Another potentially controversial post

I don't think it was just MVCI, I prefer to take note of what a Marriott insider from Salt Lake City posted here.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...20&postcount=8

I would concur with uk1's view. I think we did help to kill the points purchase scheme. After posting a very detailed response regarding travel packages, and making a plea not to post so explicitly, I took my own advice and ceased posting.

For every poster here, there are probably many times that number lurking and taking advantage. Whilst Raffles' detailed how to do it kit is helpful to people who don't want to make the effort to do any research, it also acts as an incitement to many more people to pile in. I am pretty sure that the overwhelming short term demand for points purchase resulting from this thread hastened and exacerbated the change in Marriott purchase rules. Some may doubt this, but who would like to speculate on the total bought by us all, never mind the lurkers ?

It was mentioned in this thread that there wasn't much interest shown on the Marriott Forum. It may be it was just picked up in a more subtle fashion over there. I was probably the first to buy points - on 28th December, to try it out. Before I could confirm that it actually worked it was already being broadcast in capitals on the BA forum even though nobody could have gone through the purchase process at that stage.

This is of course the nature of a public forum, but I think we did highlight the detailed mechanics of this opportunity much more than was strictly necessary in order to spread the information amongst ourselves.

If an opportunity like this comes along again I hope we can communicate it amongst ourselves without feeling the need to broadcast it so explicitly to the world. Sometimes it is smarter not to tell the world how smart you are.

I was fully aware of every potential opportunity from this points purchasing facility immediately on 28th December, some of which came out on this thread much later, some of which never came out on this thread. With the exception of one request which I chose not to answer because the poster asserted he/she had long earned points, I did share detailed information and advice with people who pm'd me. This is a far better approach.

- reach for tin hat