Of course!

[HotelMinion]

At Hellton, we have a reward program. In detail, it's mind pukingly complicated. But basically, guests earn stays by paying for full price for their stays. THe rules are very strict tho. The person must reserve, stay, and pay full price. No substitutions for any reason. The person agrees to these rules when signing up.
Enter Dumbass of the Year. She tells me that she just checked out that morning from another hotel. And lo and behold it's not her name on the receipt! It's her sister's, who's staying in the same hotel but in a different room. Does that mean her sister was credited? Yes, most likely! Oh noes!
So I look at the database for checkouts that morning for her name -- excuse me her sister's. Cuz Dumbass was too stupid to check her receipt. THere's nothing here! Oh, but another look at the receipt shows an address in Florida. OF COURSE it wasn't here! Of course it wasn't!
So I tell Dumbass that we aren't responsible for Florida's hotel's doings, and she snarls at me for telling her so. Ok, well, what I can do is I can put your reward number for this stay here now so you'll get credit. What is your number?
"I dunno."
Well, do you have your reward card?
"Noo."
OF COURSE you don't! Ha ha! Let's look it up by name. After a while, I find it and apply it. DUmbass goes away, and I think all's well. THen She comes back!
I'll spare you the long back and forth, but she demands the credit for Florida's stay. She paid, dammit, not her sister! I tell her we can't give her credit and that she has to call the helpdesk for that program. She does, is dissatified with their answers, and comes back to harass us some more!
Finally, I tell her that anyway since her sister made the reservation under her own name, (one of the criteria for getting credit) she won't get credit even if she (Dumbass) does pay. No substitutions remember? The rules are strict. SHe throw a fit of epic proportions! Basically blaming me for what happened over there and why are the rules like that! In a really snotty way...of course. When I suggest that she make her own reservations next time and not her sister, she says "There won't be a next time, I hardly travel anyway!" WTF????? Then why the big deal?!?!?!
THank goodness she's leaving tomorrow. Probably blame us some more then too.

[Antisocial_Worker]

I feel your pain.

I think our loyalty program is the most obnoxious thing I've ever seen, and I would personally never want to be a part of it. I wouldn't want to be in any way associated with something that causes such an inflated sense of entitlement. The Cubic Zirconium and Brass members are the absolute worst... On more than one occasion, I've told some bastard that I'm sold out only to have them ask, "Even for a Brass Member?" or "Even for a Cubic Zirconium member?"

Why would that matter? Do you honestly think we keep rooms empty on the off chance one of you assholes might just happen to wander in at 3:30AM?

[gerund]

I think our loyalty program is the most obnoxious thing I've ever seen

Reward programs are not to reward the customer in any way shape or form. In fact they will always give the customer the least reward possible for the greatest inconvenience.

They do that because:

- A rewards program is to make customers feel they are "special" and get their loyalty (I.E. repeat business)

- A rewards program is to gather information about the customer that can be used to look for sales opportunities.

- A rewards program is to track what a customer is spending money on, and find other things that can be used to get a greater profit.

The best example I ever heard was about a Mart of Wal that had a large database on all it's customers. They were sending advertising on expensive ties to the customers wife a few weeks before his birthday. Something similar was done to him just before his wife's birthday with expensive jewellery.

This was called a "buying point" and it was calculated from information given on the applications for rewards cards.

*I* do not have any "rewards" card from anyone any time ever, just for this reason.

Think of this - those entitled arseholes that are Bronze members are getting a pittance in discounts from your company and are spending many times over that money on goods they don't even realise they are getting tricked into buying with clever advertising. Your company would be selling their information to mail order cataloguers ETC and so would be recovering any discount they give to the Bronze arseholes.

Other advertisers would not be paying money for that information if they did not think there was a profit to be made.

So next time you get an earful about how important these wankers are - think "SUCKER!" and smile (to yourself)

[eltf177]

I think Gerund nailed it completely!

[Aragarthiel]

The only rewards program we use is worth it. Spend $100 in the store, get 10 cents off gas. We buy several hundred dollars worth of groceries every month, and there were a couple times when gas was real cheap a few months ago that we got it for less that $1.25 a gallon. :3

[Argabarga]

The only reward program I bought into is a card for the local convenience store chain, you accrue "points" and can redeem them for free food and stuff later.

It works at a very very SLOOOOOOOOOOOW 1% of your purchase, so it takes $100 in purchases to knock a buck off the next... which is why they do it, you THINK you're getting a freebie, when you're spending a lot to get it... I only did it because I was going to be spending a lot anyway (constantly jumping in and out of the truck to grab quick drinks/bites) so why not get every 59th Gatoraide for free? Otherwise, it's a loss disguised as a win. That's marketing for ya.

Truck fuel cards are the same, for a different c-store chain, but, again, we're constantly filling up, so the measly 3 cents off actually DOES do something over the course of a year and thousands of gallons of $4 a gallon diesel. For your average Joe, they may save $20 a year..... or something like that, I'm too lazy to crunch numbers, but for a fleet? Yeah, now were talking, but most people who get the card aren't fleet....

Our old fuel cards were for commercial refueling places, the kind where you have two pumps at exit ramps with no attached amenities, and can only activate the pumps with your card. They didn't offer any kickback, were frequently vandalized/out of service, and they were NEVER where you were, whereas the Big Red chain is to us like Starbucks is in Seattle, miss one? Hit the one at the next corner!

[AccountingDrone]

We have the rewards card for the grocery store we use, one hotel chain we use and the one cruise ship line we prefer. If we don't use them, we don't bother with their cards, simple =) And we always stay in one particular motel on the way up to visit my mom's, enough so that the night desk guy recognizes us =) [We stretch the weekends by me picking Rob up from work and driving to the Albany area before stopping, more or less splitting the drive in half. That way we get up there really early on Saturday instead of halfway through the day.]

[Jay 2K Winger]

O/T, but am I the only person who heard Raul Julia's voice when they read the OP title?

[Monterey Jack]

O/T, but am I the only person who heard Raul Julia's voice when they read the OP title?

Definitely not just you.

[Kanalah]

All of my local fabric stores have punch cards. Spend $10 pre-tax, get a stamp. After you spend $250 you get $20 off your next purchase.

Casual quilter might fill up one, maybe 2 a year.

I've filled 3 so far this year.

Really the only discount club I'm signed up for.

[Monterey Jack]

I have discount cards for Subway and Papa Gino's...every $50 I spend, I get $5.00 off my next meal. That's not too shabby.

[Mr Hero]

O/T, but am I the only person who heard Raul Julia's voice when they read the OP title?

Of course not!

[Tama]

We have a Kroger. Are and since we shop there anyway we like the gas discount. Once we got 500 bonus points, just after gas went down to $1.75...that was a nice full tank. For $1.25 a gallon or so.

[cbinnc]

I also work at a Hellton property. This youtube video is pretty damn accurate for Diamond Members.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCqm4H3m3Ew

[wolfie]

On more than one occasion, I've told some bastard that I'm sold out only to have them ask, "Even for a Brass Member?" or "Even for a Cubic Zirconium member?"

Why would that matter? Do you honestly think we keep rooms empty on the off chance one of you assholes might just happen to wander in at 3:30AM?

Not necessarily - it could be that they expect you to evict some peon (i.e. anyone who's either not a member, or a member at a lower tier) in order to give THEM the room.