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CET Never Does RFB?

Discussion in 'Comps' started by Naturaleight, Oct 18, 2012.

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  1. Naturaleight

    Naturaleight MIA

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    I use to be Diamond but really became disillusioned with CET and their corporate bean counter BS, and I switched to MGM.

    Anyway just got off the phone with my new assigned host for every CET casino across the country. I booked an offer with CET that I couldn't resist for free play, but the host told me they never do RFB. Really?

    I had about an hour Baccarat session last time I was at one of their properties just playing. I didn't even stay there, and dropped about $5k. He said he couldn't do anything based upon the last trip. I don't even think he could put me in a suite.

    When I was Diamond in Atlantic City, I use to get RFB all the time.

    I thought that was really strange. No RFB, ever? Very stingy given my history with them, and for a 5k loss from last time. Is this common from CET? I suspect it is which is why I left in the first place.
     
  2. CaptainJack

    CaptainJack Low-Roller

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    RFB at CET basically means your RC's aren't touched to pay for the meals. I've seen it plenty of times in AC, but never in Vegas. Keep in mind in AC, there are taxes and fees that aren't charged in Vegas, so perhaps they more liberty to throw around terms like RFB there.

    In the end it shouldn't matter to you, your host has the power to dip into discretionary comp pools if you use up all your RC's. If you're putting in the play that should result in everything being comped, it will be...charge it all to your room and live like you would at RFB.
     
  3. paperposter

    paperposter MIA

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    i get offers for free food and play all the time for ac but not vegas
    i also got free play for reno
     
  4. oc_guy

    oc_guy Low-Roller

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    AC and Reno need to drive more revenue to keep up, so they have better offers to get people there. They have to settle with lower margins in order to sustain enough revenue to stay afloat.
     
  5. Funkhouser

    Funkhouser In Charge of the Big Door

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    Now I have had RFB comped on the back end but never on the front with CET, unless it was part of the marketing offer. Example $300 FP, 3 Nights, and either show tickets or $100 dinning comp or credit at restos.

    In the food comps, its always charge it too room and it will be taken off the bill. What I typically will do is use my TR comps while on the trip if I know I will exceed. Trying to get a comp slip from host during the stay has been tough. I have never had a case where if my play was heavy, that they did not write down my F&B bill (minus tips) off with a discrentionary comp. Typically for me it has been in the $300 range for 3 days and some of the mini bar comps. However there is no promise they wont go after your TR credits first, but I typically will try to spend those down on Spa services or gift shop so they are not available to the host at checkout.
     
  6. dankyone

    dankyone VIP Whale

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    CET seems to "front load" their offers differently than MGM--they will offer you big free play up front and some token food but not "RFB" up front.

    It seems to be their policy in LV to take all of your reward credits before comping any F&B on a discretionary basis, which they absolutely WILL do, if play warrants--earning 1000 or more tier credits/day seems to be about the threshold where meaningful discretionary comps (beyond your reward credits) kick in.

    If you did not take any comps at all the last time and showed a $5k loss, "remind" them of that this time around if they give you any resistance to picking up food and beverage, assuming it is the same property.
     
  7. paperposter

    paperposter MIA

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    at ballys in vagas during check out i used all my reward credits and a day host picked up the balance but had ask
     
  8. LAV

    LAV Tourist

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    CET usually does not do RFB upfront unless you are a very, very strong player. However, even if they don't offer up front, if you have a good host, things can still be picked up. There have been recent trips where my play barely puts a dent, yet my host still picks up the charges.

    Again, just know that in Vegas, they will use your TR credits first, but that host can still pick up your charges if your play warrants.
     
  9. leo21

    leo21 VIP Whale

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    Once you build a relationship with a host, they will be more forthcoming on what they can do and they definitely can and will comp over and above your comps. But they will almost never guarantee comps, especially not in Vegas. It will take a few visits to get to that point. The question is do you want to invest to effort.
     
