Hotel Chain laughs at, makes disabled vet crawl down stairs

[Roverron]

SSG Chad Staples (medically retired) was in the Scout Platoon of the 1st Battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the Red Devils. While defending our country, Staples was shot and paralyzed in Iraq in April of 2007. On August 7th, 2012, he stayed in a Best Western hotel for a 6-hour necessary pit stop in Monahans, Texas. After a power outage left the elevator out of service, Staples called down to the front desk to recieve assistance to get from the third floor back down to the main level so he could continue on his trip.

This is the conversation that unfolded:
Chad: Hi the elevator isn't working.
Holly: It's been down for about an hour.
Chad: Can you send someone up to help me down the stairs?
Holly: Are you serious?
Chad: (Explains that he is wheelchair bound.)
Holly: Well, what do you want me to do about it?
Chad: Are you f***ing serious? I'm in a f***ing wheelchair.
Holly: (Chuckles.)

Staples recieved no further help from the manager and was not given any assistance down the three flights of stairs. Instead, he was forced to throw his bags and his wheelchair down the steps and then crawl down the steps on his backside.

In a plea to friends and family for help, Staples said this, "...I made a formal complaint after the manager played dumb. The file number is 120806-3855. The lady at the other end sated its a liability thing, and assured me the complaint would be passed on. But, we all know what goes on with these types of things." And so, help, they did.

Family, friends and fellow Americans have made complaints on social media sites, news sites and have been calling in to Best Western to demand a public apology. So far, no public statement has been made by Best Western. If you would like to help in this boycott, you can write to PO Box 42007 Phoenix, AZ 85080

Best Western’s Public Relation’s Manager upon being notified of this story replied back that, quote, “I just got the email and am looking into this very serious matter.
This was their official response:

“While all Best Western hotels are independently owned and operated, we strive to have consistently excellent customer care standards in place at all of our member hotels. We have received the information from Mr. Staples regarding his stay, and we are truly sorry to hear of this matter that occurred during an unexpected area power outage that affected numerous businesses and many people. Customer care agents, the hotel’s general manager and a brand senior vice president have all reached out to or talked directly with Mr. Staples and hopefully have resolved the matter to his satisfaction.Best Western International has been an industry leader in proactively communicating ADA requirements to its hotels and also has specific training available to address the needs of our disabled guests. We believe it imperative that all guests are treated with dignity and respect. We will continue to emphasize this training to our member hotels.We respect Mr. Staples’s status as a disabled veteran and the sacrifices he has made for our country. We can only hope that Mr. Staples will stay at a Best Western hotel in the future and afford us an opportunity to express our gratitude.”

I don’t know if that hollow apology could do any justice, and as of right now I don’t think the individual hotel or franchise has taken any action to change their policies or reprimand their employees. The facts are still they violated a person’s civil liberties and possibly OSHA regulations as well. For now the public outcry for further justice seems to agree that this is simply not enough.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-826217

[sdmc530]

Wtf????

[Feathermerchant]

UNCONSCIONABLE !!!!!!

[Riverpigusmc]

ok, I was already pissed off at my wife, now I just found a more accomodating target. Let the hateful campaign begin

[bvkdphillips]

No problem - I stay in a hotel at least every other week. I will let Best Western know that a frequent user will now be using a different hotel due to the way our SGT was treated. Thanks for letting us know.

Bob

[Riverpigusmc]

Originally Posted by Feathermerchant

UNCONSCIONABLE !!!!!!

Perty, shoots guns AND uses fancy words..what's not to like? My hearts aflutter