A couple of weeks ago I got an email from Harrah's inviting me to enter a freeroll tournament. I could choose between poker, slots, and video poker. Well, that's a no-brainer. The offer includes up to two nights at either Harrah's or Imperial Palace.
Today I finally got around to trying to make my reservation. The first problem was that even though the email said that I could use the Harrah's Total Rewards web site to make the reservation, I actually couldn't. I kept trying to enter the offer code from the email into the web site, but the web site kept responding that that was a code that had to be handled by phone instead. Why can't companies get such little things straight?
Fine. I called. I worked my way through the idiotic menu. I gave them my Total Rewards card number and the offer code. The nice lady on the phone asked which nights I wanted to make my hotel reservations for. I told her I didn't really want to say in their hotels, I preferred just staying home in my own bed, since I live in town, and all I was really interested in was the poker tournament. She was sympathetic, but said that it was all a package deal, and if I didn't take the free hotel room, I couldn't get the free tournament entry.
Fine. The tournament is on November 29-December 1, so I picked November 29 for my hotel reservation, at Harrah's. We got that arranged. Then I asked about the poker tournament. She didn't know anything about it--you know, little details like what time to show up. She assured me that I would be given all the necessary information when I checked in to my hotel room.
You do see the flaw in this plan, don't you? She didn't. I gently explained that if I'm checking into my hotel room on the evening of November 29th, that's just a wee bit too late to be giving me information about a poker tournament that will have started earlier that day.
She gave me to understand that there are, in fact, three separate tournaments, and I can enter two of them, so on the evening of the 29th I will be given the required information and can enter the poker tournaments on both November 30th and December 1st.
I'm not going to stay in the hotel room. I know some locals love getting a free "staycation" at the casinos. Not me. To me it's just a bother having to pack stuff for an overnight bag, to be followed by a sub-par night of sleep in an unfamiliar bed and room, followed by having to get up in the morning and drive home before I can do my morning routine things like check my email and RSS feeds. It's just a bother to me with no compensatory up-side.
So what I will do is play poker at Harrah's (or maybe IP) that afternoon or evening, do a fake check-in at the Harrah's desk (I worry that even if I got the detailed tourney info somewhere else, if I don't actually complete the check-in process as scheduled, they'll cancel my tournament eligibility), get the required information and/or tournament entry receipt or whatever, then immediately hand them back the room key and tell them I'm checking out.
This "can't have one without the other" would make some sense if I were paying for the room, like a "buy one get one free" offer. But that's not what this is. It's a free room. I don't want the free room, I only want the free poker tournament entries that come with it. I suppose the corporate thinking is that if I'm physically staying in the hotel, I'll gamble and eat in their restaurants, drink at their bars, and they'll make money from me that way. But I won't, other than poker. Even if I did stay overnight (which isn't my plan), I would either just drive home to eat, or maybe have a free breakfast at their cafe, using my Total Rewards comp points.
It's sheer corporate idiocy. Why can't they just give me the free tournament entry, without making me jump through stupid hoops that will end up costing them money (an unused room, staff time to get me checked in and out, etc.)?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Harrah's = Stupid
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12 comments:
Ms. Information at the call center was mistaken. You can enter the "Winterfest" tourney as a "non-lodger" and get a confirmation number for the tournament without taking a room. I did.
Then, the week of the event you go to the "Special Events" desk at the Total Rewards center at the specified casino (the one where you are choosing NOT to sleep) to get an info sheet with the details, then go to the ballroom at Bally's to choose one of the tournament time slots (there are many over several days - she got that part right) and get an entry slip and a free little "valuable welcome gift" junk chotsky.
If you have the requisite HET-TR tier credits for it, you'll see another of these free tourney offers for Summerfest, so hope that helps next time. And hope I don't see you on my left at Bally's that week.
"It's sheer corporate idiocy. Why can't they just give me the free tournament entry, without making me jump through stupid hoops that will end up costing them money (an unused room, staff time to get me checked in and out, etc.)?"
It's Harrah's - enough said. Your post title was 100% accurate...though I might be a bit jaded these days ;)
I hate Harrah's as much as the next guy. Plus a little more as a former employee.
But in all fairness the point of this offer is to get you into their casino. So it seems to me fair that the cost of this is you at least actually pretending to stay in their hotel/casino.
I am registered for this and I will actually use the free nights just for something different (staying at Bally's).
I was able to register online by going to the Total Rewards website and simply clicking on the offer.
Also if I am reading this correctly they are actually running three tournaments and you get to choose two of them to play in. I fully expect the structure of the events to make this a complete craps-shoot and I am thinking maybe I should have elected the slot tournament for the sake of saving time.
Why not take the free room and offer it to a friend?
Also, as a general rule, it's best to begin each day by looking in the mirror and telling yourself, "Today, 90% of the people I encounter will do or say something illogical, even absurd." Then, if you don't immediately run back to bed, you can face the day with a smile.
Grange:
Because I have no friends. DUH!
i did the summerfest tourney in july and it was a 2 out of 3 events can be played in.
the tourney consisted of finishing in first or second at your table in the morning/early afternoon, then come back in the evening to compete in the final tourney. i believe all final were paid some sort of slot/table play, with the winner getting the grand prize. i think you were given 2000 in starting chips with ante starting on the third level.
it was first real poker play, so i enjoyed it. the dealers were cool, as were the other players.
what about giving TBC the use of your room?
Have to agree with Pete that it's a business model to give you the free room, as they know that people who stay for 'free' end up paying $XXX.XX on average.
If they don't 'spend the night', then they know they get less.
But obviously they can't force you to stay in your room.
My question is this - why fight a fight that's not worth fighting?
-JP in Philly
This has the makings of a great blog report on this crap-shoot. I'm sure it will be entertaining, nonetheless.
Good luck.
Yes, their reasoning for giving you this "free" stuff, including the room, is to get you to spend money (food, beverage, gambling, whatever) on their properties. It's good marketing on their side, otherwise they can't justify doing such. 99% of those using this WILL spend their money allowing Harrah's to continue offering these types of "deals".
Doesn't necessarily excuse their customer service reps from not knowing the answers to your logical questions however..
i got this same email offer, very glad to learn all these details i was wondering about the poker tourney when i sat up my room
When I got this Winterfest offer, I immediately signed up (unlike you, I love staying in hotel rooms, an unfamiliar bed is the whole point). The Ballys poker room knew nothing since marketing dept was handling all the details. Upon checking in at front desk, I'm auto-enrolled in tourney, but I should go upstairs to event location and get seat card, etc. See ya there!...but hope you're not at my table.
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