Elite members are tossing $25 in the trash

Many Elite members are tossing $25 in the trash
In this bad economy, I am not inclined to leave $25 on the table, but I will have to do so because the SPG customer Care agents don’t know how to redeem the award. It’s an award that elite members get for renewing Platinum status.
Log on to your account to see if you have this award that you can use for food or at the Spa..

Many Starwood Preferred elite members are going to miss out on an award that they are not aware of. If you qualify for it you will see it when you log on to your SPG account and click on the “My Earned Awards” tab. It states that you should call to redeem  (book by phone):
My Earned Awards
Congratulations on your earned awards! Award quantities listed are eligible for your use.

But when I called the platinum line, they said that I should have received it by mail and it would take 5 days for them to let me know why I had never received it by mail. So by the time they get back to me, it will have expired. No empathy from the Plat call center!  I told them that last year I also had to speak to about 10 people before I could find a knowledgeable Starwood Preferred Guest Customer Care agent, willing to help. Last year I did eventually have it waiting at  the hotel and redeemed it electronically because they said that it was not a paper award. I had been dreading spending hours on the phone again this year so I only got around to following their instructions and calling 2 weeks before it expired.
I’m also still waiting for the paper SPG50 Award 50% off certificate they promised to send me. They have been sending me this award every year for being an American Express Starwood cardholder, but today, I discovered that they don’t do this anymore.
This is annoying because I would have used it if they had not told me that they would send me another one with a later expiration date. It’s not such a problem though because they still have the 50% off award but you have to pay 1000 points for it and most of the time it’s not worth using because it’s off the highest rate (rack).
Starwood have come up with a promotion that lets you choose when, what and how you earn awards called the SPG NICE Choice. You have to register before Jun 30th  then you have several choices of dates and awards;  June 1st to Aug 31st   or July 1st to Sept 30th for merchandise or elite nights credit  or free  nights  or Starpoints  …..
Only after I selected to earn elite night credit, I discovered that its only if I stay 5 nights and I NEVER say as long as 5 nights in one spot.
Members may choose to register to earn one (1) bonus Elite Qualifying Night toward elite status after every five (5) eligible paid nights. I may go back to select another but it’s too much work for today. I’ll probably go with the most popular choice they suggest; -  to earn double Starpoints beginning with your second stay, though I’m not sure it’s worth my time because I have more Starpoints than I need.
Not having much luck with Starwood today!