This afternoon, we came across a guest vehicle parked inside the barricade (which had been left open, I do not know by whom). I went into the store to ask if anyone owned a white mini-van with Florida plates. Two women said that was their vehicle. I told them that they are parked in an area for authorized vehicles only and need to move their vehicle. I could see that one of the women was on crutches and missing a leg. I let them know that there was a place where they could park just a few feet away from where there vehicle is currently, in a handicap space that was unoccupied.
The older of the two women burst into tears when she left the store. I asked her, “Are you alright, Ma’am?” and her response was, “You don’t know all the problems I’ve been having.” I let her know that we had no intentions of adding to any of her problems and that she simply needed to move her vehicle to get it outside the barricade. She screamed at me, “My daughter forgot her handicap sticker!” I let her know that it would not be a problem. It was clear that she was visibly upset far beyond the need to move a vehicle. She then told me, “We tried to check into our cabin and we were told it wasn’t ready, and they don’t even know if they’ll have a cabin for us! Everyone in this park has been so mean to us!”
My response was, “Ma’am, I am not being mean to you. Quite the opposite - you are parked in a spot you are not supposed to be in. I am trying to save you the trouble of a ticket or possibly being towed. I’m not the bad guy here, I’m trying to help you.”
When her daughter came out of the store and to the vehicle, she said, “Mother, you have to stop with the tears. This isn’t a big deal.” I walked with that woman to the vehicle and asked if there was anything I could do to help. “No, she’s just very upset. With everything.” (her emphasis)
They drove off, and I thought the situation was over. Later that afternoon, I came into the store, and the older woman was screaming at our people at the counter. Mary and Joan were trying to calm her down. I only heard part of what she said, but it was “He said he was going to write me a ticket!” That is absolutely not true. I did NOT say that to her, and obviously don’t have that authority. She also said, “I am going on that cruise tomorrow and I am going to make a scene!”
Frankly, from my limited contact and observation, it seems as though the woman has mental problems or is trying to get the company to give her something for her supposed mental anguish.
I absolutely was NOT mean or rude to either woman, made no threats of writing them a ticket, nor did I even raise my voice to them. I tried my best to calm the older woman down and see if there was anything I could do to help with her situation. The crying outburst was WAY over the top considering what occurred. Coming back into the store to make a further scene seems indicative of them trying to escalate the situation, for no reason. Threatening to make a scene on the cruiseboat borders on a premeditated illegal action.
I am stunned that trying to help them with this situation (them being illegally parked) has turned into such a fiasco. Prior to going into the store to ask about the vehicle, I visited briefly with these women out in front of the store - I asked if I could answer any questions for them. I did not notice that either woman was upset at that time. I make it a point to engage visitors: “Welcome to the marina. May I answer any questions for you?” I try to help direct them on things that we offer. My goal is to give all our guests customer service beyond their expectations; I would like to have our guests have a positive experience here. I am very bothered by this situation because the untrue accusations absolutely go against my personal goals for customer service.
This situation could have been avoided if the gate had been kept closed, as it should be.
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That's my official write up of the situation. It wouldn't bother me if I didn't care... but, I do care... about this park, about this company, and most assuredly about my personal integrity. I understand that there are two sides to every story. But, flat-out lying is not one of those sides.
Damn shame that I felt the need to write up an incident report (first of the season, and the season's almost over), but I have no doubt that this is going to go "up the chain of command." Fortunately, the folks in our marina store heard what was said and told the woman, "That's NOT what was said to you - we all heard Captain Jim and he wasn't mean to you."
This won't spoil my summer, but it sure does seem that there are more and more people out there who tend to go ballistic when they don't get what they want. I'll smile, try to make sure that our guests get a great experience... and look forward to our traveling time. 
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