Originally Posted by
Wyfind
I'm going to Sweden with some of my friends at the end of the month. We were thinking about visiting Norway, Denmark, and Germany but were unsure about costs.
I emailed asking for a comparison of flights vs. rail. They were unable to send me a list of flights and their costs (I would have to call Travel for that) but they gave me a complete breakdown (cost, travel time, amenities in class, etc.) of the different Eurail routes in less than three hours.
3 Hours is good? You could have done this yourself online (including the flights) in < 10 minutes....
Originally Posted by
JAGMAP
I've had fantastic experiences with Circles, the firm American Express contracts Platinum Concierge to. I hope the relationship continues and that a rumor I heard today that AX is looking to switch proves untrue (I sit near the credit card group at a large NY IB with a similar competing product).
What do you get them to do for you that provides value...
I honestly struggle to come up with uses for the concierge. I do not have the patience to call someone on the phone for something I can do with a couple of clicks of the mouse or taps on my mobile phone myself. If it was something that actually saved me significant time or money that would be great... For the most part to me the concierge seems to be something of a bygone era before mobile apps and online tools. All the value has been sucked away. I have been told by the rep themselves once that all they do is search StubHub and the Amex ticketing system for tickets... I can do that myself quicker without calling anyone...
Originally Posted by
levilevi
Have friends going on a honeymoon to South Africa. Wanted to book reservations at the Tasting Room (in Le Quartier Francais Hotel where they were staying) near Cape Town. The reservations only open 30 days in advance and book up quickly on Sat. nights. Called a few days in advance of 30 days, Concierge knew exactly what was up, said they would adjust for time difference and call (international calling) and make the reservation for our friends (used my Plat card to guarantee res), and even handled international faxing of the reservation guarantee.
Helped out b/c they called at 3am EST to make res, plus I didn't have to make int'l call.
Now this type of thing makes sense.