Caesars restaurant in Tahoe market didn't know if it took RCs at 2:1 or 1:1, manager created loud confrontation when I wanted answer
So this was a strange situation...
I went to a restaurant in the Tahoe market at one of the two CET properties there (Harrah's/Harvey's).
I'm not naming the restaurant for certain reasons, but it's not really important at this point. (Edit: I named the restaurant later in the thread. It was Cabo Wabo.)
When I visited this restaurant, I did not know whether it was CET-owned or privately owned. I also didn't know whether they accept RCs (reward credits) at 1:1 or 2:1.
This, of course, is a VERY important thing to know, because 2:1 means that you're paying double for the meal.
I decided that I would only eat at this place if they accepted RCs at 1:1. If they either didn't accept RCs or if it was 2:1, then I would decide to eat elsewhere.
I walked in, and asked the hostess, "Do you accept RCs?"
She quickly said "Yes."
I then asked if it was 1:1 or 2:1, as this varies in the Tahoe market.
She didn't know. Figuring this wasn't a good question for the hostess, I decided to just ask the server, and sat down at the table.
The server approached. I asked her the same question. She was nice, but she also didn't know the answer. I could tell that the question itself even confused her. I asked if she could go get the manager, so I could get an answer, and she said okay.
The manager approached. I asked her the same question: "Do you accept Rewards Credits at a 1:1 rate or 2:1?"
She replied, "We don't determine that here. You'll have to ask Total Rewards how they are redeemed."
https://media.giphy.com/media/3oz8xL...VFtu/giphy.gif
Total Rewards does NOT determine this. They simply process the transaction, as directed by the restaurant.
"Actually, that's not true," I replied. "The restaurant sets the exchange rate. Total Rewards doesn't decide this. So can you please find out if it's 1:1 or 2:1?"
She looked very flustered. I could tell she didn't know the answer, and was too lazy to put in the effort to figure it out. I was shocked that the manager didn't know this (and didn't seem to want to find out for me!)
"Well, I don't know. I don't have that information. You can try to use your Reward Credits and see what happens. But I can't guarantee anything," she replied.
What?!
Is she really telling me to gamble with the exchange rate, and just hope that my meal doesn't cost me double?
I then came up with a possible compromise:
"Since you don't know the exchange rate, can you just let me use my RCs and cut my bill in half if it ends up being 2:1, so either way I won't end up paying double?"
"I'm sorry, I can't do that," she coldly replied. "As I said, you can try to use them, but if it's 2:1, I can't make any adjustments. It's up to you."
I was getting really frustrated. The restaurant is supposed to know this! This would be like opening a menu and seeing two prices on each item. For example, if for a steak it said "$30 or $60 -- we'll tell you after you order it and eat it!"
Totally unprofessional and non-standard for the restaurant to accept RCs and no one (not even the manager) being aware of the exchange rate!
I then said, "I'm surprised the manager doesn't know the exchange rate. Every restaurant taking RCs is supposed to be aware of this. Can you go find this out for me? It's very important. I don't want to just order and find out at the end that my meal costs double."
Her phony smile finally disappeared.
"First off, I'm just the assistant manager. The manager isn't here tonight. But okay, I'll go research this for you," she said. And then in a much louder tone of voice, "But I'd really appreciate if you don't tell me how to do my job!"
She turned around and walked away. I looked around and all of the eyes in the restaurant were on me. I looked like a jerk. They only heard that last part where she scolded me.
Here I was, the middle-aged guy, and I just made the pretty, late-20s manager almost cry. I must have been an awful ogre, and I could see on the looks of the face of the patrons that they were looking at me with disdain, not having heard any other part of the conversation.
It was highly embarrassing.
I decided at this point that I didn't feel comfortable eating at this place, for obvious reasons. I stood up and walked out.
As I walked past Total Rewards on the way to my room, I stopped by and told them the story.
"That's a Caesars-owned restaurant", I was told by the employee at Total Rewards. "That means it's 1:1. I'm shocked that they didn't know that down there. They're supposed to."
At this point, I was even angrier. How could the manager not have known that it was a Caesars-owned restaurant, and that therefore it's always 1:1 RC redemption? Even I would have known that, had I known it was Caesars-owned.
I was also still seething from the way I was treated down there. I had a legitimate question. I needed to know the answer prior to ordering. Why was I treated like such a jerk for asking?
I went back down and decided to give the assistant manager a piece of my mind. I also wanted to know the name of the actual manager so I could report this the next day.
At first she refused to come out and speak with me, but I sent the message back there that I would include that in my report, as well. Finally, she came out.
"Okay, I found the answer for you," she said. "It's 2:1 for Gold members, 1.75:1 for Platinum members, and 1.25 for Diamond and Seven Stars members", she explained.
Huh?!
Those are (close to) the exchange rates for RCs for freeplay. Restaurants at Caesars NEVER tie your players club tier to your exchange rate in paying for food.
But it was a moot point. I wasn't going to eat there anyway.
I told her that she was incorrect, but that my bigger issue was how I was treated earlier.
"Why did you yell at me earlier and make everyone in the restaurant stare at me?", I asked.
She responded that she felt "attacked" by me.
I asked her what I did to "attack" her. I asked her to tell me a single thing I said that was attacking.
"I'm not answering that," she said. "I'm calling security now."
"Security?!", I replied. "Why do you need security? I'm not causing any trouble here. I just came down to ask you the manager's name, and to tell you that I didn't appreciate how I was treated. Then I'm leaving anyway."
"And besides," I explained, "As a manager, you are never supposed to yell at or scold customers, even if you don't like them. That's part of working in a customer service management position. If you can't control yourself, you shouldn't be working with customers, and you definitely shouldn't be managing."
She continued defending her "right" to have scolded me, and then gave me the manager's card. I walked out. Again, I saw all the eyeballs of the patrons fixed upon me.
Turned out the general manager did not come in the next day. She had pneumonia.
She passed along my message to her boss, the Food and Beverage manager for the Tahoe market.
He called me and asked for the story. After hearing it, combined with what he was already told by the assistant manager (whom he had already questioned), he told me the following:
- I was 100% in the right.
- The exchange rate was indeed 1:1, and everyone at the restaurant was supposed to know it.
- In the case that they didn't know it, the manager was authorized and supposed to make it right for the customer -- such as the compromise I suggested (running it and cutting the bill in half if it turned out to be 2:1). Her refusal to do so was a big mistake.
- It was completely unacceptable that she scolded/yelled at me, even if she had been in the right (which she wasn't).
- He was on property when this all occurred. She was supposed to call him with questions like these, and did not for whatever reason, which was another violation.
- She was supposed to immediately report to him any kind of altercation with an unhappy customer. "I'm very unhappy that I had to find this out through your phone call," he said.
He said that he would be calling a meeting with all employees, reiterating the 1:1 exchange rate thing, and making it clear how they are supposed to treat customers.
I didn't ask him for anything, but he offered me a $100 food and beverage credit for my trouble, which I accepted, and thanked him for it.
Can you believe all of this happened just because I wanted to know whether it was 1:1 or 2:1 RCs?
What would you have done in my spot?
