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Email: A Note About our Transition into One Program

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Old Dec 18, 2018, 1:43 pm
  #31  
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Originally Posted by bhrubin
It also acknowledges that there were mistakes with the integration and offers an apology for those mistakes.
No, it doesn't. The word mistake or a true synonym doesn't appear in the message, as far as I can tell. What he wrote is: "we know that for some, the integration presented challenges, and we apologize for these difficulties."

It would have been nice to read "we have made mistakes that may have caused problems for you, and I apologize for that."

What they instead wrote sounds to me much like the classic non-apology apology we so often come across these days.

But hey, I get a free new passport if I can just prove to them that they were at fault. So yippee... all is forgiven...
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 1:45 pm
  #32  
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Originally Posted by notquiteaff
No, it doesn't. The word mistake or a true synonym doesn't appear in the message, as far as I can tell. What he wrote is: "we know that for some, the integration presented challenges, and we apologize for these difficulties."

It would have been nice to read "we have made mistakes that may have caused problems for you, and I apologize for that."

What they instead wrote sounds to me much like the classic non-apology apology we so often come across these days.

But hey, I get a free new passport if I can just prove to them that they were at fault. So yippee... all is forgiven...
Like others have said, some people are never satisfied.
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 1:52 pm
  #33  
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Originally Posted by bhrubin


Like others have said, some people are never satisfied.
Indeed some people facing due criticism of a beloved corporate object are never satisfied that there is due criticism of poor corporate behavior.

Marriott has fallen short of reasonable customer expectations with regard to the integration-related program changes and Marriott. hasn’t shown much intent and capability to make things right very quickly and easily for the negatively-impacted customers, so of course such Marriott customers shouldn’t ever be satisfied unless and until Marriott does right by the many wronged customers.
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 1:57 pm
  #34  
 
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Originally Posted by 360guy
It would be nice if they would acknowledge your status.
Originally Posted by bhrubin
Like others have said, some people are never satisfied.
I can already see all the additional emails about folk who'll note that the status they were acknowledged by was not correct...
We have all seen the emails about people that their status is not right. Many have noted how they qualified by SPG stays for example but their status won't be updated until IT does its sweep in 2019...

I, for one, feel the email was fine. I agree there wasn't any new information but I spent a couple of minutes reading it and then moved on.
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 2:24 pm
  #35  
 
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I didn't get the e-mail, and I haven't had access to a facsimile machine in almost 20 years. What took the BBC minutes to report took MaRiot 12 days to get delivered to me. Maybe they've started scanning faxes to e-mail them one by one.
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 2:35 pm
  #36  
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Originally Posted by Lizie
Looks to me like just another manipulative marketing email :?
I do not correlate "full of hot air" or "lacking in substance" with manipulative marketing. But then, what do I know.

Clap on, Clap off, clap on, clap off, your ch ch ch Chia.
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 2:38 pm
  #37  
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Originally Posted by PointWeasel
Two lumps of coal for the 'new and improved' Marriott this holiday season.
Maybe these are the new mining jobs we've been hearing about.
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 2:50 pm
  #38  
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Originally Posted by bhrubin
Like others have said, some people are never satisfied.
Some people just would prefer an honest non-corporate speak email instead of one authored/reviewed by a committee of lawyers and spin meisters.

And others would rather attack other members expressing their opinion about the message (the topic of this thread).
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 3:12 pm
  #39  
 
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Originally Posted by GUWonder

Indeed some people facing due criticism of a beloved corporate object are never satisfied that there is due criticism of poor corporate behavior.
Marriott has fallen short of reasonable customer expectations with regard to the integration-related program changes and Marriott. hasn’t shown much intent and capability to make things right very quickly and easily for the negatively-impacted customers, so of course such Marriott customers shouldn’t ever be satisfied unless and until Marriott does right by the many wronged customers.
I believe that you mean that Marriott has exceeded unreasonable customer expectations.
When I got my kitchen renovated recently, I dealt with the inconvenience, with the knowledge that once the dust clears (literally) I will have a sparkling brand new kitchen.The same logic applies here.
Marriott has done, and I suspect will continue to do, a yeoman's job in keeping its members up-to-date on all changes since the initial roll-out.

Originally Posted by notquiteaff
Some people just would prefer an honest non-corporate speak email instead of one authored/reviewed by a committee of lawyers and spin meisters.
And others would rather attack other members expressing their opinion about the message (the topic of this thread).
And many of us appreciate the good holiday wishes coming from the highest levels.
Sadly, some here won't stop their Marriott-bashing until they get Arne Sorenson's head on a silver platter. It's really kinda sad they sink so low as to attack a holiday greeting.

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Old Dec 18, 2018, 3:21 pm
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Newman
I believe that you mean that Marriott has exceeded unreasonable customer expectations.
When I got my kitchen renovated recently, I dealt with the inconvenience, with the knowledge that once the dust clears (literally) I will have a sparkling brand new kitchen.The same logic applies here.
Marriott has done, and I suspect will continue to do, a yeoman's job in keeping its members up-to-date on all changes since the initial roll-out.



