THE CLIFF HOUSE INN ripoff turns dreams into nightmares. Bad service, accommodations and a misleading website. MUSSEL SHOALS California
The following is a letter that was sent to Cliff House Inn, but never they never replied. This confirmed our displeasure with the accommodations, staff and owners.
I am a very honest and calm person, but I get upset when I think of the treatment on our weekend vacation. I HIGHLY do not recommend staying at this hotel.
March 31, 2003
Sanford Porter
General Manager
The Cliff House Inn
6602 W. Pacific Coast Highway
Mussel Shoals, CA 93001
Dear Sanford Porter,
I am writing this letter regarding our brief stay at your hotel, The Cliff House Inn, on Friday, March 21st. We booked our room on Thursday evening the previous day based on what my boyfriend and I saw and read on your website. Following is a quote from your site:
IF YOU DREAM of being lulled to sleep by gentle surf, exploring tide pools on a private beach, relaxing at poolside in a lush tropical garden setting, the Cliff House Inn turns dreams into a most affordable reality. Far enough from the city for complete relaxation
We were really looking for a place to relax and swim that was quiet and away from it all. We arrived around 1:30 PM. The receptionist said they needed another hour to prepare our room. This was understandable since check-in is at 3:00 PM. She said we could lounge at the pool area in which we did for about an hour sitting on the blue lawn chairs. The pool area was packed with tons of people dining and drinking (dining tables surrounding the pool werent featured on your website). The couple sitting next to us was being served glasses of wine by the waitress, but when asked if we could order a drink she said she couldnt serve us out in that area. When asked by my boyfriend why the couple next to us was being served see replied with no answer and said she would be with us in 5 minutes. 20 minutes passed and still no service.
The crowd was still dining around the pool. This concerned me since I was hoping this would be a quiet place to relax by the pool without all the noise and without the uncomfortable feeling of wanting to take a dip in the pool with tables of people surrounding it. The photo on your site really conveyed a quiet setting. I was hoping your hotel would be a quiet place to get away from it all, but it wasnt.
We also poked our heads into our room as it was being prepared and it was not to our standards, especially with the big metal unit outside our door. We were left with no service, no peacefulness, a pool surrounded by people dining.
We approached the receptionist, Lissa, and asked if we good get a refund because we werent happy with our experience in the little time we were there. She said she would need to talk to the assistant manager. She proceeded to call the assistant manager, Debbie, and returned by saying she was in a meeting and wasnt available to talk. We insisted we speak to Debbie to get this resolved so we could proceed with our weekend getaway. Lissa left us again to call Debbie. She returned and said per Debbie there were no refunds. We told Lissa that wasnt good enough and we demanded to speak to Debbie. So Lissa once again left us to call Debbie.
Finally, Debbie appeared and said she spoke to you and stated that there are no cancellation refunds. We complained that before calling you she didnt take the time to hear our concerns. She said she heard it from Lissa. We explained to her that the Lissa hadnt heard all our concerns except for that we werent happy.
We explained to Debbie about the unfriendly service by the pool and how a couple was being served drinks while we were refused, the unhappiness with the room along with the location, etc. All comments were new to her ear. She said she had six rooms vacant and there were no guarantees she could book our room. Im not sure what her point was there. I could understand if it was a major holiday and all rooms were booked and we cancelled at the last minute when you could have booked the room. With a blank look on her face she said even with knowing these concerns she wouldnt call you back and we were stuck with paying for the room. She said even if she called she knew you wouldnt bend. Obviously, we left and said we would write a letter.
I understand you have a strict cancellation policy, but we would rather not think of this as a cancellation since we did show up and had intentions to stay. Id like to think of this as an unhappiness in service, accommodations and a misleading website.
We are avid worldwide travelers and have never experienced such unwillingness to make a customer happy. Our friend manages the Marriott Hotel in Marina del Rey. If a customer is unhappy with the accommodations or service once they get there they are entitled to a refund. We have seen this in other hotels we have stayed at both small and large.
I would hope you would have the same policy. I am hoping you werent well informed about the situation from Debbie since she didnt bother speaking to us before she spoke to you. I am also hoping you can understand our concerns based on this letter and refund us our room rate.
Please contact me at ###-####. Our room reservations were under my boyfriends name, Paresh Desai. Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing from you."
Paresh
Marina del Rey, California
U.S.A.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Christine
Los Angeles,California,
U.S.A.
In addtion to my updated comments...
