I had another valet parking problem at a Marriott and they continue to take no responsibility as it is a leased operation. I have written before about problems at the SF Marriott, which we now avoid.

I called ahead to ask if they could take a cargo van in valet parking and if they had any "show rates" for such parking. We were there for the Gift Show. I was told that yes they could most likely take the van and it would be $18 per night. I remembered thinking it would be an extra $30-something for parking and the internet.

Well, when we got the bill under the door, it was $24 for two nights (each) and $30 for five nights (each) - an overcharge of $72.

What surprised me was their strident intransigence in refusing to do anything about it, based primarily on it being a leased operation. Of course, I realize now that I should have written down the original quote with the name and date, but never did I expect to have that kind of problem.

Customer Service at Marriott was surprisingly argumentative and nasty, considering we are Platinum with about 1.0 mil points. They finally offered 5000 miles, which is not even commensurate. No one along the way apologized for the misunderstanding and I felt my integrity was being questioned as if I would make up such a story. CS said the daily rate was $26, so they did not even know what they were talking about.

I looked at it as a matter of principle - honoring what was quoted. The $72 on a $2000 bill is not going to break us.

My recommendation is to always write down a name in these situations.