Waiting for 2014 Total Rewards Info

It's about 12:40am on April 1st (Pacific time) and almost dawn on the East Coast and the Caesars websites with Total Rewards 2014 information have not been updated.

I also tried to redeem by Total Rewards Appreciation Gift for 2014 and that is not "ready" yet either.

My immediate questions are:

Will there still be a $100 Diamond Celebration Dinner?
Will there still be a $500 Shopping Experience for 200,000 tier points (7 Stars)?

These are some of the "lower level" extras most commonly used by Diamond and 7Stars players.

We know from the mailer that there will still be a $500 Celebration Dinner for 7 Stars players, and we know that there will still be an Appreciation Gift even if the website is not yet ready to accept orders.

It's April 1st. Will the details be posted today as promised?

Update at 9:07am Pacific: Still nothing on Caesars.com or totalrewards.com.

I used my $500 shopping experience on my annual retreat in January. After getting it I found it to be disappointing as the certificate can only use be used at the stores it lists on the back side. It must be used all at once in the same store. I had planned on using it in the Apple store but it was not allowed. The Sony store also wouldn't take it.

I used mine at Tommy Bahama's store in the Forum Shops... got three pair of jeans (love them) two belts... and that was $500.

This is ridiculous that the benefits for Seven Stars and Diamond players with Caesars Total Rewards are not yet online. The new benefit year started today. And when you think about it -- as others have already pointed out -- the benefits for 2014 should have been online at the start of the year so Total Rewards members would "know what they were playing for."

The mailer that was sent out about two weeks ago lacks details... at least we hope it lacks details, because I'd like to think that Seven Stars can get more than a hot air balloon ride.

All of this information could have been compiled days or even weeks or months ago... and the pages could have been ready and made "live" at the start of business this morning. And that's if, for some reason, they didn't want the players to know back in January what would be available as Total Rewards benefits.

I don't think it's a conspiracy to keep us in the dark. I just think it's just poor customer service, which is ironic since Caesars prides itself on customer service.

This is not surprising. Over the last few years, they have increasingly treated the Seven Stars program like a bother, rather than something special.

It seems that there is decreasing effort put into promoting and maintaining the program.

Separately, hosts don't like the Seven Stars program. It's mostly a pain in the ass for them to book the various benefits, and they often get little play in return. Furthermore, hosts hate the idea that you can comp yourself rooms for over a year and not have to play to justify it.

Of course Caesar's is being stupid to neglect this stuff, as their Seven Stars program is the factor that causes many gamblers to choose them over the competition, but they seem somewhat ignorant to that.

Dan, I can't comment about what you wrote because I have no experience or knowledge of anything that would either support or dispute it.

But I think what is going on now is poor planning, and inexperience. We both know how simple it is to prepare web pages in advance and then at the appropriate time to "publish" them. About 8 years ago I was in discussions with Las Vegas Sands to run their Internet operations and I can tell you that there is a great lack of knowledge among casino management when it comes to the use of the Internet for marketing, advertising, and promotion.

Somebody at Caesars right now is probably saying "gee, don't we have to have this stuff on the website today?"

Alan

I just found this in seven stars insider newest newsletter.

Don't know where he found it.


Higher Aspirations
That $100 Diamond Aspiration Level 1
Celebration Dinner after earning 15,000 tier
credits is gone – well, it’s not exactly gone,
but Level 1 is now 40,000 tier credits and the
$100 is deposited as a folio credit to your
room. Room? Yes, in order to claim the $100
you have to take advantage of the other
“benefit” – a four-night complimentary stay at
any Total Rewards casino.
But, wait, there’s more! Another Level 1
benefit is a ride on the High Roller Experience
at The LINQ in Las Vegas.
The former Level 3 is now Level 2 – there
no longer is a Level 3 (are you following me?)
– but it still requires 80,000 tier credits.

The $100 Diamond dinner being part of a hotel stay kills this benefit for "day trippers" and if you check in as part of a free play offer or gift card offer you won't be able to double-dip this offer, which is exactly what I did in the past. So I most likely will never be able to use this $100 free dinner in 2014.

It's another erosion of benefits and comps.

Alan, I used my $100 dinner today with no problems. At Rincon.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alan Mendelson

The $100 Diamond dinner being part of a hotel stay kills this benefit for "day trippers" and if you check in as part of a free play offer or gift card offer you won't be able to double-dip this offer, which is exactly what I did in the past. So I most likely will never be able to use this $100 free dinner in 2014.

It's another erosion of benefits and comps.

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Agree.

But are you sure you can't double-dip on this? Maybe you can book a room on an offer, and then just have a host add the $100 folio credit on.

Also, for day-trippers, they can just book a room they're not going to use, eat at the restaurant, and check out.

I've done this before to get GGWU points. I literally never set foot in the room.

I usually wait a day or two and check out over the phone, though.

I wonder what the maid thinks when she comes in and sees that the customer never set foot in the room yet checked in and let 1-2 days pass before checking out.

