Tripped Advisor

For years, people have been relying on Trip Advisor's unbiased travel reviews to plan their business trips and holidays. Recently, the culmination of a number of experiences has made me question Trip Advisor's fitness as a travel advisor.

rottentomatoes

According to Wikipedia, Microsoft (aka the Evil Empire) set up Expedia, Inc in 1996, selling it three years later to Ticketmaster, who spun it off in 2005. Trip Advisor (TA) was founded in 2000, and became connected with Expedia, Inc (EX) in 2004. Yet as subsidiaries of EX, TripAdvisor Media Group would appear to have certain vested interests in the travel industry. After all, how many other companies have caved in to advertiser displeasure?

If you've watched The Corporation (2003)¹, you know what I'm getting at. It's not a good idea to bite the hand that feeds you. Consider the fact that web sites such as TA and Ancestry encourage you to work for no remuneration. Then they use your work for gain. Something to keep in mind when next partaking of their "free" services.

* * *

Any ideals I had regarding EX died after a stay at Chicago's Club Quarters. Still rated three stars on EX, my room had a shower and one skylight, but no tub or windows. I stayed just over a week and was awakened almost nightly by a cacophony of clanging. Not once, but throughout the night. The bed was comfortable, but who cares when you don't sleep? We were there during a huge conference, so the room was far from cheap. The last night we were finally offered a discount, which disappeared by morning.

Cute, but not me.

Courtesy Sandos (from Wikipedia)

At home, I telephoned EX to find out what constituted 3-star accommodation in a big US city. It took a great deal of probing, but the answer was enlightening. The owner says so. Incredibly, EX had no verification procedure. Apparently, EX prefers to rely upon travellers like us to keep its hotels honest. I spent a long time on the telephone and spoke to several people. My reward? A $50 credit. I didn't use it.

Other people are welcome to act as guinea pigs. It's been years since I booked any travel on EX. It's great for comparison shopping, though. If you can't find the same place cheaper elsewhere, try harder².

* * *

But Trip Advisor has good and bad reviews, right? And there are procedures to weed out bogus and malicious posts. So what's the problem?

I've been travelling without my parents for more than 40 years. Over a number of years, I've tried to post two reviews about accommodations that have taken the cake for exceptionally bad service. The first was a place right on the beach, newly renovated. It had great reviews before the construction and had reopened with some enticing offers. What they failed to mention was that the poolside bar/restaurant had a calliopean live band. The stage had more speakers facing outward than into the bar/restaurant. Seven floors up, I tried everything to drown out the noise. Days later, they offered a new room close to a noisy construction site. 

Former construction site
(T Thurston, from Wikipedia)

Finally, we were moved to a room on the other side of the hotel. The balcony doors were enough to close out the sound. All of this took days. I only found one decent employee in the whole place, a bell boy. When I asked if there were anywhere, in the entire hotel, where I could sit down and read in peace, he suggested I try the lobby of the hotel next door. He reiterated that there was nothing at the place I was staying. 


With hotel speakers also braying towards the Pacific, there would be no peace at the beach, either. And if only the noise had been the sole problem. I've never been so happy to leave a so-called vacation spot in my life!

Thinking Trip Advisor (TA) would be a good place to warn people, I posted a review on the site. I spent hours editing out most of my anger. The result? Rage.

* * *

Bad trip: Sole subject of my beach
photos. Now doubling as TA avatar!

Now I'm back from being ripped off in Florida and my negative review on TA has been pulled. "Pending" it says. I had laboured to keep it factual, but I know some anger remained. First, I received a automated message asking me to confirm that I was referring to the right location. Reasonable, I thought, given that the other reviews were favourable. But then they tended not to be about my room, the one with the biggest problem. 

I know this for a fact, because I spent hours in the second "condo" and spoke to inmates of the other two. When my review didn't reappear after a couple of days, I sent an inquiry. The 48-hour promised response deadline passed, so I sent two more. Only the hiss of silence.

Perhaps my mistake was having posted a question on TA's Siesta Key forum: Was the quiet place I expected really a party town? Big mistake. Now, I'm accused of tarring the whole island with the same brush (when?). I've been told I should have researched the location (it came highly recommended from a trusted source and TA loves it). I'm apparently so stupid, I booked a room over a bar (yeah, it would have been, had I done so). Others have stated they've been there so my description must be untrue (funny, I thought I was alone in the Siesta Pit). 

On the basis of two other less than stellar reviews, I've been summed up as incapable of being happy anywhere. Well, that should have been easy to fix. I posted some very good ones, excellent too³. Does that count as rehabilitation?

* * *

Apart from the vitriol, it's the disconnection between what I have written and the accusations pitched at me. Talk about off topic. do commenters actually read what I have to say before launching into the attack, or are they simply reading-comprehension challenged?

