Snotty host or sensitive gambler?

Short background - I have been going to the Beau in Biloxi 3-4 times a year for the past 3 years. I always get comp rooms FP and my ECs cover my meals. After many years of getting offers for Vegas I take them up on it. Three nights, tickets to a show and $150 FP. It is my bad timing to book just before the Mlife changes. I am not a big shot gambler but gamble all day. Mainly slots but also craps and BJ (not enough to count). I gamble about 6-8 hrs a day, usually dollar slots.

I arrive last Fri at the Mirage for 4 nights (3 comp 1 @ casino rate) and pay $80/night for an upgrade to penthouse. I had one of my worst runs of luck ever. It's Monday afternoon and after gambling my heart out I have a whopping $40 in ECs! Between the change from 1 for every $3 instead of $2 and changing everything to a specialty slot I felt really beat up. I figured either my ECs or any of my stake I didn't lose would cover at least my food. Not even close. So I decide to stop in at the host desk to see if they could cut me some slack on the room. They may not, but it never hurts to ask. So I explain to her that the effects of new program were more than I imagined and is there anything she could do to ease my pain. She looks up my acct and instead of saying a simple I'm sorry there is nothing I can do she tells me that I did not put in the minimum 3k a day and she would not have even given me the comp room. She said I was very lucky to get what I had. That very well may have been true but it really ticked me off. They sent me the offer, I didn't ask for it. I put in at least $1500 a day,went from the zero pts to over 40k in this one trip. I expected the new program to give less than I would normally earn but I was shocked at how little ECs I earned. I felt the host was rubbing salt in the wound. I am far from destitute and can afford paying for the trip but was shocked at her attitude. Do you think I took it too personally or was her "you're lucky you got what you did" attitude uncalled for?

 

Update.

Just checked my Mlife acct - over 112k points in this one trip. From zero to Gold in a few days.

 

I've gotten that kind of statement before --
ahh ?......?
You tried and it didn't work for you ...this time.
Try a different host next time - they might help
you out on a different day.

 

I was fine with being told no, I just did not appreciate her attitude that I did not deserve what I had already been given.

 

She could have worded it better.

 

I'd say that was fairly bad form for a person whose whole job is customer service.

 

I think the host was in the wrong. She absolutely could have handled it better. I had a similar experience at Aria about a year and a half ago and they lost my business for a year (and almost considered abandoning all MGM properties entirely). Maybe you didn't play enough for them, but they should have handled it differently

 

Maybe I am missing something. 112,000 points in one trip is serious play. Over half way to Plat. Not sure how much was BEFORE or AFTER the fun discussion with the host.

 

Wow - really. I mean 112,000 tier credits under the new program would equal what - like 160,000 tier credits under the old program (is my math correct?). What the heck is wrong with that. Find a new host.

 

A number of my trips to Bellagio have ended in this sort of situation. At least you know you are maximizing your comp value, but it does leave a very sour taste in the mouth, particularly after a loss.

 

they always say that. i guess they think that it's better to hear that you already got more than you deserved rather than just hearing "no" with no explanation. when i ask for more and my host has already overcomped me, he says something like, "i just can't do that, i already took really good care of you this trip." i know what that means.

it does suck when you get hammered and lose quickly and on top of that don't get the play in that you expected, but that's how it goes sometimes. i had that happen a couple of trips ago and it really hurts your comps and sucks big time. nothing worse than making a big loser and on top of that hearing that they can't pick anything else up because your theo was so low. if i'm going to lose, i hope that i can put in long hours and get lots of theo so at least i get everything picked up.

 

I know it takes time for some credits to post. When I spoke to her I think I had at least 45k. I'm sure the $800 I paid at check out added up (after applying my fabulous $40 in ECs). At least I got credit for that.

 

well you got 20k TCs for the charges.

 

The new program does suck. I averaged about 161,000 tier points per trip on the old system and normally got around $250-300 in EC. My trip this past weekend I earned over 168,000 and earned around $90-100 in EC. With my existing comps I easily covered the food so there was no need for me to check with my host at NYNY, but I think they may have gotten a little to stingy with the EC earning.

I think you could have been entitled to a little more and don't buy that your play could not have covered the room. If you can make Platinum within two short trips you should at least have that covered. Next trip, I would email another host prior to booking and see what they are willing to cover up front. Maybe consider NYNY or Monte Carlo as your play may get you farther since they are a step down in the MGM hierarchy.

 

I completely agree, as I feel the pain! During my last trip (Sept. 26 thru Oct. 2), I was at Vegas and experienced the negative impact and unfair treatment to gamblers, based upon the "before" versus "after" MLife Oct 1 program change.

Under MLife's current calculation method, Express Comp (EC) is only 5% of the theo, while Primary Comp (PC) becomes 35% of theo. In other words, PC equals to 7 times of EC. Please be aware that the EC has been reduced from 13% to 5%, as a result of the Oct 1 change.

The gambler can use the EC (5% only), and needs to beg the host for getting the remaining derived/entitled PC (35%). It seems that a lot of hosts just use the crappy excuse of "you haven't played enough" to turn down the gambler's request and hold on to the PC (which will become a portion of the host's compensation/reward bonus). It really sucks!

After my trip, In posted a thread titled "MLife Question: How to fully utilize Primary Comp (other than Express Comp)?" to alert our members. Please read this thread for further discussion. https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84446

I feel the same way as you did about one and half year ago! I am giving Aria one more chance during this upcoming trip. Hope that things are getting better with Aria and MLife.

I echo and support your concerns, as I have gone thru the similar crap a couple weeks ago. Who knows whether the situation with MLife will be getting better or worse!?

 

It was probably her "time of the month".,.

 

I really don't think getting a different host will do anything to help. I haven't been back since the change so maybe I will be upset after the next tournament in a week but I think people are being kind of hard when it is a numbers game. Why is it an insult to be told you did not gamble enough to earn more than you already got?

 

Just a side note. Often we hear that folks just want to be told the "truth". Looks like the host told the truth and was just a bit too blunt about it.

And, I do agree they are getting way too tight. They should be damn happy with folks that do that many points on their slots. But, instead some accountant type thinks he can save them money.

 

It improved slightly this summer. I stayed there again on a corporate offer and an attentive game supervisor realized I was playing larger than the average customer and hooked me up with a better host. Oddly, she still is not doing nearly as much for me as my host at Bellagio or Mandalay Bay, but she is attentive and responsive and not rude, all of which is a step up from past Aria experiences. I'm already thinking of staying there in the spring sometime, so I will see if Aria comes through

 

I personally think that it's BS. It would be different if the OP had called in to get a comped room when she didn't have a corp. offer. But they had sent her an offer to get her there and I'm sure her 150000 tier credits she earned is more than most people earn on a trip. They invited her as a guest so treat her like one.