Re: Re : weird problem

Thanks for the update Judith,  I'm glad you've got it sorted out, even if 
you didn't get much cooperation from the site owner.

I'm amazed you didn't get more interest from them, since after all you were 
getting emails intended for them. If you'd have had a mind to, you could 
have done them considerable damage.

This reminded me of a story, apparently true, that I read a while back, 
about a woman who lived across the road from a new hotel.  When the hotel 
opened, they had a phone number very similar to hers, and she started 
getting calls intended for them.   She was up to the phone night and day as 
the phone calls came, and got heartily sick and tired of redirecting the 
hotel patrons to the correct number.  She tried to contact the hotel and ask 
them to change their number, but in typical high-and-mighty fashion, they 
said they're operating a business and if she didnt like it she can change 
her own number.   Pointing out that she had the number first, and all her 
friends had her number and they'd just barged into her life without so much 
as a by-your-leave fell on deaf ears.  (Yes, I can hear your gasps of 
amazement now.)

Eventually, tiring of the constant interruptions and the lack of interest 
from the hotel in her plight, she decided to change strategy.

The next person who phoned up, asked for the reservations desk.  She said 
she could help and what would they like.  They said they wanted a suite for 
the 15th of the next month and she said excellent because they had  a 
special on for that day, and she confirmed a booking for half price for that 
night only.  The next call, she accepted a booking for a week's stay for 
half price, and so went the rest of the day.  She had a busy day making 
bookings, quoting for receptions, etc.  She accepted bookings for day tours, 
limousine services etc for people staying at the hotel - anything anyone 
asked for, she said fine she'd fix it up, and incidentally, there was a 
discount or a special on that day for just that very thing.

Then the fun started.  People started arriving at the hotel to find they had 
no booking.  A wedding party arrived only to find there was no reception.  
Day after day, there were arguments and dissatisfaction in the foyer of the 
hotel as day after day people complained about the poor service, incompetent 
bookings service etc.  Heated words exchanged on the path outside the hotel 
as the Concierge protested that he had no knowledge of a booking for a 
limousine or a day tour.

Eventually, the hotel manager caught on to what was happening, and came to 
see the woman, who was now having so much fun with the daily circus 
happening outside her home that she was reluctant to co-operate with them.

As I read the story, it took the hotel an ENORMOUS sum of money to persuade 
the woman to stop being their bookings office,  they had to change their 
phone number, and of course it had cost them a fortune in all the discounts 
and special deals she'd given people that they'd had to honour, and the 
rooms at competing hotels they'd had to buy to satisfy the angry travellers 
pounding the desks in their reception area.

Oh, and the NEW management of the hotel changed the phone number.

Cheers,
Mike Kear
AFP Web Development
Windsor, NSW, Australia
http://www.afp.zip.com.au




>
>Hi all,
>About a month ago I wrote the list about a web site that was using my 
>e-mail
>address. Well I did end up contacting the owner of the site by phone and 
>she
>was most rude and obnoxious stating that she did not have my address on her
>site. Well then my IP called her and again she was rude and obnoxious
>several times  to different people.  Finally they were able to contact the
>designers of the site and just this weekend the address was removed. That
>all took a month and quite a number of phone calls! Just thought I would 
>let
>you all know the outcome. Thanks for the advice about the problem.
>Judy
>

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