1 in 8 Holidaymakers Threaten Bad Reviews To Get What They Want
Posted by Sue Anderson, 12th Jul 2016
Our latest survey has revealed more about the lengths some holidaymakers go to in order to get what they want from hotel, restaurant and entertainment staff abroad. We polled 2,510 people age 18 and over from around the UK, all of whom had been on holiday abroad in the last year and asked them about the sneaky tactics they resorted to in order to benefit in some way.
When we asked, 'Which of the following, if any, have you previously done on a holiday abroad to get what you want/benefit in some way?' the top five most common answers selected were as follows:
1. Lied about/exaggerated a bad experience - 23%
2. Being over-generous with tips/tipping when told not to - 19%
3. Threatened to leave a bad online review - 13%
4. Refusing to pay a bill- 10%
5. Lied about a special occasion (birthday/honeymoon/anniversary) - 8%
When we asked who had been on the receiving end of their lies, threats or refusal to pay on holiday, restaurant staff (65%) was the most common answer, followed by hotel receptionists (21%) and housekeeping staff (18%).
Anyone who had lied or exaggerated about a bad experience was then asked to specify what they had done. Confession time! The most common answer given to us by these sneaky respondents was "lying about a hair in my food" (31%), followed by "lying about the cleanliness of my room" (22%) and "lying about noise disturbances" (14%). 9% had also lied about developing food poisoning on holiday.
When we asked what they had hoped to achieve through their lies or threats, 47% of the relevant respondents said it was to 'save money/get a discount' and 38% said it was to 'receive some kind of upgrade'. Asked if they were successful in their attempt to get what they want or benefit in some way from their devious actions, 51% said 'yes'.
We have to admit, our survey findings have made us feel incredibly sorry for hotel and restaurant staff working in holiday resorts abroad. We're clearly a demanding bunch of visitors who will go out of our way to get what we want from our holiday.
Threatening bad reviews is clearly one of the top tools in Britons' bargaining arsenal. Hotels and restaurant rely a lot on good reviews only to drive custom and bookings, so it's easy to see why threatening a bad review would make them bend over backwards to accommodate a customer's request. Still, we shouldn't bend the truth or fabricate stories for our own personal gains!
When we asked, 'Which of the following, if any, have you previously done on a holiday abroad to get what you want/benefit in some way?' the top five most common answers selected were as follows:
1. Lied about/exaggerated a bad experience - 23%
2. Being over-generous with tips/tipping when told not to - 19%
3. Threatened to leave a bad online review - 13%
4. Refusing to pay a bill- 10%
5. Lied about a special occasion (birthday/honeymoon/anniversary) - 8%
Restaurant Staff Most Likely To Be Lied To By Holidaymakers
When we asked who had been on the receiving end of their lies, threats or refusal to pay on holiday, restaurant staff (65%) was the most common answer, followed by hotel receptionists (21%) and housekeeping staff (18%).
Anyone who had lied or exaggerated about a bad experience was then asked to specify what they had done. Confession time! The most common answer given to us by these sneaky respondents was "lying about a hair in my food" (31%), followed by "lying about the cleanliness of my room" (22%) and "lying about noise disturbances" (14%). 9% had also lied about developing food poisoning on holiday.
Most Holidaymakers Tell Lies of Make Threats For Discounts
When we asked what they had hoped to achieve through their lies or threats, 47% of the relevant respondents said it was to 'save money/get a discount' and 38% said it was to 'receive some kind of upgrade'. Asked if they were successful in their attempt to get what they want or benefit in some way from their devious actions, 51% said 'yes'.
We have to admit, our survey findings have made us feel incredibly sorry for hotel and restaurant staff working in holiday resorts abroad. We're clearly a demanding bunch of visitors who will go out of our way to get what we want from our holiday.
Threatening bad reviews is clearly one of the top tools in Britons' bargaining arsenal. Hotels and restaurant rely a lot on good reviews only to drive custom and bookings, so it's easy to see why threatening a bad review would make them bend over backwards to accommodate a customer's request. Still, we shouldn't bend the truth or fabricate stories for our own personal gains!
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