Not to be confused
 with Boethius
(amazon.com)

Of course, these splenitive characters have their own agendas and what they write has more to say about them than it does about me. If Humptydumptism is their thing, fine. I've even worked with people who insisted that every discussion end in consensus. 

Unfortunately, I've seen the result of mental and physical abuse and I know that not speaking up is often interpreted as acquiescence⁴. One thing I've learnt is that when you stand up for yourself, the more the other person is in the wrong, the harder they argue that everything is your fault⁵.

Philosopher Alain de Botton suggests in his The Consolations of Philosaphy, that Socrates has an answer to unwarranted criticism. The people refuting my statements haven't put on my shoes, let alone walked in them. What do they know of my experiences? The more a person knows about a subject, the more valid their criticism. Hence, worthless. Completely ignorable.

Does Trip Advisor speak with a forked tongue? Caveat emptor indeed. Ta ta, TA.

* * *

Notes

amazon.com

¹ Should you enjoy demonizing the corporate world, you may love Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work. Written by experts on psychopathic behaviour, you'll learn how to protect yourself and discover why these reptiles are so successful in gaining employment. Note that you don't obtain the skills necessary to identify these monsters. However, you may be convinced that they view normal humans as prey, and be assured they are rarely long-term employees.

I found this tome absolutely fascinating. But I'm a people-watcher. I've also worked with some pretty miserable characters, none of whom had the requisite cocktail of evil traits. Lucky me.

amazon.ca

If you're into bad behaviour, you may find Lawyers Gone Bad a lively read. Written by legal insider, Philip Slayton, is a veritable feast. The non-fiction version of the ever-popular lawyer joke. 

Payback. These are the people who characterized members of my profession as "Sons of Satan" and "International Buccaneers".

A long time ago, when I was following post-graduate studies at McGill University, one of my instructors told us of a US study comparing various occupations with public perceptions of trustworthiness. As expected, car salespeople were scraping the bottom of the barrel among the pond scum. I forget whether lawyers ranked just above or just below. The real kicker was that the lawyers were said to be happy with this. 

Here's the equation:

Low rating = Fear = Respect + Success 

Apparently, we understood, legal clients, adversaries and juries could be counted upon to act according to a lawyer's best interests. No wonder Dick the Butcher suggested killing all of them.

² It's always a good idea to check the accommodation's own web site. Even mentioning where you've found a lower rate elsewhere may get you a reduction. The bonus is that you generally pay at the end of your stay, while EX's same or higher rate will likely be a "special deal" requiring payment up front.

I wouldn't bother with Travelocity's gnomes either. Orbitz always disappoints too. And be careful of Priceline's European subsidiaries, I had the price on a London hotel increased after I booked. After many communications by email and telephone the booking agent's approach was tough, you've been upgraded to a more expensive room.

I'm not living in the US, so I have not been able to sample Priceline or Hotwire. To me, their advertising screams caveat emptor.

³ One of those five reviews. Hopefully all removed at my request. Let someone else write free review to earn money for Expedia and its ilk:

"Bibliophile Heaven

5 Stars

I discovered this gem a few years ago and now I don't feel my visit to NYC is complete without stopping by.

See it for the art, the architecture, the books and manuscripts, the films, and the shop. My only complaints are that the place is too small (I'm greedy) and that it doesn't have ridiculously long hours (selfish, I know).

Some temporary exhibitions I've really enjoyed have been Demons and Devotion: The Hours of Catherine of Cleves and A Woman's Wit: Jane Austen's Life and Legacy. The colours and attention to detail of the illuminations were incredible. It was marvellous to see the film and hear comments from people who had been given access to Jane Austen's letters and then to be able to view the letters. I only wish there had been fewer visitors, so I could have spent more time reading them!

Visited January 2011"

amazon.ca

⁴ The Oscar-winning, In a Better World (2010), is a wonderful exploration of methods of responding to bullying, from the school yard to the theatre of war. The various characters take different stands, learning the consequences of their actions and the difference between theory and practice. 

No concrete answers, but plenty to think about. In English and subtitled Danish. Recommended.

⁵ Here's a sample.

My attempt at a neutral defence after being told the "truth" about the location. Please note that the hyperlink addresses have been replaced with hyperlinked descriptions:

"Proof:

See map with Siesta property (2) on Avenida Navarra, smack in the heart of the village and one block from the beach: map

See map with Oyster Bar described as restaurant. As the Siesta property's manager [Eileen Town] said, no bars [close by]: map

See videos of quiet Siesta property, taken in and beside room:

(1) Outside noise from inside the Pit

(2) Immediately outside the Pit's door walking towards the side and the  in the direction of Avenida Navarra

(3) Walking past the Pit's door with additional noise provided by Oyster Bar speakers"

Response from a Florida "expert". Note that each of the several nasty posts by this UK "writer" was blessed with errors galore:

"Save your proof for your complant [sic] to the Better Business Bureau. I already looked it up via Google maps and there are planty [sic] of places between Pearl and the Beach [I had described the Pit as being a block from the beach, which it is].

