Blues from Ameircan Express

[Justincase]

>>>No matter how you look at it either way it is abusing it. I am sure American Express never intended for people to buy in bulk and then pricematch all the items.<<<

I don't mean to disagree with you on everything, but if that were true, then it would be easy enough for the terms to include language to the effect of "limit one pricematch per model number," as Buyer Assurance does. You are stating what you think is wrong, and you are entitled to express your thoughts; however, it is not considered wrong by Amex, at this time. I take full advantage of the benefits that have been given to me, without taking advantage of the company offering them.

Here's the definitive way to determine whether your actions with BVG constitute abuse:

CALL THEM UP...

ASK if pricematching a new item to a REFURBISHED ITEM is OK.

ASK if pricematching an item then returning is OK.

Then ASK if buying 3 of an item and pricematching all 3 is OK.

You already know the answer...the first 2 are pure fraud, the last one is perfectly legitimate. Any Amex claims adjuster will confirm this.

 

[Justincase]

Just checked my email, and I did not get the cancellation email from Amex either.

 

[manko]

I must be extremely bored, because I called BVG direct again. I definitely talked to a different person, because this time it was a woman (and I talked to a man earlier).

She said the exact same thing as the other CSR I talked to: YES all three types of Blue Cards will lose the BVG as of May 1st. I asked specifically, if there is some other class of Blue card or membership that would continue to have BVG, and she said NO. I asked, what if for example, I also had another separate Amex Card account that also has BVG (such as Gold), would I still have the BVG on my Blue. The answer is NO. The BVG would only be useable on the other card (the Gold Card or whatever it is).

And just to confirm...when calling BVG, I did not give any account information, so they can't know what demographic I'm in or the status of any of my accounts.

 

[cmatthes1]

I do agree that people returning items and PMing OEMs was against the rules, and not what the service was intended for. I also don't believe that pricematching 7 items was meant for it. But the way I look at it is if you bought 7 of 'em.... And you PM'd them only because they went down in price since you bought them (not knowingly buying them at a place with a higher price just to pricematch them) it is ok.... I mean they do have limits on transfers for a reason, if you want to buy 20 items and pricematch them and use up yer $1000... Its still the same as I get from them whether I buy 20 different items or not.

 

[vette9898]

<< >>>No matter how you look at it either way it is abusing it. I am sure American Express never intended for people to buy in bulk and then pricematch all the items.<<<

I don't mean to disagree with you on everything, but if that were true, then it would be easy enough for the terms to include language to the effect of "limit one pricematch per model number," as Buyer Assurance does. You are stating what you think is wrong, and you are entitled to express your thoughts; however, it is not considered wrong by Amex, at this time. I take full advantage of the benefits that have been given to me, without taking advantage of the company offering them.

Here's the definitive way to determine whether your actions with BVG constitute abuse:

CALL THEM UP...

Ask if pricematching a new item to a REFURBISHED ITEM is OK.

Ask if pricematching an item then returning is OK.

Then ask if buying 3 of an item and pricematching all 3 it OK.


You already know the answer...the first 2 are pure fraud, the last one is not. >>



First of all YES it is ok but it is still abusing the system. Wow are you that naive. Just because it is legit doesn't mean we are not abusing that privalege.
Second you say pricematching grey market cameras is abuse. THEN why in the G2 thread you said you will save $434 pricematching A&M Photoworld WHO DOES sell grey market cameras.

 

[Justincase]

>>>But the way I look at it is if you bought 7 of 'em.... And you PM'd them only because they went down in price since you bought them (not knowingly buying them at a place with a higher price just to pricematch them) it is ok.... I mean they do have limits on transfers for a reason, if you want to buy 20 items and pricematch them and use up yer $1000... Its still the same as I get from them whether I buy 20 different items or not.<<<

I bought the 7 Canon G2s in question because they were a good deal @ $611.00 apiece, and I didn't have a thought about pricematching them when I did...there was no lower price on any of the price comparison engines that I use.

 

[Justincase]

>>>THEN why in the G2 thread you said you will save $434 pricematching A&M Photoworld WHO DOES sell grey market cameras. But you already knew that.<<<

I wasn't aware of that actually. I know that Regency Camera and several others sell grey market goods, but I hadn't heard that about A&M. Thanks...I'll look into it.

 

[DVDKing]

So all of you who did not get any email from BLUE....did you sign up with Amex ? I got an email titled "What's New for Blue from American Express?"

We send this e-mail approximately once a month to help you get the most out of Blue from American ExpressSM. If you do not wish to receive these e-mails, please refer to our Customer Service information below. To keep up with Blue's latest offers, go to americanexpress.com/igotblue right now.

Somewhere in the middle of this email buried beneath everything else is the cancellation of BVG. So may you may have missed it or you did not sign up with AMEX to get the email.

