Priorityclub is locking accounts after the QUIZ Game
Feb 16, 2010, 11:25 am
#376
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Here
Programs: Some
Posts: 79
IHG's problem is they knowingly allowed exceptions to occur for a very long time. Since they control what they release and to whom they distribute to it’s a systemic and cultural issue within PCR policy that over time shaped behaviors to the point where we are today. The cyber crime attack is manifestation of failed policy that eventually could not continue. Not unlike reality, if you can’t catch the real crooks you round up the bystanders too. Large numbers of the PCR community have been maligned and vilified by the same people who engaged in or released untargeted promotions themselves. I can only suggest that no one play any promotions after this point that they were not targeted for and be in 100% compliance with eligibility and let the promo thread die a natural death.
Feb 16, 2010, 11:37 am
#377
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,041
what if it is the other way around; i.e. no big deal but it is a hierarchical organisation with several layers, and approval to open the frozen accounts could take time since it has to be sought higher up the layers of management, and some layers are on holiday.
They have millions of members and a few hundred frozen accounts, this problem could be at the bottome of the pile of things to do.
Someone comes out of the blue and admit to having aquired 5digits - maybe it's true but I say Troll Warning. Remember (...) with the RA VIP pass?
They have millions of members and a few hundred frozen accounts, this problem could be at the bottome of the pile of things to do.
Someone comes out of the blue and admit to having aquired 5digits - maybe it's true but I say Troll Warning. Remember (...) with the RA VIP pass?
Last edited by FLYGVA; Feb 16, 2010 at 11:55 am Reason: edited name of FT out of post - against t&c
Feb 16, 2010, 11:42 am
#378
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,377
PCR's IT is S-L-O-W.
Certainly possible to be a troll, however at the same time, if the worst damages were a thousand points or so, PCR wouldn't have done anything other than fix the quiz page and maybe remove the extra points. I think the reaction is the result of some incidents on a larger scale.
Last edited by FLYGVA; Feb 16, 2010 at 11:56 am Reason: edited due to editing original post
Feb 16, 2010, 11:57 am
#379
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: NYC (formerly BOS/DCA)
Programs: UA 1K, IC RA
Posts: 60,745
Feb 16, 2010, 12:04 pm
#380
Moderator: InterContinental Hotels and Germany
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 6,552
Moderator is speaking
Felow flyertalkers,
just again a reminder, I can understand, that this is a highly emotional thing right now ... but please stay to the facts and discuss the issue not on a personal level.
And a reminder, that and statement, which could be read a another flyertalker is a troll, should not be done; therefore I have edited two posts.
We are monitoring this thread and reserve the right to tempoarirly close this thread, so that everybody could calm down a bit ...
FLYGVA
co-moderator IHG Forum
Felow flyertalkers,
just again a reminder, I can understand, that this is a highly emotional thing right now ... but please stay to the facts and discuss the issue not on a personal level.
And a reminder, that and statement, which could be read a another flyertalker is a troll, should not be done; therefore I have edited two posts.
We are monitoring this thread and reserve the right to tempoarirly close this thread, so that everybody could calm down a bit ...
FLYGVA
co-moderator IHG Forum
Feb 16, 2010, 12:07 pm
#381
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: NYC (formerly BOS/DCA)
Programs: UA 1K, IC RA
Posts: 60,745
May I just add the notion that some are misunderstanding the ethics/moral question and are mistakenly believe that they are on some higher moral ground when becoming indignant about the IHG response (or lack of it) as they see it.
Put simply, might I suggest that EVERYBODY who completed the competition more than once knew that IHG didn't intend them to do it and they were taking advantage of an error made by IHG. Just because their system was inept doesn't negate the lack of moral judgement taken when people took advantage. You don't say it's morally or ethically right to steal from a shop just because it's easy to.
The fact is that people participating in the way that FT'ers do, should not delude themselves about the moraility. It IS immoral, but I think most here (including myself) make the judgement that on the scale of immorality it's not an enormous crime. But please let's not be self-delusory about the ethics.
Once having made the decision to do something that's wrong it seems nuts to me to go barmy about the response. May I also echo Radioman's constant often ignored advice about exercising common sense and care in not bringing unwanted attention to what is done. Writing a script to automate the process is no more immoral than hitting the key twice manually but it is a sure fire way of bringing attention to the loophole and loopholes generally and making everyone's life more dificult.
IHG had to do several things here. They had to find out what happened, stop it, found out who did it, make a senior management decision about how to treat the account balances, potential redemptions made possibly from this issue, and work out how to treat the holders of the accounts. The also had to size the problem. This decision was going to effect a lot of senior people. This was always going to take much longer than 48hours. I don't think anyone has the right to complain.
If IHG customers wish to take their business elsewhere then I think it quite fair of IHG to tell people that did this and make the threat that they have the right to do so. Threatening them with this in this situation seems poor judgement.
For the record, I didn't complete the promo.
I genuinely do not want to enflame the situation but feel that IHG are being give some highly unfair and unwarranted bad vibes from what is a problem caused by greed by those who knew what they were doing was wrong and might have led to this very outcome.
