potm

Happy

Did you have a Point Advance already made on the hotel? If so, you
DONT need to attach the cert until you are ready to use it BEFORE the 14 days deadline that a Point Advance must have points paid or cert attached.

Also it sounds you wanted to upgrade your cert at the time of attachment. That, you are doing it all wrong. Spend time to follow the Travel Package thread may have prevented you from getting into such a mess.

They DEFINITELY can modify a cert, NOT the booking as they can NOT adjust the level of the property, but they can add points to the Cert to bring it up to the level of the new category of the hotel, then attach the cert to the booking.

I am afraid you may have messed up in the approach on the critical HOW TO which have enough examples of successes and failures to those who really pay attention in reading the details. The "How To" lead the agents to get the upgrade done, often means success or failure, even with the most friendly UK number which is the number you should have called on anything related using the TP cert!

The category change is by the local time of the hotels. You may have passed the cut off time. But again if you already have made reservation BEFORE the category has gone up, I dont see why you would need to attach your cert during that period where everything was fluid and many agents not up to speed. (probably never will because Marriott does not care to train them but that is another topic altogether.)

To get your promised 30K, ask Marriott to pull phone records if they would comply.

Otherwise you would have to chalk this up being something yourself also messed up and just accept the consequence.

nacho

I know, I read that too! I didn't have any hope in attaching the cert anymore but I was expecting to get 30k points when it doesn't work out (which is the case right now).

SkiAdcock

Ok, if I followed the thread correctly the OP booked a TP at a certain category before it went up in category, using points advance. From what she said, she did it last August, way before the March 4th (not 6th) cut-off point on category changes.

FWIW - I didn't know MAR did PA on TPs given the airline aspect/just thought they did PA on regular reservations. Learned something new.

If the reservation was made way in advance & unless the trip is shortly after March 5th, I don't know why OP bothered to call on March 6th. MAR has always been good about sorting out the points dif in category changes each year. Actually most hotel chains are. I get calling a bit before, but not a lot before. However, if it was close I get that. If it wasn't, I think OP actually goofed it up.

Where I think OP went wrong was, once she got an agent not familiar w/ the points advance & category change, she negotiated & said she'd (forfeit?) TP for the additional points or accept less than the additional points to make the cert whole, and they just thought she wanted points in general & down she went in the rabbit hole.

If the cert wasn't attached to the reservation & OP didn't have enough by time of stay, then the original points should have been deposited back to OP's account & no extra points deposited into OP's account (unless they were goodwill).

From what I can tell (based on what OP said), she's not due any points for goodwill, but is due points to make the original reservation whole if the trip hasn't occured yet..

Cheers.

Isochronous

Another example of shocking incompetence from Marriott. Service standards have fallen to an all-time low.

I had a similar problem with the August category changes and the US call centres were utterly hopeless. Ultimately I called the KL number instead and they fixed it no problem.

SkiAdcock

Incompetence or confusion? Could be either. I think the OP added to the latter at this point, but hope it gets sorted out for her sake.

BTW - I'm hearing from some elites that are having problems w/ these type of reservations, especially points advance, & am wondering if they're getting SPG agents who are new to MAR.

MAR always had points advance & MAR agents familiar w/ that & category changes/how to sort the certs out, but from what I can tell (based on FT posts) SPG didn't do points advance, so if you're (generic you're) getting an agent saying it doesn't exist or is confused, I'm wondering if it's an SPG agent who's just not up to speed yet on the MAR stuff.

Cheers.

nacho

I haven't negotiated at all. All I wanted was to get the cert attached. The supervisor suggested the points herself. I didn't want to accept it because I still believed at that point someone who knows the MAR system or higher up in the hierarchy will fix this. I didn't want to take the points if I get the cert attached.

Now what I have is 10k and a cert that I need to think of somewhere worthwhile to use it. None of this would have happened if I can attach the cert manually after making the award booking.

DancesWithWords

Add your story to Bonvoyed.com. The collection of Marriott horror stories is growing larger by the day.

nacho

This ordeal is pretty simple: I have a TP cert since Aug 2018 and wanted to attached to a reservation made March 5. Forgot to do it on March 5 CET so did it on March 6 morning CET - this is my fault. All I have asked was to attach the cert and she said it's not possible. She started talking BS like I got the cert on March 6, and I stopped her and clarify her that the cert was there BEFORE the merger. Plus the agent I talked to before her has confirmed 3 times to me that it's possible to attach it as long as the reservation was made before March 5! All those upgrade stuff was all suggested by her - I never want to pay 60k to something that I'm entitled to (I have a valid cert and reservation before March 5).

