Nigella Posted December 11, 2012 #26 Share Posted December 11, 2012 We haven't received this "gift". So perhaps it's only the US-based guests who will receive it. But there again, we still haven't been advised of our Venetian Society membership numbers, despite asking SS London office for it three times. Our first SS cruise was in May 2011, and we've now done 30 days on SS, so I doubt we're ever going to get a membership number and hence will not receive this "gift". :D From reading the posts this sounds like a very clumsy move on the part of SS. How to shoot yourself in the foot with a marketing ploy! As others have said, perhaps not enough to drive guests away but it certainly leaves a bad taste, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fizzy Posted December 11, 2012 #27 Share Posted December 11, 2012 while we're at it...is that charity deduction still in place? My yearly cruise is coming up and there has been no recent mention of it. I find that insulting. I have not yet recieved my jewelry coupon... I mean gift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipb Posted December 11, 2012 #28 Share Posted December 11, 2012 It all seems very 'tacky' to me. It's about time SS realised that their passengers are, in the main, in the upper quartile when it comes to intelligence, and that they should treat them accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herman The Cat Posted December 11, 2012 #29 Share Posted December 11, 2012 We received our "gift" today. Is Judith Ripka going to replace H. Stern on board? Does anyone find it ironic that we can't get passenger lists because of confidentiality issues, but Silversea has no problem giving our names and full addresses to the folks at Judith Ripka? Actually, Roberto Coin had replaced H. Stern on the Whisper when we were aboard in September. Not sure what the other ships have.... A few people mentioned that Judith Ripka had our names and addresses. I just want to mention that the envelope came from Silversea, not Judith Ripka. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herman The Cat Posted December 11, 2012 #30 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Got my card today. Got the same one from Neiman Marcus. Now this is interesting. I think Judith Ripka shopped this "gift card" idea around to certain premium brands. Silversea must have thought this would be a great goodwill gesture but clearly didn't think it through from the recipient's perspective, or have the creativity to figure out how it should have been positioned. I am willing to give the new Prez a get-out-of-jail-free card on this one. She was on her Whisper cruise, after all! So maybe the head of marketing committed this faux pas rather than her. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcrooz Posted December 11, 2012 #31 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Now this is interesting. I think Judith Ripka shopped this "gift card" idea around to certain premium brands. Silversea must have thought this would be a great goodwill gesture but clearly didn't think it through from the recipient's perspective, or have the creativity to figure out how it should have been positioned. I am willing to give the new Prez a get-out-of-jail-free card on this one. She was on her Whisper cruise, after all! So maybe the head of marketing committed this faux pas rather than her. ;) I doubt that the new prez knew nothing about this; all marketing correspondence had to go through her.😱 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emtbsam Posted December 11, 2012 #32 Share Posted December 11, 2012 [QUtheOTE=Herman The Cat;36323273]Actually, Roberto Coin had replaced H. Stern on the Whisper when we were aboard in September. Not sure what the other ships have.... A few people mentioned that Judith Ripka had our names and addresses. I just want to mention that the envelope came from Silversea, not Judith Ripka. Although the envelope was from Silversea, it was mailed in Atlanta. Usually with this sort of promotion, the "beneficiary" meaning Ripka assumes the cost and handling of the mailing. While I would like to think Silversea didn't give out our names, I am doubtful. As others have said, we love the onboard experience because of the staff and our fellow passengers, but the corporate office keeps doing foolish things which hurt the product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duct tape Posted December 11, 2012 #33 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Official response from Keith Spondike, Vice President of Marketing at Silversea. DO NOT SHOOT THE MESSENGER! "Ellen Bettridge has gotten several calls and emails this morning thanking her for the card, and we know of similar programs with Judith Ripka that have been well-received. On the issue of store locations Jessica Stark, Vice President of Communications, The Judith Ripka Companies, Inc. has advised us: 'Should your clients not live near a store, please let them know to call me personally or email me personally at jessica@judithripka.com and I will connect them with a VIP Sales Consultant who will help them personally with a purchase via phone. We want every client to have a positive experience!' " Cruise Critic members should contact Mark Flager, Venetian Society Manager, at markf@silversea.com for any other assistance or information. Nigella, this looks like your best bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigella Posted December 11, 2012 #34 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Cruise Critic members should contact Mark Flager, Venetian Society Manager, at markf@silversea.com for any other assistance or information. Nigella, this looks like your best bet. Thanks duct tape, I'll do that. Much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAR3543 Posted December 11, 2012 #35 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Thanks for info. If this is the only place it will be, it will not make a difference to the majority of card recipients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stumblefoot Posted December 11, 2012 #36 Share Posted December 11, 2012 while we're at it...is that charity deduction still in place?As of November, it is. But, SS makes it very clear in the materials we were provided on-board that if you prefer not to make a donation, then you can easily opt-out by contacting the Registration Desk. I realize some (many?) folks would prefer to be asked to opt-in, but it only takes a moment to ring Registration if you'd like to have the donation removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stumblefoot Posted December 11, 2012 #37 Share Posted December 11, 2012 ...we still haven't been advised of our Venetian Society membership numbersNigella, I don't think I understand the intent of your post. What's the need of a membership number? We've cruised roughly the same # of days as you and don't have a membership number either. But, we've never had a problem without it. We're recognized as