Put simply, might I suggest that EVERYBODY who completed the competition more than once knew that IHG didn't intend them to do it and they were taking advantage of an error made by IHG. Just because their system was inept doesn't negate the lack of moral judgement taken when people took advantage. You don't say it's morally or ethically right to steal from a shop just because it's easy to.
The fact is that people participating in the way that FT'ers do, should not delude themselves about the moraility. It IS immoral, but I think most here (including myself) make the judgement that on the scale of immorality it's not an enormous crime. But please let's not be self-delusory about the ethics.
Once having made the decision to do something that's wrong it seems nuts to me to go barmy about the response. May I also echo Radioman's constant often ignored advice about exercising common sense and care in not bringing unwanted attention to what is done. Writing a script to automate the process is no more immoral than hitting the key twice manually but it is a sure fire way of bringing attention to the loophole and loopholes generally and making everyone's life more dificult.
IHG had to do several things here. They had to find out what happened, stop it, found out who did it, make a senior management decision about how to treat the account balances, potential redemptions made possibly from this issue, and work out how to treat the holders of the accounts. The also had to size the problem. This decision was going to effect a lot of senior people. This was always going to take much longer than 48hours. I don't think anyone has the right to complain.
If IHG customers wish to take their business elsewhere then I think it quite fair of IHG to tell people that did this and make the threat that they have the right to do so. Threatening them with this in this situation seems poor judgement.
For the record, I didn't complete the promo.
I genuinely do not want to enflame the situation but feel that IHG are being give some highly unfair and unwarranted bad vibes from what is a problem caused by greed by those who knew what they were doing was wrong and might have led to this very outcome.
Feb 16, 2010, 12:10 pm
#382
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,041
Feb 16, 2010, 12:13 pm
#384
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: UA GOLD MM,WN CP A+list, HH Gold,MR LT Titanium
Posts: 2,184
Those of us that are locked out due to completing this quiz once in each language that was available, are no different than those who admittedly earned the same amount of points lying to PC about phony HHonors accounts in the Luckiest Loser promo.
They are just fortunate that IHGs IT is so poor that they will never be discovered.
They are just fortunate that IHGs IT is so poor that they will never be discovered.
Feb 16, 2010, 12:18 pm
#385
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,041
Those of us that are locked out due to completing this quiz once in each language that was available, are no different than those who admittedly earned the same amount of points lying to PC about phony HHonors accounts in the Luckiest Loser promo.
They are just fortunate that IHGs IT is so poor that they will never be discovered.
They are just fortunate that IHGs IT is so poor that they will never be discovered.
and in addition remember this, clearly those who reserved rooms knew that something was wrong...
Venice for one cent a room error
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8202842.stm
A hotel near Venice has accepted that its rooms were mistakenly advertised online at a mere one-hundredth of a euro instead of up to 150 euros (£129).
Nearly 230 people took advantage of the offer, booking on average more than six nights per person at the Crowne Plaza.
It is 20km from central Venice, one of Italy's main tourist destinations.
The hotel is run by the Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) which says it will honour bookings made while the mistake was online.
The company says the mistake was made at the offices of IHG in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States.
"Although a pricing error, IHG is committed to honouring the 1-cent rate for guests who have a valid confirmation," the hotel group's Monica Smith said.
The wrong pricing for 1,400 room nights could cost the company up to 90,000 euros (£77,800).
Venice depends on tourism, attracting 15 million visitors a year.
Feb 16, 2010, 12:29 pm
#386
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Here
Programs: Some
Posts: 79
Interesting experiment. We're debating the ethics and morals of untargeted promotions in forum's that encourage/solicit it. Has anyone ever "not" engaged in an untargeted promotion here or in priorityclub.connect ?
After the smoke clears wonder what will change ?
For the record never did the quiz either
After the smoke clears wonder what will change ?
For the record never did the quiz either
Feb 16, 2010, 12:48 pm
#387
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 11,969
Interesting experiment. We're debating the ethics and morals of untargeted promotions in forum's that encourage/solicit it. Has anyone ever "not" engaged in an untargeted promotion here or in priorityclub.connect ?
After the smoke clears wonder what will change ?
For the record never did the quiz either
After the smoke clears wonder what will change ?
For the record never did the quiz either
It is what people do with what they learn that is the issue so far as morality or ethics is concerned and not I suggest the source from which they learn from.
Feb 16, 2010, 12:51 pm
#388
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Here
Programs: Some
Posts: 79
Those of us that are locked out due to completing this quiz once in each language that was available, are no different than those who admittedly earned the same amount of points lying to PC about phony HHonors accounts in the Luckiest Loser promo.
They are just fortunate that IHGs IT is so poor that they will never be discovered.
They are just fortunate that IHGs IT is so poor that they will never be discovered.
Feb 16, 2010, 12:53 pm
#389
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Michigan
Programs: Priority Club, HHonors, Marriott Rewards, Choice Privileges, WorldPerks, SkyMiles, RapidRewards
Posts: 378
From "The Eight I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts" - Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster:
2. I'd really rather you didn't use my existence as a means to oppress, subjugate, punish, eviscerate, and/or, you know, be mean to others. I don't require sacrifices, and purity is for drinking water, not people.