M Life - what would you do different?

Many of us think the program leaves much to be desired. What would you have done differently if you were in charge

At the point that they implemented express comps, I would have divided players into 2 categories. One category would strictly be comped through a host - no express comps earned. I mean everything you can buy with express comps can be comped by a host. It's not like you can use them for retail. That's one of their big problems now - for high rollers, or even people at my level - rooms are comped, food is comped. I don't do shows, I don't do the spa. So I have nothing to spend them on, so they just keep building up - so there is a huge glut of unused express comps on their books.

(I think when they made the program changes and added the express comps - people thought it was extra comps - I think M Life had the intention of it reducing the primary comps. But then people got mad when their primary comps went down.)

Then the rest of us - we would ONLY get point play and express comps (obviously at a higher rate). There would be no other comping. I can completely control how I want to spend them. If I want to pay for my own rooms, and take it all in free play, I can. If I want to take a regular room instead of a suite, I can, thereby using my express comps on something else.

Take us for example, between the two of us - we have $1,350 in food for our September trip - completely wasted on us as we are not foodies. I'd much rather have it in free play.

You'd still earn tier credits that would control your tier - higher tiers would have accelerated earnings on the point play and express comps.

How would you change it.

 

Well, I am on the outside looking in as mostly a CET player.

But from what I've seen of the MLife comments, I'd have kept their old system of comping and offers the same as it was, and focused on building an up to date integrated web front end. In other words, not worry about express comps or fancy new tier branding, but instead just make it so club members have one place they can go that always shows their best offers for each property (and that ideally ties into the rate calendars easily).

It seems that they put all their focus into the rebranding and loyalty aspects, without making sure they had a positive user experience first.

 

I like the way you think Josie. I'm not a high stakes player, but I'm a consistant player. I go to gamble, that's what I enjoy. I play slots and table games. I like a variety. I am in the casino when I wake up, eat quickly and get back to the action. I do go up to the room around 9-10 PM when it gets too crowded. I refuse to fight to give away my money! So I'm basically gambling for 10 hrs a day for three to four days. I have often made spa appts and cancelled them since I can do that at home but I cannot gamble at home. For my loyalty I want nice accomodations, some food (a nice meal here and there but nothing fancy) and a little free play to waste just for fun. I would like the option of getting a better room without begging or made to feel I'm getting something i don't deserve. Keep the other stuff and don't make have to do math. I don't chase comps, I don't have a host but if they stop offering me free rooms I'll find someone who will. I'm sure somebody will want me.

 

While I'll always take more comps, my biggest wish by far is to be able to book out more than ~3 months for a trip. I booked Paris for next March Madness back in April or May. I would be lucky to book that same week with any MGM Property on a comp(or even reduced rate) anytime before Jan and maybe even later.

Basically MLife allows me to plan 1-3 months out. This simply doesn't work for me. I still stay there on occasion, but I generally have a CET backup in place well before I book and MGM prop.



It is somewhat related, but I want a room price search like CET with MGM. I don't know if they don't want me to have that info quickly, or if they just don't know how to do it.

 

They already did that with the original noir program. Noir earned no ECs. But it totally sucked because it made it better to be platinum so you earned ECs which made no sense. Whatever they do needs to be across the board.

 

I so agree. A number of years ago we wanted to stay at the Luxor for 17 days over Christmas and New Years. We needed to book our airfare well in advance to get our frequent flyer seats but when I called my host they had a horrible time giving me rates and comps, etc., telling me that the computer system didn't let them see that far in advance. It was something like 3-4 months in advance. What kind of hotel can't book months in advance like that nowadays?!?! We're planning a trip to Vegas in December right now and already have our CET reservations in place. I want to add a few nights at Luxor on the end but already know if I try to call and do it I will get the runaround so I keep putting it off. I booked the CET reservations online by myself and it only took a few minutes.

 

- Fire the entire IT department. Then take them out to the desert, and have them dig their own graves. Then steal the best 2 guys/gals you can find from Total Rewards to relaunch everything.

- Obviously reverse the "premium slots" tomorrow.

- MAKE IT A POINT to tell players that resort fees are waived for comp stays. Maybe make it a perk for Gold and above. And god forbid, make it universal from casino to casino. Why comp $50-$100 in fees and not tell anyone??

 

Following are three NO BRAINERS. Of course the first one will not happen, but it should.

The premium slots is just stupid. Change other things but stop playing that silly game that is... just stupid.

Resort Fees - like them or not, but they are comped off for almost all comped rooms anyways. Why MGM wants to make people mad instead of making them happy by saying they are covered up front is stupid as well. I have never paid a resort fee, but have been told I have to pay them often. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

 

Maybe here's where a lot of your points ended up... good read.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/casino-analyst-sentenced-to-prison-in-slot-cheating-scheme-165164316.html

 

I hate this so much it makes me mad typing it. I hate the fact that I have to "test" a machine to see if its a rip-off specialty or not before I play. Now if they took these new, shittier, return rates for comps they are all excited about and made EVERY machine the same I would be OK with that. It would sort of level off the beating they will dish out in October.

