Defensiveness destroys customer relationships by Debra J. Schmidt

On a recent trip that was part of a group tour, one of the guests was extremely upset. It had taken nearly an hour for his family to be checked in at our hotel. This occurred after we had just completed an eight-hour plane ride followed by a five-hour bus trip.

While this same family was finally getting settled in their room, the tour bus departed without them. The entire group was on their way to attend a professional soccer game in Valencia. The tour guide never noticed that the family had been left behind. When we arrived at the stadium, several guests pointed out that this family was missing. The tour guide chose not to return to the hotel to retrieve them even though it was only 20 minutes away. He simply shrugged and stayed for the game.