Durango Mountain Resort does not take criticism well. A local skier complained to the newspaper about the ski area’s new operating schedule. The scorned mountain people yanked her season pass (after she’d held one for the prior three seasons) and sent her this letter, published by The Durango Herald:
“While we have never met, I understand from your calls to The Durango Herald and your conversation with our general manager that you are most unhappy with the approach that Durango Mountain Resort takes in trying to meet the skiing and riding needs of both our local and out-of-town customers,” Derck wrote. “Our general manager tried very hard to explain our early/late additional weekend days, but it is evident that the offering and services we provide are not meeting your expectations.
“Accordingly, we held a meeting with our management team and determined that it would be best if we part ways and refund you the all-season pass you purchased so you can find another place to ski/ride that better meets your expectations,” the letter reads. “We have refunded your credit card $539 and we have discontinued your pass privileges.
“On behalf of our 800-plus employees, we wish you well and want you to know that we will continue to do our very best to meet or exceed the expectations of all our customers, regardless of where they live,” the letter concludes.
So none of Durango Mountain Resort’s 800-plus employees work in public relations? Well, Telluride has a few people on staff who can recognize a good PR opportunity. The lady who lost her season pass for complaining contacted Telluride, and they jumped in to help out with a pass at a reduced rate. So Telluride looks like the hero, and Durango Mountain Resort looks like a bunch of petty, vindictive whiners who can’t handle a little complaining. At least they have one less customer to worry about this year.
ByRocky Thompson
I love it. Durango should get the NO WHINERS ALLOWED award.
I have to say, I wish other businesses would take this attitude sometimes. The customer isn’t always right and businesses shouldn’t have to cater to their entitled, spoiled, whining. There are times when businesses should bend over backwards trying to please a customer (especially if the business was in the wrong) but this doesn’t seem to be one of those times.
I say good for Durango!
What a bunch of douchebags, unbelievable. Your a tool if you ski at the Durango Mountain Resort. I’m glad management had time to meet up and make such a decision. Are you kidding me?
Well I don’t blame DMR for dumping the whiny New Yorker, I do blame them for being a shitty ski area. It shouldn’t be a surprise, they’ll get they’ll still meet their quota of Texans this year.
I agree with you Zorks that the customer isn’t always right. Trust me, I’ve worked in retail enough years that I’ve told virtually unpleasable customers to simply shove off because it wasn’t worth it. However in this case, I’d say they overreacted big time. I’m guessing she bought a season pass under the impression she could ski weekdays (basing that fact on the previous years passes). They then changed the schedule, essentially reducing the value of her purchase. She complained and they gave her the decision of a refund, which she declined, yet they did it anyway. Essentially, they forced her to go to a competitor. The smart thing to have done would be to call the reduced schedule “temporary & dependent on weather conditions” (I know they are doing it because of the poor seasons we’ve had the last couple years, but meteorologists are predicting this season will be much better). They would have eased her concern of a reduced season, retained the customer, and kept their scheduling options more open; all of which required nothing more on their part but to reword their website.
glad to see that “our home mountain” is continuing its proud tradition of screwing the locals and catering to visitors first, “regardless of where they live.”
DMR sux
Ya know, I get the feeling from this woman running to the paper and bitching to all her friends that she got a burr under her saddle and tried to be a real turd about it.
Props to DMR for calling her on her BS. The the NY princess went to Telluride to pitch her story? What a crack. Entitled, self-centered twat. Run her out of town. The last thing a good town needs is this shit.
So she only bought a a cheaper, weekday-only pass? You pay less, you get less. If she sprang for an unlimited pass, she could ski every day DMR was open. Her DMR pass was half of what a Steamboat full-season pass costs this year! Hey, the backcountry’s always free.
Hope Telluride doesn’t mind when there’s a line but she wants to ride in the gondola all by herself.