want to make sure that I sleep through the night, and this noise-"
"There is NO NOISE. Are you on drug? I'm calling the police."
"E---excuse me?"
"I am calling the police. Women like you come in here just to complain and I can't--- (he was walking down the hall and I felt little reason to pursue his line of thought)"
I gather my things which took less than a minute as I had only set them down around the room. I was scared by this point - I have never encountered a temper like this. I went to the lobby and asked, into the same room he always came out form, if he had called the police. He yelled out that he had. I told him that I would be happy to wait, and I have my things ready to go in my room.
The cop arrived not a moment later, and, well, all he wanted was my side of the story. The innkeeper kept interrupting me as I was speaking to the officer, and the officer had asked him to quite down twice. I requested a refund, which was denied, and I insisted that I would have to file for a dispute if this was not resolved; I had stayed there for, perhaps, fifteen minutes by the time the officer arrived, and services rendered should be of satisfactory results, and I shouldn't have to pay some quick-tempered man to shout insults at me, right?
So, I left, having said, "I wish you well, sir. Have a fantastic night," to which a sarcastic response was beheld.
All of this was surprising, and I'm not sure what I could have done better - I was calm during the duration of his maddening response. I have never been drunk or tipsy, nor have I ever been on anything other than prescriptions, and there certainly was a noise as confirmed by the officer... I'm... perplexed, stupefied, even. Perhaps he was prejudicial against my age, I'm unsure. All I am is confused and with an open credit card dispute.
Be wary, please.
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