Please understand the fishing experience was superb. Jeff and Rich were the consummate hosts (first mate and captain) and should not be held responsible for the DEPLORABLE customer (dis)service of the owner, Judy. Honestly, I work in Human Resources so I have a pretty thick skin. However, this lady (term used loosely) almost single-handedly ruined my trip to Key West.
We purchased our tickets days ago at the Naval base (MWR); therefore we figured the process would be seamless. How wrong we were! My relatively intellectual family walked around the dock area outside of "Dante's" several times looking for the check in. Despite the fact that we saw a booth clearly marked "Tortuga's IV", we kept searching BECAUSE NOBODY WAS MANNING THE BOOTH BEFORE CHECK IN. We felt certain we must be in the wrong place. The family split up and my very polite son called the number on the website where an inarticulate person answered the phone harshly guiding us back to the place we started (the unmanned booth). Low and behold...there were people there when we arrived. I politely said, "Is this the place where the fishing trip excursion goes out?" Judy RUDELY pointed down at the sign in front of her booth (that we walked by 100 times with the pictures on it) and said, "Yes...this is it...don't you see the sign and the pictures?" Needless to say, I was aghast at her tone, but could not have dreamed at that time that she was the owner. My son and I proceeded to tell her we were checking in for our reservation of 4, and she wanted payment. We explained that we booked at the MWR, and she then demanded to see my military ID. I told her I didn't have it, but shouldn't need it, since WE SHOWED IT WHEN WE PURCHASED THE TICKETS ON THE MILITARY INSTALLATION DAYS AGO. She made me feel like I was trying to get on her boat without paying. My husband finally made it back to the booth and politely (but unnecessarily) pulled his military ID out so we could get our boarding passes. (It was clear to me at this point that Judy and I were not destined to be friends.) She abrasively gave us our boarding passes and told us to be back at 10 minutes before departure. Admittedly, I needed a drink by then.
Fast forward....boarding time! Some nice people were lined up to buy tickets for the excursion and Judy was clammoring around the vessel not paying any attention to the booth. We naively assumed she was cleaning the bathrooms as the previous excursion returned moments before. My husband politely flagged her over to let her know that folks still wanted to purchase tickets to GET ON HER BOAT. After she rudely told him that she knew full well people were in line, she made a beeline to ME to let me know that she was very busy prepping the boat for the next excursion and she was fully aware of the people in line to buy tickets TO GET ON HER BOAT. I told her (very nicely), "You're good...no worries." To which she responded, "Oh am I? Thank you. Would you like an application for a job?" The audacity of this woman continues to burn me up...especially because her crew was fabulous and these negative ratings can only hurt them. We actually bonded with the other customers because we shared her offensive behavior in common.
JUDY, a few tips:
1. Don't read on if you take heed on this one. "Sell your boat". You told a customer that was your goal...put future tourists out of their misery (that we already experienced) and sell!
2. If you don't sell...hire some staff (for the love of all that is good and pure). Hire other mates for your crew and PLEASE hire someone with a personality and great customer service skills to contend with the customers. Your business could boom despite you.
3. Hire a website admin. Your webpage boasts something your boat is NOT! I loved my time out there...but someone expecting a lovely, clean, "modern" boat will be sorely disappointed. You claim the bathrooms are modern. I didn't dare enter them for the entire 4 hour trip. They were disgusting with no toilet paper, lighting, and simply filthy.
4. Update the inside of the cabin. There is NO air conditioning. There is, however, an ineffective box fan.
5. Again...and this cannot be overstated...don't offend your customers, Judy. It kind of helps your business flourish.
You seem very mean, Judy. People who visit the island are generally happy and ready to have a great time. That also translates to people spending more money at your place of business if you are good at what you do. You aren't. I'm afraid that will only hurt your crew in the long run and that is disappointing. I hope they will find success because they were amazing.
Judy, retire. read more