I recently booked a hotel through hotels.com. A special offer said I would receive a gift card for booking. While the card is not a big deal to me, once I’m promised something, I expect to receive it. Don’t you?

But here is what has happened:

• The phone reservationist promised to send a link to request the card. She didn’t.
• Two customer service contact forms submitted online have been ignored.
• After explaining the situation, my first phone call seems to have suddenly brought down their computers.
• My second phone call was mysteriously interrupted, following my explanation, with a recorded message I have never heard before: “I’m sorry. This phone call could not be continued.”

The last left me feeling like I’d stumbled into something illegal. Another phone call will probably be answered by a knock on my door. And it won’t be someone hand-delivering my gift card! Wouldn’t it be easier just to send me the card?

Meanwhile, hotels.com has incurred my ire and etched their name into my brain as a place I do not want to do business. They have broken two cardinal rules of business:

• Keep your promises!
• Make good on your mistakes!

So how is your company doing?

• What promises are you making and not keeping?
• When you fail to deliver, how easily can your customers contact you and gain resolution?
• Do customer efforts to contact you fall into black holes?

And don’t be so sure of your answers. Hotels.com may just be unconsciously incompetent and not at all evil! You may be as well.

I knew I wasn’t guilty of breaking those cardinal rules until I received a phone call from someone who had submitted a request for information using the contact form on my website. It never arrived. Spam filter ate it. But a web submittal form is a promise and no response is a promise broken. Luckily, this person, who is now a client, followed up with a phone call. When I heard of my failure, I can’t say whether I was more surprised or mortified! You might feel the same way if you really knew what your customers experience when dealing with your company. You may want to do some checking, shop your own shop, and ask your customers a few questions!