For some reason, this latest change from Total Rewards has really set me off. Plus, I’ve already heard from a number of players who also are not happy with the new rules.
Will we have to bring along
a copy of our marriage license or domestic partnership agreement to prove our eligibility when we apply for a Companion card (or a new card after Jan. 31, 2018)?
Will paperwork showing we live at the same address be sufficient? Not everyone who is partnered – legally or otherwise – lives together (or has the same legal address – for any number of reasons), so
that’s not a valid option. Likewise, there are lots of “non-couples” who have the same address. In New York and other major metropolitan cities, individuals who live in large apartment buildings – coops, condos, rentals, etc. – all have the same address on their driver’s licenses. And what about people who don’t have driver’s licenses? Are they going to have to bring along a utility bill or some other form of proof? What about two roommates? A widowed mother (or father) and son/daugher living together? Two brothers or sisters? A widow or widower and partner who don’t choose to wed because of benefits they would lose from their deceased spouse? Long-term couples who choose not to wed. . .well, just because.
And, how will Total Rewards distinguish these relationships – and is it even any of their business?
Are employees really going to have to ask customers if they are married (or otherwise legally connected in some fashion) – and then ask for proof? [And, they better be consistent in how this is handled, or they’re opening up themselves to legal action. The American Civil Liberties Union, as well as representatives from the Human Rights Campaign, and other advocacy groups will just be waiting to see if a same-sex couple is treated the same way as a heterosexual couple.]
Instead of cracking
down on alleged abusers, Total Rewards has chosen to penalize the majority of its customers who don’t abuse the privilege.
Plus, they’re taking away one more benefit from those who are not married/legally partnered (or have spouses or legal partners who also are Seven Stars cardholders).
It also was a poor public relations move not to tell anyone about this change. I learned about this from a friend who just this week tried to assign her Companion card to her son-in-law and was told she couldn’t.
I realize the rules state, “Management reserves all rights to cancel, modify or alter this program at any time with no notice, unless required by regulation,” so Total Rewards had no legal obligation to notify its customers about this change, but wouldn’t it have been the “right” thing to do? .
When airline frequent flyer programs make changes to their rules, most give six months, if not a year’s advance notice.
Darryl
···
Darryl D. McEwen, Publisherhttp://www.sevenstarsinsider.com
Click here for latest news about Caesars Entertainment
Follow me on Twitter: @7StarsInsider
Read my Mr. AC Casino column in the Atlantic City Weekly
and my travel articles at TravelZork.com