DO NOT TRUST THESE PEOPLE WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD...
your debit card, cash, check or money order! Exactly two months ago I checked out of the MainStay Suites hotel, in Lufkin, Texas, after a seven-week stay. A work assignment had brought me to Lufkin, where I found the accommodations at this hotel quiet, fairly clean, and comfortable. They were a little lax in changing the bed linen weekly, as promised, and rarely stopped in to empty the trash without first being asked, even when I didn't leave the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door. The printer in the office center in the lobby rarely worked properly either; and for $70 a night (in one of the poorer parts of the country), they really should have paid better attention to these details. But all-in-all I was fairly well-satisfied with the place.
As it turned out though, my work assignment ended earlier than expected, after the hotel had already deducted a full week's rent from my checking account; and I had no intention of staying another full week. So on Saturday afternoon, July 2nd, I came down to the front desk and notified Mandy, the desk clerk, of my change of plans. She assured me there would be no problem, and said she would also notify (by email) the manager, Jennifer, who was then on vacation.
At the checkout counter on Wednesday morning, July 6th, I was concerned about my $280 refund. There was nothing in the hotel policy which stipulated forfeiture, in the event of an early departure, but still I was uneasy. So the desk clerk put me in touch with Jennifer by phone (the manager who was still on vacation). She too offered reassurances: that the "hold" on my account, as she termed it, would be released so that I wouldn't be charged for the four nights I would not be staying. In fact, this was the second time she had reassured me of this. But did that happen? No.
So I let a few weeks pass and then filed a claim with my bank for the $280, which they granted. But then, unbelievably, MainStay Suites FILED A COUNTERCLAIM FOR THE $280! Outright theft! Which my bank also granted!
Immediately I called Jennifer, in Lufkin, to ask what was going on. She blamed me for filing a claim too soon (after TWO weeks), also blamed my bank, and then emphasized that I was going to have to 'do some leg work' (whatever that means) to get it fixed. However, she deftly avoided any explanation for why her hotel had filed the counterclaim in the first place - my query meeting with the smokescreen of silence. Apparently this woman is well-practiced in the art of deception. When I asked her to call my bank and speak with the Claims Department, she said she would try, but doubted they would speak to her concerning my account. She was right about that; but then, I never asked her to nose into the details of my account, only to rescind her bogus claim. However, she also promised to call back and let me know the outcome. Instead, she let the entire matter drop.
So now here I am, TWO MONTHS LATER, on the verge of being bilked out of $280 by this hotel manager who repeatedly insisted that the $280 was only a hold on my account, even after the funds had clearly already been deducted. Apparently MainStay Suites, and this manager in particular, believes that paying guests are fools, ripe for the picking. As manager, she almost certainly had a hand in initiating the false counterclaim against me, has made no serious effort to have it rescinded, and has subsequently been content to see me robbed. All of which prompts me to say again: DO NOT TRUST THESE PEOPLE WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD!
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