Originally Posted by
synzero
When did you have that experience? Just curious.
So far we have two reports of possible India outsourcing of "concierge" calls. And multiple reports of ability to get hard to get reservations dropping considerably. I feel like they just want to move that service into Resy, which you can use on your own, of course.
I never had super high expectations of this, but I feel like the old concierge company they used had clearly accumulated some best practices and knowledge about various popular destinations which they could draw upon to make customized recommendations. When I called this time, the agent actually volunteered to make reservations and recommendations for me *while we were on the phone*, i.e., I imagine her just pulling up Resy for Paris and doing a search. Last time we were in Spain, I explained the sorts of restaurants we liked, we wanted something hip but not too expensive, etc... they came through really, really nicely, Some of the highlights of our trip, really. But the India agent was just going through a series of robotic questions clearly from a script (how many people? what sort of food? any food allergies?), whereas in past concierge interactions I was able to just explain what I wanted in more general terms, not just go through a check-off list. I feel this in itself is already a downgrade from what we had before.
It's all understandable, in a way, the concierge was always a kind of "hidden benefit" which did more than one ought to reasonably expect from a free and unlimited service attached to a credit card. However, the decline in this service is just another example of the direction this card is headed.
The "VISA Infinite" concierge has always been a joke - their recommendations were absolutely awful the two times I tried to use them.
Damn, that sucks. I seldom use this service and for the most part, they haven't necessarily pulled through for me (I just ask for hard to get restaurant reservations.) But I have not been getting the outsource thing - I have always been greeted by someone with an American accent on the other end (I assume that's how you're judging whether or not it's outsourced or not).
But one thing I have noticed is that they sort of act more like the barrier between you and tech now for Resy restaurants. And by that, I mean like they're just searching on Resy for me ... Like I was looking to get that good old-fashioned "oh you're from American Express, let me see if I can pull a table for you" response from the restaurant to concierge, the one we've heard about (I know this is more of a Centurion thing) but nowadays, they've merely been the helpful grandchild that helps the tech-illiterate grandparents navigate the world of online restaurant reservations. If they're not on the resy system, they'll call which is still nice I guess?
Originally Posted by
reigndrop
0 / 2 - asked them to help with Don Angie and Yoshino in NYC, struck out on both. What a significant downgrade from even 5 years ago.
Global Dining Access is totally forgettable and Resy is an awful platform to search through open days
I agree - Resy is so hard to search on. I still rely on Eater and then find their respective platforms or call.
Originally Posted by
TheLifeOfA_NKCM
For once the Amex Plat Concierge really proved it's worth.
For the last week, I've been dealing with an absolutely terrible case of food poisoning which has led me to being bedridden.
Today I was alone and absolutely unfit to drive but needed Zofran to keep any liquids down.
If I was to get my prescription delivered from CVS, it wouldn't be out for another two days which right now would be an eternity.
Amex was able to handle the payment of the med for me and get it to my door in 2h.
This easily was the most expensive refill I've had in months but was worth every single penny. Well done Amex 👍
This is a nice refreshing change of pace to hear!