Jun 24, 2014, 2:19 am
Last edit by: soitgoes
IHG Account Termination Fact Summary
1) IHG has been terminating accounts due to abuse since approximately 2010 (#244).
2) IHG account terminations happen suddenly and without warning. If your account is terminated, you will not be able to login. You will have to call customer service, who will either reinstate your account and warn you, or refer your case to another office, in which case your account is probably permamently closed.
3) No one except for IHG knows exactly what the trigger for account cancellation is. The reason given is usually excessive use of promo codes. In the past, it was thought that most of the people who got their accounts canceled was due to either selling points or excessive point break bookings, but it appears that mere registration of promo codes now can sometimes trigger a cancellation.
Who has gotten their account terminated?
(If you, or someone you know has got their account terminated, please list your username here, and reference the post you made on this thread).
bgmike (#1)
lcpteck (#5)
DavidAL - father - (#85)
Dolphinyong - friend - (#155)
Bakkie (#180)
Tim O'Brien (#187) reinstated
chongcao - good summary, esp. of events from flyertea forum (#244)
soitgoes (#262) deactivated temporarily; reactivated after phone call
travelismylife - brother inlaw - (#329)
Also, LoyaltyLobby has a number of data points in the comment thread.
FlyerTea (a Chinese site) also has a number of data points.
What do we know about terminations
1) The usual reason IHG gives is non-targeted promo code usage. We don't know which promo codes IHG considers invalid, although IHG told Bakke (#180), that he used a code that was supposed to be for platinum members when he was not.
2) Status does not matter. Gold members, Platinum members, even RAs have all had their account terminated.
3) Credit card does not matter. Some people terminated did not have the IHG Chase card, some did, for more than 3 years (#329).
4) Stay history does not matter. Some people had their accounts terminated before any stay, some had their accounts terminated after one stay that accrued many points, and some had a history of lot of paid stays.
5) Termination usually doesn't cause a loss of booked nights. Apparently, even though your points are gone, any nights reserved stay booked in the system.
6) Some account terminations are caused by calling customer service on incorrectly credited nights. A number of people who had their accounts terminated called in on a stay that posted as non-qualifying, only to have their account cancelled shortly thereafter.
IHG Terms and Conditions downloadable PDF, including:
1) IHG has been terminating accounts due to abuse since approximately 2010 (#244).
2) IHG account terminations happen suddenly and without warning. If your account is terminated, you will not be able to login. You will have to call customer service, who will either reinstate your account and warn you, or refer your case to another office, in which case your account is probably permamently closed.
3) No one except for IHG knows exactly what the trigger for account cancellation is. The reason given is usually excessive use of promo codes. In the past, it was thought that most of the people who got their accounts canceled was due to either selling points or excessive point break bookings, but it appears that mere registration of promo codes now can sometimes trigger a cancellation.
Who has gotten their account terminated?
(If you, or someone you know has got their account terminated, please list your username here, and reference the post you made on this thread).
bgmike (#1)
lcpteck (#5)
DavidAL - father - (#85)
Dolphinyong - friend - (#155)
Bakkie (#180)
Tim O'Brien (#187) reinstated
chongcao - good summary, esp. of events from flyertea forum (#244)
soitgoes (#262) deactivated temporarily; reactivated after phone call
travelismylife - brother inlaw - (#329)
Also, LoyaltyLobby has a number of data points in the comment thread.
FlyerTea (a Chinese site) also has a number of data points.
What do we know about terminations
1) The usual reason IHG gives is non-targeted promo code usage. We don't know which promo codes IHG considers invalid, although IHG told Bakke (#180), that he used a code that was supposed to be for platinum members when he was not.
2) Status does not matter. Gold members, Platinum members, even RAs have all had their account terminated.
3) Credit card does not matter. Some people terminated did not have the IHG Chase card, some did, for more than 3 years (#329).
4) Stay history does not matter. Some people had their accounts terminated before any stay, some had their accounts terminated after one stay that accrued many points, and some had a history of lot of paid stays.
