Starwood Preferred Guest - Gold Status Removed; Starwood had computer glitch

I am a spg gold member because of the amex credit card (if you spend 30,000) . However, i noticed my account was marked as a corporate account. Starwood Lurkers any help?

Since it's not mentioned here, have you called Starwood or AMEX??

As well stated in another post
.....since Starwood has contact customer service centers available in all of the major areas of the world, what is the big deal about just picking up the phone rather than spending time posting..........

Posting here and asking for the lurkers - on a weekend - isn't not the best use of your time.

In addition, there are previous threads on this very subject. Have you reviewed any of those?

Or, we could just come right out and tell you that sometimes you have to call AMEX and/or SPG and give a little nudge/reminder that you qualify for Gold. It just happens around re-up time sometimes, happened to me a couple years back, I made the call and Gold was restored and I rec'd updated cards within weeks.

Good Luck

Hi, it took less than 5 min. to call to the nice folks at SPG to mention my SPG AMEX spending was well over the 30K threashold, and within minutes Gold status re-instated. There is good value in this SPG/Amex relationship...too bad it is not quite seemless and requires a call. in any event this was quite painless...unlike trying to get reservation e-mail confirmations which I have not seen in over 3 years to my yahoo acct., even after contacting the nice folks at SPG and SPG IT many many times, sorry the e-mail trouble is in another thread.

All the best SPG Amex spenders,

I called today with a similar issue. From the time the rep picked up the phone until I was Gold again could not have been more than one minute.

Hey WScottsdaleInsider,

Thanks for the heads-up. I have reviewed your account and you are now a Gold Preferred Guest. Do send me a PM if you need anything else.

Have a nice day!

I am a spg gold member because of the amex credit card (if you spend 30,000) . However, i noticed my account was marked as a corporate account. Starwood Lurkers any help?

I too have had my gold revoked. However, I don't think I would have qualified through my SPG AMEX. I have had Gold for two years now through an unknown means (I just got the package in the mail one day), and this past December I was told by a CSR that I would requal in Feb. Since this did not happen, I am trying to find out why not. So far, SPG CSR's have not been able to assist and are wondering why I was told I would requal. Do some corporate accounts result in Gold Status? Any other means?

I know this is pretty vague, but if anyone has any insight, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi onfo,

Please send me your account details through PM and I will review your account accordingly.

Thank you and have a nice day!

I too have had my gold revoked. However, I don't think I would have qualified through my SPG AMEX. I have had Gold for two years now through an unknown means (I just got the package in the mail one day), and this past December I was told by a CSR that I would requal in Feb. Since this did not happen, I am trying to find out why not. So far, SPG CSR's have not been able to assist and are wondering why I was told I would requal. Do some corporate accounts result in Gold Status? Any other means?

I know this is pretty vague, but if anyone has any insight, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Hey WScottsdaleInsider,

Thanks for the heads-up. I have reviewed your account and you are now a Gold Preferred Guest. Do send me a PM if you need anything else.

Have a nice day!

Wow, so WSottsdaleInsider must have PMed you and started this thread. But great service from our new Lurker! ^

The computer seems to have had some problems on March 1 -- I didn't qualify based on stays last year (had 9), but did qualify based on Amex spending, and then this year already have 20 stays so far, so I should have been Gold automatically. Had to call to get bumped back up before checking in last night for another stay (new job, more travel). Not a big deal, they were very friendly about it.

Hoping my upcoming Platinum transition is automatic, but if not, I'm not worried about getting it taken care of easily.

Never takes more than one call, however - after years of every complaining that Gold status is meaningless and that everyone has it, maybe Starwood is trying to tighten up and make it a tad more important and valuable?

I am a spg gold member because of the amex credit card (if you spend 30,000) . However, i noticed my account was marked as a corporate account. Starwood Lurkers any help?

I had this same thing happen to me. I checked my account today and noticed I was no longer SPG Gold... checked my Amex account and noticed I spent well over $30k in 2007... called Amex and they told me I definitely qualified but it would take up to 12 weeks for the status to post (kinda dumb if you ask me)... so I called SPG and the great rep upgraded my account on the spot. Quick and easy.

I have not traveled much lately and was counting on my AMEX charges to maintain my GOLD status. Just before last Christmas, I did the math and found I was more than $1,000.00 over the $30,000.00 threshold. Otherwise, I had planned on buying some gift cards or something, just to put me over the top. But on March 1st, my SPG account showed me as "Preferred Plus!" I looked, online, at my AMEX annual spending summary, for 2007, and could not believe my eyes. Somehow, I miscalculated and came up $71.00 short! Yes, I charged a total of $29,929.00!!