  10. JillyFromPhilly

    JillyFromPhilly Tourist

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    Anymore, at most of the top-tier strip places it's getting virtually impossible to get true, "old school", 100% unlimited & guaranteed upfront RFB with no set limit - even whales are ultimately accountable to their theo anymore in terms of what they'll charge off - so really, even if a place says they're giving you "RFB" anymore, you really still need to be mindful what charges you're running up in relation to your play - or you could still wind up getting a mid-dinner "visit" from & embarrassing chat with your host no matter how big you're playing.
     
  11. Naturaleight

    Naturaleight MIA

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    This is exactly what I don't want to have to do. I'm not gonna beg them to pick up my food, and I don't like it being murky as to what will be picked up and what will not.

    If CET doesn't offer RFB up front to anyone in LV, as it sounds like is the case, including those betting $500+ (or even black for that matter) is making a huge mistake choosing TotalRewards over MLife.

    It is exactly this kind of corporate bureaucracy that makes me so glad I give my business to MGM.

    I'm surprised you say that Jilly. I've never had a problem having truly unlimited RFB at MGM properties, and frankly I think your action is far greater than mine. Last trip we had $1,000 dinners every night on purpose just so we could try some exquisite cuisine and liquor that I'll probably never get a chance to try again. Our host had no problem picking it all up. Maybe your not playing at the right places that appreciate your action.

    P.S. Does anyone else get the feeling these newly assigned CET "across the country" hosts don't know what they are doing? I specifically told this new host I may need 3 beds, in which case he suggested another room and wanted to charge me for it LOL... Never had a host suggest that. Then I said no thanks I'll just take the 2 queen beds. I check the reservation and the guy booked me in 1 King!
     
  12. dankyone

    dankyone VIP Whale

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    I agree, the CET "national casino marketing" hosts are nothing special.

    Nothing is unlimited anymore--supposedly these days at MGM properties, RFB is limited to $350/day. Frankly, that is not very much if you are playing at high limits and eating at good restaurants. BUT, Caesars Palace will comp more food and bev than they will at Bellagio/Aira for the same action.
     
  13. Naturaleight

    Naturaleight MIA

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    I'm not sure where you're getting this figure of $350. This has not been my experience.
     
  14. dankyone

    dankyone VIP Whale

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    It has been posted here--which of course is no guarantee of accuracy.

    In years past, I have easily taken far more than that even when only on RFL at Bellagio, but supposedly now the UPFRONT limit is $350/day. If you are there and playing big, of course RFB will include much more. It is just not necessarily guaranteed upfront.
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2012
  15. JillyFromPhilly

    JillyFromPhilly Tourist

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    I think you're misunderstanding what I mean - but what I was trying to say is that even when they give you "RFB" upfront at most places anymore, even if they don't have an explicit limit on it [though most places do - even MGM started putting nominal caps on virtually all upfront offers earlier this year] - if you're charges aren't supported by your action, maybe you'll "get away" with going way overboard once or twice - but even if you do your offers will likely dry up or come with a cap going forward - and even more likely is if your F&B charges start going off the rails, you'll get politely schooled by your host - most good ones will keep an eye on both your charges and your play throughout your trip - so odds are, if you've been having $1000 dinners, your theo has been enough to cover them regardless of whether they've truly been "unlimited" upfront or not.

    For example, I regularly have incredibly lavish, expensive meals and I never have had a Problem having them picked up - but I also know that my theo is going to cover whatever I charge, so I'm not really concerned with whether or not there's a cap on my "upfront" F&B or not because I know it will be taken care of on the back-end - but even I still wouldn't be out there regularly having $5K meals with a per-trip theo of $50+K even if I did have "unlimited" upfront RFB - Yes, there was a time when RFB really meant unlimited - but anymore, most places - MGM & Caesars are the best examples, since they're the most transparent - have moved to a cap on daily RFB spending on any upfront offers - but that doesn't mean that I can't [or don't] regularly have F&B, spa, etc. charges that easily run into the thousands of dollars a day sometimes - my play supports it, so that's fine - but if it didn't - you can believe I'd probably hear from my host at some point during the trip telling me to reign it in.

