BrightlyBob

Wow, this is the second such post in 24 hours.

The other one used his GF account for his own stays. You've signed up for promos you're not entitled to.

Wow, I am soooo busted... Even more than I was before!

Then again I suspect the majority of contributors to this board may have cause to look nervously over their shoulders now...

olouie

I don't get why IHG would ban someone because they signed up for a promo that they were not entitled to. It should be up to their system to monitor if you are/are not entitled to a promo. Worst case is reverse the points from that. Banning a member seems really short sited.

But to that end its time I use up all my points if this is really happening.

olegator

Exactly!

Dave Noble

That is the same argument that it is a shop's fault if someone takes goods without paying since they had no one at the door to stop them

I doubt that IHG would close an account for using one promo code, but whether someone does a minor breach or registers for lots of codes and then starts gloating on posts with things like "I managed to get 35,000 points on 1 night" or whether there are other reasons that are undisclosed, the situation is the same

The thread title is completely misleading since the poster admits that there was a reason

Pseudo Nim

Absolutely not the same. Would you argue that it's the same as someone murdering someone with a chainsaw just because they were asleep and there wasn't a posted law saying "NO CHAINSAWING"? No, because the gravity of the act is completely different.

Often1

Because IHG has made the business decision that people who engage in petty scams will engage in larger scams and aren't profitable customers. So, IHG fires them as customers. There's also no provision which says that you can't murder a hooker in the bathtub, but that doesn't make it OK.

Anybody who thinks that because they use others' codes and the like is generally accepted just because a bunch of people on an anonymous Internet board also do so, has now learned how sorely wrong they were.

Presumably, IHG has conducted a sweep and there will be a lot more agonized threads on FT. Those folks can switch to another chain, start again, and this time not only read the t&c, but think about why programs exist.

mitpat474

damn whats with all the crime talk, thieving and murder :O

Pseudo Nim

Haha.

Dave Noble

It is the same type of argument

the argument that it is basically IHG's fault for not stopping them from being able to abuse the programme

With chainsawing it would be the same as arguing that if he didn't want to be sawn, he should have been wearing armour

I am not arguing that there was a crime committed with IHG, just the nature of the argument that it was basically IHG's fault

chrism20

I'm thinking the same thing tbh. If it was that they would be done is sweeps and we would be seeing more than one or two people at a time with the issue.

Going by the posts from people stating that the codes worked/didn't show on offers page etc there would be a fair few with this issue.

olouie

Not what was I saying at all. But your interpretation is very interesting as it puts the consumer in the position of being responsible for system operation by IHG or any other hotel/airline.

I personally don't think its abuse of system if IHG built a system to verify the promo codes and it allows you to use one on your account. To me the fact the system applied it to your account means that IHG said its ok to use. I have had many promo codes rejected when I try to use them so it obviously works a lot of the time and even some that are targeted to me were rejected.

A better line of reasoning is that if you go to grocery store to buy some milk and their scanner rings it up at $3 when it was suppose to be $5 since you were not a club card holder, are you stealing? I would say no.

scubaccr

By the same screwed up sense of entitlement, you would extend IHG codes mantra to

... I found a $20 note on the sidewalk/floor of the bar/cafe/metro, and because there are no checks on my ownership or entitlement, or checks to stop me paying into my bank account, I am thus entitled to pay the $20 into my account.

scubaccr

Could be that with 2 IHG accounts, you are deemed to have loaded both accounts with all the recently notified FTer Promo codes, and with $50 night stay under each account in effect earned $150-$200 for 20k-30k promo points per account
(at P+C valuation, OR $240-$360 if using IHG purchase $12/1k rate)

If you have two accounts, why not 3, 4, ... 10 or more accounts to pick up loads of bonus points on multiple accounts, that are only used for a single cheap rate night, just after adding a bunch of untargeted promo codes. I am sure IHG can easily redflag such accounts.

If you have had multiple accounts for sometime, it will be something about the recent use of the accounts, rather than having 2 accounts that got your IHG account(s) cancelled. A large number of households will have multiple family members with IHG membership at same address, maybe even different surnames, so multiple members per address is not in itself an issue.

chrism20

I think you are probably on the money with that one sir!

olouie

Not the same at all. The same would be if you found $20, there existed some kind of system to check if you could have it (ownership etc), you used said system and it said you could have it. The jump from that to stealing/taking others property without checking misses the critical step that with codes you are using a system specifically designed to validate the promo codes.