Disappointing and uncharacteristic stay
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 7/9/06
I have stayed at the Narragansett House for years and have loved it. I've referred many people there. This past weekend we had a very disappointing stay.
The owner charged us a "difficult customer fee" and may have overcharged us for our room (I can't tell because I didn't get an itemized receipt.) We were assessed these extra charges because we asked to be switched to another room that was available, asked for lights (all of our light bulbs were burned out in our room), and we asked for towels (they only provided one set.)
We checked in at 8pm on a Saturday night in July. The owner seemed irritated with us from the beginning because we asked to switch rooms. The staff member we spoke to when we booked didn't tell us that one of the lower priced rooms had a private balcony. The staff member told us it was lower priced because the bathroom was across the hall. When I arrived and realized the lower priced room had a private balcony and was still available, I asked to switch. The balcony was an important feature that wasn't revealed.
The owner told us we were interrupting her dinner and that if we switched we couldn't be credited the lower price because she had already charged our card. I explained the staff oversight and she agreed to the lower price.
When the lights didn't work in the room the owner became irritated again. She only fixed one small lamp on a bureau and told us that she wouldn't fix any other lights because she had had a glass of wine and would hurt herself if she got on a ladder. She then told us if we didn't like that we could go to another room or leave.
I don't know what has changed at the Narragansett House. I even told the owner I had been a raving fan and had referred many people. In fact, one of my friends had stayed there the week before because I told her about it. The owner called me a liar.
We felt like we were treading on egg shells the entire time. Even getting another towel got us scowels from the owner. Then the most shocking thing was the assessment of the difficult customer fee onto my credit card and no itemized receipt to verify the actual room charge.
I would advise travelers to find another location at Oak Bluffs. The owner treated us like we were a nuisance and it really put a damper on our vacation there.