Fall/Winter 2012 MileagePlus Bonus PQM/EQM Offer [Targeted]
Sep 15, 2012, 9:04 am
#106
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: UA, 1K
Posts: 156
I did get it, but so?..still not booking UA
three-1K family: me sitting at 110K right now--> got the promotion.
wife: 80K (with another 10K already booked) --> not eligible
son: 85K (with another 5K booked) --> not eligible.
It is still pointless. Last week I booked $7K worth of travel on OAL when expert mode was removed. I don't have the time or inclination to hunt for R space by playing games with award search, combined with EF to guess upgrade probability when R < number of pax. Sad thing is that I have 3 SWU expiring on 12/31 and I rather let them expire than play multiple games: look for the hidden R + guess the bucket load+ W roulette. As someone else put it very eloquently, games should be played on the IFE, not with the booking engines.
I would not have booked these $7K in UA, even the promotion.
Safe travels to all
wife: 80K (with another 10K already booked) --> not eligible
son: 85K (with another 5K booked) --> not eligible.
It is still pointless. Last week I booked $7K worth of travel on OAL when expert mode was removed. I don't have the time or inclination to hunt for R space by playing games with award search, combined with EF to guess upgrade probability when R < number of pax. Sad thing is that I have 3 SWU expiring on 12/31 and I rather let them expire than play multiple games: look for the hidden R + guess the bucket load+ W roulette. As someone else put it very eloquently, games should be played on the IFE, not with the booking engines.
I would not have booked these $7K in UA, even the promotion.
Safe travels to all
Sep 15, 2012, 9:07 am
#107
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,645
I did receive the offer.
Over the last 4 years my travel volume with UA has been pretty consistent. About 110k to 120k flown per year with about 40 out of 52 weeks with a purchased flight. However, I have been flying VX more lately and my UA volume in the last 3 to 4 months has been the lowest it has been in that 4 year span. Hence I assume -- and it is only an assumption -- I am targeted because the system flagged my abnormally lagging activity.
This is not out of the ordinary though. I stay at Hilton far more than my coworker. My Hilton volume is consistent where my coworker can all of a sudden not have any activity for weeks on end. Hilton targeted him several times with promos that I did not receive (though we are both Diamond). I assume Hilton was simply flagging his lack of activity and targeting him for increased business. Again I suspect this is an SOP business practice....
Over the last 4 years my travel volume with UA has been pretty consistent. About 110k to 120k flown per year with about 40 out of 52 weeks with a purchased flight. However, I have been flying VX more lately and my UA volume in the last 3 to 4 months has been the lowest it has been in that 4 year span. Hence I assume -- and it is only an assumption -- I am targeted because the system flagged my abnormally lagging activity.
This is not out of the ordinary though. I stay at Hilton far more than my coworker. My Hilton volume is consistent where my coworker can all of a sudden not have any activity for weeks on end. Hilton targeted him several times with promos that I did not receive (though we are both Diamond). I assume Hilton was simply flagging his lack of activity and targeting him for increased business. Again I suspect this is an SOP business practice....
There seems to be no pattern. Maybe they randomly selected a group to measure behavior and quantify cost/benefit?
Last edited by iluv2fly; Sep 15, 2012 at 9:15 am Reason: merge
Sep 15, 2012, 9:09 am
#108
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: UA GS, Marriott Plt
Posts: 220
Sep 15, 2012, 9:17 am
#109
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: PDX
Programs: UA Global Services / Million Miler, Marriott Ambassador / Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 594
1K MM sitting at 25K PQMs. 1K for last 6-7 years straight, with spend upward of $50K last year including 4-5 full fare international C trips. My travel is down this year so I would have found it hard to even make platinum. Still, with the downgrades and operational chaos post 3/3, I have moved my business to a combo of AS/AA, and nearly all full fare or F. I am a perfect on paper target for this promo, which I received.
And this promo does nothing to entice me to come back whatsoever. Why would I want to spend that kind of money and effort on a half-arsed (50%? Come on!) PQM offer for the joy of receiving additional benefits that don't matter, wondering whether my flight will be canceled or delayed, getting screwed by horrible irrops processing when it does, and generally flying on an airline where passengers and employees alike seem to hate the entire experience? Yeah, sure. Sign me up!
I'll be honest - I feel the only way UA could win me back at this point is to A) get their you know what together with ops so I can depend on them for the most part; and B) gift me 1K next year as a sort of mea culpa, this year we really screwed up, please come back. The rest of this year is lost.