As I said, I think you have a claim on the Noise and the Wifi [sic] Front. Arguing here isn't going to help you get your money back, so put all your energies into that.

The rest of us Know [sic] the SK  [sic] has the best beach int he [sic] USA, and plenty of nice quiet places to stay outside of the village area. So sorry you didn't book one, you would have had a great time [maybe].

At least you didn't book yourself into "quiet' [sic] Miami Beach which recently had the Urban festival and the crowds and bab [sic] beahviour was rampant and made the national news. I imagine then you would have heard a real noisy party town [no comment on the grammar, sorry]."

Nobody's perfect, but give me a break. What can I say, I sent her a private message stating that spelling and factual errors detract from one's response. Then I blocked communications. Didt wont Mor ab-yuss.

* * *

Books mentioned

• The Consolations of Philosaphy
• Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work
• Lawyers Gone Bad

Rhetoric and Civic Duty -- Third Time Lucky?

Ever noticed the frequency how often people talk about their rights and privileges as opposed to your duties and obligations? Some would place the source of this conundrum squarely upon the shoulders of politicians. I couldn't possible comment.

I regularly come across characters with the most unusual interpretations of their rights and privileges, generally vis-a-vis the hoi poloi. Self-proclaimed lawyers, constitutional experts and United Nations' Human Rights pros, they live in an amazingly pleasant fantasy world.  So, from time-to-time, I find myself on the auditory end of some real doozers. Ah, how ignorance must be bliss.

FU, courtesy amazon.ca

My favourite character is the office worker, cum self-proclaimed legal expert, who firmly believed that every day graced with a name in the Quo Vadis planner  (eg, Anzac Day) was a legal holiday. A no work for full pay day. It must have taken a good 18 months or more of daily interaction before this fantastic interpretation was revealed to me. 

Imagine! Not only could I anticipate October's Thanksgiving with relish, there'd be another one in November, courtesy of the USA! Needless to say, life didn't work out that way. What kind of person believes this stuff? As slithery House of Cards' Francis Urquhart (the great Ian Richardson), was wont to hiss, I couldn't possibly comment¹.

Potter (amazon.ca). Going postal?

Then there's Magic, the age-old solution to the imponderable. According to Henry Hitchings' The Secret Life of English: How English Became English, "influenza" spread to English via the Italian Renaissance. With no understanding of modern disease control, the flu was believed to be the result of malicious influences. Jeremy Irons' Renaissance Borgia would have understood this concept of magic and malefactors. So would Harry Potter fans. Black magic -- much more fun than accusing the modern wet-blanket germ.

A Beak Doctor.
Magic anyone?

I found similar reliance on magic from low-level vultures in the local Health Ministry pecking order to be much less understandable. Assuring me that I was protected by a magic ring, I was denied access to government mandated health services. This contemporary beak doctor was actually proud to have refused several of my kind that day. 

Flabbergasted, I dialled local medical officials (beakists?), along with number of government help lines, to grouse. Famous Grousing would have been more of a pleasure. 

Not that anyone I spoke to was flustered. In fact, I was informed that a magic-based explanation was "normal"⁵. A legitimate case of freedom of religion², insisted another person who couldn't possibly have commented further. Convinced I had been gaslighted, I contacted my MNA, a national (dis)assembler if there ever was one. I was thanked for my "precious information". You'd think I was stuck in a very bad Lord of the Rings³  loop. At least with Tolkien, most of the characters were in agreement that Gollum was bad news and not to be trusted.

Chill double bill: Gollum
& Rotund Birds Character

Despite the self-confessed lawyer and the health magician's strong showing, the Cherry on Top Award goes to a Quebec human rights expert. This enlightened⁵ individual smugly informed me of the human right regarding the illegality of filming without the consent of all characters in your viewfinder. Perhaps it was related to the magical belief that the camera captures your soul. Dangerous stuff, that.

With self-righteous zeal, I was ordered to stop filming a mid-road exercise class for immature adults⁵. Perhaps the right stems from the magical belief that a camera captures your soul. 

Silly me, I had thought my responsibility as a pedestrian was to leave the road free for automotive traffic. Conversely, that it was my right to walk on the sidewalk unimpeded by cars. Look both ways, cross at the corner and all that. I'm not talking about a city street voluntarily blocked for a game of street hockey. Nor is this a case of joggers running single file against the traffic. 

