Bedbugs - WWSAD?

[riverwed070707]

This isn't really a SA question but not really sure where else to go for advice. We had a terrible money weekend when we got a flat tire 1 hour into a 2.5 hour drive only to find out my new-to-me car didn't have a tire iron so we could put the spare on. An hour later we finally got someone to stop and help, got 10 miles down the road and the spare went flat. At this poitn it was 10 p.m. Called roadside assitance to tow us to a gas station so we could air it up but it had a buldge so we decided to get a hotel room and call it a night so we could replace the tire before getting back on the road. Paid triple the normal hotel rate to stay in a crummy hotel due to an Indy race being in town and it being the only thing available. Got up in the a.m. to find a hole blown in the spare and had to call roadside AGAIN to tow us to the tire shop. Further, all 3 of us woke up with bug bites ALL over us. We didn't immediately say anything because we were unsure that it was truly bedbugs, but as bites continued to appear over the next 24 hours and we had time to research more, I'm certain that's what it was. There just isn't any other explanation as to how we slept in 2 different beds and all 3 woke up with 40+ bites.

So all that said, that was Friday night/Saturday morning, we called the hotel Sunday morning to report it and the manager on duty basically said we were lying and "she would look into it" but refused ot give us contact info for the general manager or corporate. We requested she call us back later that day but of course she didn't. Monday I sent an email to their customer care via their corporate site but I've not gotten a response from that either. We took photos of the bites but I guess I'm just curious what additional steps we should take. Do I need to report this to the health department some how, and if so, how do I contact them? Additionally, what is the normal procedure assuming we're right about our suspicions? I don't feel its out of line to request a refund. Additionally we had a number of personal items we had to throw out and I had a sweater ruined from trying to ensure we didn't bring any bugs into our home. How would you handle this?

[frugalredhead]

I work in Infection Control for a hospital and am very familiar with bedbugs. Absolutely call the health department of whatever county the hotel was in. Just google it and call the main number, and they can direct you to whichever department you need to talk to. I would call back to the hotel and ask for the highest person in charged and speak to them, and let them know that you have notified the health department. That'll get them shaking in their boots! If it's a chain, call and/or write to the parent company or main office (I always go straight for the CEO when I have a problem like that). Be persistent and you will get the reimbursement that you deserve! That night at the hotel should be free, plus the cost of whatever you had to throw away. Sorry this happened to you

[ua_guy]

Wow, sounds like a nightmare!!

I agree you should call the health department and notify them.

If you can't get a response from the hotel, file a complaint with the BBB, if they are a member. Trash the place on Yelp or TripAdvisor for good measure, if you receive no assistance.

Sounds like you did the right thing and discarded items that could be carrying any additional bugs...definitely don't want those getting in YOUR home.

As for the car...these aren't things most people usually think about, but if you buy a used car it's a *really* good idea to take a look at the spare tire, check the pressure (often!) and make sure all the parts are there to swap in the spare if you need to. It's not a bad idea to carry a can of Fix a Flat too, although beware on newer cars this can necessitate replacement of the Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensor for that wheel if you use the can of goo to fix the flat. It can destroy the sensor and they aren't always cheap ($35-$80?) -but it might save you from a night in the Bates Motel until the tire shop opens in the morning!!

[snafu]

That sounds like the trip from H_ll. For all traveling this summer, thank you for a head's up to check tires, spare, jack, tire iron, etc. before planned departure.

There have been really bad outbreaks of bedbugs throughout the hotel/hospitality industry. I hope you'll call the county Health Officer as suggested and follow through with the CEO for the chain. They all know how bad the bug situation is even in 5 star outlets. I hope you'll update the outcome.

http://insects.about.com/od/insectssociety/a/avoid-bed-bugs-in-hotel-rooms_3.htm

It's a good idea to carry a mini LED flashlight and check the darkest crevice for bugs. It's now important to pull up a section of the bottom sheet to check the seam that connects the mattress to edge cord for evidence of tiny black dots which are bed bugs. They're insidious and easily get into your luggage and contaminate everything.

[riverwed070707]

Wow, sounds like a nightmare!!

I agree you should call the health department and notify them.

If you can't get a response from the hotel, file a complaint with the BBB, if they are a member. Trash the place on Yelp or TripAdvisor for good measure, if you receive no assistance.

Sounds like you did the right thing and discarded items that could be carrying any additional bugs...definitely don't want those getting in YOUR home.

As for the car...these aren't things most people usually think about, but if you buy a used car it's a *really* good idea to take a look at the spare tire, check the pressure (often!) and make sure all the parts are there to swap in the spare if you need to. It's not a bad idea to carry a can of Fix a Flat too, although beware on newer cars this can necessitate replacement of the Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensor for that wheel if you use the can of goo to fix the flat. It can destroy the sensor and they aren't always cheap ($35-$80?) -but it might save you from a night in the Bates Motel until the tire shop opens in the morning!!

Good point on checking ALL the parts. I had actually checked to see their was a spare and a jack but didn't actually test the tire pressure in the spare or take the jack out ot see that it had all its pieces.

That sounds like the trip from H_ll. For all traveling this summer, thank you for a head's up to check tires, spare, jack, tire iron, etc. before planned departure.

There have been really bad outbreaks of bedbugs throughout the hotel/hospitality industry. I hope you'll call the county Health Officer as suggested and follow through with the CEO for the chain. They all know how bad the bug situation is even in 5 star outlets. I hope you'll update the outcome.

http://insects.about.com/od/insectssociety/a/avoid-bed-bugs-in-hotel-rooms_3.htm

It's a good idea to carry a mini LED flashlight and check the darkest crevice for bugs. It's now important to pull up a section of the bottom sheet to check the seam that connects the mattress to edge cord for evidence of tiny black dots which are bed bugs. They're insidious and easily get into your luggage and contaminate everything.