#5Consumer Comment
Tue, June 08, 2004
There were at least 3 to 4 vacant rooms that weekend per my conversation with the receptionist when I was making reservations on short notice the night before our arrival...so they didn't have to turn anyone away per Mr. Sanford Porter's false comments. Had we not called the day before to reserve the room, chances are no one would have reserved it.
In addition, the waitress did take the couples drink orders at the cliff area and delivered the drinks to them. So as far as I'm concerned they broke government regulation rules.
Thanks once again for giving me this opportunity to voice my comments.
Christine
Los Angeles,California,
U.S.A.
Still no response!!!
#5REBUTTAL Individual responds
Mon, June 07, 2004
After all these months, we still weren't given the courtesy of a phone call from the General Manager in response to our letter or our follow up call. Keep in mind they charged us even though we didn't stay there, so in reality we are a paying customer.
I work at a brand development agency as Vice President and teach a college course on branding. Rule #1 in business: customers come first and a brand's reputation is it's most valuable asset.
The General Manager, Sanford Porter, had time to respond to this report, but didn't have the decency to pick up the phone and respond to our letter. As far as I'm concerned, this says quite a bit about the customer service.
We will continue to keep the public updated on this matter.
Thanks for allowing us to voice our opinion.
From: An easy-going couple who travels constantly and has never been treated like this.
Tom = Customer Relations
Mussel Shoals,California,
U.S.A.
excellent dining and accommodations by the surf
#5UPDATE Employee
Tue, August 12, 2003
The Cliff House Inn is a totally unique venue in our area offering excellent dining and accommodations by the surf. This individual is apparently complaining because we offer dining adjacent to our pool area; that they were not served wine in the lounge chairs on the bluff above the surf; that they were not allowed to cancel at a moments notice on their confirmed weekend reservation.
They arrived at lunchtime and were surprised that a restaurant by the sea serving outstanding food would have lots of customers. Our primary reason for offering food and beverage and our commitment to high quality is first as a convenience and opportunity for our room guests.
We serve alcohol when accompanied with food in our dining area. This may not always be convenient with guests and this policy has something to do with government regulations. SOmeone may have already had lunch and carried their wine glasses to nearby lounge chairs.
All of our guest rooms offer views of the surf, including the room that this guest was assigned. I cannot recall any occasion when anyone who stayed in this room complained about a small vent for the kitchen.
99.9 % of our customers LOVE the Cliff House as an ocean get-away. Especially when we are given a chance to accommodate them. Though we respect the fact that this individual expected something else and did not wish to stay with us (for whatever reason they may or may not have stated), we accepted their advance reservation and turned away other potential guests based on a 72-hour cancellation. Though we made every attempt to rent their room to someone else, we were not able to and they were charged and were upset about it. Most small inns in our area have a one week cancellation policy.
A ripoff, is in my personal opinion, when someone charges more for something than it is worth. The Cliff House remains the best value on the South Coast as our rates average 25% lower than area accommodations.
Thank you giving us an opportunity to provide our side of the story.
The Cliff House Inn
Tom = Customer Relations
Mussel Shoals,California,
U.S.A.
excellent dining and accommodations by the surf
#5UPDATE Employee
Tue, August 12, 2003
The Cliff House Inn is a totally unique venue in our area offering excellent dining and accommodations by the surf. This individual is apparently complaining because we offer dining adjacent to our pool area; that they were not served wine in the lounge chairs on the bluff above the surf; that they were not allowed to cancel at a moments notice on their confirmed weekend reservation.
They arrived at lunchtime and were surprised that a restaurant by the sea serving outstanding food would have lots of customers. Our primary reason for offering food and beverage and our commitment to high quality is first as a convenience and opportunity for our room guests.
We serve alcohol when accompanied with food in our dining area. This may not always be convenient with guests and this policy has something to do with government regulations. SOmeone may have already had lunch and carried their wine glasses to nearby lounge chairs.
All of our guest rooms offer views of the surf, including the room that this guest was assigned. I cannot recall any occasion when anyone who stayed in this room complained about a small vent for the kitchen.
99.9 % of our customers LOVE the Cliff House as an ocean get-away. Especially when we are given a chance to accommodate them. Though we respect the fact that this individual expected something else and did not wish to stay with us (for whatever reason they may or may not have stated), we accepted their advance reservation and turned away other potential guests based on a 72-hour cancellation. Though we made every attempt to rent their room to someone else, we were not able to and they were charged and were upset about it. Most small inns in our area have a one week cancellation policy.
A ripoff, is in my personal opinion, when someone charges more for something than it is worth. The Cliff House remains the best value on the South Coast as our rates average 25% lower than area accommodations.
Thank you giving us an opportunity to provide our side of the story.
The Cliff House Inn