We left the Best Western in Niagara Falls this morning and I had a brief run-in with the general manager. When I looked at my itemized bill, I noticed that I was being charged $5.00 for each local call I made. He explained that local calls are free, but any call over 30 minutes was subject to a $5.00 charge and that this information was clearly printed in the hotel information. Well, I had called the front desk to ask about local calls and was told they were free. I believe it should have been the responsibility of the employee to inform me that there would be a charge for calls over 30 minutes. If I had known this, I would have logged off the net after 25 minutes and re-connected.
Anyhow, I told the manager what had happened and and that I did not intend to pay for the local calls since one of his employees gave me incomplete information. To make an already long story less long, he accused me of attempting to deceive him and of taking advantage of him. He walked away from me several times while I attempted to reason with him and he was incredibly RUDE. Not wanting to keep Mary and the kids waiting in the car any longer, I suggested we split the phone bill, which only cost me $15.00. Yet, there was a principle involved. All this to say, STAY AWAY FROM THE BEST WESTERN on Falls View in Niagara. The General Manager is NOT a nice man!
On with the show. Today was a big driving day. We bid adieu to Niagara Falls and set course for upstate New York. Our first stop was the Harriet Tubman house, located in Auburn, about halfway across the state. We arrived there only to find out that it is closed on Mondays. Grrr. So we took a few photos of the house, took the dog for a walk and stretched our legs before going on through Syracuse.
At this point, the terrain became more hilly and the colors of the leaves was brilliant! Fiery reds, oranges and bright yellow spotted the countryside. It was simply beautiful and it has continued as we head further East. We were going to bed down in Albany, NY for the evening, but decided to continue into Vermont. We found a nice little motel in Bennington (whose name I won't mention since the nice lady wouldn't give me a discount). Tomorrow, we will drive through Vermont covered-bridge territory to satisfy Mary's longing for "the simple things". It truly is beautiful here. It reminds me of Chevy Chase in Funny Farm, without the lamb fries.
It's Del.icio.us!
Furl It!
October 13, 2003 11:31 PM
Not everything that is legal is also ethical. Several years ago when my car was broken down at an Albertson's in Norman, Oklahoma, I used a pay phone in the store lobby to call a wrecker and also a friend to give me a ride. For 22 minutes of long distance the charge was $46. The front of the telephone did have a small notice that there was a surcharge for using a calling card, but I didn't think that made it right. I spent a lot of time talking to an Albertson's rep (since the phone service wouldn't respect me). Albertson's said they weren't responsible. I replied that since they contracted with the phone service to install the phone and were receiving payment, that they were involved.
Yes, I think you got ripped off. That is what happens when people won't temper their capitalistic drive with Christian decency and ethics.