Centurion Customer Service frustration......

[Brooke01]

Hi all,

I just wanted to detail a little frustration that I am having trying to claim missing points through Centurion card services.

I stayed at the Hotel Intercontinental in Sydney back in mid December last year. This property is part of the "Premium Bonus Partners x5" promotion on the Centurion website. It is still listed on there - even though it only ran through until Dec 31, 2011.

From what I have ascertained (and printed out) - there was no real "T&C's" on this, relating to booking etc. There was nothing that suggested that you had to book through Centurion Travel etc etc. All looked pretty straightforward.

I waited the advised 8-10 weeks after staying for the bonus points to credit (my usual 1.5points credited within days of my stay) - and, as I suspected, the points did not credit.

First phone call to Centurion team took about 30minutes for them to actually find the offer I was talking about - and then for them to tell me to "wait another couple of weeks and if they still don't turn up, ring back, and we will escalate to the Marketing Dept".

Silly me, did just that.

Rang back after two weeks - and requested they lodge an escalation to the Marketing Dept - which they did, and told me they would absolutely get back to me within 7 business days.

Another 1.5weeks pass, and I chase them up again - today. Am told by customer service that the Marketing Dept have come back with because I did not book through Hotels.com, I am not eligible for the Bonus Points.

I explained to the Customer Service agent that there is absolutely nothing in the "T&C's" that said I had to book through a particular website etc etc. She looked into it a little further - and ascertained that it looked like the Marketing Dept was looking at the wrong promotion. She said that I "probably should" quality for the Bonus points, and that she would escalate once again to the Marketing Dept.

I told her that I appreciated her help - and would hope that due to the fact we are now 3.5months after my stay, and I am still trying to get this sorted out - perhaps she could put an "urgent" on the request.

I guess my frustration here is that I seem to have a terrible amount of trouble getting people from the Centurion team to call me back when they say they will. If I had not followed up again today - I would be none the wiser to what the Marketing Dept had said.

I have only had my Centurion card for 12months (annual renewal is coming up this month) - and I really don't think I am getting the value for the $4300 fee. "Drop back to Platinum Charge" - I hear you say ?? My situation seems to be a little unique - I was offered a Centurion card "out of the blue". I had been a Gold Charge Card holder for over 10years - and had been knocked back once previously for the Platinum Charge Card, due to not quite earning the required $100k p.a.

I certainly have enjoyed the "perks" associated with the card over the last 12months - I am a National Sales Manager that services the whole of Australia, so I do travel quite a bit. Lounge access etc is very nice. However, sometimes I feel that I must be on a "lessor" Centurion level than others, and getting a "lessor" level of service to match (that is probably not worded properly !).

What I mean is -

I hear others talking about having an dedicated Account Manager - I do not have this.
I hear others talking about offers they have received from Centurion (car hire discount codes for being Centurion, free nights accomodation etc etc, special events etc) - I never seem to get these offers.

Logically, I guess the more you spend the better you get looked after ? I don't put millions through my card each year - but I do think my level of spend warrants a little better service than I am currently receiving.

All I would really like is for someone to call me back when they say they will - for $4300 per year, I don't think that is too much to ask ?

Sorry for the whinge - just feeling frustrated.

Cheers,

Brooke

 

[RichardKopf]

Hi all,


I certainly have enjoyed the "perks" associated with the card over the last 12months - I am a National Sales Manager that services the whole of Australia, so I do travel quite a bit. Lounge access etc is very nice. However, sometimes I feel that I must be on a "lessor" Centurion level than others, and getting a "lessor" level of service to match (that is probably not worded properly !).

What I mean is -

I hear others talking about having an dedicated Account Manager - I do not have this.
I hear others talking about offers they have received from Centurion (car hire discount codes for being Centurion, free nights accomodation etc etc, special events etc) - I never seem to get these offers.

Logically, I guess the more you spend the better you get looked after ? I don't put millions through my card each year - but I do think my level of spend warrants a little better service than I am currently receiving.

All I would really like is for someone to call me back when they say they will - for $4300 per year, I don't think that is too much to ask ?

I suggest you get on the phone and let a Cent supervisor/manager know of your concerns. I did, when I wasn't satisifed with the responses I received and was assigned a particular person as point of contact.

Regarding your feeling of being less important then other Cents; some of us have account managers because of our spend. You may be a high spender for an individual, but some business owners put many millions through Amex, and they receive different service, regardless of the card type. This makes perfect sense.

Car hire discounts are a part of the Cent benefit. Usually 20% off normal rates or 25% for premium cars. All you need is to either book through Cent Travel or get your hands on the rate code. PM me if you want it. Last year, all Cents received a free night at a Conrad or Waldorf Astoria, but they weren't terribly easy to use. I tried in 4 countries before I got it. The previous year, it was a free night at Hyatt. No strings. Otherwise, it's usually unimportant stuff like a mid-priced bottle of wine. If you didn't receive a bottle of wine and a free night card last year, you should call and ask why.

Good luck.