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My Wynn Drama

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by sageblue, Jan 10, 2009.

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  1. sageblue

    sageblue High-Roller

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    My Trip Report

    In my trip report, I mentioned that we had some drama with Wynn. Below is the letter I have sent to Wynn. I'll report if/when I get a response.


    I write to you today to first thank you and your associates for the wonderful night we spent at Encore the night of its grand opening: the room was warm and luxurious, and the staff was accommodating and gracious.

    I also write to you today, however, to express my dissatisfaction with a series of miscommunications and hassles that my family experienced at Wynn. These events were extremely frustrating, disappointing, and exhausting. I wanted to tell you the story of my experience because I think it is important for you to get feedback, both positive and negative, so you can improve your operations, and because I know that you strive to provide your guests with a singular experience at Wynn and Encore.

    On December 22nd, my mother and aunt were to return home to Seattle, having spent the previous four days with us in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, their flight was cancelled, and, after spending two hours in line at McCarran, they learned they would not be able to leave until Christmas Eve. They were very upset by this change of plans, as they were missing out on family events. To help ease their distress, I decided to treat them to two nights at Wynn, if possible, since we were staying next door at Encore for the opening night: the least I could do was treat them to the best hotel in the city.

    After the agent checked us into our room at Encore, I asked about availability at Wynn (assuming that Encore was sold out). The agent replied that there was indeed a room with two beds available and reserved it under my name. I then told them my surprise, and they instantly perked up: their day of frustration and exhaustion was finally turning around. The valet said the car would be at the Wynn main valet where we could retrieve our bags, so we walked over there, where they were indeed waiting. We told the valet that we were actually staying at Encore, and he replied that it wouldn't be a problem.

    We walked into registration and I began the process of checking in. The agent asked if I would like to upgrade to a Tower Suites room. The first experience we had at Wynn was actually in a salon suite, so I thought – why not: let's make this impromptu Christmas gift even sweeter, especially given what my mother and aunt had been through. I asked if there was a room with two beds available, and he assured me there was.

    We walked over to Tower Suites registration, and while the rest of the party sat comfortably, I attempted to check them in. Unfortunately, the room was actually not ready as it was still being cleaned. The agent said that that should be expected since it was 2:30pm and not actually check-in time. I told her that this was surprising since the agent at the registration desk said it was available: she said it was available to be reserved, but it was not ready for check-in. Slightly miffed at the semantic dispute, I nonetheless accepted that it would only be another 30 minutes; my mother and aunt waited in the lobby, glad to be sitting after running around all day, while Rick and I explored Encore a bit more, since we had only dropped off our bags before trying to get them settled.

    We returned at 3pm and I asked if the room was ready. It was not. There were rooms available with just a king bed, but one with two beds was not. The agent suggested we see if that would be amenable with a rollaway bed, so she gave us keys to a prospective room; at the very least, we could relax there while the other room was being finished, which would be shortly. She said that she would call me when the room was ready.

    We retired to this room and sat and waited. At 4pm, I finally called down to the front desk and asked about the status of the room: it was still not ready. At that point, I decided that I just needed to get my family into a room so they could feel settled after such an unsettling day. I asked the agent to transfer the reservation back to the resort room we originally had; she did so, saying that we could go to that room now since she would re-code the card keys in our possession. We trudged downstairs, over to the resort elevators, and up to room 3456 – where the keys did not work. I called security; the security guard came up in ten minutes, unlocked the door, and told us that he had no idea why the agent told us the keys would work as it takes thirty minutes for them to be reset.

    After getting my family settled, I went down to registration to communicate my frustration with the original agent who "upsold" me and had essentially provided a wild goose chase for three hours. He was occupied, but another representative listened patiently, and provided a food credit for our troubles. She was very considerate, and I appreciated the gesture.

    My family decided to go to Terrace Pointe Café for a nice, simple, and relatively quick meal. Unfortunately, we experienced extremely slow service, despite the restaurant being half-empty: almost two hours later, we were able to leave and experience the opening of Encore.

    Before I left for the airport the next day, I called my mother to see how her night had been in her plush accommodations; she said she slept well, after finally getting into the room—their keys still had not worked, and she had to go get a completely new set of keys. This was yet another disappointment – which was followed by me having to wait for 20 minutes for my car at the Encore valet because no one realized that the car was in the Wynn garage, despite me having told the front desk agent as I checked out.

    Perhaps some of the frustrating incidents (e.g., poor service at Terrace Pointe, the valet) we experienced can be ascribed to the pressure brought upon the resort by the Encore grand opening. However, the constant miscommunication and misdirection – accompanied by a general lack of empathy or concern until I explicitly explained my frustrations – was what surprised and concerned me. It seems to me that the resort and Tower Suites registration staffs need to be better coordinated when "upselling," that they should clearly explain timeframes to guests, and that they should recognize that they need to go the extra mile when it is apparent that guests are being inconvenienced.

    I hope that these were isolated incidents, and do not reflect the kind of economically driven decline in service we experienced at other resorts during our stay, including the disappointing decline my mother and aunt experienced their previous three nights staying at Paris.

    We do not pretend to be "high rollers": fortunately, we can afford to eat at great restaurants and stay at great hotels. I wanted to share that with my family when they most needed quality service and great accommodations. While we experienced some of that at Encore, I cannot say that they experienced that at Wynn, and that was truly upsetting to me.

    I appreciate you reading my account, and I hope that you can perhaps help your staff prevent other guests from having such a frustrating experience.
     
  2. blackjacknut

    blackjacknut VIP Whale

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    Sorry you had such a bad experience, thank you though for sharing it. This may help others......it will be interesting to see what kind of response if any you get.
     
  3. jgates8

    jgates8 VIP Whale

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    Very well written!
     
