Note to Delta Air Lines: Next time you plan a promotion, don’t post a live link until you’re ready. And please send registration confirmation e-mails. It will save both you and me – and the thousands of other frequent fliers – a lot of time and trouble.
Last month, the airline published a year-end mileage promotion as follows:
You’re ready to earn up to a 150% mileage bonus when you use a select group of 150+ SkyMiles partners.
The more base miles you earn, the bigger your mileage bonus:
Base Miles Earned Bonus Total Miles
1,000-4,999 50% 1,500-7,498
5,000-9,999 100% 10,000-19,998
10,000 or more 150% 25,000 or more
But you must take advantage of this offer between November 13 and December 31, 2008. For a complete list of the select group of 150+SkyMiles partners, see the Terms and Conditions below. Start earning base miles with SkyMiles partners today—and enjoy your bonus!
The link to the promotion was posted on FlyerTalk, a popular forum for frequent fliers, on November 19, 2008, six days after the promotion was to have launched. Many of Delta’s most loyal fliers (including me!) rushed to register for the promotion, posted strategies on how to maximize points, and began converting points to miles and shopping to earn miles.
A few hours later, a poster in the forum realized that there was not an e-mail confirmation and called Delta. It seems the agent did not know anything about such a promotion and within a few days, the site read,
The More Miles You Earn, the Bigger the Bonus
The SkyMiles® multi-partner threshold promotion was in the development phase and not yet formally announced or launched when it was inadvertently published online. The landing page should not have been live and the content was subsequently removed.
However, Delta Air Lines will honor the bonus miles promotion for SkyMiles members who have already enrolled.
Can anyone say “confusion”?
Why in the world would Delta post a live link to a promotion that was not yet ready to launch?
Delta also does not typically send confirmation e-mails to those who register for their promotions. Instead, it is left up to individual SkyMiles members to print a confirmation page, which apparently does not contain any true proof of registration, such as one’s SkyMiles number and name, just a message that says, “Thank you. You’ve successfully registered – now you can start earning a mileage bonus.”
Furthermore, when one contacts Delta, the agents either do not know about the promotion (no kidding) or they cannot find proof of registration in one’s account. I was asked to fax a copy of my registration confirmation to an agent.
I’ll let everyone know how that turns out.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This is absolutely crazy! This is a company that is known for giving out extremely big miles bonus’ but at the same time having the most pitiful awards program. They rob u in 2 ways. 1) What is the problem w/ sending a confirmation! None if u don’t plan to honor it anyway. Jeff/whoever he is from DL posts on FT. Why hasn’t someone asked him why DL doesn’t send confirmations. 2) DL is not going to allow u to use these miles to your advantage anyway.
Remember, this is the same airline that awarded 20k miles for a hair consultation. What is the true difference here. How can 1mil people sign up for this but yet DL doesn’t know about the 1st 999k people that signed on 11/19. Of course there are executives telling the lower ranks to say they know nothing of this/lose your job. Or I can tell you that you have enrolled but I can’t send a confirmation.
I signed up on 11/19 as well and was told by an Indian CSR that it “appears” that I have registered,will be awarded my miles but he could not send me a confirmation. Mind you, he was the 3rd Indian CSR I spoke to in a span of 15min and this doesn’t include the wait time. GO DELTA!
I promised I’d share the result of my inquiry to Delta. I got a rock, even though I KNOW I registered on Nov. 19:
QUOTE:
Thank you for the attachment you sent, I appreciate you taking time out
to do this and I apologize for the delay in responding to your original
request.
In review of the SkyMiles account you listed, our records indicate that they were not registered before the promotion was eliminated. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused.
Again, thank you for writing. We appreciate your selection of Delta and
will always welcome the opportunity to be of service.
Sincerely,
name omitted
Medallion Desk
http://www.delta.com