<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by JohnnyUMF:
Just seeing if anybody else uses the service on thier AAdvantage card. Ive found it to be very useful lately, Id never really used it before... Does anybody know the specifics of this, like who these people are and where they get thier information. Also wondering how it compares to AMEX concierge? Has anybody expereinced and limits with the service?</font>
Since you've used them, can you explain what kind of things you've successfully used them for?
There's a concierge-like service I've heard the former Minnesota governor/boxer advertise on radio lately: It's called something like InfoPhone, and the numnber one adverstised feature is that you can get directions from them. Well, THAT to me sounds like the person at the other end of the phone is simply using a computer with MapQuest or such, no?
So I guess in the general sense it boils down to: When have you used a conceirge to do somehing you couldn't have done as easily if you were at a computer yourself at the time? (That would seem to require, at the very least, that the conceirge have access to, say, travel and entertainment industry online services that you as an individual don't. Ie, in some cases it may boil down to the old question of using a travel agent...)
Oh, and given the prevalence of outsourcing and common subcontracting in other areas (we all know how many different FF programs have credit cards that are all from the same couple banks, we all know how many different FF programs have dining programs which are all iDine by any other name), how many of these different cards' concierge services may actually be the very same one but just taught to answer the phone a different way? (And how many of the variations in quality could be due to the same variations in quality you already get any one airline or credit card call center depending on who you end up talking to?)
[This message has been edited by Stefan Daystrom (edited 07-11-2003).]