Marriott Loyalty in Question
 

This is a letter I sent to Bill back in June, and also CC the manager in Orlando as I was there for a whole month. We became really good friends. Can you believe I have not heard a word! I feel bad about having to move to another hotel chain but I dont know of any other way but to do so!


June 19, 2001
Bill Marriott
Marriott International
Washington D.C.
Dear Bill Marriott,
As a member of Marriott Rewards for the past 8 years, as well as a Owner in Hilton Head resorts as well as Grand Vista in Orlando. I am about to terminate all association with the Marriott Corporation and pursue legal avenues. I am reserving such effort to allow time for people to do what is right with the situation and to try to retain me as a member of the Marriott System. After spending the past 9 hours awake in my hotel room because I’ve have been constantly been told that I’m the one that is confused and even though intensive research was done it failed. Regards to handicap parking, the SFO Airport Marriott has one handicap spot free for guest and they have 7 more within 25 feet from this one spot and they want to charge for it. I ve been at this location at least 4 separate occasions and never had to deal with parking. Now its well if your lucky and you can park in the first spot then it will be free otherwise you will have to pay! I contacted Stan Moore (GM) at SFO, and his response was that everyone pays for parking and that they would do me a favor and comp my parking for my stay PERIOD. It doesn’t mention anything about the one free spot; they can’t charge one person and not the other. I suggested them making this spot a MOD of the month or a EMS spot. There is no mention in the response that I received from Mr. Moore. Last night I return from a long intense meeting and its 10PM at night and I get the response and I thought well, maybe I should move the car into the lot and that way it would allow management to block the spot since maybe they were going to change it. I consulted with the MOD and Loss Prevention specialist and they are dumb founded as why they have one free handicap spot and the other 7 are required to pay? It doesn’t make any sense. I also informed CHRIS the MOD that I Was staying through Friday and I was assured I was extended. Last night I walked into a dark room, my room wasn’t turned down, at least the light could have been turned on, I could careless about the bed or the mints. Loss prevention officer stated that I am no longer an elite member well that’s funny because I’ve not been advised otherwise. This morning there was no paper in front of any door., on any floor for that matter. There was a stack of papers on the table of each floor in the elevator lobby. Also statements that go underneath the door didn’t happen either. Even though I was not checking out I still wanted to take care of my balance too date as a courtesy and I spoke with the desk clerk, and she stated well I worked last night and I stayed on property and I too didn’t see a paper this morning. Something must be a miss. According to the computer this morning It was indicated that I was checking out today, well how is that possible when Chris extended me yesterday Monday approx 10AM. I advised the GM to contact the SFO downtown Marriott, as they do not charge parking for handicap placard, nor does Orlando, Detroit, Seattle. I spoke with Louie and they do not charge parking for overnight guest with a handicap placard. SO it must be hindsight that even though SFO Airport did check into, they were unable to communicate with SFO Downtown otherwise they would have found that yes Handicap Placards are waived from any parking charges.
All I wanted was SFO airport to either 1) Move that free spot; change it from a handicap to a non-handicap and not to willing discrimenate against handicap people. As it stands the one free handicap parking spot is free and a gate ticket is not required to park in the spot, however there are 7 other spots in the immediate area, which are located behind the parking gate. These spots are identical to the free single spot; they are all outside and marked in the same way in every way. According to the response I’m the one that is confused and has the problem. I’m sorry I don’t and because it was made for me to understand that I was confused has triggered this action.
After making some calls in regards to elite status I was informed that a stay hasn’t cleared well if they would have taken the certificate out of my account, this situation wouldn’t exists! I have over 150,000 points in my account and that stay was for 35,000 well is it my fault too because Marriott Rewards goofed?
I spent a month in Florida on assignment in the Month of April and well and I didn’t have a single problem! Marriott World Center and Vista resort had over $5 in revenue; hmm then again I was in Anchorage Alaska for a week well there was no problem there. I was in Seattle WA for three days there was no problem there. I’m degusted to find out now after spending over 70 days this year in a Marriott Property and all of a sudden there is a problem with my elite status.
Finally since when does STSN charge $39.95 per day for connection, well my 2 day bill was $9.95 for the first day and $39.95 for the second day. Another thing when I checked into my room I had no phone and had 2 engineers in the room for almost 2.5 hours fixing the line, I suppose that was my fault to, I certainly didn’t make a big deal about it, but considering I have to file a formal complaint well I might as well as turn in the entire deal. I wouldn’t want to leave anything out.
When someone wants to treat me with compassion and respect, you may reach me at 321-436-9248; I think after 8 years in the Marriott System and having 2 Ownership Timeshare Deeds with MariottVacations I deserve just a little more respect!
Sincerely,
ERNEST BRANCHEAU
University of Michigan
cc: STAN MOORE
LAURA BAKER

Ernest,

I read your post twice to make sure that I understood your problem. If I am wrong, please excuse me.

