Dear Fellow Consumers:
Ive been a loyal patron of Marriott hotels for more than a decade while living in New York City, Seattle, Washington then back in New York. Im not merely a Marriott Reward member. Im a Gold Elite member, who spends several thousand dollars annually at myriad Marriott properties. One reason for my faithfulness is that Marriott the brand you trust for service and quality has mostly treated me with professionalism and reliability.
So I considered one terrible experience last fall to be an anomaly: Despite a reservation at Indianapolis downtown Marriott, Oct. 25 through Oct. 27, I was turned away upon arrival. When I provided my confirmation number, I was informed that the hotel had overbooked. (Apparently, some members of a convention group had extended their stay. I didnt know such a scenario was possible — Ive tried to extend at Marriott properties, only to be understandably rebuffed because the hotel was full.) So I wasnt pleased.
Nonetheless, I felt bad for the two young, front-desk employees after hearing them excoriated by a hotel guest, who was apparently in the same situation. The manager on duty assured me that he would secure a room at another hotel. But the replacement lodging was more than 40 miles away. (The nearby Courtyard Marriott was also sold out.) I had picked the downtown property largely so I could have an interview with someone in the area early that next morning.
After a 30-minute cab ride into the hinterland of Indianapolis, I arrived at my hotel — a non-Marriott property — to encounter a first among my countless lodgings: a swimming pool inside my room. Despite the quirky amenity, my sole concern was hitting the sack and waking up early enough to make my appointment. I couldnt quite figure out the rooms gaudy alarm clock. And I requested a wake-up call plus a follow-up. Ironically, the pool-inside-its-rooms hotel had an antiquated system, which relied on an employee reading a sheet and calling at the relevant time. Unfortunately, a hotel worker, well, fell asleep at the wheel. (And as you can imagine, it took forever for a cab to arrive in the boondocks.) The gaffe — followed by another routine apology — cemented the trip. I was forced to return to Indianapolis two weeks later.
The episode didnt keep me from making a reservation at the downtown Marriott Nov. 8 through Nov. 13. When I checked in, the manager on duty remembered me and reiterated an apology. (I didnt bother telling him about the missed wake-up call.) He asked me if bonus points were issued to my account, sort of as a goodwill gesture. It did not.
No matter. At the time, I still maintained my affinity toward Marriott. Nonetheless, only a glutton for punishment would have nice things to say about the hotel now: A protracted, surreal experience starting last December and culminating in June with the Miami Marriott Dadeland ripping me off for $2,030.61 & has forever altered my view of the lodging behemoth. The debacle zigged from Marriott Customer Service and zagged to the Miami property before winding up in the corporate office. The situation was replete with broken promises, foot dragging, incompetence and perhaps subterfuge. The experience was anything but service and quality. So if you were I, would you trust the company anymore?
Its a harsh assessment, but I believe any neutral, rational person will agree after getting a synopsis, including these incontrovertible facts: Marriott Customer Care booked a reservation that I did NOT request, and charged my credit card $2,707.48 close to $700 per night — without informing me of the advance deposit. I discovered the error a couple weeks later one month before the arrival date. But after Customer Care acknowledged its mistake, and said in writing that it would attempt to grant a refund, the company ultimately declined. Marriotts rationale?: Despite its employee butchering my reservation, I should have pored over an email, which went to my spam folder, and called Marriott back within 24 hours. Coincidentally, the sole reason for the auto-generated email was that I requested it — a long-time habit for keeping the hotels address and pertinent info handy. (Without requesting the email, I simply enter the confirmation number and the hotel telephone number in my scheduler.)