5) Termination usually doesn't cause a loss of booked nights. Apparently, even though your points are gone, any nights reserved stay booked in the system.
6) Some account terminations are caused by calling customer service on incorrectly credited nights. A number of people who had their accounts terminated called in on a stay that posted as non-qualifying, only to have their account cancelled shortly thereafter.
IHG Terms and Conditions downloadable PDF, including:
4. Membership Cancellation. SCH reserves the right to cancel any IHG®Rewards Club membership and revoke any and all unredeemed IHG® Rewards Club points collected by any member for reasons that include, but are not limited to: 1) violation of these Terms and Conditions; 2) misrepresentation of any information or any misuse of this Program; 3) violation of any national, state or local law or regulation in connection with the use of membership privileges; 4) failure to pay for hotel charges; 5) a check to a participating hotel brand that is returned for insufficient funds or is invalid for any reason; 6) commission of fraud or abuse involving any portion of this Program; 7) more than one active account per member; or 8) physical, verbal, or written abuse of hotel or IHG personnel; or 9) action, in any other way, to the detriment of the Program or any of its alliances; all as may be determined by SCH in its sole discretion.
IHG Account Terminated (after registering for several promotion codes)
Jul 3, 2014, 4:11 pm
#436
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: IHG, RC, HH, AA, QF, UA, Aeroplan
Posts: 2,692
My $0.02 after reading through much of this thread:
I agree with the horrible handling of IT and subpar management. I have had too many issues with hotels that really did not care about IHG rules and seemed as fed up with dealing with IHG as we are. I walked in March. Over 100+ nights per year just went to the competition due to IHG's deteriorating overall customer experience. Now I am just figuring out the best way to burn all my points.
I agree with the horrible handling of IT and subpar management. I have had too many issues with hotels that really did not care about IHG rules and seemed as fed up with dealing with IHG as we are. I walked in March. Over 100+ nights per year just went to the competition due to IHG's deteriorating overall customer experience. Now I am just figuring out the best way to burn all my points.
Jul 3, 2014, 4:49 pm
#437
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: BOS
Posts: 1,467
I'm actually afraid to burn my points. What if I make an award reservation overseas, plan flights around it, then they suddenly terminate my account because I'm not "profitable enough".
Jul 3, 2014, 4:53 pm
#438
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: CPH
Programs: UAMP S, TK M&S E (*G), Marriott LTP, IHG P, SK EBG
Posts: 11,130
+1 - even on PB in hotels in the US, UG possibilities for IHG is better than Marriott in our own experience. As Plat we got 500 Plat arrival points during a PB stay.
Jul 3, 2014, 6:53 pm
#439
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 47
Too late for me, so fingers crossed. I'm hoping that never having used a Best Rate Guarantee, a Points Break Stay, or a BOGO, and never having engaged in any clear violations of terms like selling free stays will prevent termination.
Jul 4, 2014, 12:44 am
#440
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Moscow
Programs: DL GM and so on
Posts: 1,200
Same here. While my IHG account is intact, I consult enough people about travel to discourage them from staying at IHG hotels. Even without this account closure circus they are inconsistent as hell.
Jul 4, 2014, 12:57 am
#441
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,627
We can see this previously lively forum now showing on first page only threads about different IC masters and "IHG account closures"
Jul 4, 2014, 4:47 am
#442
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: MSP
Posts: 398
So where is everyone moving their accounts to and how are they finding it?
Jul 4, 2014, 5:21 am
#443
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Auckland NZ
Programs: SQ TPPS, EK Gold, IHG RA, Marriott Gold Hyatt Diamond, HHonors Gold, UA Premier Gold, TG Silver
Posts: 1,092
Staying with IHG, as they treat me so well and looking forward to the 2x promotion on my next stays, on top of the 10 points per dollar.