And this promo does nothing to entice me to come back whatsoever. Why would I want to spend that kind of money and effort on a half-arsed (50%? Come on!) PQM offer for the joy of receiving additional benefits that don't matter, wondering whether my flight will be canceled or delayed, getting screwed by horrible irrops processing when it does, and generally flying on an airline where passengers and employees alike seem to hate the entire experience? Yeah, sure. Sign me up!
I'll be honest - I feel the only way UA could win me back at this point is to A) get their you know what together with ops so I can depend on them for the most part; and B) gift me 1K next year as a sort of mea culpa, this year we really screwed up, please come back. The rest of this year is lost.
Sep 15, 2012, 10:01 am
#110
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: SEA & RDM
Programs: UA - 1MM, DL Diamond, AS MVP75, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 8,041
1K currently at 70K with only 15K more planned. I didn't get the offer but I could use it...I probably would have booked an extra flight or two had I gotten it.
I think it is BS to broadly offer a PQM promotion to some but not all M+ members.
I think it is BS to broadly offer a PQM promotion to some but not all M+ members.
Sep 15, 2012, 10:01 am
#111
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Redwood City, CA USA (SFO/SJC)
Programs: 1K 2010, 1P in 2011, Plat for 2012,13,14,15 & 2016. Gold in 17 & 18, Plat since
Posts: 8,826
Maybe "The Great Offer" will make a return?
This isn't the end, it's only the beginning of whatever United will need to do. Wonder if something akin to "The Great Offer" of years back, where you could fax in your other programs in exchange for PQMs, is going to make a return? Good way for United to do some market research on where their customers have gone.
Sep 15, 2012, 10:19 am
#112
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: East Coast
Programs: UA Lifetime Gold, AA Lifetime Platinum, Delta PM, Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,522
This isn't the end, it's only the beginning of whatever United will need to do. Wonder if something akin to "The Great Offer" of years back, where you could fax in your other programs in exchange for PQMs, is going to make a return? Good way for United to do some market research on where their customers have gone.
Sep 15, 2012, 11:09 am
#113
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: BOS, PVG
Programs: United 1K and 1MM, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 10,000
This isn't the end, it's only the beginning of whatever United will need to do. Wonder if something akin to "The Great Offer" of years back, where you could fax in your other programs in exchange for PQMs, is going to make a return? Good way for United to do some market research on where their customers have gone.
SMI/J and Co. think in their own hub box. They truly believe that you have no choice because they own the best network.
Sep 15, 2012, 11:25 am
#115
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 5,825
I think this is just evidence of UA's greater incorporation of Data Mining / Analytics / CRM in their pricing and offer strategies. Customer Segmentation at work...
Another data point is Elite Maximizer - I was getting offered .075 / PQM until I crossed 50,000 miles, now I am offered .085 / PQM.
This is 5 years old, but still interesting / pertinent.
PDF warning!
http://www.wseas.us/e-library/confer...rs/554-165.pdf
"Data mining goals
Our goal is to develop models that generate passenger
revenue value, based on the booking history. We use
customer transaction data to track buying behavior
and create strategic business initiatives. Business can
use these data to divide customers into clusters.
These clusters highlight marketing opportunities such
as cross-selling (selling new products) and up-selling
(selling more of what customers currently buy)."
Another data point is Elite Maximizer - I was getting offered .075 / PQM until I crossed 50,000 miles, now I am offered .085 / PQM.
This is 5 years old, but still interesting / pertinent.
PDF warning!
http://www.wseas.us/e-library/confer...rs/554-165.pdf
"Data mining goals
Our goal is to develop models that generate passenger
revenue value, based on the booking history. We use
customer transaction data to track buying behavior
and create strategic business initiatives. Business can
use these data to divide customers into clusters.
These clusters highlight marketing opportunities such
as cross-selling (selling new products) and up-selling
(selling more of what customers currently buy)."
Sep 15, 2012, 12:02 pm
#116
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Redwood City, CA USA (SFO/SJC)
Programs: 1K 2010, 1P in 2011, Plat for 2012,13,14,15 & 2016. Gold in 17 & 18, Plat since
Posts: 8,826
What if Amazon ran the data-mining/IT department?
I think this is just evidence of UA's greater incorporation of Data Mining / Analytics / CRM in their pricing and offer strategies. Customer Segmentation at work...
Another data point is Elite Maximizer - I was getting offered .075 / PQM until I crossed 50,000 miles, now I am offered .085 / PQM.
This is 5 years old, but still interesting / pertinent.