It frustrates Mrs Grid to the point of madness when she goes to play a Wheel of Fortune slot in an MGM joint, just to be shooed off by me cause its a specialty!

 

I'm sorry - this made me chuckle. I'm right there with you. First thing I will do at the Bellagio in September will to get my free play loaded and then see if they have this list Mlife keeps saying they should have.

My first 2 days, I am double booked at Bellagio and Flamingo. I will try to keep my play at the Bellagio to the reel slots and if I want to play specialty, I will do it at the Flamingo. But I will still check EVERY machine I play at the Bellagio.

 

I think this is a great question to ask.

I have to agree the premium slot thing is just beyond stupid. That's got to go. And they need to fix the website that is for sure. It needs to show all available offers and points...and not be down almost daily.

The more I thought about this the more I think for me (low/medium roller) they seem to have the system down about right. In the past I'd get an offer for X amount of nights, X amount of free play and maybe a resort credit. At the end of my stay I'd go to either the player's club or the host office and ask if they could do anything for me. Usually they could reduce things off my bill.

Now it is the same process but instead of the them taking off the additional charges manually I get that taken care of by express comps.

They seem to be moving towards this for even the higher end players and I think as long as those players earn express comps at a rate that gives them the same perks they had before that this is a good process.

So no matter who plays, they get an offer up front, anything above that you use express comps.

So shoot me if I don't think they are moving in the right direction? I can't believe I said that.

 

I would make it so that you can earn tier points at the same rate of coin in in Tunica/Biloxi/Detroit as you can in Las Vegas.

If you are on a comped room offer, I'd do away with the resort fee. Likewise, I'd jack up the room rate to include the resort fee on non comps.

 

I guess I'm just really unlucky then. Rooms fully comped and I still paid resort fees at Excal, NYNY, and Monte Carlo. If they are truly comped at most MGM properties, I guess this is an example of screw the low roller.

 

Item 1 - stability. The web site goes down more than a cheap hooker.
Item 2 - Better Comps.

Not picky but if they could do any of these two it would be an improvement.

 

What is this 'premium slot' thing y'all are talking about? (I'm NOIR)

Please excuse my ignorance.

 

Most slots that have a name that you can recognize from a movie(Ghostbusters for example) are considered premium slots. These don't give a point for every $2. These give a point for every $10(same as VP). This is base point so it cuts tier points, express comps, and pointplay by 80% of normal on these machines.

 

Welcome to Vegas Message Boards. You might want to scroll though some of the posts, mostly in the COMP section. There are a handful of long discussions about this. If you missed that, you may have missed a few other things.

 

These casinos are underestimating the degree to which comps help people justify what is inherently a poor value.

Vegas is no longer a good cheap trip.

I remember going with my wife in 2001. We stayed 3 nights at luxor in a corner jacuzzi suite. We paid $750 total including flights. We had a blast and felt like it was a good deal, so we blew a grand in the casino and still felt we got a good overall value.

Fast forward to today and the flights alone are around $850. Once we get dinged for luggage fees by the airline and long-hauled by the taxi we are out almost a grand before we even check in.

Now if we are coming in to lose on average $3,000-$5,000 and in addition to paying for the flights, also have to pay for rooms and food, we are looking at a $5,000-$7,500 trip to the middle of the desert to fight for drinks from crabby old ladies who are too worried about making their underwater mortgage payments to focus on giving jolly service. All the while sitting in the last place on earth you have to breath in smoke as a non-smoker.

Dude.

That is a rip off.

Since all this fancy shit has gone in Vegas has been a huge ripoff, but at least I could trick myself into thinking it was a better deal with the comps.


Now its just a plain ole Central Park Law & Order SVU butt-jacking.

Fuck the least they can do is hire Ice Cube or Ice Tea or Tea Bag or whoever that guy is who plays Officer Tutuola as a host to come hold my hand while I head into the hosts office and get told my $5,000 loss doesn't qualify me for a buffet line pass.

again, as I mentioned in another post. I can take my $5K to wal-mart, but a 1.75 of Svedka, pick up a $30 Puerto Rican troll on the south side, drive thru Long John Silvers and Burger King for "surf-n-turf" and then head home to watch my dual 46"s in the BeeeJay mancave, one on Reality Kings, the Other on NFL Sunday ticket.

I call it self-comping.

Suck it MGM.

 

Seriously though, one of my biggest gripes is the way they word it "We've made a good thing even better. After listening to your feedback, we are making some exciting changes to M life" as if anyone said "MGM execs, you know what would really push Mlife to an exciting whole new level? Cut my comps! And not just one, I mean cut my tier credits, Point Play, and don't forget my Express Comps - cut those as well!"

My intelligence would be less offended if they just said "Due to our extremely heavy debt load we are going to reduce comps, sorry for the inconvience."