First, your elite membership problem should not be a problem! They should fix that asap with a "We are very sorry"! This should not happen & if it does, it should not take an act of congress to fix the verifiable mistake. It seems Marriott has another "customer support issue" that I have seen too much of lately. In respect to the missing bills, checkout times, etc. these things are becoming the rule, not the exception.

Second, if I read your post right, you are complaining about Marriott charging for handicap parking. I respectfully disagree with you on this point. I do not see a problem with them charging for handicap parking if they charge for regular parking (although, I have a problem with paying to park somewhere that I just paid over $100 to spend the night but that is a different post). They are providing handicap parking spaces in the lawful, accessible place and that is what they should do. But I disagree that just because you use them, you should be entitled to free parking when all other guests have to pay. I do agree that having one space free and the others for a fee is confusing, although I would see that as a bonus if one got this space not a "he got one & I want one too".

Please do not get me wrong, I fully expect all public places to provide handicap access, I just don’t think that being handicap entitles one to free parking, just accessible parking.

Keep us informed on how the membership status gets resolved.

George...

The sure way to resolve problems is to threaten a lawsuit!

[Deleted]

[This message has been edited by SimonC (edited 10-09-2001).]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by fixthed*mnthing.com:
[B]Ernest,

I read your post twice to make sure that I understood your problem. If I am wrong, please excuse me.

First, your elite membership problem should not be a problem! They should fix that asap with a "We are very sorry"! This should not happen & if it does, it should not take an act of congress to fix the verifiable mistake.

Service center wont do anything cause the hotel is who I need to deal with, and they are not being cooperative in any means. In fact they turned it over to a collection agency but they have refused to persue the matter with me after I sent them all the documentation in my favor.

Second, if I read your post right, you are complaining about Marriott charging for handicap parking. I respectfully disagree with you on this point. I do not see a problem with them charging for handicap parking if they charge for regular parking

George I agree with you a clairfication is in order, okay imagine driving to a parking lot and you park in a spot. The spot immediatly next to your spot, well if you park in this spot you must pay. Problem is the spot you pulled in his handicap and the spot next to you is also handicap. Why does one handicap parker have to pay of the other one doesnt? Ive been in this property 8 times and never was an issue but this last time it was a nightmare.

Thanks

Maybe if the poor grammer, incorrect spelling and simple incorrect english was corrected, they would give your letter more respect and therefore a response.

My experience on formal letters is to write it, check it, let it sit in the drawer for a night, check it again, give it to another person to check, then send it.

It seems quite clear why you haven't received a response. Threats are not the proper way to get action from a service provider.

There were some valid issues in your letter.

Try again and you still might have a chance, even if they have made a "warning" notation in your account. Consider:

• Write a much shorter letter - no more than 1/3 the length of your original letter.
• Use a spell checker, divide your letter up into reasonable sized paragraphs and consider the use of topical headings to highlight individual topics. Ask someone else to read your letter before you send it to ensure your points are clear enough that the recipient will fully understand all of your issues - which I don't after several readings of your letter.
• Focus your letter on fewer topics or divide your letter into two letters. If you can focus solely on topics pertaining to the SFO Airport Marriott, send the letter to the hotel's general manager. (Make sure you call the hotel to get his/her name for proper addressing.)
• Skip the parking issue, if you can come to grips with it. Complaining about a parking policy that most people would find to be reasonable (and probably in compliance with ADA and related laws) is not likely to win sympathy.
• I would ask for and expect to receive at least one free night's stay on a return visit. But leave it open. (e.g., "I don't believe I should have had to pay the amounts I did for my stay, based on the events that made my stay unpleasant.")
• Avoid mentioning stays at other Marriotts. Focus only on what happened at this particular hotel. It will make the letter more cohesive.
• To the extent your concerns are related to Marriott Rewards, send a separate letter to Marriott Rewards, asking for "some additional Marriott Rewards points, as a goodwill gesture, to compensate [you] for the problems that occurred."

In each letter, find a way to grit your teeth and say that you enjoy Marriott, want to continue using Marriott, and would appreciate some consideration for your inconvenience.

