Beyond the call of duty?

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
la vache!
Posts: 11065
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 7:22 pm

Beyond the call of duty?

Post by la vache! »

What do property owners expect to have to do living on site? I've happily taken people to the dentists and doctors (if they don't speak the language), usually it takes a couple of hours at most. This week, however, I had a party of 4 adults (parents, daughter and fiancé). Having had the door knocked several times to ask the obvious questions, on Thursday morning, they knocked very early to say that the fancé had gone fishing the day before and hadn't returned. They were understandably very worried. As they didn't speak a word of French, I phoned the police and there had been an accident, the fiancé was in hospital. Phoned the hospital to find out how he was, he was being transferred to another larger hospital for tests. In the meantime I have driven Dad and daughter to track down the car which is a write off. So, being late for work, I took them to Rennes with me, called a taxi at reception to take them to the hospital and left them to it. The fiancé was fine, luckily, just facial injuries. The ambulance brought them home. The next day, I spent most of Friday on the phone, or letting them phone home. I took Dad and daughter to the police station to collect the personal things recovered from the car. It turned out according to the gendarme who was present at the scene of the crime that the fiancé had become agressive when asked to blow in the bag(standard practice at the scene of an accident)and had refused. (There were several empty beer cans in the car). He was given a fine for speeding, and apparently got off quite lightly as refusing a breath test carries a heavy fine.
Then took them to the supermarket for some food, then onto a pharmacy to get a prescription, then home. I was then asked to get a bottle of wine when I went out to collect my other half from the airport.
I know they were grateful for my help and I shouldn't expect anything else and of course I didn't get anything. They even wanted the deposit back before leaving.
Luckily I have some lovely guests this week, otherwise I would feel like giving up. But maybe that is what people pay for if the owners are on site?
Fraise
Posts: 2079
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 8:25 am
Location: Charente Maritime and Middle England

Post by Fraise »

Phew! Above and beyond I think.....easier said than done though probably if you ARE on site,it's hard to leave people with troubles.Presumably insurance would have covered them ?
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vrooje
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Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 2:48 am
Location: Burgundy, France

Post by vrooje »

Wow -- I would hope for some serious gratefulness for that.

Perhaps their life is in a bit of chaos right now because of the "accident" (though I don't consider drunk driving an accident), and afterward they will write you a letter to thank you.

Perhaps, after all your hospitality, they will even want to come back next year! Whether or not you want them back is another question. :lol:
Brooke
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debk
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Location: Lisbon, Portugal
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Post by debk »

Funny how a little gratitude goes a long way, eh?

I would have done the same thing in that situation, especially if they weren't fluent in the local language. But I admit that I would have appreciated a thank you when it was over. (Maybe even a nice bottle of wine? :lol: ) And then I would have been irked to know it was brought on by something as self-indulgent as drunk driving.

But however the guests reacted, you know you did the right thing... and should feel great about it.

Thanks for helping make a good name for all us VR owners!
Clexane
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Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2005 3:42 pm
Location: Provence France
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Post by Clexane »

Susan,

That was a fantastic effort. They should have been very greatful and very thankful. The effort was obvious and common courtesy would have had most people showering you with thank you gifts.

You can only be yourself and do the right thing. Some people will respond to this others .. well ... just wont. Swings and roundabouts but I believe you are always enriched by doing the right thing whether or not others acknowlege it.

Well done.
So you wanted a holiday home in france ...

www.villaemmanuelle.com
la vache!
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Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 7:22 pm

Post by la vache! »

Thanks everyone, there is no way that I wouldn't have helped them, but it was a bit annoying that they had not arranged any breakdown cover for France (I'm not even sure they checked their car insurance covered France, they certainly didn't have their documents with them. I just wish people would get properly prepared before travelling to a different country! Brooke, I don't think they will be back, I hope not as when they left they had been smoking in the bedrooms (something I state in the notes NOT to do, of course they didn't read the notes) and had had an open fire, whether they got the wood from me without permission or my neighbours pile of wood is up for debate. They like the sun and there wasn't much of that last week in Brittany, so even without the accident I don't think they will be back! In all fairness, they didn't have a car, so they couldn't go and get me a nice bottle of wine, but a few euros towards the diesel I used to taxi them about and the numerous phone calls made would have been nice!
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enid
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Post by enid »

and it wouldn't have cost anything to write athank you note!
Linda Freese
Posts: 175
Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2004 9:00 am
Location: Costa del Sol

Post by Linda Freese »

they didn't have a car, so they couldn't go and get me a nice bottle of wine,
..but they had no qualms in asking you to get them one when you went to the airport!! Still, I believe in what goes around comes around.... :)

Well done - you did the right thing, let´s hope that your next guests are nicer!
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