Jul 4, 2014, 8:35 am
#444
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: IHG, RC, HH, AA, QF, UA, Aeroplan
Posts: 2,692
maybe IHG cld learn from this
Functional Leadership
Strategic role for communication drives profits
Organizations in which corporate communication is involved in strategic planning are likely to have a better reputation, writes The Holmes Report, citing a study from USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Researchers asked 347 senior corporate communicators to examine three indicators of their perceived contribution: participation in strategic planning, the extent to which communications-related recommendations are taken seriously by senior management and the function’s perceived contribution to financial success. 40% of respondents report that communication plays an active role in strategic planning, 59% agree that recommendations are taken seriously by top management, and 44% agree that their senior leadership believes communication enhances financial success. These indicators suggest strongly that companies are giving communication a greater role in decision making than was previously the case, and are benefiting from that change.
> Full story: “PR Budgets Bouncing Back, Strategic Role Increasing” in The Holmes Report (June 22nd, 2014)
More: Egon Zehnder’s Chief Communications Officer PG
Functional Leadership
Strategic role for communication drives profits
Organizations in which corporate communication is involved in strategic planning are likely to have a better reputation, writes The Holmes Report, citing a study from USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Researchers asked 347 senior corporate communicators to examine three indicators of their perceived contribution: participation in strategic planning, the extent to which communications-related recommendations are taken seriously by senior management and the function’s perceived contribution to financial success. 40% of respondents report that communication plays an active role in strategic planning, 59% agree that recommendations are taken seriously by top management, and 44% agree that their senior leadership believes communication enhances financial success. These indicators suggest strongly that companies are giving communication a greater role in decision making than was previously the case, and are benefiting from that change.
> Full story: “PR Budgets Bouncing Back, Strategic Role Increasing” in The Holmes Report (June 22nd, 2014)
More: Egon Zehnder’s Chief Communications Officer PG
Jul 4, 2014, 2:59 pm
#445
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: a hotel room, somewhere...
Posts: 962
How I would fight an account closure...
first, i have not had my account closed. but if i had, i would fight it. the people saying the 'cheaters' got what they deserve are off target and, frankly, on the wrong forum.
example: today i signed into awardwallet. a pop up ad from IHG was 'get 1000 bonus points per stay for 60 days', code 6636. i was not signed into IHG- this was a random promo- well, as near as i can tell. i followed the link to sign up. I WAS DENIED. the denial said my account was not qualified for the promo. huh? why? idk? this is the third time i've had a different code on an award wallet pop up that i was not qualified for.
ergo........ as far as my account is concerned, for whatever reason, i don't qualify for several promos. however, i HAVE qualified for a few also. why? again, IDK? am i wrong to click on their promo code ads? if they work, am i in danger of termination? i've seen these codes on forums including IHG's MODERATED community forum.
what being denied for certain awardwallet promo codes tells me, as a consumer, is:
1. IHG obviously has the IT ability to discern if my account qualifies for a promo. therefore, by trying the 6636 code, OR ANY OTHER CODE, i am doing nothing wrong. if i qualify- great, my account qualifies for the code. if i don't, i won't be allowed to register.
2. the criteria for what i qualify for is confusing and not transparent- i would think a code in a clearly random non-targeted ad would be one i'd qualify for- but clearly that is not the case. or, if these were targeted to me because awardwallet has all my IHG account info, then why was i denied when i clicked on the ad? again, confusing. was i wrong to try the code in the ad? can IHG clsoe my account if the code in the ad works? scary.
3. i sometimes get promo codes emailed to me by IHG. sometimes they make it to my inbox, sometimes they are in the spam folder. obviously, i never receive some of them. looking on the IHG community board for codes that may have been lost in my spam folder would seem ok- right? i mean, it's THEIR message board!!!!!!!!
4. since #1 has shown me that, if my account does not qualify for a promo, i will not be allowed to register. then, by default, i am right to assume that i will only be able to register for a promo, if my account is eligible. no harm, no foul.
