Check out Randy's GREAT letter to Latin Pass
Feb 2, 2000 | 2:21 pm
#1
Original Poster
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: New York City
Posts: 3,525
Check out Randy's GREAT letter to Latin Pass
It's in the Air Mail section of Inside Flyer:
Randy Petersen's
MILEMEMO
TO: Guy Booth, LatinPass
FROM: Randy Petersen
RE: Your Million-Mile Bonus
In the years that LatinPass has been in existence, we've enjoyed covering the news of your growth and various promotions. We realize how valuable you've become to the many carriers in the Latin American region. We will continue to watch what you do and pass along our observations. And the good news is that our coverage has been complementary to LatinPass.
But, I've got to tell you, I'm looking at your latest bonus and I have some real concerns. The million-mile bonus promotion idea isn't unusual in itself, since many programs have offered it in the past. Several of the new alliances have also offered promotions offering large bonuses to members who fly several carriers within the alliance and participate with various other partners. The original promotion from the Star Alliance was an example of one of these. So, we are pleased to see LatinPass offer a similar promotion to encourage new traffic for its member airlines and steer additional attention to LatinPass.
That's all the good news. But from what I understand, there seems to be a change of heart from LatinPass as members of the frequent flyer community discover that this is indeed a very lucrative offer. My two concerns are as follows:
1) You restricted the use of miles after the launch of the promotion. At the launch, the standard rules of LatinPass seemed to apply, and that's the normal process of any frequent flyer program. Miles are miles. But three days after the launch of the promotion, you changed the rules when some members let it be known that they would consider transferring LatinPass miles earned from the promotion into other forms of mileage currency, specifically by converting them into the Hilton HHonors program. Under the current rules of your program, that choice was offered, as it was at the time that the promotion was launched.
Discovering this, your program staff informed members that they cannot use this program benefit for this promotion. I've noticed that this change of heart has been added to the information posted on your Web site. I find that very unsportsmanlike. You designed a promotion and offered it to members. They liked it and thus figured out it that taking advantage of it made sense. The hope of all marketing people is that any promotion is deemed good enough to be taken advantage of by the public. By changing the rules after the launch, you not only set yourself up to some legal challenges, but you cast shadows on what LatinPass is all about.
2) You give rise to the concept that programs are always changing the rules. Given the damage that hangs about programs these days from the watchful eyes of the federal government and from various consumer groups, I worry that this after-the-fact change is more damaging than most other program changes, such as award-level adjustments and partnerships. Making specific changes to the program for specific situations does nothing more than confuse members and serves to hinder those who may be taking advantage of the promotion in their own personal way.
Mileage aficionados have existed since 1981 and every major program that has sponsored a promotion such as yours has had to balance those exceptions. But I've got to tell you, this is the first time I can remember a program changing the rules AFTER a promotion is under way. Others simply live with it and make it work to their advantage. I think you owe it to LatinPass to honor the principles of the original promotion.
Randy Petersen's
MILEMEMO
TO: Guy Booth, LatinPass
FROM: Randy Petersen
RE: Your Million-Mile Bonus
In the years that LatinPass has been in existence, we've enjoyed covering the news of your growth and various promotions. We realize how valuable you've become to the many carriers in the Latin American region. We will continue to watch what you do and pass along our observations. And the good news is that our coverage has been complementary to LatinPass.
But, I've got to tell you, I'm looking at your latest bonus and I have some real concerns. The million-mile bonus promotion idea isn't unusual in itself, since many programs have offered it in the past. Several of the new alliances have also offered promotions offering large bonuses to members who fly several carriers within the alliance and participate with various other partners. The original promotion from the Star Alliance was an example of one of these. So, we are pleased to see LatinPass offer a similar promotion to encourage new traffic for its member airlines and steer additional attention to LatinPass.
That's all the good news. But from what I understand, there seems to be a change of heart from LatinPass as members of the frequent flyer community discover that this is indeed a very lucrative offer. My two concerns are as follows:
1) You restricted the use of miles after the launch of the promotion. At the launch, the standard rules of LatinPass seemed to apply, and that's the normal process of any frequent flyer program. Miles are miles. But three days after the launch of the promotion, you changed the rules when some members let it be known that they would consider transferring LatinPass miles earned from the promotion into other forms of mileage currency, specifically by converting them into the Hilton HHonors program. Under the current rules of your program, that choice was offered, as it was at the time that the promotion was launched.
Discovering this, your program staff informed members that they cannot use this program benefit for this promotion. I've noticed that this change of heart has been added to the information posted on your Web site. I find that very unsportsmanlike. You designed a promotion and offered it to members. They liked it and thus figured out it that taking advantage of it made sense. The hope of all marketing people is that any promotion is deemed good enough to be taken advantage of by the public. By changing the rules after the launch, you not only set yourself up to some legal challenges, but you cast shadows on what LatinPass is all about.
2) You give rise to the concept that programs are always changing the rules. Given the damage that hangs about programs these days from the watchful eyes of the federal government and from various consumer groups, I worry that this after-the-fact change is more damaging than most other program changes, such as award-level adjustments and partnerships. Making specific changes to the program for specific situations does nothing more than confuse members and serves to hinder those who may be taking advantage of the promotion in their own personal way.
Mileage aficionados have existed since 1981 and every major program that has sponsored a promotion such as yours has had to balance those exceptions. But I've got to tell you, this is the first time I can remember a program changing the rules AFTER a promotion is under way. Others simply live with it and make it work to their advantage. I think you owe it to LatinPass to honor the principles of the original promotion.
Feb 2, 2000 | 2:39 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: IAD
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 27,068
Latin Pass did this earlier also. Diners Club had a promotion offering 5K Latin Pass miles to Diners cardholders who joined Latin Pass. I joined and received the miles. I do not recall anything in the original rules which restricted the miles, and to the best of my knowledge their web site/program rules were modified retroactively - see the comments by dhacker in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum30/HTML/000001.html
Also see: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum97/HTML/000072.html
While a million mile bonus may make news and gather headlines, Latin Pass is doing nothing that it has already not done.
[This message has been edited by PG (edited 02-02-2000).]
Also see: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum97/HTML/000072.html
While a million mile bonus may make news and gather headlines, Latin Pass is doing nothing that it has already not done.
[This message has been edited by PG (edited 02-02-2000).]
Feb 2, 2000 | 3:33 pm
#3
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Melbourne Australia
Posts: 1,394
I think there is one serious problem with this promotion that has been overlooked.
To get the six Latinpass airlines you have to fly by or at least transit through Colombia. I wish there was some alternative to this given the warnings about Colombia.
cheers peter
To get the six Latinpass airlines you have to fly by or at least transit through Colombia. I wish there was some alternative to this given the warnings about Colombia.
cheers peter
Feb 2, 2000 | 4:34 pm
#5
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Andover, MA, 01810
Posts: 1,988
There's more that Randy should have complained about: their re-definition of a segment, as soon as someone figured out that you can get a fare A-B-C as a through fare on 2 airlines. First they say A-B and B-C have to be on different tickets. Then they say you have to stay at B for 24 hours. So what does that mean, even if B-C is on a different ticket, it doesn't count?