Wyndham Makes a 12-hr Play for Starwood Loyalty Members [UPDATE: Now CANCELLED]
Oct 11, 2016, 8:34 am
#16
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Englandshire
Programs: SPG LT Plat, BA G, BD*LG, MG Blue+ ...
Posts: 16,014
Oct 11, 2016, 8:42 am
#17
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Europe/SEA
Programs: TK E+, Bonvoy LT Plat, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum, Dusit Gold
Posts: 1,714
Can u just get a status match without the points ?
Oct 11, 2016, 9:21 am
#18
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PHX
Posts: 4,787
Looks like they pulled the promo. What a disaster. I am glad I decided to wait until I got to work to check out my donation options, because I would be furious if I had donated points and not been able to take advantage.
Well, furious is too strong. At least they would go to a good cause. Champagne all around at SPG.
Well, furious is too strong. At least they would go to a good cause. Champagne all around at SPG.
Oct 11, 2016, 9:22 am
#19
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 1,083
LOL. What a fail to cancel this because of "Fraud"
Oct 11, 2016, 9:31 am
#20
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 140
Wyndham status and point match promo cancelled
Oct 11, 2016, 9:52 am
#21
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Here there everywhere
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, BA Silver, Aegean Gold, Aeroplan 25k, AA EXP
Posts: 2,823
Glad I didn't donate any points. I've never been to a Wyndham but this bogus promotion will ensure I never set foot near one. If you can't honor a 12 hour promotion then what does it say about the rest of the program/organization ? 
Oct 11, 2016, 9:56 am
#22
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Englandshire
Programs: SPG LT Plat, BA G, BD*LG, MG Blue+ ...
Posts: 16,014
I've updated the thread title to reflect unfolding events. Is it 'weird Tuesday' or something in America today ?
I have to say that, if I was responsible for such an ill-thought-out and embarrassing event, I would really, really think hard before publicly accusing my best potential customers of fraud .....
I have to say that, if I was responsible for such an ill-thought-out and embarrassing event, I would really, really think hard before publicly accusing my best potential customers of fraud .....
Oct 11, 2016, 10:00 am
#23
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,324
At least they offered a 4 to 1 exchange rate instead of the 3 to 1 Marriott is offering. I am not sure why they don't follow through with the status match portion of the offer?
Oct 11, 2016, 10:04 am
#24
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,617
Somebody in management must have belatedly realized that they had no way to validate the information people submitted. Computer images of account balances are probably quite easy to fake. Even signed receipts from charities could be forged.
A promotion like this needs to specify one charity which will work with the loyalty program to verify that the donations have been received and not clawed back by the source program due to fraud against that program.
At least Wyndham pulled down the offer before it started rather than after. But what about people who didn't find out immediately about this unexpected reversal?
Moral of the story: Consult FlyerTalk before making any major loyalty program transaction!
A promotion like this needs to specify one charity which will work with the loyalty program to verify that the donations have been received and not clawed back by the source program due to fraud against that program.
At least Wyndham pulled down the offer before it started rather than after. But what about people who didn't find out immediately about this unexpected reversal?
Moral of the story: Consult FlyerTalk before making any major loyalty program transaction!
Oct 11, 2016, 10:18 am
#25
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,324
I've updated the thread title to reflect unfolding events. Is it 'weird Tuesday' or something in America today ?
I have to say that, if I was responsible for such an ill-thought-out and embarrassing event, I would really, really think hard before publicly accusing my best potential customers of fraud .....
I have to say that, if I was responsible for such an ill-thought-out and embarrassing event, I would really, really think hard before publicly accusing my best potential customers of fraud .....
Oct 11, 2016, 10:26 am
#26
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Englandshire
Programs: SPG LT Plat, BA G, BD*LG, MG Blue+ ...
Posts: 16,014
Curiouser and curiouser
Just to throw in another twist : yesterday Starwood announced that, until Oct 31, they were matching donations that SPG members made to the American Red Cross in support of Hurricane Matthew relief.
So, under todays Wyndham offer, any SPG member emptying their SPG account in favour of the American Red Cross would have obliged Starwood, in effect, to pay for them to defect to Wyndham ...
So, under todays Wyndham offer, any SPG member emptying their SPG account in favour of the American Red Cross would have obliged Starwood, in effect, to pay for them to defect to Wyndham ...
Oct 11, 2016, 10:45 am
#27
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PHX
Posts: 4,787
If I ran a loyalty program, the first thing I'd do is hire an accomplished travel hacker to do nothing but give advice. Someone well versed in flyertalk and the various travel blogs.
On the one hand, it would avoid massive screwups like this one. On the other, there actually is a way to appeal to us. To create fair, gameable promotions that excite us and get us involved in programs and their brands and even try their products.
On the one hand, it would avoid massive screwups like this one. On the other, there actually is a way to appeal to us. To create fair, gameable promotions that excite us and get us involved in programs and their brands and even try their products.
Oct 11, 2016, 12:44 pm
#28
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Just to throw in another twist : yesterday Starwood announced that, until Oct 31, they were matching donations that SPG members made to the American Red Cross in support of Hurricane Matthew relief.
So, under todays Wyndham offer, any SPG member emptying their SPG account in favour of the American Red Cross would have obliged Starwood, in effect, to pay for them to defect to Wyndham ...
So, under todays Wyndham offer, any SPG member emptying their SPG account in favour of the American Red Cross would have obliged Starwood, in effect, to pay for them to defect to Wyndham ...
Given KLM and JetBlue have managed to do account balance matches of some sorts, Wyndham could have probably pulled it off too, if only their marketing budget were as big and they made it more conditional than just what they were asking.
Oct 11, 2016, 12:49 pm
#29
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,550
Did they have any way to verify the donations? Or was it just screenshots?
The requirement to empty out an account was just stupid to begin with. Certainly airlines and hotels know their most valuable guests have accounts (and balances) with multiple brands. Forcing someone to empty an account to participate in the promotion seems mean-spirited, and makes me *less* likely to want to do business with Wyndham. (Not that I had a huge burning desire to do so before this promotion...)
The requirement to empty out an account was just stupid to begin with. Certainly airlines and hotels know their most valuable guests have accounts (and balances) with multiple brands. Forcing someone to empty an account to participate in the promotion seems mean-spirited, and makes me *less* likely to want to do business with Wyndham. (Not that I had a huge burning desire to do so before this promotion...)
Oct 11, 2016, 1:09 pm
#30
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Atl
Posts: 253
Well-I donated about 30k points and sent in the email and then found out about cancellation. It will be interesting to see how they handle this.
