Working at Club Med has its ups and downs as I've mentioned before. I personally like working the late night shift because that's when the really funny stuff happens. Sure, sometimes I get a raving maniac of a guest who insists on seeing my manager for some trifling thing or another, but for the most part the freaks really do come out at night.
My favorite case was about three weeks ago. An English guest (at least she sounded English) in room 101 calls me up at about 12:30am SCREAMING!!!!
Me: Front desk, this is Rio. How can I help you?
GM: THERE'S A BIG BLACK BEAST IN MY ROOM!!!
Me: Mam? What?
GM: THERE'S A BIG BLACK (undecipherable word in her native tongue?) IN MY ROOM!!! GET IT OUT!!! I CANNOT SLEEP WITH THAT ANIMAL IN MY ROOM!!!
Me: OK ma'am, I'll contact security and have them swing by your room and get the animal out
GM: YES!!! HURRY!! HURRY!! GET THE BEAST OUT OF HERE!!!
So I hang up thinking that maybe the raccoon that's been seen on site somehow snuck into her room. Or maybe a squirrel or one of the bats that was caught in the bar (another story). At the very least it must be some big rat, right?
So I call Edward at security. Now he's an old guy and I like him a lot. Not exactly the kind of guy I'd send to trap a Big Black Beast. But hey, I had little options at this hour. So Ed goes to the room. Meanwhile the GM calls me again:
GM: I want to move to another room. I cannot sleep in the same room as this animal.
Me: Ma'am, I just sent security over to take care of the situation and..
GM: Yes! I just want another room. I cannot sleep here tonight. I have a child and I am afraid of what might happen to the child and myself if we stay in the room with that big animal.
Me: OK ma'am, I'll contact my manager and see what we can come up with.
At this point I call my manager and she shows up a bit aggravated that I interrupted her fun at the bar. She nevertheless finds an available room to move the ranting GM to. At that point Big Ed shows up with a smirk on his face.
Ed: Rio, the Big Black beast she called in?
Me: Yeah?
Ed: Nothing more than a 2-inch gecko. He's hiding behind the bed somewhere and I can't get at him because the beds are attached to the wall. She's wants a new room.
Me: A gecko?! She's going nuts over a little gecko?
Boss: Ayyy!! I don't believe this woman. Que loca!
As my boss is about to walk out of the office the phone rings again
GM: (calmly now) I have decided I will not change rooms. I will stay here. I don't know how, but I will try to sleep with the animal in my room.
Me: Ma'am, we already set up a room for you to move to if you'd like..
GM No No, it's OK. I'll stay in this room. I'll try to sleep with the animal in the room. It's OK.
Me: Well ma'am, just keep in mind that gecko's aren't poisonous. They don't bite or anything. He just probably got trapped in your room while chasing after a big bug...
GM: THERE'S A BIG BUG IN MY ROOM?????!!!!!!!
There was no use in trying to explain to the woman that the gecko had probably already eaten the bug. She just hung up the phone. For all I know she spent the night huddled in a corner of her room with all the lights on, a slipper in one hand and a rolled up magazine in the other just looking for giant geckos or big old bugs.
Shameless Plug
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Monday, March 5, 2007
Club Med...or is that Club Dread?
Been working at Club Med since early January of this year. It's been an interesting month and a half so far. But it is nothing like what they promised me back home. In fact, I feel like I've been lied to since day one. And I'm not the only one to feel this way.
I am what they call in Club Med a G.O. (Gracious Organizer). Nothing gracious about it. Our guests are called G.M's or Gracious Member. Nothing gracious about most of them either. For us G.O. stands for GET OUT!!!
They never mentioned the looong hours we have to put in every day. 16+ to be exact. We work our primary duties which last 8 hours. Then we do our secondary duties which include but are not limited to, dancing, performing on stage, handing out fruit, dressing up as pirates and menacing little kids, greeting people upon arrival or at the restaurant or any other number of trivial things. This could amount to another 8 hours a day or more. Did I mention that we don't get paid overtime? Well, not exactly. We get overtime when we work over 64 hours a week in our primary duties. Secondary don't count as work. Our salaries don't count for much either.
We get paid less than minimum wage. (Off the record, I get $620/month) Sure they claim they compensate us by giving us room and food and transporatation from wherever to here. Not as good a deal as they'd have you believe. Sure the food is great, the rooms are adequate but that's where the balance ends. Nevertheless, we get an average of much less than minimum wage. Oh yeah, we only get 1 day a week off. Sometimes my shift rotates. I could get off work at 11pm only to go back in at 7am. Sometimes we would have a staff meeting at 11pm that would last an hour. Then back to work at 7am. I can feel the yoke of slavery surrounding my neck.
You can't get off the site without paying a fair amount of cash for a private taxi. There are no buses here. Just going 1 mile away can cost you $12. Not much to see a mile away either. To really have fun you need to go to Stuart or Vero Beach. Orlando could cost you over $280.