At Caesars you will be "checked out" if there is no sign of you in the room.

If Im double booked I mess up the bed and throw some towels on the floor etc. Have no idea if Im fooling anyone but have never had a problem

I think you all believe CET owes you something. That is not what or how they think. Look at my situation as an example. I was a very loyal employee for ten years. But they tossed me shortly after moving me, like I was any recently hired, low paid custodian. 7-Stars players are their best customers, that's for sure. And on avg., each year 93% of all 7-Stars lose money, and 86% of them are calculated as losing overall after all TR benefits are included in the equation. Still, CET pushes and pushes its executives and managers like no other casino entity. That in turn flows down to the player base, like it or not. Make no mistake: it's still a very struggling business for CET, and their mindset is the loyal player base will remain their loyal player base, because they are betting on those gamblers to be so tied in to the TR program with their many locations around the country that they will grumble, but eventually almost all will come up with reasons why they just will look the other way. It's a very, very slick system.

I was able to order my Annual Gift today. As I expected, they're in the range of $150 to $200 value.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nearthetop

I think you all believe CET owes you something.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by nearthetop

7-Stars players are their best customers, that's for sure. And on avg., each year 93% of all 7-Stars lose money, and 86% of them are calculated as losing overall after all TR benefits are included in the equation.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by nearthetop

their mindset is the loyal player base will remain their loyal player base, because they are betting on those gamblers to be so tied in to the TR program with their many locations around the country that they will grumble, but eventually almost all will come up with reasons why they just will look the other way. It's a very, very slick system.

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You sound a lot like Rob Singer, and I hope you're not. But with that said...

I don't think CET owes me anything except that which I am entitled to. If I qualify for an offer, I certainly expect to be able to use the offer if I want it. But there are many offers that I am qualified for that I never use -- and I would literally have to live at casinos to use them all.

And I don't think players "look the other way" when they don't get what they expect. I think what bothers a lot of 7 Stars players now is that we don't know what to expect -- because things are changing. We don't have to play/stay at Caesars properties in Vegas. MGM and Wynn and LVS can offer as much or even more than CET can offer.

Loyalty can be lost in a snap. I used to be very loyal to MGM and NYNY until I ran intro trouble at their craps pits-- one incident at each. That's all it took to make me look and go elsewhere. (I really wasn't loyal to Bellagio... really didn't like the hotel.)

I'm not familiar with Rob Singer outside of a few posts I've skimmed over here by someone with that same name.

By "owes you something" I wasn't referring to anything you and other TR members are entitled to or beyond. I meant how people might expect CET to remain or be, and in this business environment, we should all expect less.

I hear you when you say there are competitors to CET. I, like many others that probably include you and other posters here, believe CET has the best overall program when you put them up against the likes of Wynn, MGM and a few more giants. But from what I'm seeing here, there's a lot of unrest with TR and their cutbacks. I personally was not allowed to play at any of their properties being in a management role. Now I am, but because of how I feel they treated my family and I, I won't. The decision was easy for me because I have no ties with them at this point, but for heavy players it's another story. Can anybody just walk away from them?

If your loyalty can change in an instance, then why not take the lead and wave goodbye? From what I've seen you play some video poker and a lot of craps. There's a lot of other LV properties that offer as good or better gaming in that respect. I'm getting familiar with GSR in Reno and I really like Atlantis. But I've applied for employment at both so I won't start playing at either until I get an answer. My fingers are crossed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nearthetop

Can anybody just walk away from them?

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Of course. If you are not treated well you don't go back. Pechanga (biggest Native American casino in the Western US) cut my free play to zero -- I won't go there again.
NYNY treated me rudely -- I will never go back.
MGM -- you won't find me playing craps there.
Bellagio -- I avoid it too, though I did go back once just to see if I would catch heat because they use facial recognition software -- no one said anything to me.

Now back to Caesars: about a year ago they cut my offers dramatically, from about $2500 per visit down to $1,000 per visit and starting in June I am down to $900 per visit. And that's why I rarely go there now.

However, Caesars in my book still has the best craps pit in the business with the best dealers and managers and I prefer playing there than any other casino. And I certainly don't have any complaints about the hotel, restaurants, service, my host or valet or anything.

Am I unhappy about lower comps? Yes. But I don't play as much as I used to and I can understand the reductions.

But if it is true that the $100 Diamond dinner is being taken away because of new rules (as posted above) I will be unhappy about that.

Hey Alan,

Your offers sound far better than I get. I keep hoping they get better but they don't. I am disappointed with most of the seven star perks. I get $80 free slot play every 3-4 days for April and $100 on Friday's in April. I have an offer for a free 19" TV on April 26. ($157 on Amazon). They will upgrade it to 32" if on earn 3,175 tier credits that weekend or 46" if I earn 6675 tier credits or for a whopping 20,000 tier credits ($200,000 coin in on VP) they upgrade it to a 60" TV. I also, today just got $250 in free play from Caesars Palace LV with a 3 night stay.