The thing about traveling as much as I do is, you get used to the little things going wrong.
A wrong turn here, a delayed check-in there—it comes with the territory.
Usually, one call to customer service clears it all up, no big deal.
That’s what I thought this time.
Just a quick call to fix a small issue with my hotel points.
What I didn’t expect was how that call would spiral into one of the strangest customer service experiences I’ve ever had.
In fact, the entire experience was unreal.
Starting from the first moment of speaking to ‘sales.’
Where Are My Points?
It all began with a five-night stay at a hotel in New York City.
I’d been there for a consulting project—exhausting meetings, late-night emails, the usual.
But the silver lining was always the same: 15,000 points added to my account for future trips. One stay closer to another free night or an upgrade to a suite.
Except, this time, the points never showed up.
I wasn’t too concerned at first.
Mistakes happen. I’ve stayed with this hotel chain enough to know that their points system occasionally slips up.
I’ve dealt with it before—a quick call to membership services, a polite rep named Amanda, and the missing points show up within a day or two. I figured it’d be the same this time.
When I dialed customer service, Amanda picked up after just two rings. Polite, friendly, and efficient—just what I needed after a week of chaos in New York.
“Thank you for calling. How can I assist you today?”
“Hi,” I said. “I stayed at your property in New York City last week, and I don’t see the 15,000 points credited to my account. Can you look into it for me?”
Amanda tapped away on her keyboard.
“Let me take a look… Ah, I see the issue. It looks like the points weren’t processed correctly. I’ll get that fixed for you right away. You’ll see them in your account within 48 hours.”
“Perfect,” I said, feeling a small wave of relief. I could already imagine those points adding to my balance, inching me closer to a free night at their property in Chicago—my next stop.
But just as I was about to hang up, Amanda’s voice perked up again.
“Oh, Claire! I almost forgot,” she said brightly. “As a platinum member, I can offer you 5,000 bonus points today—just for listening to a quick travel opportunity. Interested?”
That caught my attention. Five thousand points wasn’t exactly life-changing, but it was half a free night at most of their hotels.
And really, how bad could the offer be?
“Sure,” I said, thinking it’d be over in a few minutes. “What’s the opportunity?”
“Great!” Amanda said, as if I’d made the best decision of my life. “Let me transfer you to our special offers team, and they’ll walk you through the details.”
And that’s when Tony got on the line.
I Should Have Known
“Claire! Glad you stayed on the line,” Tony said, all smooth and cheerful.
“You know, I think I have the perfect offer for you. We’ve got a special vacation package in Orlando—three nights at our beautiful resort for just $249!”
Orlando? I went there a few times a year anyway—half for business, half for fun. A discounted trip could be useful.
“How does it work?” I asked, trying to keep an open mind.
“Well, it’s easy!” Tony said. “You just pay upfront, and you can use your trip anytime within the next 12 months.”
And there it was—the catch. Prepay now, plan later.
I’ve dealt with enough of these offers to know that tying myself to a future vacation was more trouble than it was worth. It might sound great now, but life changes—schedules shift, things come up.
“Thanks for the offer,” I said politely, “but I don’t think I can commit to anything like that right now.”
The Mask Comes Off
That’s when Tony’s whole attitude changed.
“Wait, are you sure?” he said, his voice sharpening with a hint of frustration. “You’re really going to pass on this deal?”
“Yes,” I said, keeping my tone light. “It’s just not the right time.”
His next words made my jaw tighten. “Guess platinum members aren’t as savvy as they seem.”
I was so stunned I almost laughed. I had stayed on the line to help him meet his quota, and this was how he repaid me?
Before I could think of a response, Tony barreled ahead, trying to salvage the sale.
I wasn’t interested. “Thanks, but no thanks,” I said firmly and hung up the phone.
And that’s when I realized: no bonus points.
Writing It Down
I’m not the kind of person who picks fights over small stuff, but broken promises are a different story.
If you say you’re going to do something, you should follow through.
I took a few deep breaths, then drafted a polite email to customer service. I wasn’t angry—just clear and direct.
I mentioned the 15,000 missing points from my New York stay.
I explained what had happened during the sales call and how Tony’s behavior was out of line.
And I pointed out that I never received the 5,000 points I was promised for listening to the pitch.
I sent the email and figured that was the end of it. Maybe I’d get an apology, maybe not.
Either way, I was done thinking about Tony and his rude little comment.
Good Karma Begins
A few days later, I got a response from Susan, the Customer Experience Manager for the hotel chain.
“Claire,” her message began, “we are very sorry to hear about your experience. We value your loyalty as a platinum member, and I can assure you this is not the kind of service we aim to provide.”
She went on to say that they had credited my account with 10,000 points—double the promised 5,000 points—as a gesture of goodwill.
I smiled. Not bad.
But things didn’t stop there.
Later that week, I got another email: the 15,000 points from my New York stay had been added to my account. I logged in to check my balance—and that’s when I saw it.
30,000 points.
They had doubled the amount from my stay.
At first, I thought it had to be an error. Maybe someone had entered the adjustment twice by accident.
I debated leaving it alone but decided to email Susan again, just to be sure.
Honesty Pays Off
“Hi Susan,” I wrote, “I just wanted to let you know that it looks like 30,000 points were added to my account instead of 15,000. I thought I should bring it to your attention in case there was a mistake.”
Her response came the next day: “Claire, thank you so much for your honesty. Please keep the extra points as a token of our appreciation.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Good karma was definitely on my side.
Over the next few months, the perks kept rolling in.
During a trip to Chicago, I was upgraded to a corner suite—no request, no questions asked.
In Los Angeles, the hotel sent complimentary meal vouchers and free drinks to my room.
During a layover in Atlanta, the lounge access I thought I’d have to pay for? Waived.
It felt like every little act of honesty was coming back to me tenfold. What started as a frustrating call had turned into a windfall.
The Final Offer
A few months later, I received another email from the hotel. This time, the offer was for triple the bonus points—15,000— if I attended another timeshare presentation.
I stared at the email for a moment, then laughed.
Instead of deleting it, I replied directly to Susan.
“Thanks for the offer,” I wrote, “but I think I’ve already earned my share of points.”
As I hit send and deleted the invitation from my inbox, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of quiet satisfaction.
In the end, the rude sales call didn’t just backfire—it set off a chain of rewards I couldn’t have planned if I tried.
Sometimes, a little patience and honesty can bring the biggest rewards.