One of the Worst Customer Service Experiences in 20 Years of Travel.
After two decades of frequent travel, I can confidently say this was one of the worst customer service experiences of my life.
I arrived in Brisbane on a red-eye flight from Darwin and had booked the Airway Motel. My plan was simple: land at 7:00 AM, stop by the motel to store my luggage, and then grab breakfast and wander around the city before check-in. I arrived outside the office around 7:45 AM and waited quietly, scrolling on my phone until it opened at 8:00 AM.
At 7:59 AM—one minute before opening—the manager came out visibly upset and informed me that the office wasn’t open yet. I hadn’t knocked or made any attempt to enter early, so the hostility was unwarranted (apparently the doorbell cam video had annoyed him, how I was I to know it was there). I explained I had a booking and had also sent a polite message to their facebook page inquiring about the possibility of early check-in. What followed was a deeply unprofessional and needlessly confrontational exchange.
The manager informed me it would cost $20 to store my luggage and then launched into a lecture about how he NEVER allows early check-ins under any circumstances. He insisted that guests pay for rooms starting at 2:00 PM and therefore could only access them then.
The Best Western stored my luggage for free. Stay there instead.
If I owned this property I would fire the manager.