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Offer hopping with Mlife- jokes on me

Discussion in 'Comps' started by Gandolf One, Oct 22, 2012.

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  1. Gandolf One

    Gandolf One Tourist

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    okay, interesting experience tonight. Just wondering what ya'll think.

    I have an offer booked with Mandalay Bay for December - Christmas week- but checking out before New Years. My hubby has an offer booked for Bellagio with 3 comped nights and 1 paid night immediately prior. If you have read my prior posts about trip planning, my recent offers were really weak and my hubby's strong although I am the degenerate gambler :eek: We have linked accounts.

    So, I have continually received additional offers that were stronger than my booked Mandalay offer from individual mlife properties.

    After being e-mailed a nice offer today, I called the Mirage to see if that offer was available on my dates in Vegas. As it was Christmas week and there could be black out dates, I didn't think this was feasible but you never know.

    Mirage mlife clerk checked my dates, I explained what I was trying to do, that I had existing offer at Mandalay and Mirage offer was stronger. I asked her if my dates were available. She said absolutely; I confirmed with her the freeplay and resort components. She said yes, she would be happy to book for us but that we needed to cancel my offer with Mandalay prior to booking at Mirage.

    She said she would transfer me over to cancel and Mandalay would transfer me back. Mandalay cancelled, sent me mistakenly to Monte Carlo and then I was transferred back to Mirage mlife but a different clerk. This Mirage clerk was NOT amused with me; she said I had an offer with Bellagio (no, but hubby does) and she could quote me platinum rate. I explained that I had spoken with clerk, confirmed offer and the clerk had transferred me over to Mandalay to cancel. This new clerk said the prior one had noted on my account that I was told 72 hours between offers. This was blatantly untrue. I countered with why would I transfer my existing offer with Mandalay unless I was told I could book Mirage offer. She said my Mandalay reservation was still pending and I may be able to retrieve so she transferred me back to Mandalay.

    Mlife Mandalay said it was too late, sorry, I had cancelled, etc. He said some interesting things- who knows what's true with Mlife these days, though. He repeatedly referred to Mirage as "competition" and repeated the new adage about 72 hours between bookings. Mlife is concerned that you won't earn enough comp dollars to make it worth their while.

    My hubby said unlink our accounts, we have separate offers and then you'll have no issues. We went around for about 10 minutes before I got the "let me talk to my manager" speech. Eventually, after being on hold, he agreed to reinstate the reservation but I haven't yet received confirmation. I believe the quote was "Mandalay will hold up it's promises"


    So, yes, I was "offer" hopping but advice to peeps in this situation, make the mlife clerk at the property you want to book cancel any existing offer before booking a better one. Also, I take full responsibility, but I'm still left with a bad taste over the whole thing. Especially Mirage's clerk's attitude. I'm not the type to "low play" an offer and have already had a couple hundred plus taken unfairly in express comps.

    Any feedback? Yes, I'm in the "wrong", but I'm coming to spend money at your casino, plus bringing hubby and 2 more gamblers. I gamble- if there's a better offer on the horizon, I'm going to try to book it. Doesn't everyone? :rolleyes2:
     
  2. mike_m235

    mike_m235 Tourist

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    Call a host. MLife has been pretty solid enforcing that no back to back offers without a 72 hour break for awhile now -- not sure how you got it booked the first time, but that seems to be kind of a fluke thing, given what I've seen and heard the last couple years.

    The only way to get something done is to get an exception, and there's always an exception if you gamble enough. You might be able to work a 3 night offer in conjunction with your other offer. They won't give you freeplay on it, most likely, but you could get the room.
     
  3. Boogaloo

    Boogaloo Low-Roller

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    That's interesting - I was in a similar situation in early September where I had an offer booked with MGM. Then I got a better offer from Monte Carlo, so I cancelled the MGM and booked with MC.

    And then a day after that I got an even better offer from MGM Grand again, so I booked that best offer (to make sure I got it). Immediately after the call ended, I was called by the person I had spoken to at MGM, stating that I would have to cancel my MC reservation or the MGM one since I couldn't have two offers for within 72 hours of each other. I told her I would cancel the MC one, which I did, and everything worked out fine for me.
     
  4. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    yeah i would never cancel the one offer first before booking the other one. the truth is they don't need you to cancel the offer before they can put in another offer. i've had 2 reservations in at 2 different Mlife hotels for the same time period before and canceled the one i didn't want later. so telling you that you have to cancel first is a lie. it may be policy to have you cancel the one first, but their system will let them add a second one, so insist on that. they can't cancel the other property for you, you have to do that yourself, but insist that they put the new reservation in first.
     
  5. evoni

    evoni High-Roller

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    Got to love M-Life, that's the usual for them confused employees, though I mainly would put the blame on Corporate for the confusion and not the employees for the most part.

    Hosts can always make a exception to the 72 hour rule unless they have changed that recently. However like Mike said they will only give you the free play on one of the offers, though the room or suite will be comped. If they actually give you free play on both stays that are together then I would be interested in knowing that as usually that won't happen.

    One of the things (there's more) that is ticking me off about M-Life is the policy they started last year and are continuing this year is if you stay with them during the holiday gift show they will not let you book a offer with free play in conjunction with it, though room/suite is comped. This is just one of the reasons that more of my gambling is done with Venetian/Palazzo as not only do I get the invite to their gift show which I have always found nicer then Bellagio's anyway, I can combine it with one of my other offers with free play, suite and f&b credit.
     
  6. mike_m235

    mike_m235 Tourist

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    I actually have an MLife offer showing that's good for four nights right now. Never had that before. Maybe because it's over New Years.
     
  7. prozac

    prozac Tourist

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    .. ev you're right .. normally your host has to over-ride the policy ..in general, the freeplay is only good on the first of the offers .., rooms comped ..

    . i did get freeplay on both properties (bellagio & mandalay bay) once, i just went to the players club to ask even though i'm not supposed to get any freeplay due to the 72 hours thing, but they gave me $100 anyways ..

    . .nothing wrong with trying, worse can happen is "no, cannot do" ..

    .. ..cheers
    ..

    $$
     
  8. BnV226

    BnV226 Low-Roller

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    just be careful - I had back to back offers booked, everything seemed ok, and then....2 days into my 3 nt stay (after staying 3 nts at a prior mlife hotel) my Credit card had pending charges (besides the normal hold). Mandalay said they have to charge my room because I already stayed - a day after I already checked into a "compd" suite.
    Moral - check before, during, and after you book back to back - unless it's with a host - that's an entirely different story.
     
  9. Chuck2009x

    Chuck2009x VIP Whale

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    I had a reservation booked at Monte Carlo on an offer for Superbowl weekend in 2009. I decided to call Mandalay Bay to see if I could stay there and they appeared to book me comped.

    But then they called me back and said I'd have to cancel the Monte Carlo reservation first. I did that and then called MB back and they booked me.

    You have the 72 hour thing thrown in also as a twist.

    So it is true that they may make you cancel a reservation for the same dates before you can book a different property; the 72 hour thing seems like it can be overridden. It's unfortunate that you didn't get the the name of the Mirage rep on the first call.
     
  10. Naturaleight

    Naturaleight MIA

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    Can hosts do whatever they want in regards to free play? One property offered me $300 the other $500 in FP. I planned on staying at one for a few days then jumping over to the other and claiming the other FP.

    Will the joke be on me?
     
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