May 15, 2021
NFA Jingbian: Reprise
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
First, let me start with China currently has another domestic outbreak of Covid with community transmission. It started getting reported late yesterday afternoon and, as of this morning, there are twelve places in China which have gone back to "medium risk" status.
The closest of these places is 1,300 km away and they're all linked to Anhui Province.
Also, the reports started after I was initially told "but the hotel can't take foreigners".
Next, I'm pretty sure I made someone cry this morning. I could hear the frustration of barely held back tears in her voice after I'd finished yelling at her. She's just a cog in Trip's Customer Service machine and "can't make policy" or decisions for how the company is supposed to be doing things but multiple people lied to me yesterday and—prior to my rant—she not only lied to me, she was condescending.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Either the front desk of the hotel (that, by the way, had no problem extending my stay for a second day) is lying about never telling Trip that they aren't allowed to take foreigners and Trip making the decision to cancel my booking, thus putting them into an overbooked situation or the supervisor that I finally got a call from at 8:13am who said she'd just talked to the hotel was or—equally possible—they both are.
To further complicate matters, since I checked last night, the hotel is no longer listing its rooms as available on Trip, and on CTrip is limited to people from China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan which—in terms of nonexistent regulations regarding foreigners—makes fuck all sense since (even though two of the latter three are part of this country) they're all legally foreigners.
I've checked a further selection of random hotels from CTrip while not logged in and while some of them say "only accepting customers with Mainland ID", others (including ones that aren't listed on Trip) have no limitations listed at all!
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
So, anyways, I get a call from a supervisor who tries to convince me that irregardless of the hotel claiming surprise to see me "because Trip cancelled my reservation", there absolutely is a law. There's also a certificate which this hotel doesn't have.
I didn't actually call the government last night since past experience of calls to the government either get me someone who isn't sure and "will check" or enthusiastic confirmation that there is absolutely no law and any restrictions are entirely "hotel policy". However, after getting talked down at for far too long, I fire back that I checked and much to my complete lack of surprise Jingbian is exactly like every other place in China and does not have any regulations either permanent or temporary.
"You have to understand," she responds, "there's an epidemic going on and circumstances are special" because in May of 2021 I'm apparently too dull to have realized that there's a pandemic and that's when I flip my shit, switch to Chinese, and hurt her feelings.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
No! You have to understand, there is no place in China which is currently restricting foreigners from lodging and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. As the service provider, it is your responsibility when a hotel lies to you about rules and regulations to tell the hotel that they either have to provide something in writing or they have to honor their booking. It is not the customer's responsibility to be moved because someone just doesn't feel like hosting foreigners.
Your responsibility is to stop making excuses for other people's bad behavior. Your responsibility is to stop wasting foreigners' time with this stupidity. You speak English and were clearly hired by Trip to be working with foreigners. It's your responsibility to know the relevant rules for foreigners, to know what exists and what doesn't. So try being responsible and doing your fucking job!
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 1 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |