Oct 2, 2013, 6:39 am
SPG Moments [Master Thread]
Apr 5, 2013, 5:55 am
#46
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Simpsonville, SC
Programs: Bonvoy - LIFETIME!!! Titanium ; AA - Platinum 2 Million Miler;
Posts: 491
The SPG Moments program is outstanding from start to finish. They offer up once in a lifetime experiences and complement those with hard to find concert tickets. The tickets at 5,000 and 10,000 points are a steal compared to both the primary and secondary markets selling them for cash.
But for me, what makes the Moments program stand out is the customer service level of the team SPG has assembled. There is one specific person who I won't mention here to help her avoid a lot of emails who goes way beyond the normal level of service to ensure that each winner is treated extremely well.
All in all it is a fantastic program.
But for me, what makes the Moments program stand out is the customer service level of the team SPG has assembled. There is one specific person who I won't mention here to help her avoid a lot of emails who goes way beyond the normal level of service to ensure that each winner is treated extremely well.
All in all it is a fantastic program.
Apr 5, 2013, 6:50 am
#47
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Grayslake, IL
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Plat
Posts: 56
I had never considered using my SPG points for these Moments items, but as soon as I saw the Cubs luxury box (2 tickets) I jumped on it. I will already be in town for a conference in late August, so the timing is perfect. Now I just need to figure out who from the conference I will be taking...
It seems like a very good deal. Thanks, SPG!
It seems like a very good deal. Thanks, SPG!
DW & I will be headed to a game in early August.
Last edited by TDCumm16; Apr 5, 2013 at 12:24 pm
Apr 5, 2013, 8:42 am
#48
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Programs: UA-1k, 1mm, Marriott-LT Platinum, Hertz-Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,355
Exact same situation here... had never even really looked at the SPG Moments site until the email about the Cubs yesterday. Being a long time Cubs fan (*sigh*), I jumped at the chance for the 2 luxury box tix for 5,000 points. I think that is just as good (if not better deal) then redeeming for the sort of room you could get for 1 night @ 5K points.
DW & I will be headed to a game in early August.
DW & I will be headed to a game in early August.
2 tix for the LUXURY box are 7.5k
Luxury box is an unbelievable deal.
Apr 5, 2013, 12:25 pm
#49
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Grayslake, IL
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Plat
Posts: 56
Apr 5, 2013, 9:27 pm
#50
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: AA EXP(.96MM), AMEX Platinum, United Premier Silver, Delta Gold, SPG Platinum 50, Hilton Gold VIP
Posts: 1,744
The SPG Moments program is outstanding from start to finish. They offer up once in a lifetime experiences and complement those with hard to find concert tickets. The tickets at 5,000 and 10,000 points are a steal compared to both the primary and secondary markets selling them for cash.
But for me, what makes the Moments program stand out is the customer service level of the team SPG has assembled. There is one specific person who I won't mention here to help her avoid a lot of emails who goes way beyond the normal level of service to ensure that each winner is treated extremely well.
All in all it is a fantastic program.
But for me, what makes the Moments program stand out is the customer service level of the team SPG has assembled. There is one specific person who I won't mention here to help her avoid a lot of emails who goes way beyond the normal level of service to ensure that each winner is treated extremely well.
All in all it is a fantastic program.
Apr 9, 2013, 3:40 pm
#51
Join Date: May 2000
Location: HH Gold, Marriott Gold, PC Plat, Emirates Silver
Posts: 2,679
I am dying to go. May book the suite and deal with finding a person for the other ticket later. I live out of town and there are few people I know who would travel for the experience. Their loss.
Apr 9, 2013, 9:08 pm
#52
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Programs: UA-1k, 1mm, Marriott-LT Platinum, Hertz-Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,355
luxury suites are flying off the shelves for the cubs..... especially in july........
