Complaints. Who, What and Why.

During my years in Las Vegas, I have observed the methods people use in complaining to employees of casinos, hotels and restaurants. Some of these confrontations became quite heated. When that happens, instead of opening the doors of communication they slam shut and nothing gets done, at least from the view point of the person who is making the complaint. People complain in different ways but the ones who get the best results are usually those who keep focused on the grievance, along with staying firm with their convictions, but remaining calm.

Those who own and operate hotels and casinos in Las Vegas are not really, for example, in the casino business, but in the $MONEY$ business...and they want your money! To get your money they want to keep you happy...within certain limits.

The more money you gamble the better you will be treated. If you show up once a month for three days and average $50,000 a bet for ten hours a day, your complaints will be listened to very intently and most likely all be resolved in your favor. Since these players are far and few between, Las Vegas has to depend on the rest of us. Believe me, they want your gambling budget of $200.00 a day just as much as they want the whale’s money. Keeping you happy is money in the bank for them because keeping you happy will result in your continued gambling and spending. Because of this, average low roller visitors have some leverage when they complain.

Here are some things to consider:

WHAT IS A COMPLAINT
A business wants your money and is offering certain goods and services in return. When you are not getting those goods and services, or not getting them in a manner that is proper, you have a basis for a complaint.

DO YOU REALLY HAVE A COMPLAINT
You order triffle (cake) for dessert and the waiter brings you truffles (a mushroom like fungus) instead. You could complain to the manager but the error is probably the result of a misunderstanding; a few words with the waiter will likely rectify the problem. You would have a valid complaint if the waiter won’t correct the order.

Normally, people do not complain about these incident unless it is especially egregious. Usually the complaint is that nothing is being done about the incident.

IS THIS WORTH THE TIME AND EFFORT
If your hotel room is decorated in green-blue but you like red-yellow you could call the desk to see if they a room with your favorite color scheme. If no red-yellow room is available you can not expect the hotel to repaint a room just for you. Making a complaint would be futile.

Most misunderstandings and are resolved quickly, usually in the patron’s favor. If a misunderstanding is not promptly resolved in your favor at the level of occurrence you have to decide if it is worth pursuing.

When things are not going our way, such as not being able to get reservations to that certain show or losing fifty hands of blackjack in a row, we tend to get upset or at least a bit testy over minor incidents that would not normally bother us if things were going more to our liking. Do you really have a valid complaint or do you want to lash out at someone because of your bad mood? Before making a complaint ask yourself, “Would I bother pursuing this if I were winning or in a good mood?”

COMPLAIN TO THE PROPER PERSON AT THE CORRECT LEVEL
Most gripes can be resolved at the level which it occurred or close to it. Finding the correct person to take the complaint is sometimes half the battle. Let us say you dislike having a dirty ashtray anywhere near you while seated at the bar. Which will get the intended results in a timely manner: complaining to the change girl, telling the bartender or sending a telegram to the CEO of the hotel?

Extreme measures are best suited to extreme circumstances. You would not use a sledge hammer to kill an ant so do not over react when it comes time to make a complaint.

When the problem can not seem to be remedied where they start, complaints should made at least one level higher than the person responsible for the incident.

If your room is not made up by a reasonable time or the extra towels you requested are not there, relate your concerns to the housekeeping supervisor. Not happy with the number the dealer called on that leaner at the craps table? There is not much point in trying to get the dealer to change the call. Tell the boxman about it. Your waiter is sloppy and can not seem to get your order correct, tell the host or Maitre`D. If, after a reasonable time, your complaints have not been handled to your satisfaction and you think they are worth pursuing, take them to the next level.

Casinos and hotels have people at several levels responsible for dealing with customers’ complaints. For example, if you are not happy with the decision the boxman makes you can take your complaint to the floorman, then to the pit box, then to the shift supervisor and eventually all the way to the casino manager. If your shower drain is clogged call the front desk to have someone fix it; if nothing is done you can complain to the assistant manager or hotel manager. Some businesses have employees who’s only job is to deal with patrons’ complaints.

