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Sharing recent problems with casino hotels

CAESARS PALACE
I booked a room at Caesars using one of the free monthly rooms coupons
they send you in Caesars Quarterly magazine. I didn't realize it was
only good for three nights and put in dates for four nights. All
nights came back as free and I printed out a confirmation that stated
check in was November 27 and check out as Dec 1 with a total of $0.00.

A couple of days after checking out of the room I noticed that my
reward credit balance had gone down by $114.45 -- I called Caesars to
find out why $114.45 in reward credits had been removed from my
account and was told that my offer was only for three nights, so they
charged me for the fourth night and automatically took it out of my
RCs. I protested and even faxed over my confirmation showing all
nights to be free, but they still haven't replaced my RCs.

Nobody called me ahead of time to tell me there was a problem. Nobody
said a word to me when I checked in. They just took the money out of
my comps. I suppose if I didn't have the RCs in my account they
probably would've charged my credit card. I wish they had as I'm sure
I would have more recourse with the credit card company than with
thieves like HET.

PALAZZO/VENETIAN
On November 19 we checked into Palazzo (quick, unplanned trip to pick
up materials for our business). I booked an offer of $100 free play
and $50 dining credit. We got the room and I went down to the casino.
I haven't given them much play, but wanted to get the remainder of
points needed to keep gold status for the next year and wanted to get
my offers going again.

As I went to put my slot card in the machine I noticed the display
showed "slot not rating" – in looking around I noticed that ALL the
machines said that. I found a slot floor person and asked what was
going on. He told me that they were upgrading the system and it would
not be back up until 9pm, but he assured me that if I played with my
card the play would be recorded. He even went and checked with someone
else and came back to tell me he had verified that the play would
record. Trusting what he said, I played. (This situation of the system
being down had just happened to me a week before at Excalibur and the
points immediately registered when the system came back up, so I had
no reason not to believe otherwise.)

Apparently, with the system being down even the TITO function of the
machines wasn't working. When you hit cash out the machine would
display "please wait" and then finally it would say "call attendant,
handpay required" and the music would start playing as if you'd hit a
jackpot. You would think a slot attendant would just come over and pay
you, but NO, the slot attendant would only write you a ticket for the
amount and you had to then take it all the way over to the cashier to
get your money! That really screwed up my play. If I hit anything
decent I normally cash out and put in another bill. I hit two low
kicker quads for $500 each and didn't cash out because I didn't want
to go through that hassle. Of course, I then played it all back. I
ended up losing $1,500 for about 5-1/2 hours of play (half dollar
single line TDB and quarter triple play/five play TDB).

I played until 10pm. The system was supposed to come back up at 9pm.
It didn't, so I was not able to get my free play. The next morning at
8am I went to Club Grazie to get the free play put on my card. I was
told the system didn't come back up until 1am! They also told me they
didn't know how to get in the computer system after the upgrade! So,
she took my info and said they'll note my account and honor my free
play on my next trip. Of course, since they couldn't access the system
they couldn't look up anything about my play from the previous night.
However, when I stuck my card in a machine on this morning the points
still registered the same amount of points I had prior to starting my
play.

When we got home, I checked online and my play had not registered. I
spent an hour on the phone (on hold, mostly) speaking with a Club
Grazie Supervisor. After going back and forth and back and forth she
finally was able to tell me how many points I had for the year, but
couldn't break anything down. The number she gave me was the same
amount of points I had prior to playing. She said she would call me in
a few days (when she comes back on duty) and give me an update.

A couple days ago, the Club Grazie supervisor called me all excited
telling me that they'd finally figured out how much they were going to
credit me for my play. She went on to say they had given me 1,300
points -- that's the equivalent of $3,250 coin in! I know I had to
play at least $15,000 coin in. She also said there's nothing they can
do about the loss showing up on my win/loss statement. Marketing will
also not get the information regarding my play for that day, so I
guess I might as well have just walked in the door and handed them
$1,500 since I got nothing for it.

I don't even know if I have any recourse or where I should go from
here with this situation.

Justmarelv,

Re: "If I hit anything decent I normally cash out and put in another bill."

Why do you put in another bill and not just let the credits add up onto one
ticket?

I've seen other people do this, too. But, I just don't understand why they
do it.

Is it some kind of 'good luck' ritual?

Curtis

···

On Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 10:31 AM, justmarelv <justmare111@aol.com> wrote:

Apparently, with the system being down even the TITO function of the
machines wasn't working. When you hit cash out the machine would
display "please wait" and then finally it would say "call attendant,
handpay required" and the music would start playing as if you'd hit a
jackpot. You would think a slot attendant would just come over and pay
you, but NO, the slot attendant would only write you a ticket for the
amount and you had to then take it all the way over to the cashier to
get your money! That really screwed up my play. If I hit anything
decent I normally cash out and put in another bill. I hit two low
kicker quads for $500 each and didn't cash out because I didn't want
to go through that hassle.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hitting something $500 or over and cashing out the ticket and putting
in another hundred normally makes me play a little smarter. If I'm not
hitting something I'm more likely to move to another machine. If I
leave the credits on the machine I'm more likely to play it down to
nothing. It's just a money management tool for me.

Justmarelv,

Re: "If I hit anything decent I normally cash out and put in another

bill."

Why do you put in another bill and not just let the credits add up

onto one

ticket?

I've seen other people do this, too. But, I just don't understand

why they

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Curtis Rich" <LGTVegas@...> wrote:

do it.

Is it some kind of 'good luck' ritual?

