janetdoe

Cartera didn't send me any confirmation emails with tracking numbers - Verizon did. Verizon may have received lots of orders, but there was probably 10x as much traffic on Cartera's servers: people searching for new 80k products for multiple FF programs, people checking out the deal even if they decided not to buy, etc.

My impression is that Cartera got slammed and they are still trying to figure out what hit them. I know that these shopping portals are flaky at the best of times. That could be partly because it's inherently difficult to serve as a middleman and integrate with multiple vendor websites, or it could be that they don't GAF, or it could be some sinister plot where the entire web portal is a scam, and there are procedures in place to ensure maximum profits from vendors while denying as many customer claims as possible.

I guess the only way to tell if there was ill intent would be if there was significant discrepancy between what they bill to the vendor versus what they award to the customer - i.e. Cartera makes absolutely certain that they bill the vendors for every click-through, but is less-than-diligent in posting miles to customers. If there are regularly purchases that slip through the cracks - i.e. Cartera doesn't receive credit and the customer doesn't receive credit, that would strike me as incompetence but not necessarily malfeasance.

FWIW, I think it's incompetence - I have seen discrepancies both in my favor and against me when using the AA shopping portal.

mreed911

Sure you can. There are screen recording programs for every OS. it's even built into OS X standard as part of QuickTime.

mreed911

Point of reference: I was just notified that I have miles pending from a Macy's purchase just over two weeks ago. I expect the Verizon miles, if they attempt to post at all (in any amount) to take closer to the 8-week mark. I've got MacConnection miles I'm still waiting to see, too, and that purchase was after my Verizon purchases.

CVG_Kid

This is why Cartera should INITIATE a process to resolve these orders made based on their advertising. Rather than waiting 8 wks and then another 6 wks they could create a process and web site for those effected to submit claims. The process would confirm my purchase was within the window of error, product was received, process a return merchandise authorization at no cost or restocking fee to the buyer and process the goodwill credit.

I think that is a reasonable expectation from the company to correct their error. My opinion is that the goodwill should be a little higher too but at this point their inaction speaks volumes.

Tpa-flyer

I keep getting emails from Delta to participate in their bonus miles for Back to School shopping portal activity. I am so completely turned off by this Cartera/AA/Verizon fiasco, that I just don't have the stomach for the Delta offer right now. Playing the mileage accrual game sometimes just feels like sucker betting, and it isn't fun when it is I who ends up being the sucker.

FT_Reader

It is one thing to make a mistake once but do it with other items makes really hard to believe it was just an oversight.

MrHalliday

You are correct.
Nothing in the print media, AFAIK.

unicon

You and a lot of other people who want to rationalize their expectation (demand?) to get the 83K miles are jumping to this conclusion without really knowing how the miles are posted for each item. It was explained very well a couple of pages back how the whole thing can be automated without much human intervention. The computer programs implementing all this logic are quite complicated and depending on what kind of bug is in the code, it can appear for different items at different times. But I guess you have to be a software programmer to understand that.

This does not mean that we know for sure that is what happened. But that is the most likely scenario. It will have to be a really stupid management decision to attract customers this way knowing very well that it can end up costing the company a lot more. So my SWAG (scientific wild a** guess, a term used by computer programmers) about the likelihood of what happened -
Software bug - 90%
Disgruntled employee - 9.999%
Management decision - < 0.001%

Stoughton

Maybe their commucations department was involved.

mikeef

Totally spitballing and off topic here, but this screw up does present an interesting way to drive traffic to the online shopping mall: Run a promo where, at a random time every hour/day/week/whatever, one item will give a ridiculous number of miles to the first person who purchases it. If nothing else, you'd have FTers staying on the shopping site all day!

Mike

senorric

Received my charger. Still haven't received ANY email communication from ANY party. Guess I'll wait out the 8 weeks before acting ----

onlybeef42

In being overwhelmed at the massiveness of this thread...

Could someone please provide me the contract information for Verizon and Cartera which has resulted in responses?

And on that note how hard is it to create the sticky which was called for back last time I was up to date (page 130 or so)?

Thanks!

maxmin

+ 1 for that info , please.

cornwallace

I have responded to some PM's with this, but in the interest of full disclosure;


[email protected]


[email protected]

cornwallace

I heard it on the mountaintop (on a portable device I didn't buy on AAdvantage eShopping/Cartera).......Hallelujah brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!^^