5. IHG allows promotion of these codes on their, again, MODERATED, community message board. the fact that they do not have their moderators delete these posts, is TACIT APPROVAL.
6, all contracts (ie: the IHG membership terms) have an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. items above, especially #5, breach this.
IHG codes, their approval, disapproval, and the very delivery system is so poorly administered that fault cannot fall on the consumer. me being denied signing up for the 6636 code from an awardwallet ad is no different than if i'd been approved, or if i'd found the ad on FT, or on the IHG community board. was i wrong to follow THEIR ad link?
finally, since they clearly have the IT ability to restrict codes to certain accounts, why do they allow some to register anyway? is it entrapment? do they allow these codes on THEIR forum so that people will use them, and then face account termination? is this a scheme to seize accounts with high point balances to avoid fulfillment of the earned awards after large point awards from the big win?
a good lawyer, or even someone with a little understanding of the law could make IHG look foolish.
example: today i signed into awardwallet. a pop up ad from IHG was 'get 1000 bonus points per stay for 60 days', code 6636. i was not signed into IHG- this was a random promo- well, as near as i can tell. i followed the link to sign up. I WAS DENIED. the denial said my account was not qualified for the promo. huh? why? idk? this is the third time i've had a different code on an award wallet pop up that i was not qualified for.
ergo........ as far as my account is concerned, for whatever reason, i don't qualify for several promos. however, i HAVE qualified for a few also. why? again, IDK? am i wrong to click on their promo code ads? if they work, am i in danger of termination? i've seen these codes on forums including IHG's MODERATED community forum.
what being denied for certain awardwallet promo codes tells me, as a consumer, is:
1. IHG obviously has the IT ability to discern if my account qualifies for a promo. therefore, by trying the 6636 code, OR ANY OTHER CODE, i am doing nothing wrong. if i qualify- great, my account qualifies for the code. if i don't, i won't be allowed to register.
2. the criteria for what i qualify for is confusing and not transparent- i would think a code in a clearly random non-targeted ad would be one i'd qualify for- but clearly that is not the case. or, if these were targeted to me because awardwallet has all my IHG account info, then why was i denied when i clicked on the ad? again, confusing. was i wrong to try the code in the ad? can IHG clsoe my account if the code in the ad works? scary.
3. i sometimes get promo codes emailed to me by IHG. sometimes they make it to my inbox, sometimes they are in the spam folder. obviously, i never receive some of them. looking on the IHG community board for codes that may have been lost in my spam folder would seem ok- right? i mean, it's THEIR message board!!!!!!!!
4. since #1 has shown me that, if my account does not qualify for a promo, i will not be allowed to register. then, by default, i am right to assume that i will only be able to register for a promo, if my account is eligible. no harm, no foul.
5. IHG allows promotion of these codes on their, again, MODERATED, community message board. the fact that they do not have their moderators delete these posts, is TACIT APPROVAL.
6, all contracts (ie: the IHG membership terms) have an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. items above, especially #5, breach this.
IHG codes, their approval, disapproval, and the very delivery system is so poorly administered that fault cannot fall on the consumer. me being denied signing up for the 6636 code from an awardwallet ad is no different than if i'd been approved, or if i'd found the ad on FT, or on the IHG community board. was i wrong to follow THEIR ad link?
finally, since they clearly have the IT ability to restrict codes to certain accounts, why do they allow some to register anyway? is it entrapment? do they allow these codes on THEIR forum so that people will use them, and then face account termination? is this a scheme to seize accounts with high point balances to avoid fulfillment of the earned awards after large point awards from the big win?
a good lawyer, or even someone with a little understanding of the law could make IHG look foolish.
