Need some reassurance, PLEASE!

[cwop123]

I had originally attempted to book a condo with Jean Gaynair, and after filling out all the neccessary forms on the website, and communicating through email with her so I could book, I was ready to give her my deposit then she emailed me back 4 days later and said "Sorry, I am all booked". So I wasn't too happy with that. This was in January. I was originally told she had availability, emailed her back within minutes to say I'll take it, then didn't hear from her again for 4 days. Not someone I would probably go to to help me out in a tough situation. I had to end up booking through expedia to get a room at NBCR because I really liked the beach this property offered. I am sure she is wonderful to her longtime guests, but I didn't have a good experience.

ROBIN, thank you! I will definitely be on the lookout for you! (this is granted I actually get the room I paid for..)

And thank you everyone for the wonderful tips and tricks. I have written them all down and will take every one of them with me. We are very excited to go. One more day!

[cwop123]

Rob, I am not sure who you are or who you work for (I have only been creeping on this board for about a week) but I jotted down your number for sure! My name is Courtenay so I hope I don't need to call you but just in case!

[Prism]

cwop, Rob owns this board Negril.com and also does the RealNegril webcast. He and his wife are great people and work very hard to help people get to know Negril and all the wonderful things and people there.

[Yvonne]

Courtenay... Sorry you feel you were not treated well by NBCC. I don't know if you've been to Negril or Jamaica but you need to realize there is usually one person, maybe two, working at a time. The office staff is answering the phone & e-mails, trying to schedule rooms, registering guests & showing them to their rooms, dealing w/ repair & maintenance issues, helping people bumped by NBCR, talking w/ guests, distributing beach towels, & a myriad of other tasks. Jean also does not handle all the bookings herself. I know she had company part of January & was then taking care of her young grandson who learned to walk while staying w/ her, thus was into everything. Many days, she was not on the property as she was w/ her grandson. After 26 years of visiting Negril, I know better than to expect an immediate reply to anything, even from people I've known for years. I can wait up to 2 weeks for a reply if I'm changing my TS usage. Does that mean the staff is not helpful? No, just not as tech oriented as we are not to mention being extemely busy w/ the here & now goings on. You will be doing yourself a disservice if you do not get to know Jean Gaynair or ask her for assistance if you need it. Just my opinion.

[cwop123]

Wow... Yvonne, yes indeed I have been to Jamaica. Stayed in Ocho Rios for 4 days back in 2007. Why does that matter? I never said I wasn't treated well by NBCC. Please re-read my post. Don't go there. I understand people are busy. Sure. BUT if you run a hospitality business, your business is customer service. If your business is run, basically, on emails only, you need to respond to customer emails promptly. That is good business. Simple. Easy. I am sure you are just sticking up for your favorite resort. I have read your other posts on NBCC. You are loyal. Good for you. But don't come at me high and mighty because I don't feel the same. Like I said, NBCC was my first choice. Sorry it didn't work out. That is all. Moving on.

Thank you Prism for clearing that up! Hopefully during my stay I will get to meet him! I love meeting new people! And I will definitely check out one of the webcasts!

[luvjabd]

@cwop123....on this board you cant say anything even remotely negative against "friends of the board".....politricks.

......and 4 days IS too long, even for Jamaica.

[Yvonne]

My apologies Courtenay. I took your statements of "she emailed me back 4 days later and said "Sorry, I am all booked". So I wasn't too happy with that... I was originally told she had availability, emailed her back within minutes to say I'll take it, then didn't hear from her again for 4 days. Not someone I would probably go to to help me out in a tough situation." as meaning you were not treated well &, as you stated, "not someone I would probably go to to help me out". Maybe you meant it differently. Not high & mighty, just facts. Sorry you interpreted it differently. Have a great trip. I hope all goes smoothly for you.

[cwop123]

Let me clarify as not to make any more arguments out of this. I had been emailing back and forth with Jean for 3 days. Chatting with her, deciding what room to pick, whether or not the hotel was family friendly, etc. She answered all of my emails promptly and stated she had the room I wanted available for when I wanted and all she would need was a deposit. I emailed her back saying absolutely I will take it, here is my money for deposit. I did not hear from her for 4 days when she finally, after 4 days of radio silence, emailed me saying that she was all booked for the week I wanted, sorry. THAT is not good customer service IMO. So I went elsewhere. Sorry if she had her grandson in town (like that should matter) or was mingling with guests. When you only have one specific week to take your daughter on a vacation, you don't have time to wait around for someone. I needed to book before everything was sold out. THAT was my experience with NBCC.

I do however, look forward to my trip. Thank you!

[Jbizek]

Courtenay... Sorry you feel you were not treated well by NBCC. I don't know if you've been to Negril or Jamaica but you need to realize there is usually one person, maybe two, working at a time. The office staff is answering the phone & e-mails, trying to schedule rooms, registering guests & showing them to their rooms, dealing w/ repair & maintenance issues, helping people bumped by NBCR, talking w/ guests, distributing beach towels, & a myriad of other tasks. Jean also does not handle all the bookings herself. I know she had company part of January & was then taking care of her young grandson who learned to walk while staying w/ her, thus was into everything. Many days, she was not on the property as she was w/ her grandson. After 26 years of visiting Negril, I know better than to expect an immediate reply to anything, even from people I've known for years. I can wait up to 2 weeks for a reply if I'm changing my TS usage. Does that mean the staff is not helpful? No, just not as tech oriented as we are not to mention being extemely busy w/ the here & now goings on. You will be doing yourself a disservice if you do not get to know Jean Gaynair or ask her for assistance if you need it. Just my opinion.

Not trying to pile on, but when I was booking my upcoming trip I emailed multiple property's and always heard back within the day if not hours. 4 days is excessive and I agree it shows a serious lack of customer service. It's not my experience that it takes days to have emails returned.
Courtney, hope you have a wonderful trip. Negril is such a great place, enjoy!

[Yvonne]

4 days is excessive and I agree it shows a serious lack of customer service. It's not my experience that it takes days to have emails returned.

I guess I'm used to it. Since I don't usually stay elsewhere I haven't had experience w/ faster service. If I get a response from the TS folks in under I week, I think I'm doing great. Sometimes it's faster but that's rare.

Courtenay... Thanks for further details. I can see why you were not happy w/ your attempted booking experience. Had I been in your shoes, I'd feel the same. You were almost to home plate & then the game was suddenly over. There is no excuse for that. That certainly is not good customer service. I hope you have a problem free stay & enjoy the property. Please contact me re: the inappropriate pool behavior by the guest w/ ties to NBCR (long termer at Caribbean Sunset?). Since you'll be there w/ your young daughter, this individual is someone you need to be aware of. I see him in the summer so it's not like he was there briefly on vacation. Believe me, this is not something you want her exposed to anywhere.