Lets be fair to Marriott. Customer Care wanted to do the sensible thing, perhaps influenced by its gaffe, but was hamstrung by the companys red tape: Decisions on refunds are ultimately is up to a propertys general manager, according to Marriott officials. With the 300-room hotel having problems selling out its $676.87-per-night rooms, the g.M. Florencia Rotemberg blocked a refund. Essentially, the hotel which is owned by Ricardo Glass and Luis Pulenta — didnt care about a customer being screwed by its mistake. I asked Marriotts corporate office to slice through the red tape by simply listening to the tape of the reservation. Transparency would easily rectify the issue, I thought. But the company responded that, although the overwhelming majority of reservation calls are recorded, it couldnt take such a step in my case. Who knows whether Marriott actually listened to the recording? Anyway, the best solution Marriott offered was a settlement of half the amount — weeks before the arrival date! I naturally declined.
The case became a comedy of errors during Amexs investigation of the dispute. I used an Amex card, presumably to put a hold on the reservation. And even before Marriotts decision, I disputed the charge, which perhaps colored the hotels response. Twice during the six-month imbroglio, Amex officials orally and officially (in writing) stated that the case was ruled in my favor. Yet the denouement — double denouement? Inexplicably became undone in June, when Amex sent a letter that contradicted its previous correspondences. At that point, I felt as if I was placed in an episode of The Twilight Zone, or maybe Abbott and Costellos Whos On First?
The insanity of it all is that during the debacle, the mid-level employees and managers at Marriott (and Amex) believed that I had been screwed, and assured me that the situation would be rectified. But officials higher up the corporate ladder inexplicably decided against it. I dont know what taught in business schools or company about consumer relations. But the way this matter was (mis) handled by Marriott defies common or financial sense. And who knows about the legality of the debacle?
Normally, by this time of the year, Ive spent several thousand dollars on Marriott while booking numbers reservations.instead, I havent made a Marriott reservation beyond the disputed one in February. Im so appalled by the company that I havent used the free rooms Im eligible for, based on the more than 160,000 points in my Marriott Rewards account. According to my on-line account, over the past year including six consecutive months of inactivity — I have stayed at 15 Marriott properties: Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Flagstaff (AZ), Houston, Indianapolis (thrice), New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Santa Clara (CA), St. Louis, Tampa (twice). During that stretch, Ive slept in Marriott properties for more than 50 nights.
Certainly, the global hotel chain will survive without my business. But the arrogance of its decision makes one wonder how many others have been quietly screwed by a hotel that touts its service and quality. Can you fathom this debacle occurring at any business that prides itself in customer service?
By May, one Amex supervisor was so flabbergasted that the all-but-a-slam-dunk case had dragged on interminably that she instructed me to circumvent her companys investigation department and contact an executive in her consumer relations office. I was told to seek out Leslie Motter, senior vice president of the Phoenix Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. When I called the office, Holly Delaro, an executive assistant, spoke to me. She asked me to give her a week or so to look into the situation. Delaro was proactive and sought answers from Marriott. But the hotels corporate office withheld some information — such as the notes in the original reservation and didnt offer up the Customer Care reps who conceded the screwup.
Instead, Marriott went in defense-lawyer mode and cherrypicked among the pertinent info by obsessing over the spam email. Marriott told Amex that the most it would do was refund the first nights rate: $676.87. Essentially, because of my decision to go through Amexs executive consumer relations, Marriott reduced its settlement offer by more than $700. The brand you trust for service and quality?
I have spent countless hours detailing the mishap to Marriott while navigating through an abyss of red tape in what should be a no-brainer decision. The reason I have vigorously fought these charges including filing this report & goes beyond money. At this point, the time and energy Ive expended has cost me more than the actual amount Marriott charged me. But, of course, its the principle that drives me, as it would almost any consumer. Its precisely why Im taking every necessary step — regardless of the final, final outcome to counter the corporate lunacy.
Even a cursory look at my Marriott history, dating to the early 1990s, reveals that I dont make the type of reservation in question. (During my 15 Marriott reservations over the past year, for example, not once did I have a restriction requiring cancellation within 24 hours of a reservation.)
