The AP rip off--must be Guinness Book Record
Oct 20, 2010, 5:02 am
#16
Join Date: Jan 1999
Location: YYZ
Posts: 1,154
Bait and switch, by definition, means that you are steered towards a different product once you're in the "store". In this case, it's the same product. Hence, no "switch". It's perfectly fine to advertise a product, and sell out of that product.
Oct 20, 2010, 4:15 pm
#17
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Chicago
Programs: AAExP(3MM), HHDiamond, Priority Club Plat, Hyatt Plat, United Mileage Plus
Posts: 117
It is potentially a bait and switch
Yes, it is pretty much bait and switch. It does not have to be a different product, it can be advertising a product and then finding that the product is not available at the advertised price. So unless you can prove that someone got that award for the advertised mileage amount, it is a bait and switch. In this case you are not switching products, you're switching "prices" once you have the person in the store (or in the FF program in this case). And as another poster pointed out(maybe on a different thread) some airlines don't offer award seats at certain redemption levels on certain flights. Since they don't tell you that when you sign up for the program, that is also a form of bait and switch. You are led to believe that seating on a flight may be limited, but not that whole flights are excluded.
Bait: You can fly from Toronto to Buenos Airies in BC for 75,000 miles
Switch: Only on Tuesdays and Sundays on the 2 am departure. All other flights require 1,000,000 miles. (none of this being identified prior to you earning the mileage or contacting the airline for the award)
Bait: You can fly from Toronto to Buenos Airies in BC for 75,000 miles
Switch: Only on Tuesdays and Sundays on the 2 am departure. All other flights require 1,000,000 miles. (none of this being identified prior to you earning the mileage or contacting the airline for the award)
Oct 20, 2010, 4:31 pm
#18
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: SEA
Programs: A3*G, AC, IHG Plat AMB
Posts: 1,604
Oct 20, 2010, 6:12 pm
#19
Join Date: Jul 2008
Programs: FB Gold, G3 Gold, JJ Vermelho
Posts: 49
Oct 20, 2010, 8:26 pm
#21
Join Date: Jul 2006
Programs: Hilton D, UA 1MM LT 1K-, LT UAClub, DL MS, DL 1MM, Former LT PClub, CO Infinite Elite
Posts: 98
I guess it depends.
I recently actually redeemed 480,000 mileage points for 2 tickets (Delta). Great value? Nope. Acceptable value? Yup! Will I do it again? Nope.
Am I going to stop buying tickets based on my allegiance? Yup. I have watched too many flights take off with empty seats when I had a mileage ticket for a different flight, but in the wrong class code for the flight I wanted to change to.
It was a great run; started with AA back in 1981, bought several million miles worth of air travel since then. During the 1990's, I was a treasured customer, now I am just another person on electronic call waiting, then talking to an untrained agent/order taker with no power to do anything.
I recently actually redeemed 480,000 mileage points for 2 tickets (Delta). Great value? Nope. Acceptable value? Yup! Will I do it again? Nope.
Am I going to stop buying tickets based on my allegiance? Yup. I have watched too many flights take off with empty seats when I had a mileage ticket for a different flight, but in the wrong class code for the flight I wanted to change to.
It was a great run; started with AA back in 1981, bought several million miles worth of air travel since then. During the 1990's, I was a treasured customer, now I am just another person on electronic call waiting, then talking to an untrained agent/order taker with no power to do anything.