Things Are Boring
Things have been very boring in Kharkiv the past few days. I'm ready to settle on an apartment in Kyiv and move! We do have plans this weekend though - a picnic at what is reported to be a beautiful lake, with Gennady and his wife on Saturday, and then a trip to Svyotogorsk (the cave monasteries) on Sunday with Gennady and Nella. I'm a little anxious about both trips because it's supposed to be 97 degrees with 85% humidity here this weekend and the car we are going in (there will be 5 of us in a small car) is not air conditioned. I wanted to rent a bigger, air conditioned car (we would rent and pay for it, of course), but Ed thought this would be insulting to Gennady, and I guess it would be, but I do so poorly in the hot, humid weather, and very poorly in a car under those conditions, especially in the back seat, and especially squashed between two other people, which is where I will be. Also I do find it a little exhausting to be with Gennady because he talks all the time (usually about law and the legal system in the Ukraine) and his English, although not bad, is still difficult to maneuver around in. I hope this works out - maybe the weather will surprise us.
The only thing of note that is going on here at the moment is the ongoing dispute between me and the Senator Apartments, where I stayed in Kyiv last weekend. I wrote an email complaining about the conditions (no hot water in the shower) and the way it was handled (offering me a room with no air conditioning, or a room with no windows, or a room that smelled very strongly of fish). All they could offer me in their emails were their "sincere apologies" for my "inconveniences" and their "hope" that I would not be so inconvenienced during "future" stays! I contacted VISA and disputed the charge (asking for a credit of one night's stay). About 5 minutes after I did that I got an email from the Senator offering me a discount of $20. I emailed back and told them that I rejected their offer - saying it was too little too late - and outlined all the things they could have done, but did not do, at the time the problem arose. I also told them that I suspected it was only because I had contacted my credit card company (which, I assume had contacted the Senator Apartments), that they were taking any action at all beyond offering apologies. This began an unbelievable dialog of about 10 emails offering the most amazing excuses - first, it was not a problem with the Senator but with the City because sometimes the water pressure didn't function properly (they had to have a reason why I had hot water in the sink but not the shower, especially since there is a separate boiler in each room supplying constant hot water). I told them I thought this was pretty remarkable since this was the only room in the place that seemed to be affected by a city wide problem. Then they told me that they had made it clear in the correspondence that all the single rooms were in the basement. I, of course, being the organized anal-retentive person that I am, had copies of all the correspondence, and there was absolutely no mention of this fact in any of it. I told them so (and offered to send them, as well as the credit card company, copies of all the emails). Then they said that it wasn't in the correspondence for this reservation, but in correspondence relating to a reservation I made in March (for our first few nights in Kyiv upon arrival from the U.S. and before going on the Kharkiv), and which I canceled two days after I made the reservation because they don't allow dogs!! I told them that my secretary had made and canceled that reservation almost 6 months before, and that I had never even seen the correspondence - it's true that I never looked at the booking form once they told me no dogs allowed. They finally emailed and asked exactly what I wanted. I told them I wouldn't pay for the first night of my stay. Now I guess it's up to VISA to decide whether my position is correct.
The city is turning brown from the heat and lack of rain. When I walked Belle this morning there was hardly any grass left - just brown stubble. The trees are still green, but there's a blanket of brown leaves on the ground too. I know I'll look back on this time with fond memories when it's 20 below in Kyiv in January, but right now the thought of winter, and white snow on beautiful old Art Deco buildings, thrills me. I'm sure it will be dirty and slushy and slippery and hard to get around - and too cold to go out - but my imagination still clings to that Xmas card perfect looking scene.
The only thing of note that is going on here at the moment is the ongoing dispute between me and the Senator Apartments, where I stayed in Kyiv last weekend. I wrote an email complaining about the conditions (no hot water in the shower) and the way it was handled (offering me a room with no air conditioning, or a room with no windows, or a room that smelled very strongly of fish). All they could offer me in their emails were their "sincere apologies" for my "inconveniences" and their "hope" that I would not be so inconvenienced during "future" stays! I contacted VISA and disputed the charge (asking for a credit of one night's stay). About 5 minutes after I did that I got an email from the Senator offering me a discount of $20. I emailed back and told them that I rejected their offer - saying it was too little too late - and outlined all the things they could have done, but did not do, at the time the problem arose. I also told them that I suspected it was only because I had contacted my credit card company (which, I assume had contacted the Senator Apartments), that they were taking any action at all beyond offering apologies. This began an unbelievable dialog of about 10 emails offering the most amazing excuses - first, it was not a problem with the Senator but with the City because sometimes the water pressure didn't function properly (they had to have a reason why I had hot water in the sink but not the shower, especially since there is a separate boiler in each room supplying constant hot water). I told them I thought this was pretty remarkable since this was the only room in the place that seemed to be affected by a city wide problem. Then they told me that they had made it clear in the correspondence that all the single rooms were in the basement. I, of course, being the organized anal-retentive person that I am, had copies of all the correspondence, and there was absolutely no mention of this fact in any of it. I told them so (and offered to send them, as well as the credit card company, copies of all the emails). Then they said that it wasn't in the correspondence for this reservation, but in correspondence relating to a reservation I made in March (for our first few nights in Kyiv upon arrival from the U.S. and before going on the Kharkiv), and which I canceled two days after I made the reservation because they don't allow dogs!! I told them that my secretary had made and canceled that reservation almost 6 months before, and that I had never even seen the correspondence - it's true that I never looked at the booking form once they told me no dogs allowed. They finally emailed and asked exactly what I wanted. I told them I wouldn't pay for the first night of my stay. Now I guess it's up to VISA to decide whether my position is correct.
The city is turning brown from the heat and lack of rain. When I walked Belle this morning there was hardly any grass left - just brown stubble. The trees are still green, but there's a blanket of brown leaves on the ground too. I know I'll look back on this time with fond memories when it's 20 below in Kyiv in January, but right now the thought of winter, and white snow on beautiful old Art Deco buildings, thrills me. I'm sure it will be dirty and slushy and slippery and hard to get around - and too cold to go out - but my imagination still clings to that Xmas card perfect looking scene.
posted by Susan Spivak at 12:38 PM
1 Comments:
I fear your fights with various hotels throughout the former Soviet Union are going to re-start the Cold War. Pax Susanna.
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