Returning from a week’s vacation, I took my phone off call-forwarding.
Knowing that I keep detailed records, the colleague who covered E-mailed me the
information I needed.
Seven hotels phoned; he made four housecalls and took care of three over
the phone.
Universal Assistance, a travel insurer, called once. He asked for their
credit card number which they gave, and he made the visit.
World Aid, another travel insurer, called twice but refused to give a
credit card, so he refused the calls. I fax my invoices to World Aid which
usually pays in a month or two. When they don’t, I phone to remind them. Many
hotel doctors hate pestering agencies for payment, so they insist on a credit
card.
International Assistance called three times, and he declined as soon as
they identified themselves. IA still owes him for visits in years past. International
Assistance has a poisonous reputation among hotel doctors because it often took
six months to pay when it paid at all. Institutions such as clinics and
hospitals can deal with this (state-run Medicaid programs are not much better),
but individuals soon give up.
Ironically, my patience with IA has been rewarded. After the latest
change of ownership a year ago, it got its act together. It now pays reliably
every month and provides a great deal of business, but a long time will pass
before it lives down its reputation among my colleagues.
Inn-House Doctors called five times, and he made two visits: one to Hollywood and one to the
airport area. A national housecall service, Inn-House serves a few hotels and
travel insurers but many airline flight crew. In their eternal search for
better hotel rates, airlines have been boarding crew further and further from Los Angeles airport which
is twenty miles from my colleague’s home. He declined two visits to Long Beach (45 miles) and one to Anaheim (60 miles).
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