PDF warning!
http://www.wseas.us/e-library/confer...rs/554-165.pdf
"Data mining goals
Our goal is to develop models that generate passenger
revenue value, based on the booking history. We use
customer transaction data to track buying behavior
and create strategic business initiatives. Business can
use these data to divide customers into clusters.
These clusters highlight marketing opportunities such
as cross-selling (selling new products) and up-selling
(selling more of what customers currently buy)."
Another data point is Elite Maximizer - I was getting offered .075 / PQM until I crossed 50,000 miles, now I am offered .085 / PQM.
This is 5 years old, but still interesting / pertinent.
PDF warning!
http://www.wseas.us/e-library/confer...rs/554-165.pdf
"Data mining goals
Our goal is to develop models that generate passenger
revenue value, based on the booking history. We use
customer transaction data to track buying behavior
and create strategic business initiatives. Business can
use these data to divide customers into clusters.
These clusters highlight marketing opportunities such
as cross-selling (selling new products) and up-selling
(selling more of what customers currently buy)."
...United still can't send me targeted offers involving my home airport, nor places that I might like to fly to, based on past history. That's the low-lying fruit. Can you imagine if Amazon.com ran the data-mining operation at United?
Sep 15, 2012, 12:45 pm
#117
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: body: A stone's throw from SFO, mind: SE Asia
Programs: Some of this 'n some of that
Posts: 17,263
And I'll see your 40k eqm's, not flown since June and no e-mail and raise it to my 68k eqms, not flown since May and no e-mail (tho I do have flights booked for the September and October to re-qualify for 1k for 2013 so maybe that's why no e-mail? [or perhaps as others have mentioned, batch processing])
Sep 15, 2012, 12:57 pm
#118
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SFO and OAK
Programs: FAF, Hyatt <>, SPG PLT
Posts: 2,240
I think this is just evidence of UA's greater incorporation of Data Mining / Analytics / CRM in their pricing and offer strategies. Customer Segmentation at work...
Another data point is Elite Maximizer - I was getting offered .075 / PQM until I crossed 50,000 miles, now I am offered .085 / PQM.
This is 5 years old, but still interesting / pertinent.
PDF warning!
http://www.wseas.us/e-library/confer...rs/554-165.pdf
"Data mining goals
Our goal is to develop models that generate passenger
revenue value, based on the booking history. We use
customer transaction data to track buying behavior
and create strategic business initiatives. Business can
use these data to divide customers into clusters.
These clusters highlight marketing opportunities such
as cross-selling (selling new products) and up-selling
(selling more of what customers currently buy)."
Another data point is Elite Maximizer - I was getting offered .075 / PQM until I crossed 50,000 miles, now I am offered .085 / PQM.
This is 5 years old, but still interesting / pertinent.
PDF warning!
http://www.wseas.us/e-library/confer...rs/554-165.pdf
"Data mining goals
Our goal is to develop models that generate passenger
revenue value, based on the booking history. We use
customer transaction data to track buying behavior
and create strategic business initiatives. Business can
use these data to divide customers into clusters.
These clusters highlight marketing opportunities such
as cross-selling (selling new products) and up-selling
(selling more of what customers currently buy)."
As for how United is choosing who to target, based on the posts here it seems a bit random. When United institutes a change that has negative impacts on customers beyond the first order I give them the benefit of the doubt that they just don't know how to analyze and predict those impacts i.e. they aren't being malicious. In this instance I think they are trying to accomplish the result of winning back customers but don't have much of a clue of which customers they are trying to win back and how to target them.
I have no idea if I was targeted for this or not since the beginning of the year I stopped reading any emails from United that didn't come from an e-mail address of an individual working at United
Sep 15, 2012, 1:07 pm
#119
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,645
There's a certain irony that we give so much credit to United for having the marketing savvy and IT expertise to pull off a targeted offer like this but...
...United still can't send me targeted offers involving my home airport, nor places that I might like to fly to, based on past history. That's the low-lying fruit. Can you imagine if Amazon.com ran the data-mining operation at United?
...United still can't send me targeted offers involving my home airport, nor places that I might like to fly to, based on past history. That's the low-lying fruit. Can you imagine if Amazon.com ran the data-mining operation at United?
Sep 15, 2012, 1:32 pm
#120
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: BOS, PVG
Programs: United 1K and 1MM, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 10,000
I receive daily junk emails from COdbaUA offering hotels, cars, credit cards, merchandise, flight surveys (I'm sure that would seriously read if I reply) and, 787 announcement.
But not a single offer that is relevant.
