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

Love, War and Remembrance

Civil unrest in the Middle East has been in the news these last few weeks. In unconscious sympathy, I read two war novels this week, Birdsong, a tale of WWI, and The 6th Lamentation, a WWII story.

Courtesy amazon.ca

Sebastian Faulks' Birdsong is a haunting story of love among the ruins.†

The tale begins in 1910 with orphan Stephen Wraysford's arrival in the Somme town of Amiens on a mission to learn about the local textile trade for his English employer. Stephen next proceeds to do the unthinkable -- accepting the hospitality of a local family, then falling in love with the woman of the house, Isabelle Azaire, and convincing her to run away with him.

However, as with Tolstoy's heroine, Anna Karenina, Isabelle's guilt drives her to abandon the young Englishman.

Fast forward to 1916 and the Battle of the Somme (1 July to 18 November). Stephen has returned to England to enlist in the Great War to fight for his home country, rather than for the French. His education and fearlessness quickly lead to promotion out of the ranks.

Battle landscape on a good day.
 Image courtesy cwgc.org, image #42

Yet what his superiors fail to see is that Stephen's belief in never having been loved has lead him to take the military propaganda -- be blood thirsty towards the enemy -- to heart. He focuses all his energy towards avoiding connections to his fellows and lives to kill.

Most of the book is concerned with survival amid the unspeakable horrors and agony of life in the trenches. However, interwoven with this is the "contemporary" (1970s) story of Elizabeth Bensen, a solitary woman in search of information about the grandfather she never knew -- Stephen Wraysford.

Courtesy amazon.ca

Nevertheless, the story ends on a positive note. It's a vindication of sorts -- the atonement so missing from Ian McEwan's excellent love story Atonement and equally compelling film version with James McAvoy and Keira Knightley. So, despite the crushing gloom, Birdsong does deserve its BBC best book ranking.

After reading Birdsong, William Broderick's mystery thriller The 6th Lamentation* was almost a breeze. I picked it up a few weeks ago because the title rang a bell. It certainly didn't disappoint. Agnes Aubret, failed mother and slightly more successful grandmother has a secret that's been gnawing away at her soul for fifty years. She's just been diagnosed with motor neuron disease with only a short time to live. So her granddaughter, Lucy, may understand the origins of the fault lines within the family, Agnes decides to dictate her story.

Courtesy amazon.co.uk

Father Anselm, monk and former hack lawyer, has a story too. A story to track down. For he's the Vatican's chosen investigator into the claims of suspected Nazi war criminal, Edouard Schwermann, who recently demanded sanctuary at Anselm's home priory.

Schwermann claims he's innocent and to back this up he cites his having been received sanctuary at this same priory and then smuggled into England at the end of the war. With the blessing of the authorities he began a new life under a new name. The justification? As an SS officer based in occupied France, he helped smuggle Jewish children to safety.

Every survivor connected to the running of this smuggling operation has something to hide, but they appear to have one belief in common -- fellow smuggler Agnes and her child perished in the concentration camps. It's up to Lucy to decide what to divulge during Schwermann's trial.

I quite enjoyed this book. While still dark, its mood was considerably lighter than that of Birdsong. And while it remains true to the theme of senselessly wasted lives, there is more joy to its ending.

I'd say Birdsong's is the greater book, but Lamentation the easier read.

Courtesy amazon.ca

Should you enjoy Sebastian Faulks' writing, you might be interested in the current BBC2 4-part series, Faulks on Fiction, and the accompanying BBC publication Faulks on Fiction: Great British Characters and the Secret Life of the Novel. Each episode of the series focuses (sequentially) on the Hero, Lover, Snob and Villain.

If you want more of Father Anselm, try Broderick's murder mystery The Gardens of the Dead and A Whispered Name, a novel of the 1917 Passchendaele campaign.

Notes

†   Apologies to Browning, Waugh and Burne-Jones.

* The book explains that the Bible contains five Lamentations and that the Holocaust may be considered a sixth.

Books mentioned

• Birdsong
• Anna Karenina
• Atonement
• The 6th Lamentation
• Faulks on Fiction: Great British Characters and the Secret Life of the Novel
• The Gardens of the Dead
• A Whispered Name

Elizabeth Marsh: A Real Harry Flashman

Are fans of the late George Macdonald Fraser's Flashman Papers in it for the swash-buckling Victorian history or his disgraceful behaviour?

The Rugby bully of Tom Brown's School Days fame has remarkable luck at extricating himself from near-death scrapes, but his ability to travel far and wide is beyond belief.

The now defunct Globe Corner Bookstore,
once part of the Cambridge bookstore
pilgrimage trail (Courtessy: Wikipedia)

Not so, according to The Ordeal of Elizabeth Marsh, the extraordinary true story of an ordinary 18th century woman. Author of The Female Captive, Marsh was conceived in Jamaica then resided in Menorca, Gibraltar and London. Caught up in political events and the vagaries of international trade, she saw the Caribbean, Americas, Europe, Asia, Pacific, and Africa. Then and now, it's a question of family and temperament, says historian Linda Colley.

Should you enjoy Elizabeth Marsh, try Colley's Captives: Britain, Empire, and the World (1600-1850). I couldn't choose -- so I bought both.

Purchased in London, 
my copy is like this.

Courtesy: Amazon.ca

Another heartily recommend spin on the British empire is Niall Ferguson's door-stopper, Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power -- an enthusiastic description of the unprecedented opportunity for advancement afforded to his Scottish ancestors, plus much, much, more.

The theme continues in Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire; shorter, contemporary and satisfying.

More than just a great tune.
Courtesy of amazon.ca.

If Elizabeth Marsh's descriptions of slavery become overwhelming, try watching Amazing Grace, the tale of William Wilberforce, abolushonist, MP and friend of Pitt. Then read Eric Metaxas' excellent tome, Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery.

Popularly known as Pam. 
Courtesy amazon.co.uk.

For late Georgian, early Victorian empire-building, there's Palmerston: The People's Darling. Witness to the French Revolution and European traveller as a boy, he determined foreign policy. He knew he was right². Naturally, Victoria and Albert hated the man.    

Prefer fiction? There's always Scott's Raj Quartet, or its superb dramatization, The Jewel in the Crown. Pico Iyar says¹ not seeing himself, he attended an all-white English public school. Do you think character Hari Kumar felt the same?

Notes

¹ I'm uncertain where. The Global Soul: Jet Lag, Shopping Malls, and the Search for Home (interesting, but depressing)? The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto (helped me over culture shock in Japan)?

² Apologies to Trollope.

Books mentioned

• Tom Brown's School Days
• The Ordeal of Elizabeth Marsh: A Woman in World History (a New York Times Book Review 10 Best Book of the Year)
• Captives: Britain, Empire, and the World (1600-1850)
• Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power 
• Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire
• Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery
• Palmerston: The People's Darling
• Raj Quartet
• The Global Soul: Jet Lag, Shopping Malls, and the Search for Home
• The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto
• He Knew He was Right (Anthony Trollope)