I sent an email to SPG yesterday and have only gotten an automated response, so far. Starwood has always come through for me, in the past, as far as favors go. So, with a little luck, I'm hoping they'll do so again.

To qualify for Gold is the Amex required spending of $30,000 for Calendar Year 2007? The reason I ask is that I too qualified for Gold last year around April when I hit $30K, but on 3/1/08 my account has been downgraded as well.

Should I still be Gold?

I have had the same experience. I am NW PE, which provided *W gold status. When I did not make the threshold for requalification for *W, I called. They re-enrolled me in the gold program. The CSRs on the phone are usually quite helpful for membership queries.

Same issue I just noted today on my account.. my gold status (I easily spend the required 30k on the card) was expired. I'll PM the Lurker II since that seems just as easy as the phone call.

Does the $30,000 annual spending requirement apply to AMEX Platinum, (not a Starwood AMEX card?) I'm confused . . . I thought it was an automatic benefit with the AMEX Platinum card.

I, too, have had my Gold Status removed -- once several years ago, (they told me I had to call and request Gold status!) and again today (unbeknownst to me) when I called about a reservation mix-up at the Danieli, and as compensation, they offered to upgrade me to Gold!

My card renews March 1.

Does the $30,000 annual spending requirement apply to AMEX Platinum, (not a Starwood AMEX card?) I'm confused . . . I thought it was an automatic benefit with the AMEX Platinum card.

I, too, have had my Gold Status removed -- once several years ago, (they told me I had to call and request Gold status!) and again today (unbeknownst to me) when I called about a reservation mix-up at the Danieli, and as compensation, they offered to upgrade me to Gold!

My card renews March 1.

gold is a benefit of the AMEX plat card, logon to the amex plat site there is a number you need to call.

Same thing happened here. I qualified 2 years ago with stay and then re-qualified this year due to spending $30k (it said it at the bottom of my 12/07 statement for Amex). However, online it wasn't showing me as Gold. Made a call and it took about a minute for them to fix it for me.

The same thing happened to me yesterday, but it was nowhere near as quick and painless to get things fixed.

Side Note: I spend several hundred thousand dollars a year on my Starwood Amex every year. I've been an extremely satisfied American Express customer for 13 years (Green Card + Membership Rewards before I discovered SPG). I've only had one other minor issue with Amex, about 9 years ago. I've been an extremely happy SPG member for about 3 years. I've recommended the card to numerous people (several of which have signed up and use it extensively now).

First, I called Starwood. I got a message that they were busy and to hold for a representative. It made a weird, annoying ringing sound for about five minutes, then disconnected me. I tried again. Same thing. I checked online and found the Gold customer support number (and saw that I had been calling the regular number). Same thing. I tried a fourth time. Same thing. I gave up on calling them. I searched around to confirm that they still offered Gold with $30k in spend. I found the online email contact and sent an email.

Later in the day, I was working on bills and I saw my $45 annual charge as I was categorizing my credit card charges. It frustrated me to see the charge, especially after the downgrade and the inability to contact SPG.

So I called American Express. I told the representative about the downgrade, the inability to contact Starwood, and the annual charge. He puts me on hold to research things. When he comes back, he tells me that there has been a change in the policy, and that you only get Gold based on the current calendar year. I tell him that's ridiculous and that there's no way it works like that. But even if it did, I've already spent well over $30,000 this year. He says that it will take 12-16 weeks after my qualifying spend is billed before my Gold status will be reinstated. I'm fuming at this point. I explain that will be SIX MONTHS into the year. I ask "What about people who barely spend $30,000 in a year? They would never get Gold." He says that's just the way it is. I start searching on their web site for the specific rules and regulations regarding Gold. It takes a while to find, but I finally find it. I ask to speak to a supervisor. He refuses and says they'll just tell me the same thing. I ask again. He eventually agrees and I'm transfered to a supervisor.

The supervisor tells me the same thing, then tells me that my qualified spend this year is only $27,500 (because they don't include unbilled charges). I read the rules to her. She again insists that things were changed and that it doesn't work that way. The rules clearly state that you get twelve months after the calendar year. She read her internal rules, which even more clearly stated the same. Yet she's still being argumentative. She says I need to call Starwood. I explain that I tried calling them four times and got disconnected every time. She places the call and connects me.

So now I'm finally talking to a lady at Starwood. She was very pleasant and sympathetic. I explained the entire situation to her. She told me that she had four people with the downgrade problem in the previous 45 minutes and that all the CSRs had been called in early due to high call volume, so she put me on hold to check with her supervisor. She was looking for any sort of explanation or a way to ensure that this wouldn't happen in the future. She wasn't able to find an explanation, but she was able to put me back in the Gold category.

