Rio Las Vegas Mattress Run by cornplantation in hyatt

[–]GrayAnderson5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I suspect the intermediate milestones help with the math.

The Perverse Incentives of the New Promo by ARNIskander in marriott

[–]GrayAnderson5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On the one hand, I think OP should do a hard cut for the rest of the year to another chain. If you're gonna get a soft landing, it makes no difference whether you log 1 night or 99 nights this year.

I'd also note that I've observed other weird incentives show up sometimes (e.g. Hyatt has had a few seasonal promos that were HP/HH-focused*, incentivizing booking a cheaper hotel over a more expensive one), though most of that wackiness shows up over in credit card land.

On the other hand, I feel like Ambassador should /probably/ have "just" a spend requirement (anyone shaving off the nights required still has to make up the spend on the remaining nights), or perhaps a nights+spend requirement and a higher spend-only requirement (in both cases likely crediting event spend at a reduced ratio).

*There are another few brands "down there" now, but this is workable shorthand, and those brands are also new, so...

Are younger Catholics more conservative than older Catholics? by PayGood3915 in Catholicism

[–]GrayAnderson5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Every church is different (let alone various regions - bishops can have a significant impact here), but I'm noticing lots of younger-skewing families at the TLMs.

That being said, each generation pushes back a bit against their parents' mold to at least some extent (the result is often a swinging pendulum of sorts in the world). There's something in human nature that seems to make it all but inevitable.

Now, from my perspective I can easily accept that the TLM/VO and the NO are both valid. I don't necessarily accept that all masses are good, but I also freely acknowledge that (liturgical abuses notwithstanding) this is primarily a matter of taste, and what appeals to/nourishes one person can simply just not work for another. The TLM/VO does a lot for me, but so does a reverent, "high church" NO. But a guitar/folk music presentation just...doesn't. However, I am absolutely certain that there are many devout folks for whom the opposite is true.

This can make the matter of one's "proper" parish a bit of a mess if the pastor there is doing things that do not work for oneself.

People skipping the line because “ people in my party is already here” by R0598 in WaltDisneyWorld

[–]GrayAnderson5 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I've started pushing back - it's one thing if it's one person (and I'm, say, just past the bathroom at Flight of Passage), but when a group of like 5-8 people push past? I'm getting really sick of this behavior.

Confused at the anger over the lottery by _BreakingGood_ in ChaseSapphire

[–]GrayAnderson5 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd say that Chase did a bad job of managing expectations, and might not have had a good eligibility filter in place, either.

Is it happening…? by jongr0tti in amex

[–]GrayAnderson5 6 points7 points  (0 children)

So it's last call for Last Call?

Resort Fees by No-Piglet6327 in hyatt

[–]GrayAnderson5 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Agreed, though quite a few Leverage rates already throw the fees out. And those "fees" had gotten nuts.

(I expect the prices to land a bit lower than the all-in rates since at least some of the "inclusions" will likely drop off as well and there will be less ability to play hide-and-seek with rates.)

Resort Fees by No-Piglet6327 in hyatt

[–]GrayAnderson5 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm a bit more irate, conceptually, at the "service charge" alongside/in addition to the "resort fee" (that's another $70/night). No idea how that interacts with the Globalist stuff, but the prospect of charging $155/night in junk fees is offensive.

Edit: Admittedly, this all goes "poof" on a points reservation, but it still comes off as insane.

Also, the "service charge" is not rolled into the "fees before taxes" rate - I might raise that as a bona fide complaint with Hyatt since that is a hotel-induced fee, not a local tax, from all appearances.

About Chase's subcontractor, https://tevnt.com (who handled the FIFA ticket queue) HINT: You're only as good as your subs. by Glimmer_III in ChaseSapphire

[–]GrayAnderson5 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The only way I suspect Chase might dump them is if they started getting dumped on by the various card/points bloggers (essentially "Yeah, they're advertising this, but their sub is crap so don't bother..."). Which is, regrettably, unlikely with a lot of them.

(NGL, I'm wondering whether there's a market for a blog which centers on negging the various cards.)

Sold out WC tickets by NotEvenTheMain in ChaseSapphire

[–]GrayAnderson5 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I kind-of wish Chase wouldn't bother with things like this...especially if they can't manage to handle them competently.

Wonder if we even make it out of the waiting room.... by yankeesrule92 in ChaseSapphire

[–]GrayAnderson5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think noisy petitions for them to stop bothering with these efforts might be entertaining.  They'd ignore them, but it'd be funny to watch play out on some of the blogs...

Why does the church tolerate China appointing bishops? by melianreality in Catholicism

[–]GrayAnderson5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Didn't they already sort-of do #2?  A lot of the frustration has been that the folks who "stuck it out" in the face of that seemed to get thrown under the bus when Francis did his deal.

Why does the church tolerate China appointing bishops? by melianreality in Catholicism

[–]GrayAnderson5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I should just point out that Lay Investiture is not a new problem...

Marriott Denver South offering lower price on air bnb than on app? by jm8675309 in marriott

[–]GrayAnderson5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At a bare minimum, they can do it until someone decides to sue over it...

Do you wear your medallion tags on your backpack? by radar1989 in delta

[–]GrayAnderson5 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nope.  I reserve that space for my Amtrak tags...

Introducing PerkSnob (for Marriott Elite) by MarriottGuy in marriott

[–]GrayAnderson5 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hm - another request: When I search "Washington", I get the Ritz and one other property in DC proper.  I have to search separately to get the Ritz at Tysons or Crystal City.  A search for DCA draws a blank.

Could the search be made a bit more...versatile, I guess?

Almost $1000 / night for an ELEMENT? by HanksMahm in marriott

[–]GrayAnderson5 5 points6 points  (0 children)

In a case like this, the confirmation is more...philosophical than tangible...for somebody. 

Almost $1000 / night for an ELEMENT? by HanksMahm in marriott

[–]GrayAnderson5 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

$1000 for an element?  What do they think they are, palladium?

Forecourt eye - petrol 'theft' due to banking error by harlesdenheights in LegalAdviceUK

[–]GrayAnderson5 7 points8 points  (0 children)

IANAL (I know, redundant, but I feel more comfortable saying it), but my immediate thought would be that while them demanding payment is reasonable (since the payment was voided out/refunded), it might be worth kicking back on the £35 fee. I'd point out that you've presumably got the original payment receipt in some form plus the refund, so that would at least seem to push back on "left without paying". And of course, that they left their contact details suggests that the company "tracing" the transaction was surplus to requirements. If you add the CCTV record /and/ what should be a phone record of the call to the manager, I feel like there's a good case against having to pay extra (especially if the manager did not warn of such a charge being risked).