Apr 10, 2013, 1:52 am
#53
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: London
Programs: LH M/M now,BA Silver,SPG PLAT, Sixt Plat/Europcar Elite VIP
Posts: 413
There's no collusion here. There's an easy explanation. Each auction stands alone. In this case, the person who bid on your item placed a higher "maximum" bid, therefore the computer will automatically up the bid by the appropriate "bid increment" (in this case 500 points) until their max bid is reached. So, just bid on one of the other lots where the Current High Bid is less. Daniel has been involved in SPG auctions before... and you're right, the bids will go considerably higher, especially being his first place in London.
With multi lot auctions offering the same thing, it's always interesting to see the bidding strategies as the end nears... as the "end time" is extended by 5 minutes if a new bid is received. So lot #1 can close later than other lots, even though it has the earliest "close time"... and so on. Sometimes people wait hoping people will buy the earlier lots leaving bargains towards the end... this can happen, but sometimes those towards the end wind up going for more as people panic they may not get one. Can go either way... depends on how big the buying pool is.
With multi lot auctions offering the same thing, it's always interesting to see the bidding strategies as the end nears... as the "end time" is extended by 5 minutes if a new bid is received. So lot #1 can close later than other lots, even though it has the earliest "close time"... and so on. Sometimes people wait hoping people will buy the earlier lots leaving bargains towards the end... this can happen, but sometimes those towards the end wind up going for more as people panic they may not get one. Can go either way... depends on how big the buying pool is.
Last edited by zerbib; Apr 10, 2013 at 1:58 am
Apr 10, 2013, 6:12 am
#54
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 109
SGP luxury box
I won the auction last Fall for the SPG entire suite and took 15 people for my 40th bday, for only like 35k points.... I was blown away as was everyone else. SPG service was great in coordinating, they even dropped in day of the event to make sure things were ok. They really won my loyalty with that one (though winning the auction at that level was just lucky - it was late season)!
Apr 10, 2013, 6:47 am
#55
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: USA
Programs: SPG Plat, etc.
Posts: 190
5 min extension... no likey
Since SPG Moments is more of a "value added" service to SPG members, I would suggest they use the traditional auction model (like eBay, UA Mileage Plus auctions, etc.) as it's more straight forward and easier to deal with. It's not like they need to get the last point out of membership for the things they offer. I realize it's a department with a lot of overhead and the point "revenue" they generate is important... still think the traditional "end" would be a nice gesture.
Any way you look at it, SPG Moments is a great program... and as many have stated, the customer fulfillment is excellent.
Apr 10, 2013, 9:23 am
#56
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: London
Programs: LH M/M now,BA Silver,SPG PLAT, Sixt Plat/Europcar Elite VIP
Posts: 413
Agree the 5 minute extension is a real pain. Of course, it only benifits the Seller (SPG in this case)... as the final hammer price can rise substantially. Aside from the potential higher price, it also takes the fun out of it... trying to outguess your competing bidders. This method also gets very confusing when there are multiples of the same item, as the times start going all over the place. You really have to be on your toes to watch all of the ending times... and you don't want to bid on another lot if you have a pending bid.
Since SPG Moments is more of a "value added" service to SPG members, I would suggest they use the traditional auction model (like eBay, UA Mileage Plus auctions, etc.) as it's more straight forward and easier to deal with. It's not like they need to get the last point out of membership for the things they offer. I realize it's a department with a lot of overhead and the point "revenue" they generate is important... still think the traditional "end" would be a nice gesture.
Any way you look at it, SPG Moments is a great program... and as many have stated, the customer fulfillment is excellent.
Since SPG Moments is more of a "value added" service to SPG members, I would suggest they use the traditional auction model (like eBay, UA Mileage Plus auctions, etc.) as it's more straight forward and easier to deal with. It's not like they need to get the last point out of membership for the things they offer. I realize it's a department with a lot of overhead and the point "revenue" they generate is important... still think the traditional "end" would be a nice gesture.
Any way you look at it, SPG Moments is a great program... and as many have stated, the customer fulfillment is excellent.
