Pinching the towels

[Wendy]

What do you do when you just KNOW that certain guests have made off with a couple of sets of your towels?. Just wondering...grrrrr.

[Blanche Neige]

Wen

 

How soon afterwards did you find out?

a) if the guests were still around e.g. loading the car I suppose you could say "Oh dear,  I think you may have picked up the towels by mistake, would you mind having a look in your luggage"[:)]

b) if they are long gone you could write them a note or e-mail saying " we seem to be missing a set of towels from your room, did you pack them by mistake?"[;-)]

Now I am sure they won't own up but it might make them feel guilty and perhaps deter them in the future.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Buy less desirable towels?

Personally, I'd confront them. Dress it up as "I'm sure you must have

packed them by accident" if you wish, but let them know that you know.

It might not get you your towels back, but it might just shame them

into never doing it again.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="Blanche Neige"]

Wen

 

How soon afterwards did you find out?

a) if the guests were still around e.g. loading the car I

suppose you could say "Oh dear,  I think you may have picked

up the towels by mistake, would you mind having a look in your

luggage"[:)]

b) if they are long gone you could write them a note or e-mail

saying " we seem to be missing a set of towels from your room, did you

pack them by mistake?"[;-)]

Now I am sure they won't own up but it might make them feel guilty and perhaps deter them in the future.

[/quote]

Great minds, Gill, great minds.

[Blanche Neige]

Jon D

I think we had the same thought at the same time!

[Coco]

How about "oy you thieving b********ds put 'em back!"

Only joking! [;-)]  But that's what they deserve really!

[sandt]

why not just send a bill. days inns in america have a notice in the rooms offering the towels for sale with a price list .also stating that if any are missing a presumption of sale is made and credit cards are billed.

[Cerise]

Only the towels - had a call from a friend last year, did I have any spare pillows?  Belgian guests had made off with 4 of hers and the towels!!

[Wendy]

We found out just after they had left. We put out 3 sets for them and their child and were left with just one set. They also left without taking their childs bed rail and had to drive all the way back from Spain to collect it, the OH confronted her and she denied it and said we only put out one set!. An absolute lie!. However, he is going to offer them for sale now and if they disappear in future we will charge them. Easy if they have given a credit card number but harder if they have settled in cash. She knew that we knew...hope it has stopped her doing that again. Beyond standing and arguing how far can you take things?.  What about a 'towel deposit' charge?. They really are expensive things to replace. Mongrels!

[Blanche Neige]

I bet they were embarrased when they had to return for the bed rail. Good on you for having the guts to confront them (very brave!)

What about a 'towel deposit' charge?.

A very tempting idea Wen. I have stayed in health resorts where you are asked to pay a deposit for the white towelling robes and have the option to purchase as well.

 

I suppose a B&B set up is "homely" indeed  has the "home from home" concept and taking a deposit would seem to be too  much of a big business arrangement. Though why these people think they can just help themselves to anything in your home beats me!

[Ejc]

What a cheek and good for you confronting them, what would have happened I wonder if you'd held their bed rail until they paid for the towel sets?

[Jc]

Why refer to them as "guests" when they are paying;they are "CUSTOMERS".

[Miki]

They may be customers to you, to us they are paying guests.

It seperates us from those who insist on calling their guests punters, another saying that we have never wanted to succumb to.

Give your guests whatever you can, try to leave no room for complaints,

if they find one, then they are grumpy b******s but.......... always

paying guests.......[:)]

[Cassis]

Do some people really call their (paying) guests "punters"?  Sounds like one short step removed from calling them "mugs"! [:)] 

In our place the 'paying' bit in the phrase 'paying guest' is silent but understood.  [;-)]

[Frederick]

When I was "running " the bookings side of my clubs holiday homes. .static caravens on a Haven site in Weymouth I got a call from the company who did the cleaning to say a family had left suddenly in the middle of the week. The cleaners let themselves in and discovered that two sets of  matching  sheets . pillowcases  and duvet covers for a  double and two single beds were  missing  . Not only had they taken the ones on their beds ,,they had  also taken the ones sealed in plastic bags that were to be put out for the next people to move in that the cleaners had left in the top of a unit . I was so annoyed I went to where they lived and asked first why they had left without telling anybody mid week and was told  "Because their 13 year daughter was ill at 1am after they thought her drinks had been spiked in the bar " I later learned she had been involved in a drunken  fight and was afterwards scared  to stay on the park .  I then asked why  they had taken the sheets and duvet covers and to produce them now ..... I was told the daughter had packed the bags and she must have thought they were theirs ......I stood in the hall while they were all collected up........from the beds in the house that they had put them on when they got home !  I was given a big bin liner of dirty washing .....on asking for the ones in the plastic bags ..I had to wait while mum went to get a suitcase where it was all kept....I am big bloke and used to dealing with people ...some not nice ones ....so I got it all back.......but what a B....y cheek !   

[Jo Taylor]

[quote user="Cassis"]Do some people really call their (paying) guests "punters"?  Sounds like one short step removed from calling them "mugs"! [:)] 
[/quote]

My mother used to call them her "victims"...

We've had towels go missing, but have also had them sent back - often one partner packing and not realising they weren't their own. Have probably gained more over the years, particularly in the gite (we no longer do B&B). One Australian family left a huge pile of brand new big fluffy bath towels, and lots of other useful things - last leg of their European holiday!

[Iceni]

[quote user="wen"]What do you do when you just KNOW that certain guests have made off with a couple of sets of your towels?. Just wondering...grrrrr.[/quote]

The same as if you found that they had taken money from your purse/wallet ? Or do you consider "pinching" a lesser offence than "stealing" ?

Sadly though I suspect that both would be difficult to prove so unless you have a deposit from which to recover the money, write it off to experience.

John

not

[Alan]

[quote user="wen"] They also left without taking their childs bed rail and had to drive all the way back from Spain to collect it, the OH confronted her and she denied it and said we only put out one set!. An absolute lie!.  Mongrels![/quote]

 

Oh i am terribly sorry but no bed rail has been left here, seems you have had a wasted trip back.

 

Must say we so far have been very lucky, only thing that seems to go missing are loo rolls