Bottom line is that I wasted nearly two hours of my time yesterday. I got so frustrated with both Starwood and American Express that I was ready to cancel my card and switch to something else (even though I know the benefits wouldn't be as good). I never got an explanation about the downgrade, the disconnects or the rude CSR (and Manager) at AmEx. Through the entire process, I was never offered any compensation for my difficulties. American Express could have waived my annual fee or given me bonus starpoints. Starwood could have offered me bonus starpoints or perhaps even an upgrade to Platinum. Maybe I shouldn't expect anything, but most companies do something when things go as wrong as they did, and American Express and Starwood (in my past experience, anyway) have always been the cream of the crop when it comes to customer service.

3minutes 20 seconds with hold times and transfers. Pretty painless, but it's still a bit of an annoyance. I was wondering if it was b/c I have 2 Amex SPG cards, but I guess that isn't the case.

Explained the status drop and that I hit the 30,K several times over annually. Before I could explian I would be in Europe later this month and any status helps, she had switched me back to Gold :cool:

Seems like a lot of people got hit by a computer glitch that is now expecting people to spend $30,000 by March 1st (!) to regain Gold. Since I don't have an upcoming stay at SPG property soon, I'm just patiently waiting for Starwood Lurker II to clear the issue.

Same with me, despite the email late last year saying that I hit the $30k and qualified for continuing Gold through 2008, I dropped to regular.

However a quick call also of less than 60 sec and using the offer code for comp Gold with the Bus Plat card resolved the issue! It's available at open.com/starwoodpreferred

I've been talking to several people lately, all of whom have noticed a deterioration in service and attitude from Amex, perhaps ever since they became their own bank?

The same thing happened to me yesterday, but it was nowhere near as quick and painless to get things fixed.

Side Note: I spend several hundred thousand dollars a year on my Starwood Amex every year. I've been an extremely satisfied American Express customer for 13 years (Green Card + Membership Rewards before I discovered SPG). I've only had one other minor issue with Amex, about 9 years ago. I've been an extremely happy SPG member for about 3 years. I've recommended the card to numerous people (several of which have signed up and use it extensively now).

First, I called Starwood. I got a message that they were busy and to hold for a representative. It made a weird, annoying ringing sound for about five minutes, then disconnected me. I tried again. Same thing. I checked online and found the Gold customer support number (and saw that I had been calling the regular number). Same thing. I tried a fourth time. Same thing. I gave up on calling them. I searched around to confirm that they still offered Gold with $30k in spend. I found the online email contact and sent an email.

Later in the day, I was working on bills and I saw my $45 annual charge as I was categorizing my credit card charges. It frustrated me to see the charge, especially after the downgrade and the inability to contact SPG.

So I called American Express. I told the representative about the downgrade, the inability to contact Starwood, and the annual charge. He puts me on hold to research things. When he comes back, he tells me that there has been a change in the policy, and that you only get Gold based on the current calendar year. I tell him that's ridiculous and that there's no way it works like that. But even if it did, I've already spent well over $30,000 this year. He says that it will take 12-16 weeks after my qualifying spend is billed before my Gold status will be reinstated. I'm fuming at this point. I explain that will be SIX MONTHS into the year. I ask "What about people who barely spend $30,000 in a year? They would never get Gold." He says that's just the way it is. I start searching on their web site for the specific rules and regulations regarding Gold. It takes a while to find, but I finally find it. I ask to speak to a supervisor. He refuses and says they'll just tell me the same thing. I ask again. He eventually agrees and I'm transfered to a supervisor.

The supervisor tells me the same thing, then tells me that my qualified spend this year is only $27,500 (because they don't include unbilled charges). I read the rules to her. She again insists that things were changed and that it doesn't work that way. The rules clearly state that you get twelve months after the calendar year. She read her internal rules, which even more clearly stated the same. Yet she's still being argumentative. She says I need to call Starwood. I explain that I tried calling them four times and got disconnected every time. She places the call and connects me.

So now I'm finally talking to a lady at Starwood. She was very pleasant and sympathetic. I explained the entire situation to her. She told me that she had four people with the downgrade problem in the previous 45 minutes and that all the CSRs had been called in early due to high call volume, so she put me on hold to check with her supervisor. She was looking for any sort of explanation or a way to ensure that this wouldn't happen in the future. She wasn't able to find an explanation, but she was able to put me back in the Gold category.