I shouldn't need to educate myself to teach them how to use their own system - those people who are hired by Marriott supposed to know that! I know the world doesn't work this way unfortunately but I have NO intention in paying extra points for the same thing!

I did ask Marriott to pull the call recordings and now they are investigating - sounds like CSI.

Another thing - I would have done that happily before March 5 if I don't have to call - I called on March 2 to ask if I could get them to help me to reserve that hotel next Feb. and I was ready to attach the cert and the associate said no - I waited more than 30 minutes just to talk to a human and it seems they are pretty much some CS here in Sweden - "the computer said no".

Happy

Everybody has to call to use the TP cert. So PLEASE dont make it sounds that you should not suffer this, cause this is how the system works, FOR YEARS.

Everybody waited long time to get to a human 85% of the time. Again you are not unique in this "suffering".

There are no less than 20 or 30 times mentioning in the TP thread that UK is one's best bet to call, next to it is Asia. Heck, even the US numbers if called at the right occasions (weekend, just after they opened for business), a friend of mine had everything she needed, multiple times. WITHOUT any drama. She just had her NC extended a second time a week ago. The initial was a downgrade from OC6. She then thought she would need to use it in Sept 2019 therefore extended it once to cover Sept 2019. Now she wanted to use it in Feb 2020. She called to ask for an extension. First rep told her to wait till much closer to Sept to do it so she would have more time. Being a Type A, she could not wait and called back immediately. 2nd rep went with the line and now the friend has it expiring in Feb 2020. No drama. US number. Weekend morning.

It is pure luck one can say. But the UK number has been a better number to get competent reps / willing reps.

So now the whole picture is much clearer than what you have initially reported.

It is not very simple as you want people to believe, There are several layers of complexity whether intentionally or unintentionally caused by you, that there is no way for us to kbow.

The only thing we know is, there should never be an extension of courtesy points so you can use your cert to the property that just went up - with your booking made passed the cut off.

But you sound like Marriott owes you that, and keep blaming the rep BSed you.

While you called the agent about her giving you BS, in my eyes, and may be others' as well, your own BS is just as much. Sorry to say that. You know it is your fault to book pass the cat change deadline yet you still want to use your below level cert...

You claim that you should not be concerned how incompetent ./ untrained a Marriott CS is.

True. But this is just akin to WHY We should learn how to drive Defensively. Everyone here knows the problems with the current CS. It is upon each individual to take it into own hands on how to protect own interest versus relying on the CS reps to take care of you.

It is getting very old because the issues of incompetent reps have been there since August. Insistent that you should not need to educate the rep at this stage of the game, with countless evidences that show the opposite, is not going to help you to achieve what you want to achieve.

Basically WHEN did you acquire your TP cert has NO BEARING in this mess.

The CRUX is your booking was made PASSED the deadline cut off time of the category change - therefore, there is NO WAY Marriott would
1) honor the category.
2) adjust your TP cert with courtesy pts to the level of the new category so you can attach the cert to pay for the booking - which now we learn IT WAS NOT A PA BOOKING AT ALL, But a booking made PASSED the deadline.

In light of the above, I honestly feel Marriott does not owe you anything despite what you are promised - because the booking is not a PA before the deadline.

I agreed with Sharon that in this case you really screwed the whole thing up. Once you realized the deadline has long passed, you should not even attempted the maneuver you had tried, in hope that Marriott would give some leniency. That is a very wrong approach and is the cause of all the subsequent mess and rant which sorry to say, is not having much of a merit.

Had it be a PA booking made long before and you just try to use the cert for the previous category, then I think most everyone agrees that Marriott should honor it and should sort it out.

But now we finally know the truth - that the booking isn't a PA? Then your chance of getting what you were promised, greatly diminish - that may probably why upon review the note, Marriott higher ups decided only give you 10K.

You can continue to escalate this up the chain, voice your deep disappointment, demand they pull the phone records etc etc

Unfortunately, the bottom line goes back to, you have not made the booking before the cut off. Therefore the only courtesy Marriott should extend is, yeah, we are sorry you are misled by an incompetent agent. Take the 10K as our apology.
Continuing to demand more just does NOT seem right in my book but of course YMMV, since you feel you have been "promised" on that, despite the mistake started from your end as the root of the mess.

Really, there is no compensation due you now we learn about there is no PA booking at all.

