michele

I can't seem to post this on the approprite thread.<BR><BR>I am a big fan of KB guides and was troubled by the report that inns paid to be listed.<BR><BR>I emailed KB and received a PROMPT reply. In twenty-five years of business they have NEVER charged a listing fee or any fee of any kind. If I could figure out how to cut and paste Tony Brown's reply, I would do so.<BR><BR>Michele

Rex

As I promised Michele I would do, here is the "cut and pasted" reply from [email protected]<BR><BR>=======================<BR><BR>After nearly 25 years in business in the public domain it is always<BR>galling to have to defend oneself from uninformed criticism, usually from<BR>people who don't have the courage to stand up behind their self serving<BR>commentary. However, to set the record straight I can assure you that we<BR>do NOT request payment for inclusion in our guides, a fact that can be<BR>readilly confirmed by few random phone calls to any of the approximatley<BR>2,500 properties that are happy to be included in our guides. If you feel<BR>further explanation is needed please contact me directly.<BR><BR>Regards<BR><BR>Tony Brown<BR>

no_name

Regardless of whether the Browns take kickbacks, I think it is atrocious etiquette to forward a personal correspondence, let alone post it on the internet. It's just a pet peeve of mine which I've had to deal with several times.

Dave

Dear No Name,<BR>I told Tony Brown at KB that I would try to post his response. When I wrote to him I suggested he respond here, but he couldn't find the post, so he responded to me. It wasn't exactly anything personal.<BR><BR>Thanks, Rex, for cutting and pasting it for me.<BR><BR>Michele

Rex

You may oy may not have a valid point etiquette point, no_name, but I don't know if this qualifies as "personal correspondence". If there was some burning question we all wanted to knw from an airline - - and someone form this board wrote and received an e-mail from the Customer Service department of Big Name airlines - - would that qualify as "personal correspondence"? - - even if it was "signed" by an individual?<BR>

trueman

So Tony Brown suggests calling a few of the places listed in Karen Brown's books to ask if they pay to be in the books. How many of them do you think will answer "yes" to such an unsolicited phone call from a stranger? If they want to remain listed in the book, do you think they will really give you the lowdown? They know what side their bread is buttered on!<BR><BR>I have stayed at many Karen Brown recommended places and the subject sometimes came up in conversation with the owners. Every time I inquired if they paid to be listed in Karen Brown's book they answered "YES!" and even told me how much it cost per year. Why would they have lied to me? Next time I will ask for a copy of their canceled check or their credit card statement!!!!!<BR><BR>BTW, I noticed that Tony Brown said "we do NOT request payment". Maybe they don't request it but they REQUIRE payment. It's all a question of translation. Why doesn't Tony Brown say that they never ever accept any money, checks or credit card payments from the places listed in their books? Trueman

anon

Thanks to mail-a-friend (does it work?) this ought to be able to resolve with a clear direct answer.<BR><BR>E-mail this thread, complete with the URL of the thread itself, for easy answering.<BR><BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/messages.cfm?fid=2&amp;tid=1287182&amp;numresponse s=5<BR>

Patrick

I agree with Trueman. As soon as I read the letter from Tony Brown, the phrase "we do NOT request payment" jumped right off the page at me. Why wouldn't he say 'we have never received payment', 'we do not accept kickbacks', or 'there is no financial gain to us from any establishment in our guidebooks'? I know dining and theatre critics who refuse to even accept a comped meal or a free ticket because they fell it puts them in a compromising situation. Sounds like that is not true of the establishments in the KB guides, even if it only involves free rooms for the KB staffers or something like that.

bo_jack

All that I know about Karen Brown is that he/she/they seem to be people who write travel books/articles that I've never read. (I.E., I have complete disinterest in KB.) However, my reaction to the KB reply was exactly the same as Patrick's and Trueman's: If you want to deny RECEIVING compensation, you do not simply deny ASKING for compensation; and person or organization that is a professional communicator surely knows the difference.

silverbabe

How Michele got this translation:<BR><BR>"In twenty-five years of business they have NEVER charged a listing fee or any fee of any kind."<BR><BR>From this reply:<BR><BR>"we do NOT request payment for inclusion in our guides"<BR><BR>...is beyone my comprehension. I think we should take Tony Brown at his word:<BR><BR>"If you feel further explanation is needed please contact me directly."<BR><BR>So everyone, if you want clarification e-mail Tony Brown at [email protected] and let him post an explanation here.<BR><BR>Sounds easy to me.

jojo

Very interesting!!

trueman

I notice there are no new replies or postings from Michele or Rex telling us that Tony Brown has communicated with them again. HUMMMMMM....wonder if Karen Brown's hubby has decided to clam up because the inns in Karen Brown's books REALLY DO PAY TO BE LISTED!!! Very interesting. Trueman

Rex

I am neutral on this. I posted the message from michele in the "public interest". I tried mail-a-friend to [email protected] but it didn't work (based on sending it to myself and not receiving it). did anyone else try e-mailing it? I just tried again.<BR>

sss

TTT for newbies.

Bootman4U

I suspect they pay Ms. Brown just as they pay Fodors!

Bob_C

They pay to be listed on the Web Site not to be in the books.