I lost 80,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Celeste Rubanick loses 80,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when she books a hotel in Scotland. Why won’t the company restore the points?

Q: I made reservations at the Residence Inn, Edinburgh, Scotland, for two nights, using 80,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. I recently received a notification from Marriott claiming that I had used the points for a stay almost three weeks earlier.

I called Marriott, and they assigned me a case number. I have been going back and forth with the company ever since.

I was on the phone for more than two hours speaking to several agents, one of whom told me, “You’re not going to get these points back until we find out who took them.” I have tried the executive contacts on your website but have received no reply. It’s been 10 weeks since Marriott took my Bonvoy points. Can you help me get them back? -- Celeste Rubanick, Cornville, Ariz.

A: Marriott deducted points from your account for someone else’s stay. It should have quickly restored your loyalty points when you pointed out the problem -- not strung you along for 10 weeks.

What happened to your points?

It appears an unauthorized party gained access to your account. It’s unclear how that happened.

There are certain things you should do for any online account, like Marriott’s Bonvoy program. You can enable two-factor authentication (you can do that in the settings of your Bonvoy account). Also, consider using a complex phrase as a password and updating it frequently.

I’m not comfortable with Mar- bushed and gravely wounded losing further use of his left arm. He died in Goldfield, Nevada on Oct. 19, 1905, at the age of 62. He’s buried in Portland, Oregon.

Wyatt was the fourth brother, born March 18, 1848. He reportedly was married four times. His only legal wife, Urilla, died in 1870, while carrying their first child. The other three were common-law marriages. Wyatt was a gambler, lawman, buffalo hunter, saloon keeper, gold/copper miner, and boxing referee. He arrived with his brothers Virgil and Morgan in Tombstone in 1879.

For the O.K. Corral showdown, Morgan joined Virgil, Wyatt and close friend “Doc” Holiday. The shooting broke out almost immediately. It’s not clear who fired first. Billy Clanton and both McLaury brothers were killed, Morgan and Virgil were both slightly wounded. The entire affair lasted approxi-

Earp continued on page 13 riott’s assertion that it needed to find the points before it returned them to your account. That could happen tomorrow or next week -or never. Marriott needs a better system to verify if someone used points for fraudulent purposes, and the process should be quick.

Can you get them back?

You blazed a paper trail, which included contacting Marriott’s executives in writing after all other efforts failed. I’m surprised the executives didn’t bother responding. Usually, they will delegate an assistant to help facilitate a fast resolution. Marriott also has a reputation for great customer service -- although it has also faced some criticism from travelers about its Bonvoy loyalty program.

Unfortunately, there’s no other place to appeal this type of problem. If the executives don’t respond, you’re out of luck. Unless you get me involved. I reviewed your case, and I agreed with you that 10 weeks is far too long to wait for a resolution. I contacted Marriott on your behalf.

In response, Marriott sent you an email acknowledging “unauthorized activity” on your Bonvoy account. “Evidence shows unauthorized account access with data compromise of unknown source,” the email said.

Marriott recommended that you change your password and enable two-factor authentication. It also restored the 80,000 missing Bonvoy points.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

© 2023 Christopher Elliott.