  4. ez369

    ez369 High-Roller

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    does WLV not have online guest surveys? Everytime after I check out of Mandalay/THEhotel I get an online guest satisfaction survey. Same at Bellagio so I'm guessing it's MGM wide. I've also received it everytime after I check out of Venetian/Palazzo as well. The one time I had an unfavorable response for Mandalay, it took them no time to call me to discuss.
     
  5. Coaster Kikky

    Coaster Kikky Tourist

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    I hope you hear from them Greg. Your letter was well-written and without rancor, just voicing your frustration. Hopefully they recognize that as well... as has been said many times, you can attract far more flies with honey than with vinegar. I like to believe that a level-headed approach to such issues produces far better results than temper tantrums.
     
  6. angel81chick

    angel81chick Abuelita

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    Did you ever hear back?
     
  7. sageblue

    sageblue High-Roller

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    Well, sorta. Here is what I received on Jan. 10:

    I suppose to them "appropriately" means no response at all.

    I guess I don't really want to pester, but at the same time, I'm wondering if I shouldn't send a written letter to someone who has a name, but I can't for the life of me find the appropriate person to contact in the maze of their corporate site.

    Any suggestions would be most appreciated, and will be processed appropriately.
     
  8. ez369

    ez369 High-Roller

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    Perhaps they are inuandated w/ customer complaints and can't keep up? Just call them up and tell them you want to speak to the guy who's voice you hear on the wynn and encore website. lol :evillaugh I'm really surprised you have not had a response yet though as I've seen customer service issues being acknowledged by a phone call within 5 business days max from large fortune 500 companies.
     
  9. Dougie

    Dougie I am IN!

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    In my opinion, letters are a thing of the past. Call and ask the operator who would be most able to handle a complaint. Be very specific with your complaint and what you hope to accomplish with it. Being vague and saying something along the lines of "I really just wanted you to know so you can improve in the future' will most likely be shrugged off. Use the specifics you listed in your email, and never be reluctant to ask for somebodies supervisor. That request is quite valid until you are satisfied, or they connect you with Steve Wynn.
     
  10. jmn3

    jmn3 Low-Roller

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    I can honestly say I find that either calling and speaking with someone or sending a printed and signed letter does much more than sending something electronically. This is not specific to hotels - but banks, credit card companies, restaurants, and so on. I've had so much success writing letters and sending them off when I feel that, as a consumer, I've been wronged. I had an argument going with Dell a few years back when the computer I bought for my parents was priced online for 400 and arrived "slightly different" than my initial order and was repriced at 750. Telephone calls and e-mails went nowhere. I finally wrote a very detailed and to-the-point letter to the CEO and cc'd any executive whose name I could find out as well as Michael Dell. Within a week I had gotten the credit to my account and several apology letters and a phone call from someone who claimed to be from Michael Dell's office.

    It's obvious that you have a talent for writing a detailed and convincing letter from your post, so I would suggest if you don't hear back, send it as a letter. Another suggestion I would have is to actually send this to someone's e-mail if you can, not just the regular customer comment e-mail address. Try a Google search, you might find a contact of a VP or someone you can contact directly. Hell, figure out their e-mail format (example - [email protected], etc...) and shoot one off to Mr. Wynn directly.

    Defenitley let us know if you get anything back - I'd be curious to hear how this turns out.
     
  11. shokhead

    shokhead No big spender unless eating drinking having fun!

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    I did hand write Bally's for the crap service I got. I also E-mail them. I also spoke to them before I left the Hotel. That was last Oct. "NOTHING" That's why they no longer will have any of my money.
     
  12. sageblue

    sageblue High-Roller

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    And we have a response...

    In the mail today, I received the following letter on Encore stationery:

    A few comments:
    • Apparently, Wynn doesn't believe in the Oxford Comma.
    • I'm a little surprised this came from the Encore side because it was really the Wynn side that messed things up for the most part. I assume then that he is SVP for both?
    • I guess they felt that the $75 food credit was recompense enough. I honestly wasn't trolling for comps: I actually do believe that companies want to improve customer service, so I believe in taking the opportunity to vent:nono:. However, I have to admit secretly hoping for a free night.

    At least now I have a name to complain to in the future:Þ.
     
  13. Coaster Kikky

    Coaster Kikky Tourist

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    Eh. Who gives a f*** about an Oxford Comma?

    :wink2:
     
  14. blackjacknut

    blackjacknut VIP Whale

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    :kill: Oh my god I just busted a gut on that one! :thumbsup:
     
  15. shokhead

    shokhead No big spender unless eating drinking having fun!

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    [*]I guess they felt that the $75 food credit was recompense enough. I honestly wasn't trolling for comps: I actually do believe that companies want to improve customer service, so I believe in taking the opportunity to vent:nono:. However, I have to admit secretly hoping for a free night.
    [/LIST]
    Really? What does trolling for comps look like then? BTW, nothing wrong with trying to get comped.:licklips:
     
  16. sageblue

    sageblue High-Roller

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    I'm so glad someone took the set-up!
     
  17. LVLady

    LVLady Tourist

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    Sage do you have an email for the gentleman? I have been wanting to write them about the fantastic service we received and can't figure out who to send it to. Sorry they didn't comp you a night. After a problem at Bellagio last summer I wrote a letter and they sent me an email offering a free night which we are taking them up on in April.
     
  18. suebee

    suebee Low-Roller

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    It's kind of hidden on their website, but you can email [email protected]. I wrote to them about the great service I received and received an auto response at first and then a personalized response followed about 2 weeks later.
     
  19. LVLady

    LVLady Tourist

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    Thanks Suzanne. I will do that.
     
  20. sageblue

    sageblue High-Roller

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    He didn't include his personal email address, but the email address I used was the one suebee provided.
     
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