Housekeeping cleans our rooms once a week. Sweet deal right? Wrong. I was informed by housekeeping that they were instructed to give us the sheets and towels that are in the worst condition. Our guests get the better stuff of course. We're low on the totem. Our requests for service or maintenance either take days or weeks or go unanswered altogether. There are rooms that are so covered in mildew it's pathetic. No one comes to clean it up. There are ant infestations in our rooms and even in the rooms of the guests. Who gets the fumigation? Yep, the guests. And those ants aren't the teeny variety either. These suckers are the size of your fingernail. I'm one of the luckier ones. My room is pretty much in good condition and I try to keep it that way. The bed is a bit hard and the pillows too thin, but I've learned to double up the pillows in one case and to put a foam pad over the mattress.
We aren't allowed to eat alone or with each other. We MUST eat with a guest. We are not allowed to group together without including a guest. This is probably to keep us from comparing notes in public. We only get about a half hour to eat. It takes about 10-15 minutes to find a place to sit. Some guests don't want you with them. Others have a full table. Still others already have one or two GO's sitting there. SO by the time you find a place to sit, you have about 10 minutes to wolf down your food, socialize with the guests etc. before getting back to your post.
A while back a friend of mine had some guy enter her room and attempt to rape her. He somehow managed to get a key to her room. She wasn't allowed to call the cops on him. She did anyway. Club Med immediately down-played the whole thing to the cops stating that it was a "lovers quarrel". They said she had previously had sexual relations with the guy and had just refused to "put out" to him that night. The guy actually admitted to having snuck into her room and trying to rape her. The case was swept under the proverbial carpet. The guy was never punished or fired for what he did. The girl's reputation was forever tarnished. She had never slept with the guy. A month later she was fired on trumped-up charges. She was accused of embezzlement. Money kept "disappearing" from her cash drawer. This happens frequently in our department, since people keep dipping into each other's drawers to give change or charge guests, etc. It's already happened to me once (short $270). I have since put a lock on my drawer whenever I leave.
Last week they posted a sign on the employee bulletin board stating that sexual harassment or attacks are against the law and punishable. They still haven't punished anyone.
Someone broke into a girl's room and not only stole her stuff, they stole her safe as well. No leads as of yet. It's obvious to everyone but management that someone has a master key and is using it. Still nothing is done.
Another employee had a major drug smuggling ring going on right in the village. He was caught, but in order to prevent news of this from getting out, the Chief of Village refused to press charges. He just fired the Jamaican and that was that. The guy had major ounces of marijuana in his room. Enough to get him sent to jail for a long time. But that would have negative press, right?
They had negative press back in November when a van of illegal immigrants employed by Club Med was stopped and all it's occupants (15 of them) were deported.
Drinking here is a problem as well. And not just the guests over-indulging either. We have some pretty funny drunken situations here among the employees. I'm surprised these kids can get up in the mornings. And I do mean kids. Some of these guys are under 21. That doesn't stop them from getting drunk. If they get caught drinking, they get scolded. It's OK if they drink in their rooms though. Just don't get caught in the Village. Is this some kind of double standard? Of course some of them get drunk in their rooms then come into the Village totally sloshed and cause problems. But since they have no liquor on them (just in them) it's OK, right?
Management downplays everything here. From the low salaries ("if you work here it isn't because of the salary. You have to love providing service to our guests"), to the lack of understanding and support ("Welcome to Club Med").
That one little phrase is the catchall for everything negative here. Something is unfair to you? "Welcome to Club Med". Hours too long? "Welcome to Club Med". Salary too low? "Welcome to Club Med".
Don't get me wrong though. I do like the job in itself. It is fun here. I meet new people everyday and my co-workers are mostly OK. There are some exceptions of course, but it balances out in the end.
So why don't I leave here? Simple. I can't afford anyplace to live just yet. I need a car to get around, a place to live and a new job. The new job is simple enough to find I suppose. But without a car how do I get there. No buses, remember? And where will I live in the meantime? Not Club Med. So for the meantime I'm stuck here until I can find a place to live and a car. Saving as much money as I can from my meager salary of $670 a month (before taxes) to at least have a down payment for an apartment and a car. Impossible?
Welcome to Club Med....
I am what they call in Club Med a G.O. (Gracious Organizer). Nothing gracious about it. Our guests are called G.M's or Gracious Member. Nothing gracious about most of them either. For us G.O. stands for GET OUT!!!
They never mentioned the looong hours we have to put in every day. 16+ to be exact. We work our primary duties which last 8 hours. Then we do our secondary duties which include but are not limited to, dancing, performing on stage, handing out fruit, dressing up as pirates and menacing little kids, greeting people upon arrival or at the restaurant or any other number of trivial things. This could amount to another 8 hours a day or more. Did I mention that we don't get paid overtime? Well, not exactly. We get overtime when we work over 64 hours a week in our primary duties. Secondary don't count as work. Our salaries don't count for much either.