And many of us appreciate the good holiday wishes coming from the highest levels.
Sadly, some here won't stop their Marriott-bashing until they get Arne Sorenson's head on a silver platter. It's really kinda sad they sink so low as to attack a holiday greeting.

Newman
No; I meant that Marriott has fallen short of reasonable customer expectations with regard to the integration-related program changes; and that Marriott hasn’t shown much intent and capability to make things right very quickly and easily for the negatively-impacted customers. And so of course such Marriott customers shouldn’t ever be satisfied unless and until Marriott does right by the many wronged customers.

Arguments by analogy don’t generally make for a logically sound and valid argument, so I’ll take that kitchen renovation story and chalk it up to being just friendly banter.
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 3:26 pm
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Newman
And many of us appreciate the good holiday wishes coming from the highest levels.
Sadly, some here won't stop their Marriott-bashing until they get Arne Sorenson's head on a silver platter. It's really kinda sad they sink so low as to attack a holiday greeting.
If you actually enjoy getting emails allegedly penned by or more likely just sent in the name of some high level executive wishing you and a hundred million of your closest friends happy holidays, that's great.

I personally consider it seasonal spam. And this isn't criticism directed just at Marriott -- they all feel the need to send these useless messages.

I simply corrected bhrubin's claim that Marriott apologized for mistakes made by them. I didn't attack any holiday greeting.

Enough, though. Happy holidays and may your next Marriott stay be a satisfying experience.
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 3:43 pm
  #42  
 
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I think there's a general feeling on this board that Marriott's integration issues are huge and affect millions of people (the SPG data breach did affect millions, but it's unrelated to the IT integration). However, for many people, including many here, the integration has gone just fine and we've experienced no problems.

So we're left with two sides: One which feels that the mistakes Marriott has made, and the resulting issues individuals have experienced, are so great that they are un-recoverable, and the CEO should be fired. And another that feels issues should be fixed, but that they only impact a small yet vocal group of customers. The second group can read an end of the year, happy holidays email for exactly what it is, and not have to analyze every word that was or wasn't included.

It's certainly rational to believe that Marriott should do something to make it up to affected customers. But it's not rational to think that a standard, planned, annual customer email (which this year acknowledged the integration issues) should be the cure.
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 3:57 pm
  #43  
 
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Originally Posted by GUWonder


No; I meant that Marriott has fallen short of reasonable customer expectations with regard to the integration-related program changes; and that Marriott hasn’t shown much intent and capability to make things right very quickly and easily for the negatively-impacted customers. And so of course such Marriott customers shouldn’t ever be satisfied unless and until Marriott does right by the many wronged customers.

Arguments by analogy don’t generally make for a logically sound and valid argument, so I’ll take that kitchen renovation story and chalk it up to being just friendly banter.
Unfortunately that is the sad truth. This FT forum has
become a Marriott-bashing haven and anyone commenting that doesn’t adhere to that narrative is all but trashed.

Some people have had bad, even maybe terrible, experiences with the program merger, especially on the IT and CS ends. Others didn’t. I don’t have to feel miserable — and I won’t — just because someone else had a poor experience when in reality I for one am very happy with the outcome of the merger and the way things turned out — and I come from the SPG side and had never stayed in a Marriott property before 2017.

This year I earned points like I never had the chance of earning with SPG and have been burning them in amazing properties for ridiculously low rates—sometimes as low as half what SPG charged. BRG success and reply rates are in a whole different league than what was the case with SPG. And on top of that in a single year I received more SNAs and free night certs than I would ever have received with SPG, got fabulous upgrades (after Aug 18); was made (or will soon be) a lifetime PPE or whatever new metal or alloy they will pick for that tier so that I will no longer have to worry about membership thresholds; and I now have a pretty decent (though not exceptional) ambassador.

In my own experience, 2018 was terrific year for my membership in Marriott’s loyalty program and really hope they can keep it up for 2019.

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Old Dec 18, 2018, 3:58 pm
  #44  
 
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Originally Posted by JBord
But it's not rational to think that a standard, planned, annual customer email (which this year acknowledged the integration issues) should be the cure.
It isn't rational for anyone to believe they are going to arbitrarily hand out points or certificates - they aren't going to put that liability on the balance sheets and they have shareholders they account for.

I'm also in the camp to think that it isn't rational that integration issues and more likely serious integration wouldn't exist.

I thought the email - though I haven't received it yet, was a nice gesture.

Emotional connections do tend wreak havoc with rational thought.
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Old Dec 18, 2018, 4:15 pm
  #45  
 
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Originally Posted by craigthemif
Another missed opportunity to do more than just offer a minimal apology...
You must be a diplomat.
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