Friday, July 24, 2009

Score for the Home Team!!




Scams are great fun.


As long as you know they are scams.


When you don't catch one, you just end up feeling foolish and cheated. Well, I'm here to give you the good news that RedGirl has 2 points up on the Scam-o-Meter and is feeling mighty smug, yessireee.




First: Background


We have Fiji Waters (1 liter bottles) in the rooms. When housekeeping cleans the room each day, they count the waters and if any are missing, they replace them and let the front desk (me) know to charge the room.




So I come up to the desk at the beginning of my shift, and there are 3 bottles sitting there.


Me (to coworker): ?


Him: Charge room XXX for 2 Fiji Waters




I look closer. 2 of the waters look a tad cloudier than the third. On closer examination, the two other bottles had been opened and refilled (to different fill lines than the third, unopened one) and there were bubbles inside, which the unopened one did not have. (Vacuum sealed or w/e, not really sure how they do that)




Come ON now...tricksy tricksy! Didn't they think we'd check? Like no one's ever tried that before? Give me a break. So I gleefully (and a bit vindictively I might add) charged the waters to the room, and kept the 3 bottles as evidence. I'm really hoping they'll just ask me so I can rub in their faces that crime don't pay...and now the entire staff knows they are cheaters that would have tried to get away with it. Ha!




Point Number 2:




**brrriiing**


Me: Happy Hotel in Smithtown, this is RedGirl!


Him: Hi, I'm Jonathan with customer service...we're updating our records and need the model number of your copier




oooookay.




I used to work at a library, and we got the memo on these things. Person calls up, gets the model number, and uses it for own, non-legitimate nefarious purposes (ie, criminal).




I'm thinking Jonathan...nice, normal, trustworthy name...unidentified customer service...generic "records" that must be updated...and you want our what??




Yup, that would be a scam.




So I put "Jonathan" on hold and call up one of my managers, explain the situation. She heartily agrees and picks up the call. Ha! Scam averted. But then:




She calls me back and lets me know what happens:




Her: Hi, how can I help you?


Him: I'm Jonathan, from customer service...blah blah blah


Her: I'm not able to give you that information.


Him: If you can't help me, why the f*** did you pick up the phone?


Her: Excuse me??


Him: Then why the F*** did you pick up the phone?


Her: That's not professional, I believe you are running a scam-


Him: F*** you!




Ahh...sweet victory.




Anyone else got any thwarted scams to share? I am all ears!!

3 comments:

lifeshighway said...

I had never heard of the copier number scam. I am not sure I even understand what they would do with the number once they get it.

The bottle water is hilarious but what does say about your plumbing if the water was cloudy?

redgirl said...

Ahh...but the water is cloudy b/c of all the lovely bone-strengthening minerals we have in it :)

G.H. said...

mmmm..love the cheesy scams.

read about my experience here

http://confessions-of-a-waitress.blogspot.com/2009/05/great-gift-card-scam.html