    The problem is that back when RFB was truly "unlimited" [which is really a fallacy, it was never truly unlimited for 95% of people who got it] - too many people took advantage or low/no played them - and the casinos aren't willing to take that risk anymore - so most of them have a cap somewhere in the fine print - or will only agree to evaluate on the back-end now - to keep those who would take advantage from ordering the caviar & Dom Perignon on a theo that doesn't support it - but it doesn't mean that they won't comp the moon off on the back-end for those that have the theo to support it - but if you haven't, go read some of the trip reports from our resident "whale" Natedogg - you'll see even with $500K in FM and a $2.5M LOC, even he is beholden to his theo - they'll only let him take so much expensive wine or Louis XIII.

    But, all that being said - this is an area were having a good host will help you out, too - if you go overboard once in a while, a good host can & will overcomp you from time to time - but if you do it every time, it will eventually become a problem.
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2012
  16. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    there's currently 2 levels of RFB at Mlife properties. there's RFB and there's RFB2. most people these days get RFB2. that is limited to $350 per day upfront per bedroom. if you have a 2BR suite, that means it's $700 per day upfront. as Jilly said, that doesn't mean that more can't be comped, but it's not guaranteed upfront. it will only be comped based on your play that trip. if you low play them for whatever reason, you will get $350 per day comped, then they'll take your ECs. i know that much for sure because it's happened to me. i know the host has a very small amount of leeway to overcomp you like $500 F&B off primary comps, but that's about it. the rest will come from your ECs.

    there still is true RFB which is unlimited upfront, but only really large players that are pulling $70-100k theo per trip or more get that these days because they know the theo will be there to cover it.
     
  17. blackjacknut

    blackjacknut VIP Whale

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    I'm RFB at Hotel32....however I know there is a limit. Basically it goes like this...I check in they tell me my free play, I'm RFB, tell me my room is covered, I sign the papers, walk me to my Loft, show me around my room, I tip Eddie (Bellhop) and say thank you.

    Later in the day my host calls me on my cell phone I go meet her, she hugs me, makes small chit chat, we walk into her office, she casually looks at her computer while talking, looks at my account, my front money (she already knows my CL) and says very casually I'm covering $XXXX RFB upfront and winks at me. She will look at my account again before checking out make adjustments, take some EC's if needed and that is it. This is the way it happens every time I go to Vegas.

    So true unlimited RFB I don't think exists anymore, unless you are a WHALE and then I have to question it.
     
  18. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    weird, i've never had a conversation like that with any of my hosts. everything is confirmed on the phone or via email beforehand and once i arrive and sign in, i'm off and running. in fact at the Skylofts or Mansion you don't even check-in, they just walk you straight to your room and you give the butler the credit card you want to use and you're done.
     
  19. JillyFromPhilly

    JillyFromPhilly Tourist

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    Same here - terms/offer [whatever you want to call it, since I know semantics sometimes trips people up on here] are hammered out over phone or via e-mail, always confirmed via e-mail, and then check-in is usually either VIP services/sky or tower suites/etc [depending on the property it differs] and is essentially the same as check-in at any other hotel - the only other conversation I usually have with my host [beyond social chit-chat or special requests ] is EOT [or close to it], usually just for them to confirm everything was covered & for them to give "airfare" if earned.
     
  20. blackjacknut

    blackjacknut VIP Whale

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    She always takes me out to eat one night when I'm in town...so I guess I'm just more social with my host. I use the time that we discuss the RFB for chit chat and give her a gift at this time also. My host is very personable and I don't mind that at all. It's not like we talk every day while I'm in Vegas but we do interact off an on, not too much just enough.
     
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