An ounce of pleasantness will go a long way towards getting a positive response (or responses) from Marriott. Threats will likely result in your letter winding up in their legal department, with no action of the type you seek.

I must agree with Dave's comments. I hope this does not hurt your feelings but I found your letter to be badly in need of editing. Your thoughts were not presented in a clear and concise manner and thus it made if difficult to follow your train of thought and determine the exact point that you were trying to make. In addition once I finished reading the letter I was still unsure as to what action you wanted Marriott to take at this point. Were you just venting? Do you want them to refund you some money, give you a free room for a night or what? I really hope this doesn't hurt your feelings but I did find the letter to be confusing and not clear.

Hello all, well Im a sports medicine physician and dont usually write letters! I only wrote this one cause I was up all night long trying to figure out Marriott's point.
This property was cited by the ADA after the fact, and all I wanted was acknowledgment that they made a mistake but instead they told me I was confused. Bottom line Marriott Corp has gone down to the lowest points in life. I have decided that I will no longer deal with them and have put both timeshares on ebay as Im getting rid of them.
I just recently got back and had the pleasure of staying at a Park Hyatt and the services are out of this world and Im going to covert my 125,000 account points into airline miles and be on my way.

I pray that NO ONE endures a situation such as mine!

Ernie

I read it and didn't quite figure out what the complaint was about....... I'm sure Marriott may have been the same way, especially since the first line is includes a threat of a lawsuit. In that case, most times businesses will stay quiet and wait for the action lest they trip over their words again.

Also as a side note, your phone number is in the original message. I'm not sure if you want that posted on a public bulletin board.

DAVE M, thanks for your insights. You wrote very concise and helpful advice on "complaint letters". I hope you share these tips more widely. I am convinced that many legitimate problems remain unresolved because we don't write letters that express them clearly and briefly, and do not suggest specific remedies we seek.

Boo hoo.
So you didn't get the lucky magic parking spot this time. Oh well. You never complained about the one free spot during all those other stays when you were the one to get it.

Now I never criticize spelling and grammer in these posts becasue they are just quick notes. However, a DOCTOR, working at a university, actually sending a letter like that...? I concur with the others that your letter itself may be the reason you have not received a response. Shorten it, remove the threats, have someone help you with sentence structure and grammmer, and above all...lighten up. You are no more entitled to that parking spot than anyone else. Yes, it's wierd having only one free spot, but oh well. First come, first served. Sometimes you will get it, sometimes you won't.

I couldn't agree more.

Trying to get through the initially posted memo was like pulling teeth and the length and number of subject matters only added to the problem.

Something doesn't ring true here. I'm not an attorney, but I work every day with the issues Ernie addresses. I'm guessing that Ernie, rather than take the well-intentioned advice offered here, chose to insist that his unhappiness with parking arrangements was vindicated and stretched the truth somewhat to "prove" it. Consider:

• As far as I know, there is no governmental agency called "ADA" that would cite Marriott. The ADA, which I referred to in my first post, is a law.
• It is virtually certain that Ernie wouldn't have access to any information regarding such a citation, unless he was the complaining party. Neither Marriott nor any other public company goes around publicizing its discrimination transgressions, to the extent they might exist. (There are a few remote exceptions, under which Ernie might have become aware of such a citation, but they are truly remote.)
• If Ernie filed a complaint, he would know the name of the agency that considers such complaints.
• If Ernie complained to a governmental agency, Marriott would have had a chance to respond and there likely would have been an offer for mediation. Thus, Ernie would likely have had a chance to hear Marriott's official "response" to his concerns.
• It's unlikely that a formal rebuke would be forthcoming from the governmental agency yet. Four months is not much time, considering the time it would have taken for Ernie to file his complaint, the time for processing of that complaint, the time Marriott would have had to respond to the complaint, and the various interaction that would have followed. And don't forget the amount of time it often takes the government to respond to anything!
• Perhaps most telling, if Marriott had really been cited after Ernie complained, Ernie would almost certainly have received an official notice from the governmental agency spelling out his rights to sue.
• And if Ernie had been advised of his right to sue, his attorney would likely be advising him not to post on bulletin boards like FlyerTalk.

If I'm wrong, if Ernie did in fact file a formal complaint and if the government cited Marriott as a result, I will apologize to Ernie and to this board. And, if those events transpired, I will also give Ernie a free round trip plane ticket from Ann Arbor or Detroit to any major city in the continental 48 states, to follow through on my apology. (Some reasonable restrictions apply, obviously.)

Erased as a result of a misconception on my part.

[This message has been edited by DOC 2 BE (edited 10-09-2001).]