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Part 1 of the Blog of Which Part 2 Mostly Wrote Itself
Old Blog, New Point
A couple of years ago I perpetrated a blogitem about just how bad the "Rewards" web site of American Express is from the point of view of someone actually trying to use it. They've had two years to respond to my suggestion that they disclose the model number of the devices they are offering. Guess what:
| I emailed an inquiry as to the model number of a particular camera they offered as a "reward." |
|
Response (Jaspreet
Singh) 06/02/2010 02:26 AM Hello Richard, |
| One obsequious but inaccurate reply later, I pointed out that I couldn't find that model anywhere. |
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Response (Laishram
Singh) 06/02/2010 11:05 AM Dear Richard Factor, |
| I remind them that the model number quoted doesn't actually exist and could they, just possibly, look at the product or the product box instead of their inaccurate blurb and maybe get it right? |
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Response (Laishram
Singh) 06/02/2010 02:56 PM Dear Richard Factor, |
A Day and Six Emails Later
A day of calendar time and a half hour of my/their real time wasted just trying to find out the model number of a product they were trying to provide, which model could have been listed (correctly) in literally seconds on their web site. At this point I still don't know the proffered model, and the Singhs and I are getting pretty tired of each other by now. Worse, I am reduced to using the telephone.
"Hello, this is John. Can I help you?"
John, his real name unless AmEx told him to lie, spent some time reassuring me that my business was important to them. I bet they tell that to all the guys. But then, happily and coincidentally, he turned out to be an amateur photographer, and approached the identity of the camera with a bit more intuition than my email correspondents. After scrutinizing their own "reward" information and the Nikon web site, he agreed that I was probably correct about the identity of the camera. But, he said, "I'm only 90% sure." Still wanting to be cautious with my 71K AmEx points, I asked for his suggestions. He admitted that he could probably unearth the truth by making some telephone calls, but he had a much better idea for me.
Did I know that:
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Sears sells this 71K AmEx-point camera for $379?
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That I can get $400 worth of Land's End gift cards for 40K points?
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That Sears, (for whatever mysterious reason,) accepts Land's End gift cards?
No I did not! But I do now, THANK YOU JOHN!
Seeing a new camera almost in my paws, I thanked John profusely, reminded him that his existence had been very important to me, and adjured him to remonstrate with the evil schnurgs who prepare the Rewards web site about their erroneous entry. (Where's Vomax when I need him?)
Tomorrow I Actually Buy the Camera At Sears
It will not have been as easy as you think.
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NP: |
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TotD A restaurant in Hawaii, to which I (of course) have never been. I wonder if they realized when they were founded in 1882 how prophetic the name of their establishment would become. |
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| Richard Factor |