Jul 4, 2014, 4:12 pm
#446
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: IHG, RC, HH, AA, QF, UA, Aeroplan
Posts: 2,692
first, i have not had my account closed. but if i had, i would fight it. the people saying the 'cheaters' got what they deserve are off target and, frankly, on the wrong forum.
example: today i signed into awardwallet. a pop up ad from IHG was 'get 1000 bonus points per stay for 60 days', code 6636. i was not signed into IHG- this was a random promo- well, as near as i can tell. i followed the link to sign up. I WAS DENIED. the denial said my account was not qualified for the promo. huh? why? idk? this is the third time i've had a different code on an award wallet pop up that i was not qualified for.
ergo........ as far as my account is concerned, for whatever reason, i don't qualify for several promos. however, i HAVE qualified for a few also. why? again, IDK? am i wrong to click on their promo code ads? if they work, am i in danger of termination? i've seen these codes on forums including IHG's MODERATED community forum.
what being denied for certain awardwallet promo codes tells me, as a consumer, is:
1. IHG obviously has the IT ability to discern if my account qualifies for a promo. therefore, by trying the 6636 code, OR ANY OTHER CODE, i am doing nothing wrong. if i qualify- great, my account qualifies for the code. if i don't, i won't be allowed to register.
2. the criteria for what i qualify for is confusing and not transparent- i would think a code in a clearly random non-targeted ad would be one i'd qualify for- but clearly that is not the case. or, if these were targeted to me because awardwallet has all my IHG account info, then why was i denied when i clicked on the ad? again, confusing. was i wrong to try the code in the ad? can IHG clsoe my account if the code in the ad works? scary.
3. i sometimes get promo codes emailed to me by IHG. sometimes they make it to my inbox, sometimes they are in the spam folder. obviously, i never receive some of them. looking on the IHG community board for codes that may have been lost in my spam folder would seem ok- right? i mean, it's THEIR message board!!!!!!!!
4. since #1 has shown me that, if my account does not qualify for a promo, i will not be allowed to register. then, by default, i am right to assume that i will only be able to register for a promo, if my account is eligible. no harm, no foul.
5. IHG allows promotion of these codes on their, again, MODERATED, community message board. the fact that they do not have their moderators delete these posts, is TACIT APPROVAL.
6, all contracts (ie: the IHG membership terms) have an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. items above, especially #5, breach this.
IHG codes, their approval, disapproval, and the very delivery system is so poorly administered that fault cannot fall on the consumer. me being denied signing up for the 6636 code from an awardwallet ad is no different than if i'd been approved, or if i'd found the ad on FT, or on the IHG community board. was i wrong to follow THEIR ad link?
finally, since they clearly have the IT ability to restrict codes to certain accounts, why do they allow some to register anyway? is it entrapment? do they allow these codes on THEIR forum so that people will use them, and then face account termination? is this a scheme to seize accounts with high point balances to avoid fulfillment of the earned awards after large point awards from the big win?
a good lawyer, or even someone with a little understanding of the law could make IHG look foolish.
example: today i signed into awardwallet. a pop up ad from IHG was 'get 1000 bonus points per stay for 60 days', code 6636. i was not signed into IHG- this was a random promo- well, as near as i can tell. i followed the link to sign up. I WAS DENIED. the denial said my account was not qualified for the promo. huh? why? idk? this is the third time i've had a different code on an award wallet pop up that i was not qualified for.
ergo........ as far as my account is concerned, for whatever reason, i don't qualify for several promos. however, i HAVE qualified for a few also. why? again, IDK? am i wrong to click on their promo code ads? if they work, am i in danger of termination? i've seen these codes on forums including IHG's MODERATED community forum.
what being denied for certain awardwallet promo codes tells me, as a consumer, is:
1. IHG obviously has the IT ability to discern if my account qualifies for a promo. therefore, by trying the 6636 code, OR ANY OTHER CODE, i am doing nothing wrong. if i qualify- great, my account qualifies for the code. if i don't, i won't be allowed to register.
2. the criteria for what i qualify for is confusing and not transparent- i would think a code in a clearly random non-targeted ad would be one i'd qualify for- but clearly that is not the case. or, if these were targeted to me because awardwallet has all my IHG account info, then why was i denied when i clicked on the ad? again, confusing. was i wrong to try the code in the ad? can IHG clsoe my account if the code in the ad works? scary.
