I recently (today) called the toll free number for Choice Hotels International to get a quote on rooms for an upcoming overnight trip. We have a discount available to us through an organization to which we belong, and to receive the special rate we can either book online or call the toll-free number to speak with a customer service representative.
I opted to call the toll free number, as I had several questions to ask, and speaking to a live representative suited me best.
I called to inquire about the room rate and applicable discount through the organization, and encountered the *rudest* customer service representative!
I gave her the group id # that we needed to use to receive the reduced rate, and she sighed heavily saying the discount probably wasn't worth the effort ... well, it was $26 savings, well worth it to me. She was quite rude, sighing heavily througout.
Further adding to my dissatisfaction, it seemed as though she was cracking gum while on the phone! I think that is very rude, and irritating.
I received such poor service from her, that I ended up visiting the website instead! Yes, I am aware I could have asked to speak with her supervisor, however I was not in the mood to risk another rude customer service representative.
I would hate to see if I were a guest calling with a problem or billing error, as the customer service experience I encountered was absolutely horrible. If you cannot book a room without hassle, I am not confident that they would handle a "problem" any better.
The individual hotels, I do understand, are individually owned and operated, so I do not feel it is fair to judge the hotels on this headquarters' atrocious customer service ... I will gladly give the location a fair chance .... however I will NOT call the main customer service number again.
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