Apr 10, 2013, 2:50 pm
#57
Join Date: May 2000
Location: HH Gold, Marriott Gold, PC Plat, Emirates Silver
Posts: 2,679
I won the auction last Fall for the SPG entire suite and took 15 people for my 40th bday, for only like 35k points.... I was blown away as was everyone else. SPG service was great in coordinating, they even dropped in day of the event to make sure things were ok. They really won my loyalty with that one (though winning the auction at that level was just lucky - it was late season)!
Apr 10, 2013, 7:21 pm
#58
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 109
Notes on the food and a couple other points on the luxury box
I had a number of emails and calls back and forth with the Moments staff to understand what was included. As I was "hosting" a bunch of friends (even though at no real cost to me) I was afraid that it was going to be underwhelmed ... a bag of chips and a six pack of beer kind of thing. I don't remember all details of the food but it was generally ballpark food and plenty of it - hot dogs, nachos, huge sub sandwich, peanuts, snacks, etc. etc. More than enough to feed 15 guys. There was a fair amount of of beer and a couple bottles of wine; we did need to order more beer (and pay for that, only a certain amount was included) but it was a spirited crowd drinking a lot so that was understandable. Also, the package did NOT include the dessert card, which was pretty decadent with a lot of variety - cakes, ice creams, etc. but again I covered that for my guests and it was definitely additive to the experience overall. The food was not "great" in terms of it being anything beyond typical ballpark vendor food, but as mentioned.... there was plenty of it and perfectly in line with expectations for the venue.
A couple other things--- the suite IS literally the home plate suite (another thing I was expecting was to have a bad, cramped location); Theo Epstein was literally in the box next to us taking in the game. It was phenomenal and something even my well heeled friends were excited by.
Also, the pick up in the Cubs trolley was supposed to be from a downtown hotel but they agreed with no problem to pick everyone up at my house (just 1.5 miles from the stadium) instead. We brought roadies and they were happy to drive us around as much as we wanted, which was fun. The trolley driver and the woman coordinating it were a lot of fun and even that was a blast even though it was a crappy weather day.
Like I said I really kept waiting for that moment where I would be like "ah, so that's the catch" and it never came. Was, on the contrary, impressed at every step.
Best use of 34,025 starpoints I will ever make (the package retails for over $5k!).
A couple other things--- the suite IS literally the home plate suite (another thing I was expecting was to have a bad, cramped location); Theo Epstein was literally in the box next to us taking in the game. It was phenomenal and something even my well heeled friends were excited by.
Also, the pick up in the Cubs trolley was supposed to be from a downtown hotel but they agreed with no problem to pick everyone up at my house (just 1.5 miles from the stadium) instead. We brought roadies and they were happy to drive us around as much as we wanted, which was fun. The trolley driver and the woman coordinating it were a lot of fun and even that was a blast even though it was a crappy weather day.
Like I said I really kept waiting for that moment where I would be like "ah, so that's the catch" and it never came. Was, on the contrary, impressed at every step.
Best use of 34,025 starpoints I will ever make (the package retails for over $5k!).
Apr 11, 2013, 6:44 am
#59
Join Date: May 2000
Location: HH Gold, Marriott Gold, PC Plat, Emirates Silver
Posts: 2,679
Thanks for the update. I wonder how things will differ when there are 6 different groups of 2 in the box together. What if a few groups eats/drinks a lot at the beginning and there is none left for others who preferred to wait?
In the end I do not think anyone should worry. This is a great use of 7,500 points and as noted elsewhere the moments staff seem to be great.
In the end I do not think anyone should worry. This is a great use of 7,500 points and as noted elsewhere the moments staff seem to be great.
Apr 11, 2013, 8:52 am
#60
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Programs: UA-1k, 1mm, Marriott-LT Platinum, Hertz-Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,355
Thanks for the update. I wonder how things will differ when there are 6 different groups of 2 in the box together. What if a few groups eats/drinks a lot at the beginning and there is none left for others who preferred to wait?
In the end I do not think anyone should worry. This is a great use of 7,500 points and as noted elsewhere the moments staff seem to be great.
In the end I do not think anyone should worry. This is a great use of 7,500 points and as noted elsewhere the moments staff seem to be great.