myperks

a lot easier than the OP going through 3 tickets and have supporting documents for the case. I send in all documents pricing my case at the first get go proving my chargeback claim and then go from there. Hopefully not as much back and forth.

bwallet

I gave up and did a chargeback. I wanted to see if it would get resolved. The answer is that it never would, and Marriott is unwilling to do anything to help resolve this, and the answer is that they wouldn't.

myperks

But the real question is are you going to continue to stay there given this issue since you said you are a regular.

MaxFlyer

Public tweet Marriott and the hotel if they have their own social media account and public shame them.

Often1

So long as the chargeback is properly documented at the time it is submitted, it will likely succeed on these facts. Problems with chargebacks usually occur when they are not backed up properly or there is a straightforward factual difference. In the former, the consumer will usually lose unless the merchant acquirer simply does not respond. In the latter, if there is a factual dispute, that is what small claims courts exist for.

The other point is the critical one. One votes with one's feet. If you continue to stay at the property, the message is that the conduct was good enough to keep you.

bwallet

At the suggestion of people in the Marriott Bonvoy Insider group on Facebook, I contacted other properties nearby. I called a Residence Inn and a Hyatt House and asked if they would do a negotiated rate based upon me staying 120-140 nights a year. Both told me that they would love to have my business, and that they needed to talk to their GM to give me the best possible rate.

Residence Inn called me back the next day, and I got a speech about how great it was there. Then, they told me that the best they could do is the AAA rate, $19 more than I was paying. This is my commute, and I pay myself so this small amount adds up. The manager who called me was upset when I told him that that wasn't going to work. After all, it was such a great place to stay.

The sales manager at the Hyatt House called me back a couple of hours later. She apologized several times that the best they could do was a $24 discount of the lowest published rate, $4 more than I was paying. She seemed surprised that I said yes. I'm in my second week there, and it is great. They treat me nicely. Instead of a bag with a stale muffin and a flavorless apple, I get a fresh cooked omelet for breakfast. So far, so good, and I'm learning about the World of Hyatt instead of Marriott Bonvoy.

myperks

good deal. Hyatt house are typically better than towneplace suites (if newer build) but some of the newer builds have standard rooms that don’t have kitchens although I’m sure as a regular there going forward they will accommodate a room with a kitchenette at the very least.

kauppias

Not a bad way to make Globalist fast

Be sure to let Marriott corporate know WHY your business went elsewhere

bwallet

All the rooms have kitchens. The TownePlace Suites had an oven, but the HH only has a small, two burner stove top. It is adequate for my needs.

It felt satisfying to cancel approximately 140 nights of reservations. I doubt they will notice. They certainly don't seem to care.

bwallet

I'm Discoverist after this week. I'll be Globalist sometime next month.

I don't like that there are so few Hyatt properties compared to Marriott. But, I like getting 4 (or more) suite upgrade certificates good for up to 7 nights vs 5 nights I have have from Marriott that I probably won't use.

kauppias

The small footprint is hyatts achilles heel, other then that I would be all in with them in a heartbeat Reminds me alot of SPG

UA-NYC

Quality >>> Quantity

Welcome to Hyatt! The grass is actually greener vs. Marriott

hugolover

I know a Lifetime Diamond with Hilton. He qualified under the old paid 1000 nights. There's no equivalent in Bonvoy that I can see, the requirements are lower for LT.

In November last year, he applied for the BY status challenge and had completed 7 nights with a further 8 booked on the system during the required qualifying period. Unfortunately the hotels closed due to a CV19 government decree and he was unable to make the required stays nor leave the country.

He told me he knew some of the staff in the Ren he stayed the most at from the city centre Hilton and they were happy to see him there. Considering the loyalty to Hilton you'd have thought he was exactly the kind of guest that Marriott would create a status challenge programme for, not your status match Diamond's, credit card Diamonds (lets not even mention how Platinum all matched to Gold, Diamond and LT) and he had booked the stays, he just couldn't physically stay in a closed hotel. Rather than cancel the stays, the stays were moved to the likely re-opening period and it would have been an easy verification by Bonvoy to see the originally booked dates.

Did Marriott care one bit? Absolutely not. The Supervisor even hung up when he asked her to cancel the remaining stays on his account for him.

Loyalty is literally a Lifetime concept. I do believe he will never book a Marriott again. Something that should make any CEO's blood boil. Who wants to run a business in this way?

I've suggested he reaches out to the GM at the hotel he stayed the most at, and who knew his stay history at the nearby Hilton to see if she has any discretion when it comes to intervening. I know Hilton GM's and Senior Sales can suggest the awarding of status, that's why Gold Preferred was conceived.

myperks

so let me get this correctly because there are a lot of words in your post.

-lifetime Hilton diamond applied for a status challenge and only stayed 7 of 15 required nights (regardless of reason, family, covid, government restrictions)
-couldn’t stay because property is closed
-felt Marriott should be more accommodating in offering the member an extension or just straight stays match because he is lifetime Hilton diamond and this is the type of customer Marriott wants?
-not excusing customer care on the hang up (who knows who’s side of the problem that is on), couldn’t one just cancel the res themselves.
-you told the member to reach out to the GM to ask for property level status match when you already said he will literally never book Marriott again.

pretty sure your colleague is not someone Marriott wants. It’s not like he can’t do another challenge when travel returns or property opens back up. He wants status now...(because he is a Hilton lifetime diamond member)... got it

Hyatt cheerleading squad will be here shortly (actually already here) to welcome them.

hugolover

What's the Hyatt cheerleading squad? I hope they're gender neutral, as a proud feminist, cheerleading disgusts me.

The 15 nights required for the promotion were booked, the four hotels which he booked closed and re-opened after the required stay period was over. The reason does matter, the reason was Covid-19, the same reason hotel chains are bleeding cash and in the vast majority, are bending over backwards to get business in and, the reason why the hotels in question closed.

Marriott should extend the status to allow the Member to obtain the nights and the basis for this, is the clearly verifiable intention to stay based on the forward bookings during the required period that were moved to various dates by the hotels. I know plenty of people who did the match to Bonvoy and have 0 stays, 0 bookings. He could easily do the 8 nights during one month. A one month extension is nothing, but to then climb up to 50 nights? No way.

There is no more status challenge and I understood that these are once in a lifetime only promotions.

I would struggle to argue that he should stay again at a Marriott property, because Bonvoy have offered zero understanding to his specific circumstances. What would be the compelling reasons for him to choose Marriott again? Would you say they have been reasonable to his request? I thought Hilton were poor, but in my own circumstances, I've often been able to resolve matters by speaking to the right persons who were empowered to make meaningful decisions. It seems Bonvoy's Team Member's have zero discretion.

Lifetime Diamond is real loyalty,- real loyalty I would have thought Marriott would have wanted to gain and sought to make a specific, case by case, resolution. I am sure the hotels will relish refunding his prepaid stays.

I'd add, "Computer says no" is very Carol Beer circa 2007 and that show should be banned. Is this the state of customer service in a pandemic and during 2021?