How to complain right when your travel plans go wrong
Advance, keyboard warriors! In this digital age of crowd-sourced travel information, innovative smartphone apps and the share-economy (think Airbnb, TripAdvisor and Sky Scanner) it's not all that shocking that a new survey of more than 3000 global travellers found we'd rather mouth off about a bad travel experience online than seek redress from the owner.
Further down the list of priorities was complaining to an industry or licensing body. Sending a letter to the Fijian Tourism Board about your flooded room? No, it seems Aggrieved Angus of Auckland is a dying breed.
Perhaps it is not too much of a jump to assume that those that like to research and book online may also like to review and bemoan online.
The same survey, however, found close to one in 10 respondents surveyed ended up with plans not in line with their expectations – a worrying statistic, but one that cannot be blamed only on the individual travel companies (be they virtual or high-street based).
Now that so much information about literally any destination is available online it's somewhat strange the old adage "let the buyer beware" is somehow lost in all the web-sale pop-ups and palm-fringed photos. You would think with all the reviews, user photos and forums, the expectations of our itineraries would be tempered slightly, but now nothing short of Instagram-worthy won't do, apparently.
Hooks and the fine print, which previously may have been dictated to you by some travel agent just before you're about to hand over the cash, have been replaced by the online T&C's check-box to be ticked without more than a fleeting glance at the never ending policy. Oh dear.
But the same survey did find almost half, at 47 per cent, vetted a travel company website using online reviews – this seems low in the ever-growing online travel space, albeit understandable given the controversy websites like TripAdvisor have had over fake and puffed up reviews, and the fact that sometimes you'll trust a locals' or close friends' recommendations over some TripAdvisor "Star Review" from Steve and Gail of Te Awamutu.
But when your holiday experience doesn't match your expectations (be they rose-tinted from online reviews, word-of-mouth recommendations or photo shopped adverts), in a world of cyber trolls and keyboard warriors, it's clear that many love to rant after a traumatic experience abroad – even I see it as strangely therapeutic. But will it get results for you or the next poor soul who checks in, or just revenge?
I spoke to several hospitality senior staff about their bitter-sweet relationships with online reviews and the feedback was fairly consistent: be it restaurants, hotels or activity companies the staff are far more likely to rectify the situation when you're onsite rather than online.
"Let us know as soon as you can, rather than penting up your frustration that we didn't get it right first time. We get that you'll be annoyed but it's also an opportunity for us to wow you with better service," said one Sydney-based hotel staffer.
Others agreed, with an Auckland hospitality manager saying: "If the restaurant is unable or unwilling to rectify the issue, then vent away online all you like – but they're probably going to be better placed to sort things out on the night that two weeks later".
Even though the keyboard warriors show no sign of letting up there's much to be said for making a scene (gracefully, of course) to front-of-house staff right then and there, instead of smashing away on your laptop after the fact.
When it’s far from picture perfect
- Don't delay. Be it noisy neighbours or a missed connection, let the travel company know about any issue right away.
- Take notes of times, names and places. Receipts help too. If you have to go online or complain at a later date, this can help with the legitimacy of your complaints.
- Be assertive, without being rude. Nothing is going to make your hosts want to shun you like an entitled, demanding attitude.
- Be realistic in what you expect, your off-season trip to the Med may not match the peak-season photos.
- Be realistic in what you think you're owed – you hated the steak? Then why did you eat three-quarters of it before sending it back?
- When reviewing, be sure to mention the resolution as well as the problem.
Written by Josh Martin. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.
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