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Standing On The Soapbox

There comes a time in each of our written lives when some injustice occurs that is just so outrageous that we are beside ourselves with emotion.  Be it rage, sympathy, hope or disdain; we writers deal with things in our own way.  We don't tend to go picketing and shouting in front of high-rise buildings, we don't raise our fists and aim for the chin, and we typically aren't found screaming red-faced at clerks or managers.  No, we writers take a different approach: we write.

Somewhere along the way we discovered that the written word can be even more crippling than a well-placed throw of the fist.  We understand that we can sometimes bring more awareness and help to a cause we feel is worthy simply by writing our feelings out on paper and sending it out into the world to take on a life of its own.  And often, far more often than losing our tempers and telling the S.O.B. behind the counter just what we think of him, we feel relief and vindication as throngs of readers grasp to our words and make them their own.  It is satisfying to know that a well circulated comment can (and will) eventually hit our opponents where it hurts the most - be it their pride, their reputation or their bank account.

This revelation has crept upon me these last few days in an occurrence that has made my inner Customer Service Representative cringe and left me with my hands flailing above my head in a rare moment of complete and utter exasperation.  It is appalling to me that even in a time of dire economic straights, big-name corporations still look down on us "little guys" as if our feelings, opinions and wallets don't matter.  Well, I have had enough of being cast aside as just another random soul marching towards the register.

I don't enjoy writing negative reviews, and rarely have ever had a business transaction go so far south that I felt it necessary to write a letter of complaint.  I do my best to work any issues I may have out with the staff and management of any establishment, and typically we part from the transaction as friends and with continued patronage.  However, lines in the concrete have been crossed and I finally had to put my frustration down on paper if for no other reason than to let other consumers know that they too may be in the process of being had.

Wyndham Garden Hotel Sells Property and Leaves Travelers Without a Bed is an article I wrote based on my experiences this week with Wyndham Hotel Group.  I still, even after submitting a letter of complaint and informing Wyndham that I would be writing an article reviewing them, have not received any response from the staff or management of Wyndham Garden Hotel, or Wyndham Hotel Group (corporate offices).  I ask that you pass the article link on to friends or family who may be travelling in the Atlanta area after August 16th, 2010 so that they do not end up in a situation of arriving at the hotel only to find that it is no longer open and so that they have the time they need to make other lodging arrangements.

I don't typically plug my paid works on my blogs and I will state here so that there is no confusion that yes, I do get paid by Associated Content based on the number of page views an article receives.  However, I did not write this article to get rich quick (any writer can tell you that writing anything for publication does not typically bring you gold-lined pockets).  I wrote it to inform readers and travelers of the pending closure of the hotel since Wyndham has not seen fit to notify lodgers themselves.

Thank you for taking the time to read my rant and share in my frustration.  Here's to us "little guys"; together our voices do count!

Currently Reading: 
He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back: The True Story of the Year the King, Jaws, Earnhardt, and the Rest of NASCAR's Feudin', Fightin' Good Ol' Boys Put Stock Car Racing on the Map

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