By Jasmine Turner

When disaster strikes, and your loved one is alone, whom can you turn to for help?

We never know when disaster may strike. We plan for the worst and hope that our preparations will get us through, but there’s no way of knowing just how much damage a natural disaster may cause.

In 2016, Hurricane Matthew displaced thousands of families; some of them are still dealing with the effects of this travesty. During such a horrific time, there was light at the end of the tunnel for one family due to the selfless acts of John Geddes, Director of Sales and Marketing for The Westin Poinsett hotel in Greenville, South Carolina.

One member of that family, Andy Schwartz, of Arlington, Virginia, shared with us the great customer experience he had with The Westin Poinsett hotel:

“I planned ahead to have my father stay at The Westin Poinsett hotel away from Hurricane Matthew. Since I booked the reservation through a third-party booking site, I called The Westin to ensure the reservation went through. Sadly, it didn’t, and they were full due to the evacuation of Hilton Head Island. After I talked to the reservation desk, my call was transferred to John. He assured me he’d sort it out. And he did.

Twenty minutes later, my father had a room at The Westin. Unfortunately, due to road closures in the area, we had to find another hotel for him. As with most emergencies, things don’t always go as planned. But this perfect disaster couldn’t have been better planned; my father was safe and sound during Hurricane Matthew.

Not only did John go above and beyond for my father, he also issued me a full refund. A week later, John called me to see how my father was, and I really appreciated that. I can’t wait until I’m in the area to stay at The Westin since they care about their customers (or not quite customers).” — Andy Schwartz

SUBMIT YOUR STORY

They go unnoticed, and recognition is not their agenda. They are everyday heroes who are driven by their ability to change circumstances, redirect lives, or simply put a smile on a face to help create and maintain an ethical marketplace.

Throughout its 105-year existence, Better Business Bureau (BBB) has been an integral part of many communities by serving as a hero to consumers in their time of need. We ask you, our consumers, to submit a story about a time when BBB or a business served as your hero, similar to the story featured here.

We will highlight submitted stories in the next issue of TRUSTED. Submissions can be short or long, but ideally should not exceed 500 words in length. If interested, please submit your story to brand@council.bbb.org. We look forward to reading your submissions!

Jasmine Turner is a native Washingtonian and a recent graduate of Marymount University with a degree in communications. She currently works as Communication Coordinator for Council of Better Business Bureaus, where she creates consumer and business content while also working on new channels to further produce new content.