And over the years, I had never disputed among the hundreds of reservations Ive made with Marriott, including the one in Indianapolis that the hotel reneged on. Thats merely the circumstantial evidence. Here are more convincing details in chronological order:
December 19, I called Marriott and requested a room that I could cancel 24 hours prior to arrival for the Super Bowl in Miami. I exchanged small talk with the representative — I told her that I might have to cancel in the days before my arrival; Feb. 1, for four nights. I spoke about the difficulty of obtaining a Super Bowl ticket, and expressed uncertainty about making the trip. Despite the chitchat, I was never told that I had 24 hours to cancel, or that my credit card would be charged posthaste. The most detail she provided, beyond the dates and cost, was the proximity of the hotel to downtown Miami. Just about all the Marriott properties in the area were sold out.
Thus I requested a hotel as close to downtown as possible: the Miami-Dadeland property, I was told. I requested an email of the reservation, as I normally do.
January 8, I called Marriott to cancel. The rep, who gave the name Marsha when I asked, made an attempt to cancel before telling me that her computer wasnt allowing her to do so. She told me to give her a few minutes to look into it. She said that, for some reason, a restricted reservation had been made, which required cancellation within 24 hours.
When I told Marsha that it wasnt the type of reservation that I requested, she said that by looking at the notes of the reservation, it looked like the previous rep confused or conflated the 24-hour restriction with the standard reservation. Marriott taking responsibility and being a straight shooter is what had made me a loyal patron for so long, despite the occasional mishap. Marsha told me that the restriction could have been flagged in the email that I requested from Marriott. I told her that I did not see the email — it had to be retrieved from my spam folder. Regardless, Marsha put me on hold for several minutes while she called the Miami Marriott to explain the situation to management before obtaining a refund.
Because it was after hours, no supervisor was on the property to authorize the transaction, Marsha told me. So she gave me the name of two inventory coordinators who I should contact within the following 48 hours: Lena Lee and/or Edie McPollen. Marsha also told me to check my Amex statement because Marriott had charged my card $2,707.48. This advance charge also came as a surprise.
January 10, I happened to be at a Boston-area Marriott when I contacted Lee. After assessing the situation, Lee indicated that I would almost certainly be reimbursed. She said that her boss was a reasonable person. But Lee added that she needed approval from her boss. Lee said she would get back to me with me within 24 hours.
To play it safe, I subsequently called Amex to formally dispute the charge. (Amex credited my account of the full charge pending the conclusion of its investigation.) Despite Lees remarks that I would get a swift decision, I didnt hear from her for almost two weeks. (I had given her my email address and cell number.) Was Lees boss on vacation? Was the Miami Marriott just seeing how many rooms it would sell before giving me a refund? Was the hotel making me twist in the wind because I contacted Amex?
This foot-dragging from the brand you trust for service and quality made me leery. So January 16, I emailed Lee and McPollen with a summary of the situation. Still, no response. I left a voicemail with Lee a few days later. Finally, January 22, I received a brief email from Lee that upper management has decided that we can not{sic} refund the charge.
I was baffled by the decision. So that same day, I called Marriotts Customer Care to find out if they had relayed their information to Miami Marriott. I spoke to someone named Barb. She reiterated the previous reps insights that the notes of the reservation did not specify a restricted reservation. And this time, Barb read from the notes: All it says, Barb told me, is that guest is aware of the 24-hour cancellation policy. (Thats the same terminology as the standard policy of having 24 hours to cancel prior to arrival, which is what I requested.). At this point, I heeded my instincts to take notes. So its not like Im pulling this stuff out of thin air.
Jan. 23, I emailed Florencia Rotemberg, the hotel g.M., with a detailed appeal. She responded on January 25 with an email, CCed to Customer Care, that said: According to our record, an email confirmation was sent to electronic mail address [email protected] on December 19 shortly after the reservation was made. Mr. Demasio, I apologize for the confusion and I truly hope that this letter helps clarify the situation.