3. i sometimes get promo codes emailed to me by IHG. sometimes they make it to my inbox, sometimes they are in the spam folder. obviously, i never receive some of them. looking on the IHG community board for codes that may have been lost in my spam folder would seem ok- right? i mean, it's THEIR message board!!!!!!!!
4. since #1 has shown me that, if my account does not qualify for a promo, i will not be allowed to register. then, by default, i am right to assume that i will only be able to register for a promo, if my account is eligible. no harm, no foul.
5. IHG allows promotion of these codes on their, again, MODERATED, community message board. the fact that they do not have their moderators delete these posts, is TACIT APPROVAL.
6, all contracts (ie: the IHG membership terms) have an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. items above, especially #5, breach this.
IHG codes, their approval, disapproval, and the very delivery system is so poorly administered that fault cannot fall on the consumer. me being denied signing up for the 6636 code from an awardwallet ad is no different than if i'd been approved, or if i'd found the ad on FT, or on the IHG community board. was i wrong to follow THEIR ad link?
finally, since they clearly have the IT ability to restrict codes to certain accounts, why do they allow some to register anyway? is it entrapment? do they allow these codes on THEIR forum so that people will use them, and then face account termination? is this a scheme to seize accounts with high point balances to avoid fulfillment of the earned awards after large point awards from the big win?
a good lawyer, or even someone with a little understanding of the law could make IHG look foolish.
Jul 4, 2014, 4:18 pm
#447
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Auckland NZ
Programs: SQ TPPS, EK Gold, IHG RA, Marriott Gold Hyatt Diamond, HHonors Gold, UA Premier Gold, TG Silver
Posts: 1,092
Jul 4, 2014, 4:20 pm
#448
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Auckland NZ
Programs: SQ TPPS, EK Gold, IHG RA, Marriott Gold Hyatt Diamond, HHonors Gold, UA Premier Gold, TG Silver
Posts: 1,092
first, i have not had my account closed. but if i had, i would fight it. the people saying the 'cheaters' got what they deserve are off target and, frankly, on the wrong forum.
example: today i signed into awardwallet. a pop up ad from IHG was 'get 1000 bonus points per stay for 60 days', code 6636. i was not signed into IHG- this was a random promo- well, as near as i can tell. i followed the link to sign up. I WAS DENIED. the denial said my account was not qualified for the promo. huh? why? idk? this is the third time i've had a different code on an award wallet pop up that i was not qualified for.
ergo........ as far as my account is concerned, for whatever reason, i don't qualify for several promos. however, i HAVE qualified for a few also. why? again, IDK? am i wrong to click on their promo code ads? if they work, am i in danger of termination? i've seen these codes on forums including IHG's MODERATED community forum.
what being denied for certain awardwallet promo codes tells me, as a consumer, is:
1. IHG obviously has the IT ability to discern if my account qualifies for a promo. therefore, by trying the 6636 code, OR ANY OTHER CODE, i am doing nothing wrong. if i qualify- great, my account qualifies for the code. if i don't, i won't be allowed to register.
2. the criteria for what i qualify for is confusing and not transparent- i would think a code in a clearly random non-targeted ad would be one i'd qualify for- but clearly that is not the case. or, if these were targeted to me because awardwallet has all my IHG account info, then why was i denied when i clicked on the ad? again, confusing. was i wrong to try the code in the ad? can IHG clsoe my account if the code in the ad works? scary.
3. i sometimes get promo codes emailed to me by IHG. sometimes they make it to my inbox, sometimes they are in the spam folder. obviously, i never receive some of them. looking on the IHG community board for codes that may have been lost in my spam folder would seem ok- right? i mean, it's THEIR message board!!!!!!!!
4. since #1 has shown me that, if my account does not qualify for a promo, i will not be allowed to register. then, by default, i am right to assume that i will only be able to register for a promo, if my account is eligible. no harm, no foul.
