Warning on Complimentary Nights - Accor Advantage Plus

[CMak]

Hi everyone
Just like to let everybody know of a recent experience that happened to my husband and I.
We decided to have a stopover in Singapore on our return to Australia from a European trip. As an Accor Advantage Plus member (lowly silver)but for quite a few years I went on to their website to book the Novotel Clarke Quay and I was asked if I wanted to redeem a complimentary night which I did. I also upgraded on the basis of the complimentary stay. I usually don't upgrade at Novotels as you don't really get much for the money paid - IMO.
On checkout I was told that I didn't have a complimentary night available on my card. At that point I only paid the upgrade fee as i wanted to discuss the situation in Australia over the phone.
On arrival home I received an email from the Singapore property telling me that they would be charging me for the room as well!
On speaking to the customer service people (first contact and manager) I was told that the email I received from the web booking system which CONFIRMED my complimentary stay wasn't really a confirmation.
Silly me - I naively thought that an email confirming a complimentary stay was a confirmation!
The reasoning from Accor Advantage Plus - I had taken a complimentary stay at a Brisbane hotel earlier and I should have known that I only had one stay on the card.
Yes, I was aware that I had had a complimentary stay but I assumed that the offer for a further complimentary stay by their system was that I hadn't taken one previously or that there was a promotion or reward of some sort. I confess that I get so many emails from them that I don't read them all and often delete them without reading them.
I will obviously have to pay for the stay but I am annoyed due to the confirmation, taking an upgrade due to a complimentary stay and staying at the Novotel where as we all know that in Singapore there is a wide range of accommodation at a higher level than the Novotel especially for the amount of money we now have to pay.
I have asked that I do not be contacted next year for renewal as I won't be renewing.
Basically the answer was TUFF - we don't really care!
CMak

 

[Flyer 777]

You can easily check your free night status online so you cant blame Accor for this one

 

[DC3]

There's some double posting going on here:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....antage-plus-62378.html?highlight=#post1323688

 

[JohnPhelan]

If you indeed received a "confirmation" of the complimentary stay, then you have every right to lodge a chargeback dispute with the credit card issuer.

 

[basso]

If you indeed received a "confirmation" of the complimentary stay, then you have every right to lodge a chargeback dispute with the credit card issuer.

You get confirrmation of a complimentary rate - to which you need to prove you entitlement at check-in - which is production of the card with an electronic vooucher attached. The main issue with the way the AP system works is that the entitlement to a complimentary room is only removed once you consume it, and then there can be some delay. Nothing really prevents you booking twice, but no voucher, you pay.

 

[lakun]

You can easily check your free night status online so you cant blame Accor for this one

I think Accor is partly to blame here.. when the member tries to book a complimentary stay that they are not entitled to (say they may have forgotten they used one 11 months ago), why does the Accor system let them do it, and even give them an email saying "CONFIRMED" !!

 

[aaronjames000]

I think Accor is partly to blame here.. when the member tries to book a complimentary stay that they are not entitled to (say they may have forgotten they used one 11 months ago), why does the Accor system let them do it, and even give them an email saying "CONFIRMED" !!

Perhaps the system has been updated.... when i do a hotel search, it goes to the accorplus landing page, and it very clearly says

• [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Stay Plus Benefit : [/FONT]0[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] available..[/FONT] so there is no possible way I could 'accidentally' book a complimentary room now.

 

[sycokid]

Perhaps the system has been updated.... when i do a hotel search, it goes to the accorplus landing page, and it very clearly says

• Stay Plus Benefit : 0 available.. so there is no possible way I could 'accidentally' book a complimentary room now.

I have my complimentary night booked for December but every time i go into the website it says.....Stay Plus Benefit : 1 available and i think this will be the case until the said date expires ie when the free night has been used ! So theoretically i could possibly book another complimentary night which wont be very complimentary when i come to use it ! Perhaps this is the situation what the member is thinking of