Curtis

On Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 10:31 AM, justmarelv <justmare111@...> wrote:

> Apparently, with the system being down even the TITO function of the
> machines wasn't working. When you hit cash out the machine would
> display "please wait" and then finally it would say "call attendant,
> handpay required" and the music would start playing as if you'd hit a
> jackpot. You would think a slot attendant would just come over and pay
> you, but NO, the slot attendant would only write you a ticket for the
> amount and you had to then take it all the way over to the cashier to
> get your money! That really screwed up my play. If I hit anything
> decent I normally cash out and put in another bill. I hit two low
> kicker quads for $500 each and didn't cash out because I didn't want
> to go through that hassle.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hitting something $500 or over and cashing out the ticket and putting
in another hundred normally makes me play a little smarter. If I'm not
hitting something I'm more likely to move to another machine. If I
leave the credits on the machine I'm more likely to play it down to
nothing. It's just a money management tool for me.

Sprinkling a little salt over your left shoulder should have the same
effect.

Cogno

That's an uncalled for remark. We all have our own ways of managing
our bankroll. Cashing out a ticket and starting fresh helps me not put
it all back in. If you don't agree with that way of money management,
fine, but there's no reason to be a jackass making stupid comments.

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Cogno Scienti" <cognoscienti@...> wrote:

> Hitting something $500 or over and cashing out the ticket and putting
> in another hundred normally makes me play a little smarter. If I'm not
> hitting something I'm more likely to move to another machine. If I
> leave the credits on the machine I'm more likely to play it down to
> nothing. It's just a money management tool for me.

Sprinkling a little salt over your left shoulder should have the same
effect.

Cogno

Justmare
Did the same thing on my last trip (at a lot lower level :). I'd put
in a Twenty and as soon as I hit $60 or more, would cash out and put
in another $20. It proved a great money management tool for me.
Matthew

Hitting something $500 or over and cashing out the ticket and

putting

in another hundred normally makes me play a little smarter. If I'm

not

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "justmarelv" <justmare111@...> wrote:

hitting something I'm more likely to move to another machine. If I
leave the credits on the machine I'm more likely to play it down to
nothing. It's just a money management tool for me.

   but there's no reason to be a jackass making stupid comments.

You;re being very kind! I agree with your response. Your response was
tempered, and correct. We also cash out, and re-feed Benjamins. We
understand what we're doing, but we think more after we've dropped $100,
instead of mindlessly chewing a good win down to nothing.

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com <vpFREE%40yahoogroups.com>, "Cogno Scienti"
<cognoscienti@...> wrote:
>
> > Hitting something $500 or over and cashing out the ticket and putting
> > in another hundred normally makes me play a little smarter. If I'm not
> > hitting something I'm more likely to move to another machine. If I
> > leave the credits on the machine I'm more likely to play it down to
> > nothing. It's just a money management tool for me.
>
> Sprinkling a little salt over your left shoulder should have the same
> effect.
>
> Cogno
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

···

On Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 5:14 PM, justmarelv <justmare111@aol.com> wrote:

<<there's no reason to be a jackass making stupid comments.>>

We are in complete agreement.

Cogno

Thank you!

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Michael Stapp" <MichaelStapp@...> wrote:

On Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 5:14 PM, justmarelv <justmare111@...> wrote:

> but there's no reason to be a jackass making stupid comments.
>

You;re being very kind! I agree with your response. Your response was
tempered, and correct. We also cash out, and re-feed Benjamins. We
understand what we're doing, but we think more after we've dropped $100,
instead of mindlessly chewing a good win down to nothing.

Update on the Palazzo situation. Lily just called me and told me
they've decided to give me a total of 7,700 points ($19,250 coin in).
That puts me over to keep gold status for next year. That won't do
anything about my marketing offers or loss, though.

justmarelv wrote:

Update on the Palazzo situation. Lily just called me and told me
they've decided to give me a total of 7,700 points ($19,250 coin in).
That puts me over to keep gold status for next year. That won't do
anything about my marketing offers or loss, though.

Congrats! I get what you're saying about your trip average, but the
result still must be entirely satisfying. (I enter such discussions
with extraordinarily low expectations.)

- H.-

Cogno Scienti wrote:

<<there's no reason to be a jackass making stupid comments.>>

We are in complete agreement.

I'm at a loss as how to best put this, but that's not one of your
prouder comebacks.

- H.

thanks! I'm thrilled to at least get that far. :slight_smile:

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Harry Porter" <harry.porter@...> wrote:

justmarelv wrote:
> Update on the Palazzo situation. Lily just called me and told me
> they've decided to give me a total of 7,700 points ($19,250 coin in).
> That puts me over to keep gold status for next year. That won't do
> anything about my marketing offers or loss, though.

Congrats! I get what you're saying about your trip average, but the
result still must be entirely satisfying. (I enter such discussions
with extraordinarily low expectations.)

- H.-

Now, now. Be nice! <smile>

..... bl

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Cogno Scienti" <cognoscienti@...> wrote:

Sprinkling a little salt over your left shoulder should have the same
effect.

Cogno

Cogno Scienti wrote:

> Sprinkling a little salt over your left shoulder should have the
> same effect.

bornloser1537 wrote:

Now, now. Be nice! <smile>

I earnestly believe this was simply a matter-of-fact observation, with
no underlying message ... gratuitous, nonetheless.

- H.

I have had several occasions at the Venetian-Pallazo where it was
necessary to ask for a correction or an adjustment of some kind and
have always found a club supervisor or a host who has been patient and
fair or even more than fair. They are better at this than most other
Vegas casinos. If only the people who determine their video poker
policies were as reasonable ...

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "justmarelv" <justmare111@...> wrote:

thanks! I'm thrilled to at least get that far. :slight_smile:

Update: After another email to HET three days ago, my Reward Credits
for the Caesars room night were put back in my account this morning. :slight_smile: