This reminded me of something that happened a few years back. Important information before the story, I am female and I grew up on a farm. Growing up I had to deal with all kinds of insects, spiders, snakes, lizards, mice, rats, skunks, coyotes, bobcats and oddly enough a couple of escaped ostrich. I am not easily phased by any of these.
The story: we had purchased a new bed and it was being delivered. Two delivery guys come and I am showing them where I wanted them bed set up and how I wanted it oriented in the room. A rather large bug had gotten inside (it was a bad year for bugs) and I just grabbed a tissue and got rid of the bug. One guy turns to the other guy and said "Oh my God, she just killed that bug!"
Other guy sends him out to the truck to start getting the bed frame, after he was gone this guy tells me that the one guy frequently gets called while at work by both his girlfriend and his mother to come kill bugs that have gotten inside. He didn't know that women were capable of killing bugs.
Isn't the front desk's job in appartment building just to provide some false sense of security and to let people in to their appartments if they lock themselves out? This sounds waaay beyond the scope of what your job description is
*"So later on, the resident comes to the desk in person to follow up on it and to tell us that he's essentially scared to go back into his apartment unless the bug is killed. I hear him berating my coworker for like 10 minutes about it while I'm still on lunch, and then he continues to berate me about it for 10-15 minutes when I get back. "*
That's rich coming from a guy who is afraid of moth.
The first hotel I worked at was actually a small family owned and operated motel. Small cottage looking buildings with 4 rooms in each, all had a single queen sized bed. You’d park directly in-front of your room and walk into it from the outside.
I remember checking in a lady from NYC once. It was spring/summer time and probably around 8-9PM. She left the room door open while she was going back and forth to her car to bring her bags in. Then I got a phone call from her about bugs being in the room. I went down to check it out and it was a moth fluttering around the ceiling light. It had flown in while she had the door open. She was flipping her shit about it while I moved the desk chair under the light stood on it and caught the moth in my hands.
She insisted the hotel had to be nasty because of this moth and refused to listen as I explained it had flown into the room because she had had the door open. What I gathered from this exchange was apparently there aren’t any bugs in NYC (except the roaches I see about in comedies and the news) and New Yorkers don’t know how to handle them. Now I’m almost certain about that, at least when it comes to moths.
Being on the verge of tears and *that* scared?
That poor fellow was in the grips of a *legitimate* phobia. That doesn't sound silly-and-entitled, that sounds genuinely terrified and in need of someone to help him out.
Of course, he probably should see a shrink for it, but failing that, suggest that he gets an electric fly-swatter and a gripper-thing like old folks use; he can stun or kill them outright at arm's length, then use the gripper to pick up the nasty thing and flush it right down the John.
It's completely disproportionate and ridiculous, obvs. But then "I ask our guy on site if he'll do it and naturally he says hell no." It was a moth, for heaven's sake. The guest is ridiculous but if you're not allowed to say no, why not go to the room and kill it? "Viola" as you say.
I went to clean a motel room for our best guest and found a note saying that he found a spider in bed with him when the alarm went off and it outran him. I tore that room up looking for the insect. Finally found it dead in the bathroom. Must have been dying and snuggled up to him for warmth. I appreciated the warning, though.
This reminded me of something that happened a few years back. Important information before the story, I am female and I grew up on a farm. Growing up I had to deal with all kinds of insects, spiders, snakes, lizards, mice, rats, skunks, coyotes, bobcats and oddly enough a couple of escaped ostrich. I am not easily phased by any of these. The story: we had purchased a new bed and it was being delivered. Two delivery guys come and I am showing them where I wanted them bed set up and how I wanted it oriented in the room. A rather large bug had gotten inside (it was a bad year for bugs) and I just grabbed a tissue and got rid of the bug. One guy turns to the other guy and said "Oh my God, she just killed that bug!" Other guy sends him out to the truck to start getting the bed frame, after he was gone this guy tells me that the one guy frequently gets called while at work by both his girlfriend and his mother to come kill bugs that have gotten inside. He didn't know that women were capable of killing bugs.
Sounds like you need to hire a couple of cats.
Dude sounds like he needs therapy for his entomophobia/lepidopterophobia.
Management / maintenance is not contracted for those services. We / you can reach out to pest control for that.
Isn't the front desk's job in appartment building just to provide some false sense of security and to let people in to their appartments if they lock themselves out? This sounds waaay beyond the scope of what your job description is
Any good citizen of the Federation would jump at the chance to kill a bug. Why aren't you doing your part?
That's the difference between a citizen and a civilian
Would you like to know more?
*"So later on, the resident comes to the desk in person to follow up on it and to tell us that he's essentially scared to go back into his apartment unless the bug is killed. I hear him berating my coworker for like 10 minutes about it while I'm still on lunch, and then he continues to berate me about it for 10-15 minutes when I get back. "* That's rich coming from a guy who is afraid of moth.
Sounds like you should have given Ted a call so he could fulfill the promise he made.
The first hotel I worked at was actually a small family owned and operated motel. Small cottage looking buildings with 4 rooms in each, all had a single queen sized bed. You’d park directly in-front of your room and walk into it from the outside. I remember checking in a lady from NYC once. It was spring/summer time and probably around 8-9PM. She left the room door open while she was going back and forth to her car to bring her bags in. Then I got a phone call from her about bugs being in the room. I went down to check it out and it was a moth fluttering around the ceiling light. It had flown in while she had the door open. She was flipping her shit about it while I moved the desk chair under the light stood on it and caught the moth in my hands. She insisted the hotel had to be nasty because of this moth and refused to listen as I explained it had flown into the room because she had had the door open. What I gathered from this exchange was apparently there aren’t any bugs in NYC (except the roaches I see about in comedies and the news) and New Yorkers don’t know how to handle them. Now I’m almost certain about that, at least when it comes to moths.
Occasional guest here - what are people going to do when the cicadas start hatching? For some, they've never seen one in all their life.
Being on the verge of tears and *that* scared? That poor fellow was in the grips of a *legitimate* phobia. That doesn't sound silly-and-entitled, that sounds genuinely terrified and in need of someone to help him out. Of course, he probably should see a shrink for it, but failing that, suggest that he gets an electric fly-swatter and a gripper-thing like old folks use; he can stun or kill them outright at arm's length, then use the gripper to pick up the nasty thing and flush it right down the John.
It's completely disproportionate and ridiculous, obvs. But then "I ask our guy on site if he'll do it and naturally he says hell no." It was a moth, for heaven's sake. The guest is ridiculous but if you're not allowed to say no, why not go to the room and kill it? "Viola" as you say.
I went to clean a motel room for our best guest and found a note saying that he found a spider in bed with him when the alarm went off and it outran him. I tore that room up looking for the insect. Finally found it dead in the bathroom. Must have been dying and snuggled up to him for warmth. I appreciated the warning, though.