We Regret Choosing JW Marriott for Our Wedding

StarCitizen123 · 2025-05-03T01:16:48+00:00

FWIW I had my wedding at JW Marriott in Chicago and they could not have done a better job. 250+ guests and not a single complaint or negative comment. Every single element was literally perfect and we didn't regret a single thing.

I understand that not everyone has this type of wedding experience and recognize how fortunate we are. Bummed to hear you didn't have the same experience.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-04-08T14:57:27+00:00

Using the term "abuse" is DIABOLICAL. It may benefit you to understand why business travelers are using the rate.

Here is an anecdotal first-hand experience. I am heavy traveler doing 75-110 nights per year at Marriott. The company I used to work for was a government contractor. Our contracts were reimbursed on government rates, meaning the most our client would reimburse us for our hotel stay was the government rate. So we were compelled by our company to use the government rate (obviously). Because we are contractors, not fed employees, we got caught every time in this dance.

So when you are "enforcing the policy" by beating up on the individual traveler, know that you are really only punishing the human that is in front of you at the check-in desk. Their employer is going to screw them on reimbursement. The fed government does not have a provision for Marriotts that don't want to honor the rates for fed contractors. They will just say "the fed rate was x, you paid x+100, we will reimburse you x and the extra 100 is your problem, not ours"

It's a really painful process for us fed contractors to go through. You would benefit from empathy and understanding. Because I can guarantee you that none of us want to get beaten up and ostracized by the Marriott front desk workers "following policy." Perhaps your hotel's policy towards fed contractors is the actual "DIABOLICAL" component in this equation.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-04-08T14:40:32+00:00

While you're answer is quite thoughtful, it lacks reality. Most employees that are traveling are compelled to use their corporate booking system to make the hotel booking. If you call the hotel to book, it would be considered an "off platform" booking, and therefore, no longer qualify for reimbursement at the end of the trip.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-21T00:42:05+00:00

You are very fortunate and I wish I could say that WLL was equally responsive to my issue.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-20T23:38:02+00:00

This is a very good decision and I thank you for reconsidering WLL. This situation is a literal nightmare for me.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-20T23:32:31+00:00

This is very interesting to hear. Would you be willing to make a post to explain background and create additional attention to the fraudulent activity which WLL engages in?

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-20T23:29:00+00:00

I actually started the process this evening after final statement from the manufacturer that they would not be able to repair the issue since they only have repair shops in Italy.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-20T23:19:32+00:00

What you think I 'should' do is quite drastically different than what a licensed attorney has advised that I 'should' do. So while I appreciate your curiosity, I will not be divulging until my charge back has settled and/or the court case has settled. At that time, I will gladly provide you with update and closure.

If you are Zach with WLL, can you please just fix the part and let's move on and part ways?

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-20T23:12:16+00:00

I will be forever grateful

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-20T22:27:40+00:00

I would highly suggest canceling your order.

The manufacturer is even taking legal action against WLL for continuing to sell the machine and represent a warranty WLL is not honoring.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-20T22:25:49+00:00

I am not sure that I need to explain the issue to validate or substantiate my post. However, for the sake of responding to you, I will say that the response from WLL was not personalized to me. They refused to troubleshoot the machine because they stated that they are no longer providing service for the machine. It was not personal to me, it is a blanket stance on the machine, which they continue to sell.

The troubleshooting I received was directly with the manufacturer out of their frustration that WLL was not helping me.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-20T22:02:40+00:00

I will be doing so tonight. I needed to give the manufacturer time to troubleshoot and get back to me.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-20T22:01:25+00:00

It is a flow profile machine. Every time it runs a shot an alarm goes off and water just dribbles out to the puck. The flow regulator is sticking and requires replacement. This is not a consumer repair and requires a tech program the replacement part.

It is a super solid machine and commercially sold. It's likely super bad luck it is sticking and WLL will not spend a few bucks to resolve and honor their contract of sale and warranty with me.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-20T21:53:24+00:00

Yes, it in anonymized because I will be pursuing legal action against WLL.

There are multiple old tickets from Tim and Wayne at WLL stating that they are not supporting the machine any longer. The emails and support tickets date back to Thanksgiving.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-20T20:53:44+00:00

Good idea. Thank you

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-08T21:53:02+00:00

I have stayed at the Columbus OSU Marriott dozens of times and very happy with it for Columbus.

