LNF discussions
Aug 15, 2018, 5:54 am
#136
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,815
filed my first lnf claim yesterday & got denied....not sure if this is how marriott processes claims but the reason for the denial was that the rate on the third party site does not include taxes so the rate was higher....i know for a fact that this site includes taxes in their rates because i have filed dozens of successful brg claims with spg using this site....my last successful claim was 2 days ago....
Aug 15, 2018, 6:05 am
#137
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
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Aug 15, 2018, 6:46 am
#139
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i emailed them back this morning explaining that the rate was inclusive of tax as i had already explained in the comments section....lets see what they say now....
Aug 15, 2018, 9:51 am
#141
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Location: India
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here is their response:
seems like a very convenient way to deny claims....
Thank you for your additional message. The Courtyard Dulles/Town Center hotel is located in the United States; therefore this hotel doesn’t charge VAT tax. The taxes at this hotel are local taxes that are paid directly at the hotel. Per the previous email please note that web-sites owned or operated outside of the United States and Canada sometimes include taxes in their rates. Unless otherwise specified, these taxes are Value-Added Tax (VAT) which under the terms and conditions of this website theses taxes are considered Value-Added Tax (VAT) . So with that all the taxes charged by this hotel are local taxes, I am unable to remove any amount from the rate located for comparison. Unfortunately I am going to have to stand behind the initial denial of your claim.
Aug 15, 2018, 11:37 am
#143
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Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: CPH
Programs: UAMP S, TK M&S E (*G), Marriott LTP, IHG P, SK EBG
Posts: 11,095
That's just ridiculous. I guess that hotel doesn't want any LNF - I can imagine even if you found another site there will be another bogus reason to deny your claim. My advice - find another hotel.
Aug 15, 2018, 11:51 am
#144
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Location: India
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the lower rate was only on that site....can't find it anywhere else....sucks that they treat the claims this way....
Aug 15, 2018, 11:55 am
#145
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this has nothing to do with the hotel....i don't think the hotel even knows i filed a lnf unless it gets approved....
Aug 16, 2018, 3:16 am
#146
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Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: CPH
Programs: UAMP S, TK M&S E (*G), Marriott LTP, IHG P, SK EBG
Posts: 11,095
Booked a room and filed a claim, claim denied with a reason (rate not found - as the site put the rate back up);
Found another lower rate somewhere, replied to the email and then they claimed they can't find the rate;
Checked and found the rate and then replied and 24 hours was over.
Had to redo, and use the same/different site with lower rate;
Replied with rate can't be found;
Checked the rate was still there;
Replied saying that the rate is the same after converting to hotel currency! (which was so untrue after I found out and at that point I gave up)
Of course sometimes it also came with other sort of BS such as tax is not included in the comparison site even though it stated very clearly that it's all inclusive.
One hotel even asked me where I found the lower rate at check out - and the associate told me how much LNF hurts their income (they changed flag a year after my LNF stay).
Aug 16, 2018, 5:59 am
#147
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
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I think some hotels know (I can think of at least 1 - they know who booked at what rate and if they constantly see a name with LNF rate they may flag my name) - I have done a lot of LNFs previously and there's a handful of hotels that you can't get LNF through - you can see my posts in this thread regarding this. I can't provide proof but this has been a constant experience with a few particular hotels. This is how it went in short:
Booked a room and filed a claim, claim denied with a reason (rate not found - as the site put the rate back up);
Found another lower rate somewhere, replied to the email and then they claimed they can't find the rate;
Checked and found the rate and then replied and 24 hours was over.
Had to redo, and use the same/different site with lower rate;
Replied with rate can't be found;
Checked the rate was still there;
Replied saying that the rate is the same after converting to hotel currency! (which was so untrue after I found out and at that point I gave up)
Of course sometimes it also came with other sort of BS such as tax is not included in the comparison site even though it stated very clearly that it's all inclusive.
One hotel even asked me where I found the lower rate at check out - and the associate told me how much LNF hurts their income (they changed flag a year after my LNF stay).
Booked a room and filed a claim, claim denied with a reason (rate not found - as the site put the rate back up);
Found another lower rate somewhere, replied to the email and then they claimed they can't find the rate;
Checked and found the rate and then replied and 24 hours was over.
Had to redo, and use the same/different site with lower rate;
Replied with rate can't be found;
Checked the rate was still there;
Replied saying that the rate is the same after converting to hotel currency! (which was so untrue after I found out and at that point I gave up)
Of course sometimes it also came with other sort of BS such as tax is not included in the comparison site even though it stated very clearly that it's all inclusive.
One hotel even asked me where I found the lower rate at check out - and the associate told me how much LNF hurts their income (they changed flag a year after my LNF stay).
i've lost count of the number of successful brg claims i have had with spg....over the last 5 years or so the majority of my paid stays have been brg stays....this year alone so far i have stayed 40+ nights at a particular sheraton & have another 15 nights booked with them....all brg stays....i know the manager quite well since i have been a regular at this property for a few years now & the manager has never questioned my brg filings....
Aug 16, 2018, 9:09 am
#148
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Sweden
Programs: Marriott Platinum - LT Gold
Posts: 688
Keyser: Email the OTA and ask. Wait for OTA's response and send the reply you get from the OTA to the LNF team. Quote the terms as well.
Aug 16, 2018, 1:31 pm
#149
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: SPG Platinum, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 236
i copied the whole terms conditions of a particular ota, but because the sentence included the word typically, they still insist on their incorrect assumption that if a rate say $xxx(include vat), it does not include service charge. This is just absurb.
Aug 16, 2018, 1:38 pm
#150
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 83
It doesn't help, they are very stubborn about it.
i copied the whole terms conditions of a particular ota, but because the sentence included the word typically, they still insist on their incorrect assumption that if a rate say $xxx(include vat), it does not include service charge. This is just absurb.
i copied the whole terms conditions of a particular ota, but because the sentence included the word typically, they still insist on their incorrect assumption that if a rate say $xxx(include vat), it does not include service charge. This is just absurb.
Don't think Marriott understand that some european sites include EVERYTHING in the rate
Is there anything we can do about this? Ridiculous how any claim can be denied because of this..