There still seemed to be a chance to wriggle out of the corporate bog because Customer Care seemed intent on owning up to its gaffe. The next day, January 26, Morgan Yeshnowski, a Customer Care official, emailed me: Marriott Customer Care contacted the hotel upon your behalf in an attempt to secure a refund of the required prepayment for room accommodations.
However, an employee of the property had informed me that the hotel was having trouble filling its rooms. (This revelation was echoed later by an official in Marriotts corporate office.) Customer Care couldnt overcome Miami Marriotts intransigence. So I was advised to contact the office of Bill Marriott — chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International — to intercede on my behalf.
I spoke to Jolynn Wheeler, a liaison for Mr. Marriott. She became the latest person to tell me that if I gave her time, she would almost certainly resolve the situation in my favor. I told Wheeler that I had already heard that sentiment before. Wheeler responded that it was different at her level, which I took to mean that corporate muscle could make a difference. Wheeler said that she planned to speak to management at the Miami property.
Wheeler conceded that it was impractical for Marriott to rely on an optional, one-way email as a confirmation for a 24-hour cancellation requirement. (Remember, I was taking notes at this point.) She revealed that she was planning to recommend a fax policy for special-event reservations. Wheeler added that a change was necessary, especially when involving rates like the Miami propertys exorbitant charges to exploit the Super Bowl.
Wheeler noted that since Amex was investigating, it would likely rule in my favor anyway. But Wheeler asked me to send her all the material involved in the case. Especially since she appeared to be sympathetic, I eagerly forwarded her all the emails from Marriott. This included the spam email with the 24-hour restriction that was buried in small print. I assumed that my transparency would lead to her investigating the situation in its entirety; and that Marriotts corporate office would draw the same conclusions as some of its employees.
After our conversation, I checked out Marriotts corporate website, which includes Mr. Marriotts blogs. The model corporate honcho gives updates on the company, occasionally peppered with proverbs passed down from his father about important things such as customer care. And I was hopeful that after Mr. Marriotts office looked into the matter, it would do the smart, fair thing.
Instead, the next time that Wheeler contacted me by phone about a week later, it was almost as she had developed amnesia about a refund. Wheeler bashfully remarked that despite the mistake, the Miami Marriott was willing to give me only half my amount back. I can only imagine what corporate politics caused Wheeler to revert to my bizarre option: Pay roughly $1,350 for Marriotts gaffe while the hotel had almost a month to re-sell the room. (I wish I had been a fly on the wall.) Wheeler confirmed that the property was far from sold out. Curiously, Wheeler added that she couldnt go through with the 50 percent settlement while Amex was conducting an investigation.
The same day, I called Amex to update them on the latest exchange with Marriott, and find out when the investigation would be resolved. I spoke to an Amex supervisor, Mr. Sinha, who was located in India. Sinha suggested that I decline Marriotts settlement offer, and told me to give Amexs investigation team more time to try resolving the case in my favor. I felt so strongly about the case that Sinhas advice — though it reinforced my inclination — was superfluous.
Sinha like another Amex supervisor, Carrie Kirkman, who I had spoken to — was prophetic. When I called Amex on Feb. 12, I was told that the case had already been closed Feb. 6 in my favor, and that the previously issued credit would be permanent. It was a shame that Marriotts hand was forced, but great news, I thought.
Nonetheless, because previous assurances had gone poof, I insisted on seeing the decision in writing. The rep must have thought I was paranoid. (But can you blame me?) She read the letters content over the computer. She told me that a letter was already sent. Correspondence from Amex can take several weeks, she noted. Apparently, I would learn later, this telephone call caused more confusion in the convoluted case: The Amex rep, for some reason, issued a second credit to my account by starting a new investigation.
I didnt find out about the development until March after I noticed that Amex had reversed the credit on my account.
