Anonymous

After one night at the Comfort Inn in Mishawaka (Room 308, 6/29/17), I had bites all across my upper chest. They were small welts or blisters in lines and clusters that matched exactly the images of bedbug bites online. This had never happened to me before, but when I made the connection, I returned to the hotel to report the incident for public health concerns and to demand a refund (7/2/17). I showed the bites to the young woman at the counter but she was argumentative, denied any responsibility, and refused to take my complaint seriously. She said the manager was not there, she could not say when he would be there, and she could not make an appointment for me to see him. She gave me an (incorrect) email address for him. Once I obtained the correct address, I emailed the manager, including a photo of the bites across my chest, but never got a response. I did speak to the corporate office for the Choice Hotels chain. They called the Mishawaka hotel on my behalf and received the same belligerent response. The corporate representative was apologetic and said this service was not up to par with their standards, but they could not issue me a refund, since only the local licensee could do that. I had the welts for two weeks, during which time I was obliged to cover up in public, due to their unsightliness and my embarrassment about their source. More importantly, we have been washing and rewashing sheets and clothing, my suitcase is still on the back porch, and my partner is horrified that I may have brought this parasite into our home before I realized what had happened. I do not even want to consider that nightmare possibility. Given what a scourge bedbugs are across the country, and how difficult it is to remove them once infestation occurs, hotels should have a more professional and concerned approach to dealing with reports of them.

• Bedbugs Found
• Requested Refund