When JJ Mortensen tries to redeem her seven-night hotel award at Marriott, she’s given some bad news: The certificate has been downgraded to a 25,000-mile credit or a five-day certificate. That doesn’t seem fair to her, but Marriott won’t respond to her appeals. What now?
TERMS
When Kelly Strong’s son falls ill, the family cancels a vacation to Scottsdale, Ariz., booked through Marriott Vacations. They’re promised a refund, but after weeks of waiting — and calling — the money hasn’t shown up on Strong’s credit card. Is this refund a lost cause?
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Haroldy Woods was taking the train from Frankfurt, Germany, to Passau and a ticket agent offered her a discount if she bought a Deutsche BahnCard.
Christopher Elliott explains three hotel terms you need to know before your next hotel visit.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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