Anyway, March 15, I emailed Wheeler seeking clarification about where Marriott stood on its 50 percent settlement offer. Wheeler was out of the office. But the same day, I received an email from her colleague Line Kaloni, whose name was on Wheelers autoreply: Regarding to Ms. Wheelers note date: 3/13/07, the hotel sent the paper work back to American Express last week, and Amex will do the investigation and we are waiting for the FINAL [my emphasis] from American Express. (I know that her response was ambiguous corporate-speak, but the most important thing to remember is date of this email exchange.)
March 28, I called Amex to ask why the case was still ongoing the February correspondence that I had belatedly received said that Amex had ruled in my favor. I spoke to a supervisor named Dana, who graciously spent a couple hours researching the matter. Dana examined the dispute-related transactions from the start, dating to late December. She telephoned Marriotts corporate office to get their input before calling me back the same day to unravel the mess:
According to Dana, Marriott said that it conceded the case perhaps thats why Amex initially ruled for me — but the hotel had been hit twice for the $2,707.48 the second time was when the rep started a new investigation. Dana instructed me to send Amex a check for the balance due on my account, $2,707.48; and that the matter would be closed in my favor. Dana left a voicemail reiterating those instructions and apologizing for the miscommunication/mistakes. (I saved the voicemail, because at this point I wasnt feeling particularly trusting.) I followed Danas instructions, and sent a check that put my balance at zero.
And just as Dana said, I received a follow-up letter the next week saying that the case was closed. The letter sent March 28 — confirmed that the $2,707.48 at issue was a permanent credit. The letter added that the case could be reexamined if the merchant produced new information moving forward. The merry-go-round was over. Finally. Exhaling, I dumped about a dozen pages of material pertaining to the case and went on with life.
In early May, I thought that the Miami Marriott Malfeasance was just a bitter memory when I received another letter from an Amex. NOW WHAT? I remember thinking to myself before opening the letter. The content, from L. Peavey an Amex customer service supervisor — made my blood boil. (You could have cued the theme music from the Twilight Zone.)
Amex declared that my refunded credit was being reversed. And attached to Amexs letter was Marriotts evidence: a photocopy of the spam email with the restriction: Cancellation permitted up to 1 days [sic] after booking. (For typical reservations, the email says: Cancellation permitted before 1800 day of arrival.) Toward the bottom of the email, it says: This pre-arrival confirmation is an auto-generated message... Were sending you this confirmation notice electronically for your convenience [my emphasis].
However, Amexs letter made no sense. This ostensibly new evidence was sent by Marriott in February. That was the same week and the first time (Feb. 6 if youre keeping track at home) — that Amex closed the case in my favor. Also, the evidence was my material. It was one of roughly 10 pages of information that I forwarded to Wheeler to help sort out the convoluted case. (How convoluted? Amex ended up charging my account $2,707.48 five times and crediting it that amount four times.) Remember, Kaloni emailed me March 15 that Marriotts corporate office was waiting for Amexs FINAL decision. I received a voicemail and letter from Amex less than two weeks later that the case was resolved in my favor.
So Marriott can renege on a reservation, and force me to stay at another hotel thus make a return trip. But when a Marriott employee botches my reservation, the company has the temerity to claim that I should have read the small print in a spam email. And Amex can send me two letters stating that the case is closed in my favor barring new information. Yet Amex can reverse its decision based on old information material that it examined before ruling in my favor.
My dear mother taught me that there is a silver lining in virtually everything, even the greatest loss. Despite being ripped off by Marriott, and expending so much energy on this nonsense, at least Ive learned some things: Marriott & the so-called brand you trust for service and quality — cares less about fair business practices than making a quick buck. And even a blue-chip company like Amex isnt immune to disorganization that can make your head hurt.
Sincerely,
Ripped Off Consumer
P.S. My tip to all Marriott consumers. Anytime you make a reservation, dont assume competence. Stop everything youre doing, check your email including your spam folder — and read the small print in the auto-generated email.
Nunyo
New York, New York
U.S.A.
0 comments