Bottom line is that I wasted nearly two hours of my time yesterday. I got so frustrated with both Starwood and American Express that I was ready to cancel my card and switch to something else (even though I know the benefits wouldn't be as good). I never got an explanation about the downgrade, the disconnects or the rude CSR (and Manager) at AmEx. Through the entire process, I was never offered any compensation for my difficulties. American Express could have waived my annual fee or given me bonus starpoints. Starwood could have offered me bonus starpoints or perhaps even an upgrade to Platinum. Maybe I shouldn't expect anything, but most companies do something when things go as wrong as they did, and American Express and Starwood (in my past experience, anyway) have always been the cream of the crop when it comes to customer service.

You may want to cut some slack to both AMEX and Starwood on this one. If I'm not mistaken, 2007 was the first year where one could achieve GOLD status through annual spending. It's not surprising that nobody seems to know whats' going on.

I just called Starwood, and like most of you here, I was able to get my GOLD status reinstated. I think, if we're lucky, our status may be good for TWO YEARS. Why? Once before, there was an issue with my GOLD status being downgraded in error. After calling Starwood, I received my new GOLD card. But it was good through February 28th, not of the following year but a year after that! In such cases I think they do this to make up for part of our year being of a lesser status, even though its just been for a few days. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one.

Hi MichaelColey,

I am sorry to hear that you have gone through so much to get your status reinstated. In situations where you are not getting a response for cases like this, and it is not very urgent that you require immediate assistance, you may like to write to me and leave the rest for me to follow up.

Thank you for your kind patience and have a nice day!

apguest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

The same thing happened to me yesterday, but it was nowhere near as quick and painless to get things fixed.

Side Note: I spend several hundred thousand dollars a year on my Starwood Amex every year. I've been an extremely satisfied American Express customer for 13 years (Green Card + Membership Rewards before I discovered SPG). I've only had one other minor issue with Amex, about 9 years ago. I've been an extremely happy SPG member for about 3 years. I've recommended the card to numerous people (several of which have signed up and use it extensively now).

First, I called Starwood. I got a message that they were busy and to hold for a representative. It made a weird, annoying ringing sound for about five minutes, then disconnected me. I tried again. Same thing. I checked online and found the Gold customer support number (and saw that I had been calling the regular number). Same thing. I tried a fourth time. Same thing. I gave up on calling them. I searched around to confirm that they still offered Gold with $30k in spend. I found the online email contact and sent an email.

Later in the day, I was working on bills and I saw my $45 annual charge as I was categorizing my credit card charges. It frustrated me to see the charge, especially after the downgrade and the inability to contact SPG.

So I called American Express. I told the representative about the downgrade, the inability to contact Starwood, and the annual charge. He puts me on hold to research things. When he comes back, he tells me that there has been a change in the policy, and that you only get Gold based on the current calendar year. I tell him that's ridiculous and that there's no way it works like that. But even if it did, I've already spent well over $30,000 this year. He says that it will take 12-16 weeks after my qualifying spend is billed before my Gold status will be reinstated. I'm fuming at this point. I explain that will be SIX MONTHS into the year. I ask "What about people who barely spend $30,000 in a year? They would never get Gold." He says that's just the way it is. I start searching on their web site for the specific rules and regulations regarding Gold. It takes a while to find, but I finally find it. I ask to speak to a supervisor. He refuses and says they'll just tell me the same thing. I ask again. He eventually agrees and I'm transfered to a supervisor.

The supervisor tells me the same thing, then tells me that my qualified spend this year is only $27,500 (because they don't include unbilled charges). I read the rules to her. She again insists that things were changed and that it doesn't work that way. The rules clearly state that you get twelve months after the calendar year. She read her internal rules, which even more clearly stated the same. Yet she's still being argumentative. She says I need to call Starwood. I explain that I tried calling them four times and got disconnected every time. She places the call and connects me.

So now I'm finally talking to a lady at Starwood. She was very pleasant and sympathetic. I explained the entire situation to her. She told me that she had four people with the downgrade problem in the previous 45 minutes and that all the CSRs had been called in early due to high call volume, so she put me on hold to check with her supervisor. She was looking for any sort of explanation or a way to ensure that this wouldn't happen in the future. She wasn't able to find an explanation, but she was able to put me back in the Gold category.

Bottom line is that I wasted nearly two hours of my time yesterday. I got so frustrated with both Starwood and American Express that I was ready to cancel my card and switch to something else (even though I know the benefits wouldn't be as good). I never got an explanation about the downgrade, the disconnects or the rude CSR (and Manager) at AmEx. Through the entire process, I was never offered any compensation for my difficulties. American Express could have waived my annual fee or given me bonus starpoints. Starwood could have offered me bonus starpoints or perhaps even an upgrade to Platinum. Maybe I shouldn't expect anything, but most companies do something when things go as wrong as they did, and American Express and Starwood (in my past experience, anyway) have always been the cream of the crop when it comes to customer service.