 

[vette9898]

<< >>>THEN why in the G2 thread you said you will save $434 pricematching A&M Photoworld WHO DOES sell grey market cameras. But you already knew that.<<<

I wasn't aware of that actually. Thanks...I'll look into it. >>



Hard to believe you of all people didn't know. Even $echbargains tells you NOT to buy from them but just to price match. Plus it has been on here a few times. Plus it is on resellerratings.com. Enough on this subject.

 

[MarkM]

the language of the email is very clear that ALL blue cards will no longer have BVG.

however (just to give false hope to some of you perhaps) I will note that the email contents DEFINITELY vary from one card to another, inasmuch which of the "sections" are included & even what order. My wife and I have seperate Blue accounts, but I get emails for both since I do the bills. One card's email tonight reminded me I get double rewards points for gas & grocery purchases this week, while the other one does not.

Both include the note about the BVG though (and I haven't even used BVG on one account).

 

[vsfoxe]

Hate to see BVG go, but it was fun while it lasted!

I got the same e-mail, and believe the BVG will unilaterally depart the area of BLUE as of 1 May. I don't have any unpaid balance, nor have I ever missed any payments. I think the e-mail indicates all purchases thru 30 April will be covered, and that's it.

I guess I'll need to find a different form of BVG for use in the future.

 

[Justincase]

>>>Hard to believe you of all people didn't know. Come on you seem to be one of the Top dealmakers on here (And i mean that in a good way)<<<

Not likely...I participate in less than 1 out of 500 deals here - much less, and I read relatively few posts around here; perhaps 20 threads a day, if that much. I would bet the 'top dealmakers' are the ones that lurk and you never hear from...and they sell much more on Ebay that you or I do.


>>>Even $echbargains tells you NOT to buy from them but just to price match. And I know your familiar with that site.<<<

Absolutely...I go there a few times a year to look for a coupon if it is mentioned in a thread or if I can't find a coupon on better sites....I don't think I have 'read' Techbargains more than 2 or 3 times in the past couple of years. Sorry, I must have missed the memo on A&M; I can't keep up with everything. I did just re-read the whole Canon G2 thread and wasn't able to find anything about it.


>>>Plus it has been on here a few times. Plus it is on resellerratings.com. Enough on this subject. If you don't want to admit you abused BVG then thats fine.<<<

I have NO reason to abuse BVG...understand this: whether I PM 1 or 100 of an item, whether I get rejected on a specific claim, whether I use a coupon or not...the result will be the same - I will max out 2 cards with BVG when the year is over, and I will max out Buyer Assurance as well...now if I can do that ethically, why in the world would want to abuse it and risk losing it?

 

[metapy]

I called the Blue number on the back of my card and the CSR said that there was no indication that they were terminating the Blue Best Value garuntee program. I asked if she could doublecheck and she talked to her supervisor and they said that THEY ARE NOT TERMINATING the BVG. Then I called the BVG number and they said that they will be canceling the BVG on all Blue cards and there sould be a paper notice along with you billing statement.

I am very concerned with the two departments having conflicting information. I suggest that EACH and every person afected call both departments and ask both departments about the canges to be sure for theselves. I plan on buying a new PC this coming month and will use Amex for the BVG and will then cancel the card after I have received my rebate checks. The BVG was the MAIN reson I applied for the card and now to find that they are removing it from all the "free" (no fee) cards I am extremely disappointed and will tell them so when I cancel. As I'm sure MANY of you here will. I hope they feel the AT affect of this one

 

[Jdog]

My FYI came earlier this week for my Gold Rewards Plus card and it still has the BVG, but you can only PM once per item and "doesn't apply to rebates or coupons," which makes little sense since coupons save AmEx $$. At any rate, it looks like the charge cards that had it keep it. Again, this takes effect May 1.

As to the program in general, the reality is that AmEx offers all of the great programs it does because of the 3% it makes from the retailer side of things. It may be well and good to point fingers about why the program ended, but do know that it was a calculated decision. I put everything on my card--mostly for the Membership Rewards (only 2 years to a free white glove vacation at Disneyland with a 3 day cruise baby!) I'm just speculating, but I'd imagine that they saw that people only used Blue to buy things to PM, and rarely bought groceries, gas, coffee, etc. The 3% they make off of those purchases is the bread and butter of the company.

I don't think what Justincase did/does was the intended purpose, but I certainly see nothing wrong with it. AmEx still got their 3% from the sale; there is also a greater chance that she'd need to carry a balance on a higher set of purchases. Amex also does some other things to make money on a day to day basis--they benefitted all around from her buying as much as she did. Yet she was still subject to the limitations they imposed: $250/pm; $1000/yr.

 

[bbkat]

Great marketing! Get people hooked on BVG, then take it away from the free card and they will pay fees for the service on an upgraded card!

