Review of our stay at the Sea Oats Motel in Jarvisburg NC

We stayed at the Sea Oats Motel in Jarvisburg NC from July 11th-14th 2008. I booked the room over the phone. We stayed in an apartment style room. My main complaint is that on their web site http://www.seaoatsmotel.net, it is not stated anywhere that THERE IS NOT A PHONE IN THE ROOMS, yet other things are listed. One would expect there to be an in room phone no matter how low budget it is.

The phone thing is a big deal to me since I am a business traveler. I have to access my email via my laptop when I am out of town. I use dial up internet thus I need a phone line. What makes this so bad is I emailed a day in advance and asked if there was a local dial up number for that area and I told of my need to have a phone. I also tried to call and no one returned my email or my call. When I got there the manager at the front desk took my money for my whole stay. Then I went to my room to discover there was no phone in the room. I went to speak to the manager and asked why they did not state the fact about not having a phone on the website. She said she had no idea if it was on there or not. I asked if there was a way I could get a refund on all but my first night so I could go elsewhere and she said they did not do refunds. So I was stuck at a motel with no phone and during my stay there I lost 2 customers.

I know I could not expect much for $72 a night but there are somethings that a person would assume that was included such as a phone. They really need to do some remodeling or atleast get the place up to code. The kitchen counter was rotten underneath, the light fixture was falling out of the ceiling and all the plug ins were worn out ...and not all of them worked.

The only good things I can say about the place was that it was VERY CLEAN and it was quiet. No one bothered us during our stay. When I got back home I sent this email to the owner of the Motel. I might add it took the owner about a week to reply. I also mailed a written letter to the owner.

______ EMAIL TO OWNER OF THE SEA OATS MOTEL__________
Hi,

We booked a room at Sea Oats for July 11th-14th. We arrived on the 1th about 3:30 pm. I paid the entire balance of our stay BEFORE checking out the room which was a mistake on my part. The amount was $243.54. Although I know with rates at $72 per night you can't expect the Ramada or anything in your location but there are some things you expect. I have traveled enough to know what is what.

The main thing for me was the fact that there were no in room phones! Which would be no big deal,if it was not for the fact that I needed a phone line in order to check my business emails with my laptop, I had a local dial up number for your area. When I found out there was no phone lines I talked to your manager who instructed me that she could not help me. I asked if any of my total amount I paid was refundable so I could go to another motel after the first night...and she said No that you guys did not do refunds. Which I think that policy is rather one sided since I am an unhappy customer. You should do what is right. Your manager should have refunded my last 2 nights so I could go some where with a phone in the room. Not only that ....but I emailed you 2 times before I left to ask about internet access and phones and no on bothered to email me back. I assure you that if you had told me there was no phones I would have went elsewhere even if I had to pay you 1 nights stay. I even tried calling before we left and no one answered the phone there at the motel. Most motels/hotels have phones in the room so I just took it for granted that yours were the same.

Not having a telephone costed me 2 customers which I am very upset about. The type of business I am in I have to have email and computer access every day. I am not a happy person about this. What could I do though...your manager refused to refund me and I dang sure was not going to lose my hard earned money I had already paid. So we were stuck there. What makes it extra bad is the fact that YOU DO NOT HAVE STATED ON YOUR WEBSITE THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE IN ROOM PHONES. Most people like myself would assume you do...after all most motels/hotels have in-room phones. If they did not you would expect them to be honest and post it on their website. When I mentioned this to your manager she said she did not know if it was stated on your site or not. Well I am here to tell you that it is not. There is nothing mentioned about phones or the lack there of. If you want to save future disatisfied customers I urge you to post it on your site.

There were some other complaints as well. First you should really have someone to check your wireing. The outlets are worn out. The ceiling light was falling down and the bulbs were blown. The electrical thing is a hazard and a fire risk not only for you but your visitors. Your only saving grace in my eyes was the fact you had super nice cleaning ladys The room was very clean when we got there. They showed up sat morning and gave us some clean towels and things. I was impressed with them. Esp the older lady. She was sweet.