I have had the same experience. I am NW PE, which provided *W gold status. When I did not make the threshold for requalification for *W, I called. They re-enrolled me in the gold program. The CSRs on the phone are usually quite helpful for membership queries.

Northwest Platinum provides Starwood Gold status????? The only hotel benefit I see on the NW site is fast track to Hilton gold.

I just lost my *wood gold since most of my travel last year was far from their hotels. I am NW PE though, and if I could couple that with a new *wood Amex and two stays next week to get gold back I would be a happy person.

Northwest Platinum provides Starwood Gold status????? The only hotel benefit I see on the NW site is fast track to Hilton gold.

I just lost my *wood gold since most of my travel last year was far from their hotels. I am NW PE though, and if I could couple that with a new *wood Amex and two stays next week to get gold back I would be a happy person.

Have you signed up for the second quarter promo (see sticky)? There is the possibility you could get a double stay promo?

My gold status is now missing too.

My gold status is from being an owner in the SVO (Starwood timeshare), as well as being well above the Amex spend threshhold.

Sounds like a bug that is affecting a lot of folks. Lurker, do you know if a global fix is being worked on, or do we all need to call individually to get this fixed.

Thanks to all who reported this, and thanks to Lurker for assistance as well.

My gold status is now missing too.

My gold status is from being an owner in the SVO (Starwood timeshare), as well as being well above the Amex spend threshhold.

Sounds like a bug that is affecting a lot of folks. Lurker, do you know if a global fix is being worked on, or do we all need to call individually to get this fixed.

Thanks to all who reported this, and thanks to Lurker for assistance as well.

Sorry, but I don't have a clue. No one on our end of things has confirmed it anyway. If your status has been downgraded and it should not have been, just call the Customer Contact Center and ask them to sort it out.

My apologies for the inconvenience.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

I requalified for Gold last year through double stays, and it disappeared (much like the plat ones did) a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, it disappeared just as 5 stays were posting (manually through Customer Services), so I lost my Gold 50% bonus. But with those stays, I got over the Gold threshold for this year, so I'm Gold on that account, anyway. This means that the customer support staff can't see the problem (since I'm gold anyway) and insist that I got my 50% Elite bonus (which isn't on my statement).

All rather weird. I'm now in email contact with them to get it resolved, but it's just a comedy of errors at the moment, with stays not posting, stays "not existing", Gold disappearing, and ALITALIA MILAMIGLIA DOUBLE posting (I do recall signing up for something a while ago, but why it's suddenly kicked in, I have no idea?).

Hi onfo,

Please send me your account details through PM and I will review your account accordingly.

Thank you and have a nice day!

You've got PM :) Thanks in advance Starwood Lurker II!

I had a similar thing just happen to me with a disappointing response from customer service.

I had SPG Gold status last year from my AMEX spend and I too noticed that I had been downgraded to Preferred Status even though I spent over $50K last calendar year on my SPG Amex.

I called SPG customer service and they were very unhelpful (and rather rude) first saying that no such promotion existed. After I insisted that it did exist, they looked back in my records from last year and found the promotion in my account and then said that there was nothing at all they could do since there was no way they could verify how much I spent on my SPG AMEX so I would have to call AMEX customer service.

After she then mis-transferred me to SPG AMEX new accounts, I called AMEX who was very helpful looking up my spend and verifying that I was over the $30K required last year. She submitted a request to fix my status on her end which she said would take 2 to 3 weeks to go through. I asked if she would mind calling SPG customer service thinking that if someone from AMEX called maybe they could get my Gold status back quicker than 2 to 3 weeks. The extremely nice AMEX customer service lady agreed and conferenced in SPG customer service and tried to convince them that I had met my 2007 $30K requirement and that I had qualified for Gold status for 2008, but the second SPG customer service lady (who wasn't rude like the first one but was almost as unhelpful) said there was nothing she could do from her end, and I just had to wait until the AMEX request went through in 2 to 3 weeks.

At that point I decided an hour on the phone was more time that I should be spending on this, so I gave up.

Update: After posting this message I sent a PM to William seeking his help and in under 30 minutes he had responded AND resolved it completely; thanks and great job!

Has anyone received their new gold cards yet? Mine expired on Feb 28th and I haven't gotten a new one yet. Not a big deal, but you would think they should send them out before the old ones expire.

