stimpy

I've never done a BRG. I don't care to know the behind the scenes marketing reasons are. It is not my business. I just think exploiting BRG's is wrong for me. If others want to use BRG's, that's fine with me. Again, not my business.

I think there is a fine line between this community sharing tips on how to earn more points, which translates into free nights for most of us, and sharing tips on how to get free nights via tricks. I might learn about a promo code here which earns me a few thousand extra points per stay. But I am still doing a paid stay to earn those points. That is different from learning a trick here about gaming a system to get a free night that I didn't earn.

htb

IHG is constantly displaying low moral standards surrounding the BRG scheme. You may have get used to it.

Anyway, if IHG is not prepared to live up to its promise to provide the lowest available rate or a free night, it shouldn't start a big campaign. That's just so low...

HTB.

fireworksboy

I've watched this for a while (quietly) and will add just one item because it appears those on both sides are talking past each other.

No matter which side you're on - this isn't a moral issue. I may not like some things IHG does but none of them are moral issues. They're just disagreements. If you want moral issues to fight over there are plenty in this world. This ain't one of them.

flo_147

this has happened to a friend of mine as well. He also filed a few successful claims with the same property and was then contacted by a staff of that property telling him, he should cancel the nights, he will not stay there.

After he told her that he will stay there and will consume all BRGs, IHG closed his account as well. Afterwards he found out that it was the lady who may have pushed IHG to do so. Kinda wired as well, because he followed the T&Cs as u did.

Wan1dap

Like stimpy, I don't use the BRG and have no plans to do so. You clearly have an axe to grind with IHG (because, I guess, you feel hard done by after being caught) but you, like the OP, are not prepared to discuss it here. Are you and the OP one and the same? Like I said, the low moral standards are not on IHG's side. Working the system just to get free nights is hardly the action of someone with high moral standards.

iflyjetz

Hmm. We now have multiple reports of IHG closing accounts of those who used BRGs. And you blame those that followed the T&C set up by IHG? IHG screwed up by setting too generous terms - this is not the fault of the persons exercising BRGs, it is the fault of IHG and if IHG closed my account, I would be suing them in small claims court.

scubaccr

Get real, if someone is only taking, and not giving back, then IHG do not need that persons business (or in this case non-business), and removing this particular OP protects the BRG scheme for those that do not abuse it.

Neither do points have any value whilst sitting in your account, all loyalty schemes (hotels, airlines, shops) state this in t+c's, so by virtue of that statement Op suffers no financial loss due to confiscation of points balance and closure of membership.

The usual company loyalty scheme rule t+c's by IHG include

4. Membership Cancellation. SCH reserves the right to cancel any IHG® Rewards Club membership and revoke any and all unredeemed IHG® Rewards Club points collected by any member for reasons that include, but are not limited to: 1) violation of these Terms and Conditions; 2) misrepresentation of any information or any misuse of this Program; 3) violation of any national, state or local law or regulation in connection with the use of membership privileges; 4) failure to pay for hotel charges; 5) a check to a participating hotel brand that is returned for insufficient funds or is invalid for any reason; 6) commission of fraud or abuse involving any portion of this Program; 7) more than one active account per member; or 8) physical, verbal, or written abuse of hotel or IHG personnel; or 9) action, in any other way, to the detriment of the Program or any of its alliances; all as may be determined by SCH in its sole discretion.

7. Legal rights. Neither the Program nor any benefit offered by the Program creates, constitutes or gives rise to any legal or contractual rights by members against SCH.

13. Points have no value. IHG® Rewards Club points are not redeemable for cash or any other form of credit and have no value until presented for redemption in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Program. Points have no fixed or ascertainable cash value. Members have no ownership interest in accrued points and accrued points do not constitute property of the members. Use of the word earn in marketing materials in relation to IHG® Rewards Club points shall mean collect and shall not infer that the points have any value until they are presented for redemption. Points may not be purchased or sold and are not transferable except as otherwise stated herein.

azepine00

not used - abused.
Thousands of people use BRG - a handful of those who got greedy and decided to game the system apparently got caught and ICH is no longer interested in doing business with them. Two can play this game after all...

(we had similar reports when people abused points promos, video codes etc etc - nothing new here)

Would be nice to see ICH curb abusive hoarding of pointbreaks too..

21H21J

There is no line, let alone a fine one.

Earning bonus points is okay, but getting a free night is not? How about earning enough points from a $50 night to use on a award night worth $500, is that okay? Applying for a credit card just to get the sign up bonus? Using a promo code that was not sent directly to you? One genuine BRG claim out of 50 paid nights? Points in your account from a stay you never made?

The OP got busted for being greedy, and kicked out the program. Don't kid yourself that you are any better, you're just a little more astute

stimpy

What do you not understand about paying versus not paying?

htb

I really don't appreciate your allegations that I would have cheated IHG with BRGs or would be the same person as the OP. Both are not correct and repeating these allegations can be considered slander.



HTB.

htb

Just because IHG writes down very one-sided T&Cs doesn't mean they will be valid when challenged in court. Especially #13 will be thrown out in most any legislations.

HTB.

redreeper

Some people have the mindset that BRGs are for the bottom feeders. I'm convinced that these same people can't figure out how to file a solid claim. So we all have our prejudice.

scubaccr

And you are then a plaintiff or lawyer with sucess on such issues ? I don't think so.

Wan1dap

If you consider it slander, good luck with a legal approach. Secondly, I wonder how IHG's lawyers would treat your written allegations of "low moral standards". As you've provided zero evidence to support your own opinion, and have only written in support of the OP, I think you raise more questions than you answer.