I am going to give my HONEST review on all the travel review web sites and my high traffic blog. I assure you that I will state everything that I have stated in this email. It is the truth and nothing is made up or falsified in the least. I think you should do something to make this right with me...maybe refund part of my money.

_______END OF EMAIL____________________

I got this reply from the owner of the Sea Oats Motel after resending my email above atleast 3 times and mailing a hard copy of it.

_______Begin Reply From Owner Of The Sea Oats Motel_____________

Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 3:13 PMSubject:

Re: Openings for July 11 12 13

Betty Sue;

Thank you for choosing the Sea Oats Motel during you recent stay on the Outer Banks. We are sincerely sorry that some of our amenities that you required to do business during your stay are not offered at our motel. We are a small country budget motel that offers clean basic amenities for our guests. In order to keep costs down, we do do not offer phones in the individual rooms. Today, the majority of the people use cell phones exclusively & our pay phone next to the office door has been sufficent for the needs of our guests at our motel so far. I apologise I did not reply to your email that you sent at 3pm on Thursday, 7/10. I answer my emails usually once a day & did not get a chance to review yours until the next day, Friday afternoon, the day that you would be arriving. I assumed that you were already on your way here if not, already arrived at the motel & your questions would be answered then. If your laptop computer is a critical tool to your business, I would recommend that you become equipped with the latest technology & be prepared for any type of connection, dial up or wireless or whatever - in all locations, whatever that may entail. True, our website does not address the topic of phones or internet service at our motel. It does not mentioned either that we do not have jacuzzis or a pool or a lounge or a playground either. The list could be lengthly of what we don’t have. We do mention items that we do have like a microwave, refrigerator, coffee, etc... in each room. Now that you have brought this to our attention, I will make a point to have that updated on our website. As far as the light fixture in your room, it is a recessed fixture whose cover had drifted down about an inch and need to be to be snapped back into place; no threat to safety. The office would have been able to provide you with a new light bulb if requested. We welcome your business if you wish to stay with us on your next visit to the area.

Sincerely,

Jim Hornbrook

ownerSea Oats Motel
_________END OF REPLY FROM THE OWNER OF THE MOTEL__________

And here is my reply to his email

_______MY REPLY TO THE OWNER OF THE SEA OATS MOTEL______________
Hello,

I do apprecaite your reply! With the phone, well most people would honestly assume there was in room. That is a basic thing for even the most low budget motel (atleast it has been in the many other motels I have stayed in up and down the East Coast). I also gathered from your web site WITHOUT BEING TOLD that you would not offer things such as quote" jacuzzis or a pool or a lounge or a playground either".... and the general public would assume the same thing...just as they would asume that you had a phone in the room. That was/is my main complaint and it was something that costed me customers. I have never had an issue getting online via dial up any where else I have been. It just made matters worse that I attempted to find out before I left and no one replied...nor could I reach anyone on the phone.

I do honestly think you should post it on your web site that you do not have in room phones PLEASE. I mean some people may not come with a roll of quarters to make phone calls and it is nice to let everyone know stuff like that no matter what. Not everyone has cell phones either.

I would stay at your motel again if I had no other choice. I think something should be done to make things right with us....I was refused a refund which just threw salt on the wounds already. Most places give refunds after the first night if a customer is not happy. I run a business to, and the customer should be treated fairly.

Thanks,

Betty Haynes

Ps... You did in fact have very clean rooms and that was a point in your favor.
______________________END______________

My main complaint is the fact they should state in their web site TRUTHFULLY and up front about what they have and do not have at the motel. That way there is no room for error and there will be no surprised visitors.

Other than the deal with the motel...we had a wonderful time out on the beautiful Outer Banks of NC.

Thanks,

Betty Haynes