@Sharon
TP booking is no more than a regular 7 nights booking which can be a PA. I have done this several time. Since attach the cert always requires calling, can't be done online, I dont want to make things more complicated by using pt booking first, then cancel the booking/ have pts refunded / then remake the booking with cert.
By doing so you RISK losing the award space when you cancel the pt booking (the only way to get back the paid pts).
Much simpler

On an unrelated thing to this, but related to PA which does not have its dedicated thread only the Mar 5th cat change thread has some discussion - but I think it is worthy to mention.

Sharon, if you feel the following tidbit should be moved somewhere, feel free to do so.

Yesterday I found a 4Ps at Perth that costs 17.5K, the site does not show the option of Point Advance because my account has much more than the needed points.
Before the Mar 5th cut off, the site did let me put a 25K Marriott property on PA even though my balance was the same as now, much more than the needed points.

So, here we have another new DP - PA option is not offered on some low categories, and specially on a former SPG property.

nacho

I think you misunderstood something here - I know you are expert in TP and honestly I don't have the time and energy to study how I should have maneuvered. I made a mistake and I told the first agent already. I'm annoyed because I was offered a compensation (it's up to you to think I deserved it or not) and it was not honoured afterwards. This has NOTHING to do with the mistake or crux I made about the TP cert.

I was offered points for compensation by the supervisor and I asked if someone can look at it - as at that point I still believe in what the first agent said because she sounded so confident and I asked her 3 times if it's really possible.

I made a booking on points for a 7 night stay at a hotel and I didn't have enough points in my account - don't know if this is called PA, if it is then I have a PA booking made BEFORE March 5.

The first associate I talked to told me that it's possible, and that's the whole reason I tried because she sounded so certain. I knew it was too late as I have stated in my previous posts. I don't expect miracles but it sounded like there was one. Please don't start saying things like "You obviously know it's not possible, didn't you read the wiki?" - I'd like to hear it from an official source and the agent said she was able to do that in the past years. I can only act on what she told me.

The compensation points were offered not because they were unable to attach the cert but for the misinformation I was given by the previous associate. I told the supervisor if she could try and if it doesn't work out then she will give me the points and she said she will.

What made me really annoyed is not the cert not attached (also why should I call the UK number as all the associates should be able to do the same thing) - but the fact that they offered me one thing and then refused to fulfill their promise. I don't care about the attaching the TP anymore, I'll find a way to use it.

Happy

TP cert stay is just like any other point stay - you either can book it over the phone and have the cert attached on the same call, or book it as a PA online yourself, then call to have the cert attached. Either way, you HAVE to call to get it finalized, i.e. attach the cert - as this function is not available online.

Everybody has to do this, and Everybody has endured long hold time, incompetent rep / unwilling rep, at least a majority of the time. This is not an excuse or basis that the poster should get "compensation". The only way 30K was given is either the rep is confused or indeed as you suspected, she went into a "negotiation" to upgrade her cert and wanted Marriott paid the full 60K when the rep finally relented and met her half way. That is my pure guess but I suspect it is not too far from the truth as you also got the feeling of "negotiation" part.

The problem is, the reservation is made AFTER the cut off time on Mar 6th that we were not known based on the original post. You and I and others thought the reservation was made last year but she tried to attach the cert after the category had gone up.

Now she said the reservation was made on Mar 6th - this changed the whole picture. Not only she is not due any courtesy points despite the confused agent promised her 30K pts, but she also is not due the additional points to make the reservation because the reservation is not made before the cut off.

myperks

x1achilles

Reading these sagas about how a frequent traveler was slighted when the rules changed or were reinterpreted by the promoter/supplier makes me thank the good lord I chase NO mileage programs, Frequent guest programs or even supermarket user apps.
The supplier will ALWAYS rule in their benefit on any question the end user may have. You will ALWAYS be screwed. They are out to make big profits and if you aren't up to snuff and a 2million miler or stay with Marriott 100+ nights/year, too bad chump! Did it occur to you that they don't care about you? That's what I ended up realizing.
Life is so much easier and enjoyable for me now that I don't chase "freebies" (that actually have a heavy cost). I just look for the cheapest ticket, and use the $ to upgrade seat or hotel if I desire.
Now that airport lounges are overcrowded asylums, I'm happy to be out of that HUGE rat race.

nacho

I didn't say the reservation was made on March 6, it was made BEFORE March 5. Maybe March 3 or 4, can't remember. Why on earth would I go and demand for points like that?

Here's the thing once again:

My reservation was made BEFORE March 5 and the cert has been there since AUGUST 2018. The agent promised 30k points for WRONG INFORMATION I GOT FROM PREVIOUS AGENT - I have not negotiated but just insisted on they at least try to see if they found someone that could do that. The supervisor promised a 30k compensation for that if it doesn't work out after all.

Now I'm waiting for the phone record.