Is it reasonable for Sheraton Vistana to charge $50 for 4 small Amazon parcel receive

Charging a small fee for the cost of the service seems more than reasonable. While $10 per package seems high, I agree it is probably done as a deterrent as the TS doesn't want to provide that service frequently. I will say that if I am charged a fee, it would reduce or possibly eliminate my gratutity for the service.

The example I always use is when I flight discount airlines like Ryanair who charge for everything (seats, peanuts, even water).

You offer free water, soda, and peanuts, and it takes nearly 45 minutes to serve the flight. You fly Ryanair which charges a nominal charge for soft drinks/beverages they can serve the entire cabin in 10 minutes!

Which airline provides better service? I would say the airline that charges fees that can be avoided (Ryanair) because I am willing to pay for the service. I also like the guarantee that I am assured to get a window seat. When we flew them, roughly 20% of the passengers paid the $3 charge for a pre assigned seat on a 90 minute flight. That is an indicator about how cheap folks are about paying for services.

Though I think $50 for a single package is obscene and predatory.

Pmuppet said:

The example I always use is when I flight discount airlines like Ryanair who charge for everything (seats, peanuts, even water).

You offer free water, soda, and peanuts, and it takes nearly 45 minutes to serve the flight. You fly Ryanair which charges a nominal charge for soft drinks/beverages they can serve the entire cabin in 10 minutes!

Which airline provides better service? I would say the airline that charges fees that can be avoided (Ryanair) because I am willing to pay for the service. I also like the guarantee that I am assured to get a window seat. When we flew them, roughly 20% of the passengers paid the $3 charge for a pre assigned seat on a 90 minute flight. That is an indicator about how cheap folks are about paying for services.

Click to expand...

(emphasis mine)

I don't think you can draw that conclusion. Many folks are cheap, certainly, but the fact that the budget airlines fly significantly fewer seats than mainstream ones suggests the opposite: that a majority of people still do expect basic amenities. Your observations regarding customer behavior are only applicable to customers who fly Ryanair, who by definition belong to a group of consumers which expects fewer included services.

Reminds me of some years ago when US Airways began testing a similar "charge for beverages" policy, and quickly backtracked because of the outcry: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-02-23-us-airways-drinks_N.htm

Anyway, comparing the fee-for-service model of a budget airline like Ryanair to the expectations of a high-end resort brand like Starwood is unfair to begin with, and I tend to come down on the side of folks who expect basic resort services like package handling to be included. Of course people who don't receive packages while on vacation don't want to pay for that service in their MFs, but if suddenly the resort began charging to use the grills, or pool towels, or Wi-Fi, those same people would cry out. This demonstrates that their argument is spurious. But it's hardly surprising that people want others to share in the costs of the services they use, and don't want to share in the costs of the services other people use.

FWIW, I was at SDO last week and had to have something delivered unexpectedly while there. No charge. When I asked, I specifically inquired if there was a fee, and the staff was surprised I even asked the question.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk