Points Maintenance Results from Two-Year Hiatus

I don't think I've posted this here. Here's what happened when I returned to Las Vegas after a two-year Covid hiatus and checked on my points/comp dollars, then tried to get them reinstated.

1) Boyd -- Fortunately I had used about 80% of my points before the pandemic. I had 50-some thousand that went missing, which I would usually have used for food. Although they had zeroed out, they gave me 50-some dollars in free play in lieu of reinstating the points.

2) Stations -- Had between $100 and $150 worth of comps that zeroed out. They said it was a 13-month limit on not playing. They said they would "look into" reinstating my points, but the impression I got was to not hold my breath. Nothing was done.

3) Westgate -- I had between $100 and $150 in comps/free play there in various categories. They also claimed the 13-month expiration. They pretty much treated me like an annoying leper when I asked for the points to be reinstated. The sad thing is that at one point in my life, I bet thousands weekly at Westgate on football. They seem to not value that. Other than a situation where I should bet a game because of the best number not being available elsewhere, Westgate will get zero play from me. 

4) South Point -- I play very little there in terms of video poker and such, but I still had $35 in my account, so I appreciated the "no expiration" policy. In general, I just dabble in video poker there when I run out there to check numbers, but I will make an effort to give them more restaurant/show business.

I've been going to Las Vegas multiple times a year for 40 years, so it was disappointing to be ignored by some properties. I have usually stayed at Boyd 10-20 nights a year. That will be reduced going forward, as many promotions and services have been cut. I was surprised to find that the Orleans coffee shop closed at 3 PM, which also ended room service food.

Westgate basically pissed me off. A few Super Bowls back, I bet about 5K there on props, which isn't a lot, but  at least I let them know I was alive. I have tried to stay there annually, but they are on my black list for now, not so much for their zeroing out the points, but for their treating me like I haven't been a 40-year customer. 

Thanks for post, great info.

Ain't it the truth.  I'd bet that in pre-Tier days, casinos could/would look at a long time, regular customer who may have missed a while (I'd like a 5 year grace period) but finally able to make it back, and welcome him with...whatever grace and appreciation he was afforded before.  

Candy

And Stations has basically shot you the bird as well.  Stations has made their intent known that in the future, they'll concentrate on really big spenders.  News flash:  if so many of the the casinos owners move forward with the strategy to concentrate on whales, they may just find the pond dries up pretty quickly.  

Well, if they honk the "customer loyalty" horn but their actual policy is you stayed away for a year, so fuck off, that signals (unequivocally) that they're looking for a new customer base and buddy, you're not important to them; they don't think you'll be worth caring about.

My favorite example of this has been Boyd, after 15+ years of heavy play, pissing in my face, zeroing out my account, and reducing me to Dirt status (which, as anyone similarly downgraded knows, is impossible to escape from, since you no longer earn any points for doing ANYTHING). They told me unequivocally, "Fuck you, your 15 years as a loyal customer mean nothing, we don't care if you patronize us or not. Go pound sand."

I'm taking the hint.

Your success shows how much indiviidual casinos are interested.

Boyd sort of cares

Stations has gone from We love locals; to we hate locals.  They seem more interested in developing a Strip presence

Westgate is a convention hotel

Southpoint is a consumer oriented operation.  Their casino is packed 24/7. 

As a side note, based on offers Palms seems to be looking for people.  Their casino is frequently slow.  MGM seems to want to fill their rooms. With minimal play we have been getting comp rooms for all their hotels 

The gambling MGM offers is so universally horrible, I can't imagine how they'd offer any kind of incentive for me to play there. But maybe there's a "back door" where you can play at one of their properties, not get slaughtered, and get good offers. 

I haven't seen any reliable comparisons where one property is more generous than the others, which would be especially valuable if you could use the goodies earned at any property.

I think that a major element of the casinos' marketing strategy is that they don't think in the long term at all. It's Q3, they want big profits in Q4 goddammit, or heads will roll.

And I think the cause of that approach, which we see in the policies of many corporations today (not just the casino industry) is that the stock market has changed from an investment venue to a giant casino.

There are a finite number of whales & as the number of casinos increasing chasing these guys, they will find they are all chasing the same people.

I can't see to many whales going out to Sunset, Green Valley or Red Rock, when they can stay on the strip