Has anyone received their new gold cards yet? Mine expired on Feb 28th and I haven't gotten a new one yet. Not a big deal, but you would think they should send them out before the old ones expire.

You can always:

Call to inquire if the card has been sent from the fulfillment house.
or print out a temporary card from SPG.com

I am gold via Amex. My status online was removed 3/1 but was restored as of today. I didn't have to do anything.

My gold status is now missing too.

My gold status is from being an owner in the SVO (Starwood timeshare), as well as being well above the Amex spend threshhold.

Sounds like a bug that is affecting a lot of folks. Lurker, do you know if a global fix is being worked on, or do we all need to call individually to get this fixed.

Thanks to all who reported this, and thanks to Lurker for assistance as well.

I am glad to see that you are SVO and lost your Gold, too -- that misery loves company thing...! After a short call, I got my status back, but apparently, this was some sort of a glitch, across the board!

And, thanks to Starwood Lurker II for posting and helping us all out! (though, I called this time!)

I too had the downgrade issue. I called SPG and told them I qualified two ways because I have an AMEX Platinum Card and a Starwood AMEX that far exceeded the 30k spending. I said she could verify that just this month's points coming from AMEX were over 60K.

The agent said she needed a marketing code from AMEX.

I conferenced AMEX Platinum in, it took about 30 minutes back and forth on the phone until the AMEX rep was able to track the two letter code that the SPG wanted to hear. (The first code was last year's, the second code did not match, apparently the third did - I do not remember it).

Gold was restored - and the SPG rep was very cordial and professional, but this should be easier.

Sorry, but I don't have a clue. No one on our end of things has confirmed it anyway.

Hopefully someone in the Starwood IT world starts looking into the computer issue (either a bug or incorrect business rules). My status was fixed in less than 2 minutes on the phone including re-applying gold status to my 2/29 stay which posted with the wrong bonus because the downgrade happended on 3/1 and the stay posted 3/2. The SPG CSR was able to see my SPG Amex anniversary date and when the status via spend should be good through (August in my case) - so no complaints there - this issue was easily fixed.

But the status downgrade definitely cost me room preference at the Westin Savannah when I checked in late on 3/1 for 4 nights. I had called to say I would be arriving late and to please keep a king bed for me. No problem was the answer. But when I got there around midnight all the king beds had been given away. Front desk agent said something about too many people with higher status than me. He would not share how many PLTs were booked, but when I found out I was only Preferred Plus and not Gold 2 days later, the response started to make sense.

My guess is most folks will not discover the downgrade until they login to the website. And most folks probably do not check the website as much as FTers. Definitely the potential for wider customer impact if all the folks improperly downgraded are not proactively corrected (vs. waiting for them to call in).

. Somehow, I miscalculated and came up $71.00 short! Yes, I charged a total of $29,929.00!!

I sent an email to SPG yesterday and have only gotten an automated response, so far. Starwood has always come through for me, in the past, as far as favors go. So, with a little luck, I'm hoping they'll do so again.

Let me know if you (or others) discover whether there is any slack. I finished '07 at $29,564...

I too had the downgrade issue. I called SPG and told them I qualified two ways because I have an AMEX Platinum Card and a Starwood AMEX that far exceeded the 30k spending. I said she could verify that just this month's points coming from AMEX were over 60K.

The agent said she needed a marketing code from AMEX.

I conferenced AMEX Platinum in, it took about 30 minutes back and forth on the phone until the AMEX rep was able to track the two letter code that the SPG wanted to hear. (The first code was last year's, the second code did not match, apparently the third did - I do not remember it).

Gold was restored - and the SPG rep was very cordial and professional, but this should be easier.
Had same experience. SPG says that they need the code to restore gold status. After 20 minutes on phone, AMEX says there is no code. Called back SPG and they changed it right away. I wonder if everyone was downgraded.

I too lost my Gold status even though I charged over 30k last year. I called 5 minutes ago and they immediately promised to fix it. Not showing up online yet but I suppose I should cut them a few more minutes of slack ;).

But seriously, the CSR was well aware that there had been such a glitch (^^), but if they know about this issue, why hasn't it been fixed globally, either by SPG or by Amex?

While it's easy enough to call and have Gold status reinstated, how many members who qualified are ignorant of this benefit and/or their downgrade? :td::td:

I qualify based on both SPG Amex spend and Amex Platinum. I was downgraded from Gold.

Called SPG today and first mentioned I had Amex Platinum. The CSR said I needed a code from Amex. I just knew that would mean ages on the phone with Amex trying to get the code, so I mentioned I had also qualified by spending over $30k on SPG Amex. He said he could see that I had an SPG Amex and I could hear him covering his mike and conferring with someone for several minutes.

