I just got off the plat res phone line with Cathy, a wonderful phone res employee btw, who was very helpful in changing a few of my upcoming stays to e-certs vs. points stays and she made a big deal about noticing that I had not requested my Plat upgrades for each of those stays. She put them in the system for me and nicely explained that I should call the Plat line everytime, after I make my res on the website, because there is no way for me to pre-request upgrades online, but they can certainly put a note in the reservation that comes up in BOLD when I arrive for checkin. And to quote her, "This really helps your chances of getting a nice upgrade."

I know many of you already know this, but I thought it was just some pretty good customer service and wanted to share.

BTW, looking back, I had 71 paid nights last year, so I think I'm safe and am gonna hold onto the Plat Stat for this year. (even though I wasn't technically all the way there) I'll definitely re-up it for next year, especially after the nice chat with customer service that I just encountered. Sometimes it's the little things that keep me coming back... ;)

If you stay that often and have the ability to direct a large number of nights to Marriott at will, just ask for a Platinum challenge, then book enough nights to meet it.

If you had stayed zero nights last year and been erroneously bumped to platinum for a couple of days, would you feel like you were entitled to keep the status? I doubt it, and this is the same concept.

Also, what I think a ton of people that want their mistakenly elevated status back are missing is that if everyone has it, it isn't status. If they hadn't fixed the mistake, your newfound elevation in status would result in very limited room upgrades, incredibly crowded lounges, and a significant reduction in the recognition of status by Marriott employees.

I think you're forgetting the "common man theory"....as such there was no official communication awarding status - folks logged in and saw it (the internet brings additional twists to this) but someone with a decent knowledge of MR which most here on FT do have, would reasonably assume after only staying 25 nights did not earn Platinum status which requires 75 and is common knowledge

She was mistaken...it wont change an elites changes of being upgraded

You are correct that Marriott could so something else us whole; they could honor Platinum status for any reservation made where we were reliant on the false assumption. Determining this, however, could be complex, which is why I suggested the simpler method of simply honoring Platinum for the year - the maximum possible period of detrimental reliance. Marriott would need only honor this for anyone who actually complained, for anyone who didn't notice nor act nor care couldn't have been harmed, and presumably anyone who did would complain. Technically, the differences between Gold and Plat you noted aren't the only ones - what matters is the customer's reliance on their perception of what they were given. For example, if I wouldn't have booked my trip without Platinum status because it wouldn't have impressed my wife as much with the points/wine but Gold status, then the same detrimental reliance issue arises. (Whether this extreme example would be found reasonable in court is another issue. It may not - I'm just illustrating a technicality.)

Good idea regarding the challenge.

As for the rest, my response is the same as above - the issue at hand is what the customer reasonably relied upon, not what they would have actually received.

The customer must indeed be aware of the false information to be able to reasonably rely on it to his detriment. However, posting the information online within his account is certainly a form of communication; the question is whether the customer saw this communication and took action because of it. I cannot speak for others, but I took the reasonable assumption that my flurry of activity at the end of 2009 was intense enough to qualify me for the Platinum Challenge, even though I hadn't requested it (i.e., that they bumped me because they saw that I was displaying a pattern consistent with someone who would earn Platinum if it continued).

So did you stay enough to qualify for the bonus? :D

Not sure I follow. Megabonus period hasn't yet begun.

The last one ended January 15th

But with zero stays, there's no argument to be made that you could reasonably rely on the fact that you're entitled to platinum status. It's just a matter of degree, so unless you were very close, I don't see it.

You seem to be thinking of this as a legal matter, but as socrates pointed out, you're obviously very educated on the subject, and you are an active participant in a forum full of other knowledgeable people that had been discussing the issue as a possible error for essentialy the entire time you had the elevated status. Sorry, Charlie. A reasonable person with your knowledge of the issue would have to have known that there was a possibility it was a mistake that would be corrected.

The Official response
 

Dear ediemac1,

While adding the Rollover Nights you earned into your Marriott Rewards® account, we made a processing error that double-counted these nights and resulted in you incorrectly achieving a higher Elite status level.

We apologize for any confusion this has caused.

This error has been rectified and your correct Elite status has been restored. To thank you for your understanding, we have awarded 10 bonus Elite nights shown in the promotional nights category in your account.

Rollover Nights will again be offered in 2010 and we hope you'll be able to participate in this popular promotion.

Thank you for continuing to travel -- we're eager to welcome you to one of our fine properties again soon.

Thank you,
The Marriott Rewards Team

So, they accidentally had given me Gold based on 42 nights stayed last year and now they've corrected the error and pushed me back to Silver. I've already stayed 4 nights this year. With the 10 mea culpa bonus elite nights deposited I have 56 nights within a rolling year - will those nights count towards the rolling year qualification and I'll get bumped back up? :confused:

Well, per the http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...ights-now.html thread, it looks like there is no "rolling 12 month elite window" any longer. If that is the case, then only the nights that count this year (nights you stay this year, nights from credit cards, plus any of the extra nights above your elite status from last year).

As of this morning, when I checked, my father was still Platinum. I keep trying to type my own password into his Marriott log-in though. I don't think that will ever work.

There are reports that they have dumped the rolling qualification period altogether.

Whoa...not to threadjack too much, but that's a pretty BOLD statement made above!

The primary reason I am so rarely upgraded at Marriott is because I don't CALL the Plat line and ask them to put a note in my reservation, in BOLD, that I'd actually like an upgrade? :confused:

In 2009, I received -> one <- true suite upgrade. Lots of other "semi-upgrades"...and never anything I'd consider a downgrade or "bad" room. I've never really bellyached about it because I know upgrades are never guaranteed and most Marriotts aren't configured with a lot of true suites to begin with.

But the notion that I'm supposed to be CALLING Marriott every time I book a stay online to get an upgrade request noted is really irritating. :mad: Or, to be more precise, the notion that the reservation comments would trump other factors in determining upgrades is what's irritating.

Sorry about the rant/threadjack...