I’m Only Paranoid Because They ARE All Out to Get Me

Chair-PhoneI check things to paranoid levels sometimes.  I read and re-read my confirmation numbers.  I check to make sure I have ticket numbers.  (Which is why I was so sure I didn’t miss my flight that time US Airways told me I did!)

I check things so much that family and friends wonder why I put so much energy into this.  Am I just paranoid?

Nah.

I keep running into situations where going that extra step just to make sure has saved a lot of trouble.  I am at a conference this weekend, and I sometimes pay for my coworkers rooms.  I booked two rooms at a hotel, and was going to check one employee in under my credit card.

I had the opportunity to grab lunch with someone I haven’t seen in a long time, so I wanted to see if I could put the employee’s name on my room and use my credit card to check her in.

It was really important to make sure she got checked into the right room.  Her reservation lasted one night longer than mine.

So I had the confirmation number and called the hotel.  I explained that I had a coworker checking in on my reservation and gave a confirmation number for her room.  I re-emphasized that’s the confirmation number she needs to check into.  Then and only then was I asked my name to confirm.

I didn’t hear from her, so it sounded like everything went fine.  And when I went to check-in, the front desk mentioned my coworker had checked in earlier.

I couldn’t help but ask when her checkout time was.  “Sunday.”   The confirmation code I gave was for the room with a Monday checkout.  I told them I was the one who was supposed to check out Sunday, so they adjusted my reservation to be until Sunday.

The typing stopped.  So, feeling a little paranoid, I asked–did you adjust her room?  The front desk agent proudly told me we were both now all set to check out on Sunday.

*facepalm*

I got that all straightened out in the end, but if I had stopped checking at any point, my poor coworker would have been suddenly checked out of her room on Sunday.

This is also why I don’t use my suite upgrades when I have multiple rooms booked with coworkers.

Suite Upgrade Given Away

 

 

What potential issues did you prevent by being a liiiiiitle paranoid?

 

About Jeanne Marie Hoffman

Former bartender, still a geek. One equal part each cookies, liberty, football, music, travel, libations. Stir vigorously. +Jeanne Marie Hoffman Jeanne on Twitter

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3 comments

  1. OMG, this just happened to me yesterday! I checked a United award for January and noticed that a leg disappeared!! They explained that US Airways cancelled the flight before it was ticketed. They said it was my fault or not checking the confirmation email which didn’t have the leg on it, and there was nothing they could do about it. (even though United.com showed the leg after I purchased) By now there was no more economy space on that flight so they “made it up to me”, by forcing me to pay 12.5K more miles to fly in First for the same flight.

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