"We Don't Have Your Reservation"

[eic6]

Hi all

Just wanting to get your opinions. I had made a booking for a restaurant 4 day before and was told it would be no problems. On the day my 3 dining partners and i turn up and the maitre'd just starred at us blanking and said "No" when i gave him my name!!! No apology offered but only questions as to who i spoke to and when. He ended by saying that he couldn't help me and there was nothing he could do. I must admit i called up to book at a 10:00 am (only time i could get a minute free) and didn't call to confirm, but this is not common practice where i am. We were so shocked that we just slunk out confused!!! Not even an offer of a late table f we came back???

But all ended we after we managed to secure a table elsewhere and when they heard of our experience i think they put in some extra effort. But it did leave a sour taste in my mouth. We were going to write an email to the restaurant the next day but were so busy that by the time we had a minute we had calmed down. Now one of my friend is so paranoid that he always book online and prints a copy of the reply email to take with him.....i think thats a bit much.

Edited May 17, 2007 by eic6 (log)

[mrsadm]

If I book ANYTHING online, hotel, car, restaurant, I always take a printed copy with me.

[eic6]

I generally do too for hotels, cars, flights etc. But we generally book restaurants by phone. i guess next time i should call to confirm or book online. But still i think they might've offered some sort of solution. I don't want any freebies at all..maybe even an offer to try for a late table or even suggestion of booking another day. He sort of just stood there looking at us until we turn around to leave without saying anything at all.

Edited May 17, 2007 by eic6 (log)

[godito]

Sometimes the wrong person answers the phone and they just scribble down the information in a piece of paper, which never gets transfered to the reservations book. This has happened to me before. As much as we train our staff, this mistakes happen, and as such, we have a plan to resolve them.

I think the maite, based on what you said, handled this wrongly. First off, it's never the customer's fault... even if it is. He should've been appologetic, and offer some kind of solution. The idea here is to gain a loyal customer. So maybe the restaurant was busy beyond trying to squeeze somebody in, but what I try to do is to offer to try and get them a table in a similar nearby restaurant, and invite them to come again.

Some never return, some leave angry, but most understand that mistakes happen and appreciate that we are trully doing our best to solve a problem. And that's exactly what that maitre never did.

[Qwerty]

I mean, WORST case scenario he should have offered to put you down another day/time, and made note on the res. sheet about the special circumstances.

But yeah, he should have juggled to try and make room, or offer some sort of solution.

[eic6]

I'm not one to hold grudges and i know mistakes happen. In the end we still had a great night overall. I still tell my friends that it should be a place they should try. In fact made a booking online right now. Everyone has an off night i guess and i don't want to judge them by just one episode.

[eic6]

It was funny because the hostess at the restaurant we ended up at (i did NOT them them the name of the place) asked why we weren't a bit more forceful in our dealing with the maitre'd. We all looked at each other and remembered blank looks we had. I must've been quite funny. At the time we were just lost for words??? There waas silence for a few minutes and we all just stared at him blankly.

In fact only a few words were exchanged. I gave him my name and he said "no". I asked him what he meant and he said "no booking". I told him the day and approx time i booked and he asked me who i spoke to. I told him that i could remember who i had spoken on the phone when i made a booking and then he said there was nothing he could do as it was full. Our party then just looked at each other and him for a while before we turned back

Come to think of it to make things worse, the restaurant was in a complex that charged for parking and we had the pay the rate for the night as well!!! Its quite funny now come to think of it.

[markabauman]

So many places now call you to confirm, that if I don't hear from them, I automatically call. But yes, they could have handled the situation much more professionally and courteously. Had a situation last year in one of the best hotels I've ever stayed at (a number of times)- famous for their service. After the first night of a two-night stay, I received two phone messages, a note under the door and a visit from an asst. manager asking when we were leaving (they thought we were staying just one night). They really had me convinced I messed up the reservation, but they "let us stay" the second night. When I got home, I found the confirmation e-mail for two nights-their error. Never again will I go somewhere without the confirmation letter.

[eic6]

Yeah ...... I have now learnt to call to confirm. I think maybe he thought that i was trying to pull a fast one and sneak and in without a booking. After all my friends and i just stood there and looked at each other. Could be miscontrued as being caught out and having nothing to say in return.

[juuceman]

I always ask who I've made the resewvation with and note it in my agenda. This tends to avoid the blank look when I show up at the podium.

Some people will use this to their advantage, especially in NYC, at restaurants that are impossible to get into. They'll show up without a reservation and claim they had one, or they'll call to confirm a reservation they don't have..

Edited May 19, 2007 by juuceman (log)

[eic6]

I guess in Melbourne (Australia) things a a bit more laid back but we definitely will be more vigilant in future

[LEdlund]

Whenever I call to make a reservation, I always ask for the name of the person to whom I am speaking, then I note it in my calendar. Only once has a restaurant not had my reservation. When I gave them the name of the person who took it, they bent over backwards to accomodate us.

[savvysearch]

That's so strange that he's just says "No" without offering any remedy to the situation. If I was pissed enough, I'd write an email.

[teagal]

One Valentine's Day that happened to my husband and I. They couldn't find our reservation so we were seated us in an overflow room that clearly wasn't going to be used for dining that nite - there was even a woman in there ironing tablecloths. It was awful and we've never gone back- there was no apology either, just we'll still let you eat here. And we had the same 'deer in the headlights' look!! Later, of course we realized how bad we've been treated. Takes a while to sink in sometimes!