Thật đáng buồn

The injustice (sự bất công) you cite doesn’t have to be that serious — what matters is that you brought it to their attention. That means you are looking for a benefit, perhaps with an exploitative motive (động cơ bóc lột), but still hotel management may respond. If you are a complainer by nature (bản chất hay phàn nàn), you might also be especially likely to post on travel websites, and hotels want to prevent that.

The basic service and pricing model of hotels was never egalitarian to begin with, and that too makes it easier for them to give you a break. They usually charge different prices depending on the time and manner of booking — so if they cut you a special favor, no one looks askance.

The basic “economics of complaining” are becoming clear: Complain when the marginal cost of extra service is low (khiếu nại khi chi phí cận biên của dịch vụ bổ sung thấp). Complain when the reputation of the seller is evaluated online in a meaningful way (khiếu nại khi uy tín của người bán được đánh giá trực tuyến một cách có ý nghĩa). Complain when the service norms are something other than equal treatment.

…Complaining to the airlines is a tricky one. They often have free inventory to give away or offer at a discount, but unlike hotels, almost all their customers have something to complain about! (The same is often true of social media services.) Unless your case is strong and well-documented, airlines also tend to be pretty stingy (keo kiệt) about complaints.

As progress proceeds, and more services become automated and homogenized and well-functioning, businesses will resemble hotels more than airlines — at least from a complaining point of view. There will be fewer reasons for complaints, but the complaints that surface will be treated very well. Return on a complaint will be quite high, and if you (like me) do not love most complainers, you may find this slightly upsetting.

…What about complaining about the economics of complaining? The sad reality is this: Complaining is most lucrative (sinh lời) precisely when and where it’s needed least.