HOW TO COMPLAIN
Consider this scenario. You are in a gourmet restaurant in Las Vegas. After the most inferior dining experience of your life you are discussing your complaints with the restaurant’s manager. You are not getting any indication the manager is concerned with your complaints and you are not even sure that he is listening. You become frustrated with his apathetic attitude. Eventually you start yelling and screaming, calling him a few choice names, making allusions to his bottom-of-the-food-chain ancestry and throwing in a couple of comments about his mother’s sex life for good measure. Strangely enough this does not get your complaints resolved but does result in your immediate removal from the property. Now you are on the sidewalk (or in jail if things go too far) trying to convince people not to patronize the place. Naturally, to make matters worse, your rantings seems to have no effect on the dinning plans of people who are intent on entering the place.

So, what have you accomplished? Not much except getting yourself upset for the next day or so (or until you get out of jail). This will not enhance your vacation experience in Las Vegas.

Here are a few tips to consider once you have decided to go ahead and make a complaint:

Be reasonable. If you complained to the housekeeping supervisor that the hotel maid did not leave the extra towels you requested, be happy if you get the towels. Do not expect the hotel to comp your rooms, meals and pay for your airline tickets over a few towels. At the other extreme, if you wake up to rats chewing on your toes they will probably be more generous in dealing with your complaint.

Control your emotions. No one likes to be yelled at and called names. I once heard a casino patron start off his complaint to a pit boss with, “I hope you won’t be as hard to deal with as the other idiots here.” Talk about being dead in the water before you even present your case.

Employees at all levels are allowed a certain amount of discretion in dealing with complaints. There is no point in antagonizing the very people who have the authority to help you solve the problem. Everyone gets upset at one time or another. If you want to complain but feel you are about to blow up, take a walk, count to ten, jump up and down or what ever works to calm yourself. I heard another patron tell the same pit boss, “I’m so %$#@&^% pissed off at that #%@*&@# change girl, I can’t talk now!”

The guy walked off and came back about five minutes later and started talking to the pit boss. The pit boss told him, “I appreciate you calming down and not yelling at me like so many people do. Now, what can I do for you?” The guy walked away with a smile and told his wife, “Look. He gave us a free buffet.”

Smile. It does not cost anything and sets the proper mood for the discussion to follow. Giving the complaint taker the “hard stare” to show that you mean business will probably put that person off. This will not help your case which will get you even more upset.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR COMPLAINTS ARE NOT RESOLVED
There will be times when no matter how obvious it is that you have been wronged, no matter how reasonable and polite you are, you come up against a stone wall. Sometimes the best thing you can do is leave the establishment, put the experience behind you and get on with your vacation. If you still feel the complaint is justified and you want something done, write down all you can about the incident, dates, times, names, locations, conversations and anything else you remember that might be relevant. Put it away (or maybe mail it home) and get on with enjoying your vacation.

Once you get home, if you still want to complain, you can call the parent company or corporate headquarters and locate the person who handles such complaints. Explain your complaint and follow it up with a letter containing all the facts you have. Keep the tone of the letter business-like and request an answer to your letter within two weeks, or more time if you are told it will take longer to get a response. If you do not hear anything within the specified time period, call again, explain your concerns and follow it up with another letter.

If you still get no satisfaction there are other avenues you can follow. If your shirt was ruined when the waiter dumped tomato juice on it, you can sue in small claims court. Of course, if you live in New York this could be a problem. You could complain to the Better Business Bureau in Las Vegas. Although they have no authority to force the business to do anything, they do write strong letters and sometimes can get problems resolved for you. You can take a more personal approach and advise anyone who asks you for advise on Las Vegas not to patronize the establishment. You can vilify them in newsgroups, on-line forums and chat rooms...and of course, make sure you never patronize them again.

Most Las Vegas businesses will bend over backward to resolve patrons’ complaints although there are some that display a “we are so popular, in and trendy, we don’t care” attitude. This should guide you as to which business not to patronize.

It has been my experience that when patrons leave the business with unresolved complaints and bad feelings, it is usually due to dented egos on one or both sides. Remaining calm and being reasonable will go a long way toward resolving them in your favor. Smile and be nice, or at least be polite. Keep focused on the complaint and leave personalities out of it. You will be surprised how far these simple tactics will take you. Each minute of your vacation is too valuable to waste any of them by getting upset.

Good luck on your next trip to Las Vegas.