Lost Keys

[Miki]

Here we go again.

Two Spanish families just back from a long day out, cannot find a key

to one of their 3 rooms. They have proceeded to search high and low in

both cars, all handbags etc etc. They have long questioned each other

as to who was last out of the room, two kids had come back in after

leaving,  to say they had forgotten something, could they have the

key please

Give them the key twice and don't get it back the 2nd time as neither

of us was in the resto when the kid come back down. They then change

tract and say they think they left it on the reception counter here,

even going through the imaginery actions of how they did it. No way,

one thing we always do once the keys are all on the counter,  is

to put the keys safe until the guests return. We use them to open the

doors to clean and tidy (or change if guests leaving) but often we will

leave them in our usual place and use the spare key for each room.

All our information sheets in our rooms, tell guests that if they

expect to come back before 16h30, then please take a key as we might be

out but ask first, as we ourselves may indeed be in all day, thus

eliminating the need to take the key out. The Spanish came back here at

22h25, so no need to take any keys at all, let alone two of the three.

The info sheet also says in different languages, that we charge for new

keys to the room,  new lock and new keys X 7 for the front door,

approx around 75 euros inc a new keyholder itself, if the guests take

the keys out and then lose them. It is more a scare tactic but.........

The keys are on a  large polished bit of wood, around 5" x 2", so

as to make it easy to find or rather, hard to lose !!

Anyway, what do others do, we thought we had by now covered all

eventualities but as it is now the 2nd key in two years and none for 3

years before that, although a couple have had to be sent back in the

post !

How does one possibly allow for guests losing keys ? One simply cannot

tell a guest that they cannot return, too many possibilies as to why

they might have to come back. Some seem to always take their

keys, in this case, rather ridiculously, as we were in, many hours

before they came back !!

[Gardian]

Miki ...............

I don't know you, never met you, never will.  Don't know what you look like.  But I'd love to have seen your face after this charade.

I'm told that our pharmacie does a very good line in blood pressure pills.   

[Tresco]

Customer Speaking. Get the money off them.

Do not Flinch. Do not Hesitate...They will be expecting it.

 

[Miki]

Ian,

In the World of things, it isn't such a big deal and truly this does

not phase me but I am honestly fascinated at how, every now and again,

some person will lose the key to the house and their room (we do have scares

where a key is supposedly lost but it turns up a few hours or a few

minutes later). Mind you we had a guest here at the start of the

sesason who even lost his key, from his room to coming down to

breakfast, after a few minute search (yes on this occasion I was

thinking some not so nice thoughts about the fool) it was found that he

had actually left it in the door after locking it.............Words can

often fail one !!

The truth is and a few have told us this, that in their heads, they

prefer to keep the key themselves, personally I never do and nor do

most folks. It makes no sense, unless they expect to come back, knowing

we would be out during that time but still, we always say that poeple

staying here have their holiday heads on, so one expects some crazy moments now and again !

Tresco, you are right of course but it takes that friendliness

feeling away if we talk to them now of what we have to do. So we shall

probably wait until the end of their stay, a couple more days from now,

then when they are leaving and the key is not present, we will explain

what we are now obliged to do and that is to replace the front door

lock and cut some extra new keys.

[Quillan]

All our rooms have a complete set of keys (room, front door and electric gates) and only one set has been lost in four years. We expect hte guests to take the keys with them. Having said that we have only four rooms so the chances I guess are a lot less. We do get people locking themselves out of their rooms (leaving the key inside). One thing we did think about as the cost has dropped a lot now is electronic locks but then what happens when you have a power cut? I guess it's all part of runing a CDH.

One question, do you have the name and address on the piece of wood? We have our phone number and "Récompense si trouvé." on ours because I thought it was best not to have an address for security.

[Juswundrin]

How about getting those keypad locks, which use a PIN rather than a key?

This sort of thing - http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=100645&ts=05267&id=17415

Personally, I much prefer them to carrying around a bloody great keyfob all day.

[Alan]

It’s interesting and I must say I only thought about the key issue yesterday.

As very stupidly I have never thought to get spare keys for the bedroom doors, we issue door keys on arrival and apart from one set of guests taking them home have never had a problem in the past 4 years. In this time also we have never had a guest go out for the day and lock their room, we only have 3 rooms. But of course yesterday was an exception, luckily said family had booked all 3 rooms but one couple decided to lock the bedroom door.