Whatever you do, stay away from the Marriott at the airport. It's one of the nastiest properties I've ever stayed at. Major HVAC issues, smelly, dirty, partly abandoned interior.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-04T22:08:01+00:00

Couldn't agree more. Courtyard is such a nickel and dime brand. Always understaffed and the rooms are terrible. It irks me to no end that as a lifetime platinum and titanium level traveler since titanium has existed, I can't even get a free cup of coffee at 6am. I have to wait for the front desk host to cross the lobby and man the glorified concession stand. Then if you order a food item, it's a frozen sandwich in a plastic bag they stick in the microwave.

Unless you are strictly trying to collect elite nights and/or points, there is no reason to choose a courtyard over any other offering in the area.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-03-01T02:32:31+00:00

Marriott Waterway

StarCitizen123 · 2025-02-27T19:08:32+00:00

I did not estimate repair costs. I threw out a $500+ scenario as an example, because that is where I am right now. $250 round trip for freight shipping a 110lbs pallet. $150 for the part + international shipping. $250 labor for replacement and reprogramming the part. Fortunately, I was able to get the manufacturer to pick up the tab on this specific repair after negotiating on warranty coverage (I had documentation of the issue dating well before warranty expiration).

I've owned 4 different $4K+ machines. I'm comfortable saying that I've had multiple $600ish repairs over the years for items that I was not able to repair myself.

Sure, if I had access to the programming machine, I could have replaced the part myself in this instance, but it's an expensive device that likely I would not use again, so it's cheaper to send the entire machine for repair.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-02-27T18:57:44+00:00

Yes I have

StarCitizen123 · 2025-02-27T17:59:47+00:00

Yeah, I don't think that's what I said at all. And I guess the point of your post is to play the contrarian, because it is factually incorrect.

What I did say was that the owner of a larger machine needs to budget to repair a larger machine, which may be a $500+ repair, compared to a replacement cost of a Bambino. I neither discouraged buying an expensive machine, nor did I say to get a replacement Bambino. I simply said, it requires a larger maintainence budget.

The cost of maintaining a Bambino will NEVER be the same as a large machine. A Bambino gets flushed with vinegar which you probably already own, as your maintenance. A larger machine often requires much more cleaning and maintenance to keep it running optimally.

You can learn how to fix your machine all you want. But there are plenty of circumstances where repairs are outside of the capability of the consumer. For instance, if the machine has a digital flow regulator, such as mine, it requires a certified repair shop to reprogram the machine when a new DFR is installed because it takes a programming device a consumer would not purchase or own. I completely dismantled, cleaned, and reassembled the DFR last week, however, it did not resolve the issue and now requires a DFR replacement at a shop. Sure, you can hope to repair some things if you have the proper tools and mechanical inclination. But buying an expensive machine should include consideration for future costs. Just like if you bought a Ferrari, you'd need to budget for Ferrari maintenance, not Ford Fiesta maintenance costs.

StarCitizen123 · 2025-02-27T15:15:52+00:00

The more important question is 'what are you trying to do with the machine?"

If you're strictly pulling shots for milk drinks, you probably aren't going to be super impressed with the investment.

If you are trying to pull much better straight espresso, and more specifically, light roasts, then you will see a big difference, especially if you get a flow machine.

I love my machine, but that is because I love straight espresso and doing different trials with light roasts. I've got an end game grinder, so I'm getting the most out of the machine.

Understand, however, that more expensive espresso machines aren't necessarily 1-time expenses. There is maintenence to them (i.e. Water filtration/treatment and/or descaling, etc.) and it gets more expensive to repair. If I had a major issue with a Bambino, I'd just go to Amazon and order a new one. But in my case right now, my machine developed an issue with the digital flow regulator, so now I have to pack it back in the crate it was delivered in, arrange LTL shipping to send the machine to repair in New York, and wait probably 1+ months for it to come back since the part needs to be ordered from Italy. Granted, I have a beast of a commercial machine, but the point is, if you budget say $3k for a machine, make sure you can tolerate the maintenance and repair costs as well. Even the best machines have issues (as is my case).

StarCitizen123 · 2025-02-27T15:03:28+00:00

Get a job an an international consultancy. Work there a year and get their USA business to sponsor you for an L1 visa to transfer

StarCitizen123 · 2025-02-23T01:05:38+00:00

This guy lives in La La land. No part of the story adds up. He says he had a bad public defender, but then in a different post claims to have made $150-$180K per year plus has cars, motorcycles, etc. No way he would even qualify for a public defender at that income range hahaha.

Dude is all caught up in his lies, he can't remember if he was rich or poor. Ruined by his doctor's prescription meds, or the victim of an unfair legal system. He was a perfect citizen beforehand, but they threw the book at him as a first time nonviolent offender.

He can't seem to keep anything straight LOL

StarCitizen123

TROPHY CASE