5. IHG allows promotion of these codes on their, again, MODERATED, community message board. the fact that they do not have their moderators delete these posts, is TACIT APPROVAL.
6, all contracts (ie: the IHG membership terms) have an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. items above, especially #5, breach this.
IHG codes, their approval, disapproval, and the very delivery system is so poorly administered that fault cannot fall on the consumer. me being denied signing up for the 6636 code from an awardwallet ad is no different than if i'd been approved, or if i'd found the ad on FT, or on the IHG community board. was i wrong to follow THEIR ad link?
finally, since they clearly have the IT ability to restrict codes to certain accounts, why do they allow some to register anyway? is it entrapment? do they allow these codes on THEIR forum so that people will use them, and then face account termination? is this a scheme to seize accounts with high point balances to avoid fulfillment of the earned awards after large point awards from the big win?
a good lawyer, or even someone with a little understanding of the law could make IHG look foolish.
example: today i signed into awardwallet. a pop up ad from IHG was 'get 1000 bonus points per stay for 60 days', code 6636. i was not signed into IHG- this was a random promo- well, as near as i can tell. i followed the link to sign up. I WAS DENIED. the denial said my account was not qualified for the promo. huh? why? idk? this is the third time i've had a different code on an award wallet pop up that i was not qualified for.
ergo........ as far as my account is concerned, for whatever reason, i don't qualify for several promos. however, i HAVE qualified for a few also. why? again, IDK? am i wrong to click on their promo code ads? if they work, am i in danger of termination? i've seen these codes on forums including IHG's MODERATED community forum.
what being denied for certain awardwallet promo codes tells me, as a consumer, is:
1. IHG obviously has the IT ability to discern if my account qualifies for a promo. therefore, by trying the 6636 code, OR ANY OTHER CODE, i am doing nothing wrong. if i qualify- great, my account qualifies for the code. if i don't, i won't be allowed to register.
2. the criteria for what i qualify for is confusing and not transparent- i would think a code in a clearly random non-targeted ad would be one i'd qualify for- but clearly that is not the case. or, if these were targeted to me because awardwallet has all my IHG account info, then why was i denied when i clicked on the ad? again, confusing. was i wrong to try the code in the ad? can IHG clsoe my account if the code in the ad works? scary.
3. i sometimes get promo codes emailed to me by IHG. sometimes they make it to my inbox, sometimes they are in the spam folder. obviously, i never receive some of them. looking on the IHG community board for codes that may have been lost in my spam folder would seem ok- right? i mean, it's THEIR message board!!!!!!!!
4. since #1 has shown me that, if my account does not qualify for a promo, i will not be allowed to register. then, by default, i am right to assume that i will only be able to register for a promo, if my account is eligible. no harm, no foul.
5. IHG allows promotion of these codes on their, again, MODERATED, community message board. the fact that they do not have their moderators delete these posts, is TACIT APPROVAL.
6, all contracts (ie: the IHG membership terms) have an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. items above, especially #5, breach this.
IHG codes, their approval, disapproval, and the very delivery system is so poorly administered that fault cannot fall on the consumer. me being denied signing up for the 6636 code from an awardwallet ad is no different than if i'd been approved, or if i'd found the ad on FT, or on the IHG community board. was i wrong to follow THEIR ad link?
finally, since they clearly have the IT ability to restrict codes to certain accounts, why do they allow some to register anyway? is it entrapment? do they allow these codes on THEIR forum so that people will use them, and then face account termination? is this a scheme to seize accounts with high point balances to avoid fulfillment of the earned awards after large point awards from the big win?
a good lawyer, or even someone with a little understanding of the law could make IHG look foolish.
Jul 6, 2014, 10:52 pm
#449
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,653
On the bright side this should make it a lot easier to qualify for RA.
Jul 7, 2014, 12:08 am
#450
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: IHG, RC, HH, AA, QF, UA, Aeroplan
Posts: 2,692