When he came back, he said there was a glitch in the system that caused SPG Amex cardholders to be downgraded and they've been working through them account by account all month! (I can't believe their IT department couldn't do a global fix.) Anyway, he said they'd been instructed to upgrade anyone who mentioned this problem.

So they know it's screwed up...

Nice to hear they are taking the initiative, despite the apparently inability to solve this with some sort of global sweep of accounts.

I noticed the status drop online a couple of weeks ago while making a C & P reservation for the Sheraton San Diego Marina, called SPG customer service and asked why I had been downgraded as I far exceeded the AMEx spend requirement. The agent restored my Gold status immediately; I re-logged onto my account while on the phone with her and Gold status was already reflected.

Just returned from the stay at the Sheraton Marina (wonderful place and staff btw) and had a small issue with my apparently fleeting/elusive Gold status. When I requested a checkout later than noon the FDC said they could give me a 1:00 PM checkout. When I asked if it could possibly be any later, she replied not without a surcharge. I asked if SPG Golds weren't given a 4:00 PM checkout when possible? She informed me that I was merely SPG Preferred, horror of horrors! I advised her of the status issue/I.T. glitch SPG has been having with Gold's and assured her that when I log onto SPG my status indicates Gold. I said I would be glad to do just that and print out the page/temp card to show her as proof of my "status". She said it wasn't necessary and gladly extended my check-out to 4:00 PM. She insisted though that in the hotel's system, my SPG # only shows Preferred status, not Gold.

I followed up with another call to SPG customer service and they say I show in the system as Gold. Not sure what the discrepency is but it might be prudent, if you are Gold, to double check with the hotel at check-in and verify your status prior to any issues arising...not that there are that many issues for us mere golds to face.

...I followed up with another call to SPG customer service and they say I show in the system as Gold. Not sure what the discrepency is but it might be prudent, if you are Gold, to double check with the hotel at check-in and verify your status prior to any issues arising...not that there are that many issues for us mere golds to face.

The discrepancy is that the hotel did not use it's elite status report that we send to them, which is updated on a daily basis, to indicate which elite members are arriving and what their current status is.

If I had a guest name to send them, I could alert the SPG hotel coordinators that this happened to you. Otherwise, my apologies for their having added insult to injury.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

I noticed the status drop online a couple of weeks ago while making a C & P reservation for the Sheraton San Diego Marina, called SPG customer service and asked why I had been downgraded as I far exceeded the AMEx spend requirement. The agent restored my Gold status immediately; I re-logged onto my account while on the phone with her and Gold status was already reflected.

Just returned from the stay at the Sheraton Marina (wonderful place and staff btw) and had a small issue with my apparently fleeting/elusive Gold status. When I requested a checkout later than noon the FDC said they could give me a 1:00 PM checkout. When I asked if it could possibly be any later, she replied not without a surcharge. I asked if SPG Golds weren't given a 4:00 PM checkout when possible? She informed me that I was merely SPG Preferred, horror of horrors! I advised her of the status issue/I.T. glitch SPG has been having with Gold's and assured her that when I log onto SPG my status indicates Gold. I said I would be glad to do just that and print out the page/temp card to show her as proof of my "status". She said it wasn't necessary and gladly extended my check-out to 4:00 PM. She insisted though that in the hotel's system, my SPG # only shows Preferred status, not Gold.

I followed up with another call to SPG customer service and they say I show in the system as Gold. Not sure what the discrepency is but it might be prudent, if you are Gold, to double check with the hotel at check-in and verify your status prior to any issues arising...not that there are that many issues for us mere golds to face.

Although, the poster didn't have his card, this is a prime example of why you should carry your card and hand it to the check in agent with you id/form of payment.

Although, the poster didn't have his card, this is a prime example of why you should carry your card and hand it to the check in agent with you id/form of payment.

You are correct in that I did not have my card. The only card I've had is the original SPG card I received years ago when I first joined SPG. I have never received a Gold card in the years since though that's been my status for a few years now and I've never really been concerned about it as everything has worked perfectly fine thus far. As I said, it hasn't appeared to me that Golds have as many potential issues as far as upgrades and other perks since not that much is promised. If I were plat I would probably be more judicious about having a card with me just in case...

I did however, call yesterday morning and request a Gold card be sent to me for future assurances. And, irony of ironies, wouldn't you know it but when I got home last night and opened the mail there was a new SPG card awaiting me proudly proclaiming my status as, drum roll please, Preferred Plus!! Apparently this card had been sent out last week before I had called and requested the Gold card, probably sent to make sure I knew my status had been (erroneously) downgraded from Gold to PPlus. Too funny. Now I'm really suffering from a case of identity crisis.