The problem that arose was in their bedroom the main fuse box is situated and of course about 4pm the trip switch went off during a brief clap of thunder. Of course said guest had booked dinner last night, which was a problem as I cook with electric. They arrived back at 7.30 to be told dinner was off.

Mind you on very hot days that might be a good idea throw the mains switch for 3 hours [;-)], so it’s off to mistermint today

[Miki]

[quote] All our rooms have a complete set of keys (room, front door and electric

gates) and only one set has been lost in four years. We expect hte guests to

take the keys with them. Having said that we have only four rooms so the

chances I guess are a lot less. We do get people locking themselves out of

their rooms (leaving the key inside). One thing we did think about as the cost

has dropped a lot now is electronic locks but then what happens when you have a

power cut? I guess it's all part of runing a CDH. [/quote]

 The problem of having anything but a normal door lock, is the taking away of your

place from looking like a mere house. In other words, for the moment, G de Fr would probably not

look too kindly to seeing this kind of door lock. We are meant to be “homes” that

we let our rooms out from. So anything not homely (for lack of a better word)

may attract the purist Chambre d’hôter

whizzing off a complaint, to say that one is acting like a Formule 1…Oh

yes, there are a professional lot going around, who think that like Bob

Dylan going electric was phoney, anyone not doing it as purely, as it

waxes lyrically in the G de Fr book, are acting illegally !!

[quote]One question, do you have the name and

address on the piece of wood? We have our phone number and

"Récompense si trouvé." on ours because I thought it was best not to

have an address for security.[/quote]

We never put anything but the door number on the key , as a  thief can quite easily find your house by your

telephone number.

[quote]How about getting those keypad locks, which use a PIN rather

than a key?

Personally, I much prefer them to carrying around a bloody great key fob all

day.[/quote]

 

Same answer as before I guess and that is really why we have a bluddy big key fob…so as to stop

anyone wanting to do that [;-)]

 Right then, update !

 This morning, Tina goes in to the laundry room where the

Spanish lady had wanted to do some washing and,  there

lo and behold in there on a shelf above the machines, is none

other than the key. Why ? Well young kiddie had rushed in to put a

couple more

things she had forgotten about in the wash. So she went to her room

with said key, then took clothes to

laundry room, put them in the machine (which Tina said she would start

for

them, as they were pressed for time and did not know how to use the

W/M) et

voila, key thought to be left on counter was actually left in the

laundry room. Us, not knowing she had even been in there had not even

thought to look there !!

 We laughed oh how we laughed, me especially,  with that Basil Fawlty grimace which kind of

says bluddy kids !!! and another crisis chez Miki averted !

 Tonight we are eating with them, yes I know we don’t do

cooking now but……….and they want to see my old photos from Sitges from the late

60’s early 70’s, where their Grand parents have a summer house (they are from Barcelona don’t you know

!) He has promised me a trip to the Nou Camp next March,  where his cousin is a Doctor on the medical

team. Oh brother !!  he has been told that I am still not over last March when Barca

put us out but still insists......

[Kitty]

Keypads that operate by a number are a BAD thing.  Anyone can use the number.  Not everyone can get hold of a key.  I used to manage large office buildings for a living.  One tenant changed all locks (internal and external) to numbered keypads.  A disgruntled member of staff gave the codes out to a competitor.  Guess what?  They lost secret files.  They changed them back to keys within 6 months.

They are just about OK if you can change the codes regularly but, in practice, you don't tend to change them that often.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

We seldom have the lost-key problem, touch wood. When they have

vanished, we smile and hand over a spare. I know some people worry that

a lost key could turn up again in the hands of someone with malicious

intent, but if I were planning to go back and clean a place out during

the quiet months, I would not "lose" a key. I would simply drive to a

town 50 km away, get a copy cut somewhere busy, hand back the key at

the end of my stay ("lovely break - very relaxing!") and return at my

leisure to do the dastardly deed..

For this reason, at the end of the season, I shall be changing all the

barrels out at the properties we don't actually live next to. Not that

I have any reason to think that any of our guests would EVER do

anything like I have described, but the cost (about €70) is worth it to

avoid any potential insurance problems - they usually want proof of forced entry, after all, and entering by key probably doesn't count....