I will definitely update on the status. Small update from yesterday. I called the hotel again and talked to a different manager than Sunday. She indicated they had done an inspection and didn't find anything. I asked if I could contact the professional who did the inspection and she said no so I asked who I needed to talk to to escalate the issue becuase I didn't feel it was getting proper attention. She gave me the GMs number but he didn't answer my calls all afternoon. I also emailed the state health department to find a contact for that county because I wasn't able to easily find it while searching.

ETA oh and when I asked why we didn't receive a call back as requested I was told they were too busy.

[frugalredhead]

I will definitely update on the status. Small update from yesterday. I called the hotel again and talked to a different manager than Sunday. She indicated they had done an inspection and didn't find anything. I asked if I could contact the professional who did the inspection and she said no so I asked who I needed to talk to to escalate the issue becuase I didn't feel it was getting proper attention. She gave me the GMs number but he didn't answer my calls all afternoon. I also emailed the state health department to find a contact for that county because I wasn't able to easily find it while searching.

ETA oh and when I asked why we didn't receive a call back as requested I was told they were too busy.

They'll start answering calls when the health department is calling. Definitely put reviews on yelp, tripadvisor, and anywhere else you can think of.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Did you happen to inspect crevices on the mattress after you realized you were bitten? I only wonder if there is a possibility that the bites were gotten while you waited on the roadside.

[Eagle]

@ riverwed070707

Whatever you do make sure to heat treat all the clothes you had. Also the suitcases, your vehicle, and any personal items you had with you need to be heat treated or thrown away.

We have friends who got bed bugs at an apartment they lived in. They had to get rid of most of their furniture, heat treat all their clothes, heat treat all their non-clothing items/furniture, and move to a different location.

You can get bed bugs at hotels, airports, movie theaters, public libraries, daycares, schools, colleges, hospitals, nursing facilities, places of worship (churches), consignment stores, thrift shops, and yard sales.

It is a nightmare. Heat is the only solution. Hopefully you didn't take these critters home.

[riverwed070707]

Did you happen to inspect crevices on the mattress after you realized you were bitten? I only wonder if there is a possibility that the bites were gotten while you waited on the roadside.

I looked and honestly, I didn't see anything obvious but I didn't really know what I was looking for either. The mattress didn't appear dirty and stained. We did consider it could have been from the roadside but the location and amount of bites doesn't necessarily fit with spending an hour on the side of the road - while trying to be TMI sensitive, we all have multiple bites in our armpits and in our underwear area as well as sides, legs and neck. I spend a lot of time sitting outside in the summer and never have I had 10-15 bites through my clothing on my bum, hips and inner thighs, especially when wearing long pants.

[bjl584]

If you happened to charge the rooms to a credit card you can call the credit card company and have them remove the room charges. American Express is especially good with customer service when it comes to situations like this.

[riverwed070707]

If you happened to charge the rooms to a credit card you can call the credit card company and have them remove the room charges. American Express is especially good with customer service when it comes to situations like this.

Really? Why would the CC company take the hit for that? I have little doubt that its not bedbugs, but hypothetically speaking, they indicated the inspection came back clean and if thats really teh case, I don't want it to seem like I'm just trying to get a free room.

[bjl584]

Really? Why would the CC company take the hit for that? I have little doubt that its not bedbugs, but hypothetically speaking, they indicated the inspection came back clean and if thats really teh case, I don't want it to seem like I'm just trying to get a free room.

If you plead your case and tell them exactly what you posted on here, them there is a really good chance that they'll remove the charges.

[ua_guy]

Really? Why would the CC company take the hit for that? I have little doubt that its not bedbugs, but hypothetically speaking, they indicated the inspection came back clean and if thats really teh case, I don't want it to seem like I'm just trying to get a free room.

The credit card company doesn't take a hit for that. As part of a merchant agreement, the card issuing bank can issue a chargeback to the merchant (i.e. the hotel doesn't get paid for your stay--and they cannot pursue you for it).

It's a nice, crass way of shoving a charge up a merchant's @$$ when they don't deliver on goods/services as promised.

[creditcardfree]

I'd report the issue to GM, corporate office, and health department. I might also leave some reviews on online sites to warn others who may look.

If you do not get a quick response about crediting your room, I would ask for charges reverse. The hotel takes the hit, not the credit card company or you.

[riverwed070707]

***UPDATE***

Yesterday I finally got through to the GM. Long story short he was an a$$hole. As soon as I said who I was he cut me off and said they did an inspection and it came back clean so there was nothing he could do for me. I asked to see the inspection report and he gave me a number to the pest company but the number turned out to not be valid. Called him back and he didn't answer so I just repeatedly called until he picked up. Complained about the service and the fact that this happened almost a week ago and not one person has tried to reach out to me and he said thats becuase my complaint was invalid and there's nothing they can do. Told him about the bad number and asked him to send me the report and he said he has no way of doing that. I suggested taking a photo with his phone and emailing it. He said he would try but didn't have time today. I was trying to give them the opportunity to handle this on their own but now I'm just angry that I would be treated this way. DH wants to go to the media but I don't really want to be in the public eye as the family who got bed bugs LOL. I will definitely take the time to write some reviews and hopefully I'll hear back from the health department and corporate soon.