We get paid less than minimum wage. (Off the record, I get $620/month) Sure they claim they compensate us by giving us room and food and transporatation from wherever to here. Not as good a deal as they'd have you believe. Sure the food is great, the rooms are adequate but that's where the balance ends. Nevertheless, we get an average of much less than minimum wage. Oh yeah, we only get 1 day a week off. Sometimes my shift rotates. I could get off work at 11pm only to go back in at 7am. Sometimes we would have a staff meeting at 11pm that would last an hour. Then back to work at 7am. I can feel the yoke of slavery surrounding my neck.
You can't get off the site without paying a fair amount of cash for a private taxi. There are no buses here. Just going 1 mile away can cost you $12. Not much to see a mile away either. To really have fun you need to go to Stuart or Vero Beach. Orlando could cost you over $280.
Housekeeping cleans our rooms once a week. Sweet deal right? Wrong. I was informed by housekeeping that they were instructed to give us the sheets and towels that are in the worst condition. Our guests get the better stuff of course. We're low on the totem. Our requests for service or maintenance either take days or weeks or go unanswered altogether. There are rooms that are so covered in mildew it's pathetic. No one comes to clean it up. There are ant infestations in our rooms and even in the rooms of the guests. Who gets the fumigation? Yep, the guests. And those ants aren't the teeny variety either. These suckers are the size of your fingernail. I'm one of the luckier ones. My room is pretty much in good condition and I try to keep it that way. The bed is a bit hard and the pillows too thin, but I've learned to double up the pillows in one case and to put a foam pad over the mattress.
We aren't allowed to eat alone or with each other. We MUST eat with a guest. We are not allowed to group together without including a guest. This is probably to keep us from comparing notes in public. We only get about a half hour to eat. It takes about 10-15 minutes to find a place to sit. Some guests don't want you with them. Others have a full table. Still others already have one or two GO's sitting there. SO by the time you find a place to sit, you have about 10 minutes to wolf down your food, socialize with the guests etc. before getting back to your post.
A while back a friend of mine had some guy enter her room and attempt to rape her. He somehow managed to get a key to her room. She wasn't allowed to call the cops on him. She did anyway. Club Med immediately down-played the whole thing to the cops stating that it was a "lovers quarrel". They said she had previously had sexual relations with the guy and had just refused to "put out" to him that night. The guy actually admitted to having snuck into her room and trying to rape her. The case was swept under the proverbial carpet. The guy was never punished or fired for what he did. The girl's reputation was forever tarnished. She had never slept with the guy. A month later she was fired on trumped-up charges. She was accused of embezzlement. Money kept "disappearing" from her cash drawer. This happens frequently in our department, since people keep dipping into each other's drawers to give change or charge guests, etc. It's already happened to me once (short $270). I have since put a lock on my drawer whenever I leave.
Last week they posted a sign on the employee bulletin board stating that sexual harassment or attacks are against the law and punishable. They still haven't punished anyone.
Someone broke into a girl's room and not only stole her stuff, they stole her safe as well. No leads as of yet. It's obvious to everyone but management that someone has a master key and is using it. Still nothing is done.
Another employee had a major drug smuggling ring going on right in the village. He was caught, but in order to prevent news of this from getting out, the Chief of Village refused to press charges. He just fired the Jamaican and that was that. The guy had major ounces of marijuana in his room. Enough to get him sent to jail for a long time. But that would have negative press, right?
They had negative press back in November when a van of illegal immigrants employed by Club Med was stopped and all it's occupants (15 of them) were deported.
Drinking here is a problem as well. And not just the guests over-indulging either. We have some pretty funny drunken situations here among the employees. I'm surprised these kids can get up in the mornings. And I do mean kids. Some of these guys are under 21. That doesn't stop them from getting drunk. If they get caught drinking, they get scolded. It's OK if they drink in their rooms though. Just don't get caught in the Village. Is this some kind of double standard? Of course some of them get drunk in their rooms then come into the Village totally sloshed and cause problems. But since they have no liquor on them (just in them) it's OK, right?
Management downplays everything here. From the low salaries ("if you work here it isn't because of the salary. You have to love providing service to our guests"), to the lack of understanding and support ("Welcome to Club Med").
That one little phrase is the catchall for everything negative here. Something is unfair to you? "Welcome to Club Med". Hours too long? "Welcome to Club Med". Salary too low? "Welcome to Club Med".
Don't get me wrong though. I do like the job in itself. It is fun here. I meet new people everyday and my co-workers are mostly OK. There are some exceptions of course, but it balances out in the end.
So why don't I leave here? Simple. I can't afford anyplace to live just yet. I need a car to get around, a place to live and a new job. The new job is simple enough to find I suppose. But without a car how do I get there. No buses, remember? And where will I live in the meantime? Not Club Med. So for the meantime I'm stuck here until I can find a place to live and a car. Saving as much money as I can from my meager salary of $670 a month (before taxes) to at least have a down payment for an apartment and a car. Impossible?
Welcome to Club Med....
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