Here is an example of the typical type of screw up that one might run
into when dealing with slot clubs. Be prepared for this type of
thing, and don't be afraid to question the word of the casino people.
I recently played a double points promotion at a southern area
casino. This was one of those deals where you have to sign up for
the double points prior to play, and they are later credited to your
account manually.
I signed up for the double points, and played for quite a while. At
the end of the day the card reader showed enough (single) points for
about $170 in cash back, so I expected to get $340 when I cashed in
my points. I left and came back the next morning to cash in my
points, which the slot booth lady said amounted to $170. I asked if
they had manually doubled the points yet, and she said that they
had. So I asked her to check again because I didn't think that my
points had been doubled. She checked, and said she needed to get her
supervisor to look at my account. Supervisor looked at my account
and said "but you didn't play any yesterday". I told her that I had
played a LOT yesterday, and what about all the points on my card?
She said "those points are showing up as being played TODAY!" So I
asked her (1) Why would I sign up for double points, and then not
play at all on that day, but then (2) turn around a play a huge
number of points on the very next day, which (3) would be impossible
because I had been asleep and had not been in the casino the second
day until just now when I came in to collect my cash back? I also
suggested that it was possible that I had run "overtime" by a few
minutes the previous night, which might have caused the computer to
credit all of my points onto the following day for some wierd
reason. I was very nice about the whole thing, which I think helped
because she agreed with me and went ahead and credited the double
points without further argument.
After this episode, I had a few observations:
(1) In situations like this, know before hand what you should be
getting from the slot club. If what they tell you doesn't match your
calculations, keep asking questions until either they give you what
you deserve, or you are satisfied that you have made a mistake.
(2) It helps to know a casino's slot club system as well, if not
better, than the casino employees themselves.
(3) People who are unable or unwilling to make the calculations to
correlate points to cash back are at a real disadvantage. If I
didn't know what my points should have been worth, I would have just
taken the slot person's word that my points had already been doubled,
and would have missed out on $170.
(4) Here is yet another reason to despise those mystery systems such
as what you might find at a Harrah's casino. Without knowing how
many points I had earned, or how much those points were worth, I
would not have had any ammunition for my argument.
(5) Don't get mad or upset when this type of problem happens (which
it will - sooner or later). Just state the facts calmly and
clearly.
EE