These characters⁵ were acting as if a public road was their own private gymnasium. Since when was it a human right to attempt to cause a traffic accident? 

A method guaranteed to keep life from becoming dull. Good for the economy too⁶.

* * *

Notes

Courtesy amazon.com

¹ Michael Dobbs' fictional Francis Urquhart, MP may be best remembered for the catchphrase "You might well think that; I couldn't possibly comment." Totally self-serving, FU was a real reptilian. Not a nice guy either.

Dobbs' trilogy comprises House of Cards, To Play the King, and The Final Cut.

The 1990s miniseries (one per book) were a joy to watch. Together, the three series rank 84th in the British Film Institute's 100 Greatest British Television Programmes.

² Magic rings? A valid religion? Give me a break.

³ Gollum first appears in The Hobbit. His magic ring (the One Ring) had a malevolent influence. Tolkien was not pretending to write non-fiction. Gollum, once a variety of hobbit, has a habit of muttering to himself. In Tolkien's time, this was considered as an indication of madness. Today, it's generally a conversation on a cellphone.

⁴ Quebec has been described as the toughest jurisdiction in North America to practise photography.

⁵ I don't endorse the clothing, just the message. Should the links be broken, they were just T-shirts. As to the numbering, consider the comments as out of order.

⁶ Auto repair shops, insurance companies, and health professionals, for a start. 

* * *

Books mentioned

• House of Cards trilogy: House of Cards, To Play the King, and The Final Cut
• The Secret Life of English: How English Became English
• Harry Potter series
• Lord of the Rings (trilogy)

Power and Entitlement: First, A Cultural Perspective

Democracy. Power and entitlement. Rights and responsibilities. Think you understand them? Think again, for the language of political rhetoric stretches, bends and compresses these familiar terms out of all recognition and meaning.

 amazon.com

It's been a long time since I read 1984. It may be high time I dusted off my copy and re-read it. My memory of Orwell's doublethink is gentler than the current political doublespeak practice in which politicians contradict themselves within the same sentence. 

Could it be that today's crop of voters' darlings are so busy multitasking, they have neither the time nor the inclination to give us the courtesy of waiting until the next paragraph to repudiate the heartfelt beliefs³ they so recently held? Or could it be simply that millionaires don't care. Say it aloud -- there's a nice ring to it.

Courtesy amazon.co.uk

You'd think foul mouthed bully Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), star the BBC's riotously funny political comedy, The Thick of It was back to his old tricks, ranting and screaming into their Ministerial earpieces. Give it to this Chief Whip, he's certainly never boring, but then not every actor who has his own swearing consultant.

A true monster, Malcolm personifies the nightmare boss. Utterly controlling, he's loyal to the firm. Get in his way, and you'll wish you were never born. A great guy³ to watch when you think those in government have it too easy. Anywhere else, and they'd pull out the straight jacket, lock him up, and throw away the key.

Courtesy amazon.ca

It's unfortunate that many of us on this side of the Atlantic were only introduced to In the Loop's Malcolm. By then, the vicissitudes of political life had reduced him to attack puppy from rottweiler status. He would have been better off leaving Washington and visiting Chicago, had he truly wished to be in the loop. I've been.

Outside the political arena, English has difficulty handling the verbal volte-face. But in that rarefied air, the threat/opportunity of an upcoming election is always on the agenda. Government rhetoric has morphed into one incessant, neverending poll, twisting and turning in the statistical wind like a scarecrow in a hurricane. With elected officials' and their wannabes' spin doctors in lockstep, verbal gymnastics is the perennial prescription.

The adage "You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time" now has a new twist. Tellingly, the phrase is attributed to PT Barnum (circus attribution) and Abraham Lincoln (government). 

Today's politicians focus on placating a statistically³  significant portion of the population all of the time. It doesn't need a blamestorming session to skewer the guilty party. The problem is, we plebs can't make up our collective minds. Or so goes the blame-the-victim, ever-ready scapegoat, line of thinking³. Hence the voting process in many countries, including Canada, is more a revolving door spin, than a four-year entrenched position. 

More often than not, it's Animal Farm all over again¹, and we end up as Turkeys Voting for Christmas².

* * *

Notes
¹ According to the pigs, some are more equal than others. Apologies to Babe Ruth.

² A multitasker of a phrase, this is the title of a BBC Radio two-parter showing how voters are being tricked into voting in their own worst interests. The pitch? Sincerity.


³ T-shirt link make be broken. Don't fret, it's just a ph(r)ase. It's out of order, too.

* * *

Books mentioned

• 1984
• Animal Farm