TSOGO SUN TERRIBLE SERVICE

On the morning of the 20 June, I called Riverside hotel in Vanderbijlpark to secure a table for 10 in the dining hall for my Nieces’ 18th birthday.

My call reached reception and I asked to make a reservation for 10 and they transferred me to the kitchen, where I spoke to a gentleman regarding my reservation.

During the telephone call I asked if they would be able to reserve a table for 10 people for me and the gentlemen informed me that the hotel was fully booked and that the they also have a table reserved for 21 people. On the phone I asked if it would be possible to still come in to the hotel and have our dinner with the family and the gentleman on the phone advised me to still come through and a plan could be made.

I confirmed the time with my family for the dinner and had family drive from Soweto to come for dinner. When I arrived I was told that the dining hall was not taking external people as the hotel was already full.

I let the staff know that I had called in the afternoon and was told to come a plan would be made.

To my disappointment they refused to let us in and told us they could not make space for me and my family. The hotel Manager Tebogo came out and told me that since I didn’t have a reservation he is not obligated to assist me.

He embarrassed me in front of my family and ruined the birthday all together. I spoke to him several times and even begged him and told him I was willing to wait and he just told me that he cannot promise that the people in the dining hall will finish on time for us to be able to enjoy our meals.

I am angry and was made a fool of by him, if the riverside staff I spoke to on the phone during that morning told me that the dining hall was full and the hotel is not taking walk-in I would not have bothered to show up and I had enough time to make other plans,

Tebogo the Hotel manager did not try to help us and just took the side of the gentleman I spoke with in the afternoon, which I later found out he is the kitchen manager.

Tebogo informed me that the kitchen manager had not right to talk to me about reservations and that the bookings are handled by his team, but the fact is, I called and still spoke to someone who is the Hotel staff and yet I was thrown out and embarrassed in front of my whole family.