After many years of being a loyal Marriott cusomer, I'm walking.

Why? Well strangely enough it's mot because of the standard of their hotels, which is generally high, nor is to do with their staff who are normally very good and friendly. It's also not about an isolated incident where they've screwed something up so badly that I vowed never to return.

The reason is quite simple, they're totally lousy at getting points to post. I live and travel mainly in Europe, so maybe this issue doesn't arise in the US, but I'm sick and tired of chasing and hassling them to get points to post.

This year, I've made 16 stays in Marriotts (it would have been more, but I spent the first three months of the year in Dublin which has no Marriott property). Of those 16 stays, no fewer than 9 have had an issue of some sort with the points posting.

One 4 occasions, the points didn't post, 3 times the platinum arrival bonus didn't post and twice the points didn't post, and after I contacted them they added the points, but forgot the platinum arrival bonus so I had to contact them again.

At the moment, I still have 3 plat arrival bonuses outstanding (I contacted the US helpdesk via email, they told me they had posted them three weeks ago and I'm still waiting), and I have one stay (Marriott Regent's Park in London) where the points still have not posted despite five separate requests to a combination of the hotel, the UK rewards desk and the US helpdesk.

Life's too short to have to deal with this level of incompetence, so those nice people at Starwood have comped me Plat status and I'm starting a new life as a preferred guest tonight. First I have something like 40 nights of reservations at various Marriott properties to cancel.