The discrepancy is that the hotel did not use it's elite status report that we send to them, which is updated on a daily basis, to indicate which elite members are arriving and what their current status is.

If I had a guest name to send them, I could alert the SPG hotel coordinators that this happened to you. Otherwise, my apologies for their having added insult to injury.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

William, that's very kind of you to offer your apologies but be assured there was no injury or insult. As I mentioned, the FDC quickly and kindly extended the 4:00 PM checkout to me and insisted that she didn't need proof of my Gold status. She merely informed me that I didn't show in their "system" as Gold but as Preferred but took my word that I had been having problems getting my status corrected. She wasn't condescending, rude or disdainful in any manner at all. The staff we encountered at the SD Sheraton Marina were, without exception, extremely courteous and helpful. I look forward to returning to the hotel and would highly recommend it to anyone traveling to SD.

Now I don't know if your alerting them to my experience might assist them in alleviating future situations but perhaps this may be due to the issues I'm having with my fluctuating status rather than their not checking their elite status report?

...Now I don't know if your alerting them to my experience might assist them in alleviating future situations but perhaps this may be due to the issues I'm having with my fluctuating status rather than their not checking their elite status report?

Alerting the SPG Hotel Coordinators for the property would help to prevent this from happening to others. As I said, if they had paid attention to this report, the fluctuating status issue would have been a non-sequitur.

But, it is your call. I would need your SPG account number in order to report it factually.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

I just received a preferred plus card in the mail, even though I am Gold (multiple qualifications) and online my account shows as Gold. I called customer service, they said to ignore the Preferred Plus, I was really Gold, but they didn't offer to send a gold card.

Odd.

Just got my new Gold card in the mail. At first I thought it was odd that it had an expiration date of 2/28/10 on it (since my last card was only valid for 1 year) but I guess they were aware that I had already qualified for '09 based on my Jan '08 SPG AMEX spend.

This erroneous downgrade happened to me. I talked to the CSR and within 5 minutes he had me Gold again and my points posted correctly.

Are you suppose to get a gold card every year? I've qualified for Gold the past couple of years through Amex 30K spending only and never got a Gold card in the mail. And like everyone here, I had to email SPG before getting my Gold Status:
I was checking into a Westin and was informed that I'm not a Gold. I told her that I should be (since I knew I spent more than 30K). But when I checked online, I wasn't. I emailed SPG and went to dinner. By the time I'm back, I got an email saying it's been corrected and 2 bottles of water was waiting (which I assume means they know I'm a gold). I was quite impressed! :-:

Weird thing is, I checked into the same hotel the next week and again, they said the computer didn't show I'm gold, shows I'm a Corporate. So maybe the water is coincidental only.

Since it's not mentioned here, have you called Starwood or AMEX??

As well stated in another post


Posting here and asking for the lurkers - on a weekend - isn't not the best use of your time.

In addition, there are previous threads on this very subject. Have you reviewed any of those?

Welcome to FT, WScottsdaleInsider :).

Perhaps we could give new members a little latitude :confused:. He/she may not have known to search etc.

Some type of global snafu?

My son also was downgraded in error from Gold to Preferred Plus--

It took a while to sort out and he still hasn't received a corrected SPG card.

My wife got Starwood Gold status by spending $30K+ on the Amex last year. I just checked her account online and she had been demoted to "preferred plus."

In a call to Starwood customer service, I was told, and I quote, "We had a computer glitch." My wife doesn't stay in Starwoods too often, so this might have happened some time ago.

You might want to verify your status before your next stay.

So, did they make up for the "glitch"...?

And give her a new year of status?

No, she didn't suffer any loss. They just put it back correctly to Gold, which I've verified online.

I didn't bother asking for compensation, and none was offered.

Sorry,

I was not asking about compensation.... just wondering if they provided her with the full term of the status she earned by purchasing on the American Express card. While she did not use the benefit does not mean she did not earn it... and should have had it available.

I might have asked that the status be extended for the period of time it was removed before it should have been.

Glad they quickly put it back.

I didn't go into details with them, just asked for the error to be fixed and it was.

She doesn't stay often at Starwood, so I guess I'll just check every so often. We did stay a few weeks ago, and it looks as though we got shorted that 3rd SPG point per dollar for Gold vs. Preferred, so I'll email.

She qualified August 2007, so I assume she's supposed to be Gold until 12/31/08 or maybe for a couple more months after that (not clear to me).

My gold status disappeared as well. I had to call SPG and AMEX to get it resolved.