 

[vette9898]

>>>Even $echbargains tells you NOT to buy from them but just to price match. And I know your familiar with that site.<<<

Absolutely...I go there a few times a year to look for a coupon if it is mentioned in a thread or if I can't find a coupon on better sites....I don't think I have 'read' Techbargains more than 2 or 3 times in the past couple of years. Sorry, I must have missed the memo on A&M; I can't keep up with everything. I did just re-read the whole Canon G2 thread and wasn't able to find anything about it.

You need to go back and Re-Read the thread. Look at the post you responded to at the top. The ONLY thing in his thread was the techbargain link. You even thanked him for the link.

 

[Pardus]

i just got my blue card, dont need it now..

 

[Justincase]

>>>Great marketing! Get people hooked on BVG, then take it away from the free card and they will pay fees for the service on an upgraded card!<<<

bbkat: Sounds reasonable on the surface, but consider that many people that have Blue will not qualify for the premium card...I know I sure would not get one (I have too much credit already). Blue is a separate product, and you cannot 'switch' from Blue to another card, or from another card to Blue, without a new application (at least, that was the case as of August 2001.


vette9898: What I meant was, I was not able to find anything about A&M in that thread, not about Techbargains. Sorry if I was not clear on that. Either way, if I find that A&M is grey goods, I simply won't pricematch to them. I will re-read the whole thread again anyway (damn...trying to watch the X-Files :Q)


Jdog: Thanks for the comments. The voice of reason

 

[broadwayblue]

how much does amex charge for their gold card? about $85? that's still a good deal if you can get $2500 cash back over the course of a year.

 

[PsychoAndy]

<< how much does amex charge for their gold card? about $85? that's still a good deal if you can get $2500 cash back over the course of a year. >>



yeah something like that. i think its actually closer to $75

 

[vette9898]

<< My FYI came earlier this week for my Gold Rewards Plus card and it still has the BVG, but you can only PM once per item and "doesn't apply to rebates or coupons," which makes little sense since coupons save AmEx $$. At any rate, it looks like the charge cards that had it keep it. Again, this takes effect May 1.

As to the program in general, the reality is that AmEx offers all of the great programs it does because of the 3% it makes from the retailer side of things. It may be well and good to point fingers about why the program ended, but do know that it was a calculated decision. I put everything on my card--mostly for the Membership Rewards (only 2 years to a free white glove vacation at Disneyland with a 3 day cruise baby!) I'm just speculating, but I'd imagine that they saw that people only used Blue to buy things to PM, and rarely bought groceries, gas, coffee, etc. The 3% they make off of those purchases is the bread and butter of the company.

I don't think what Justincase did/does was the intended purpose, but I certainly see nothing wrong with it. AmEx still got their 3% from the sale; there is also a greater chance that she'd need to carry a balance on a higher set of purchases. Amex also does some other things to make money on a day to day basis--they benefitted all around from her buying as much as she did. Yet she was still subject to the limitations they imposed: $250/pm; $1000/yr. >>



I agree totally with what you said. All I was trying to get across is that we all abuse the system one way or another whether it is minor or major. We all use coupons from Staples and other sites but how do we get these. We get them from people posting the code that they recieved themselves. I just don't think it is cool going around pointing fingers. Nobody knows what the REAL reason behind them cancelling this program.

 

[broadwayblue]

obviously they offered this service as a way to create loyalty to their card. the problem is that the kind of people who take advantage of bvg are not very likely to be loyal to only one card. i for one only used my blue card on negotiable purchases...items whose prices can fluctuate. for fixed purchases (like my season tickets or stamps) i use my aadvantage mastercard so i can earn miles. after all, what's the point of using my blue card on a purchase if i won't benefit from using it?

 

[LucJoe]

<< BTW - A lot of VISA CC and Debit cards now carry the BVG program. >>



I have a Wells Fargo Visa Check and Debit card. Does anyone know if that has any sort of BVG program? I looked all over Wells Fargo's website and didn't see anything about it.

 

[Justincase]

That's the way you used it, Broadwayblue...I used it on literally anything I could; even on a $2 grocery purchase when I forgot to take cash with me :Q Every dollar on Blue always earned points towards Membership Rewards (and before that, BlueLoot), so for many people, there was always benefit to using Blue.

 

[broadwayblue]

<< That's the way you used it, Broadwayblue...I used it on literally anything I could; even on a $2 grocery purchase when I forgot to take cash with me :Q Every dollar on Blue always earned points towards Membership Rewards (and before that, BlueLoot), so for many people, there was always benefit to using Blue. >>



i may be wrong...but as far as i know the redemption of membership rewards points isn't a 1 to 1 ratio for airline miles so for me it made more sense to buy the $2 grocery purchase with my other card.