members on-board and extended the same privileges when booking. When we attended the VS event on-board the Whisper in November, I remember the Cruise Consultant announcing SS was approaching 300,000 members now. Pretty impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stumblefoot Posted December 11, 2012 #38 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Is Judith Ripka going to replace H. Stern on board? No idea. But, I doubt it since Roberto Coin just recently replaced H. Stern on the Whisper. Speaking of the new Coin boutique, we spoke with the representative and she indicated the store has exceeded their expectations so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldens4 Posted December 11, 2012 #39 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Allowing you to shop online would have been a better alternative. Since I trashed mine, the subject is moot for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafairer Posted December 11, 2012 #40 Share Posted December 11, 2012 You know what I would have loved? A short DVD presentation by Ms. Bettridge, introducing herself.. thanking us for our loyalty.. outlining her vision for Silversea's future.. touring the ships (including results of recent drydocks).. and providing a preview of the new Galapagos ship. I think we'd all truly appreciate this kind of gesture. Yes, it's still self-serving, but there's a big difference: it acknowledges our devotion to Silversea and our interest in what the company is doing. It reaches out in a very personal way (as does service on their ships) and speaks to each and every one of us. I think this gift would have been received with great interest and warmly welcomed as yet another way to strengthen our relationship with Silversea in the years ahead. (I also like Goldens4's suggestion of providing an OBC as a gift. That, too, is something everyone would look forward to using with pleasure, and isn't that the key to successful gift-giving?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigella Posted December 11, 2012 #41 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Nigella, I don't think I understand the intent of your post. Well the intent of my post wasn't to cause any trouble. I was more making the point that since SS doesn't seem to realise we're VS members, in addition to the fact that we're in Europe, we're therefore unlikely to receive the much coveted "gift". I would like a VS membership number because my husband has asked SS 3 times to provide it, mainly in order for us to access the 'Venetian Society' Login area of the website. Maybe that area of the site is no different to the rest of the site, but since it requires VS membership number to login, I'm rather curious as to what delights are to be found there ;) and kind of feel like I'm potentially missing out on something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stumblefoot Posted December 11, 2012 #42 Share Posted December 11, 2012 You know what I would have loved? A short DVD presentation by Ms. Bettridge...A very nice idea indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stumblefoot Posted December 11, 2012 #43 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Well the intent of my post wasn't to cause any trouble. I was more making the point that since SS doesn't seem to realise we're VS members, in addition to the fact that we're in Europe, we're therefore unlikely to receive the much coveted "gift". I would like a VS membership number because my husband has asked SS 3 times to provide it, mainly in order for us to access the 'Venetian Society' Login area of the website. Maybe that area of the site is no different to the rest of the site, but since it requires VS membership number to login, I'm rather curious as to what delights are to be found there ;) and kind of feel like I'm potentially missing out on something. Totally understand. I didn't even realize there was a special section of the website dedicated to VS members. So, since I didn't have a number, I just rang SS at 877-276-6816, selected Option #2, and the gentleman that answered the telephone provide my VS#. The process took him less than a minute. Hopefully, you'll have the same luck as me. And, don't worry about the gift. We didn't receive it either and we're in the US. Happy holidays to you and your family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dusababy Posted December 11, 2012 #44 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Stumblefoot - nor have I. Evidently it takes Pony Express longer to cross the Rockies (Colorado and California).....:);) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stumblefoot Posted December 12, 2012 #45 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Stumblefoot - nor have I. Evidently it takes Pony Express longer to cross the Rockies (Colorado and California).....:);)Haha! Maybe they put it on Santa's sleigh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripperva Posted December 12, 2012 #46 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Threw it away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt.F Posted December 12, 2012 #47 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Those VS members that travel as singles apparently received "only" a $1000 "Gift" versus if you travel as a couple you received a $2000 "Gift". I would conclude that somewhere in the inner sanctums of Silversea they actually thought this was a "Gift". If I could respectfully make a suggestion .... I would suggest that in the future Silversea have a member of their team that actually relates to VS Guests! Marketing promotions that mirror the mass market promotions of the likes of AMEX have risks. The present mischaracterized "Gift" is such an example. Too bad the new North American Prez began her tenure with this fiasco.... Hopefully Silversea will recalibrate their approach on customer loyalty and do better in the future.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jpalbny Posted December 12, 2012 #48 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Those VS members that travel as singles apparently received "only" a $1000 "Gift" versus if you travel as a couple you received a $2000 "Gift"... Oh well, guess we were shortchanged! We only got $1000. Like many others, we figured we couldn't use it and tossed it. Sorry to be deprived of the chance to toss a second one! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Silver Spectre Posted December 12, 2012 #49 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Thanks duct tape, I'll do that. Much appreciated. Good luck trying, but don't hold your breath. We have been waiting for a VS 100 day pin for nearly three years now. (Do enjoy the free laundry though) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Silver Spectre Posted December 12, 2012 #50 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Totally understand. I didn't even realize there was a special section of the website dedicated to VS members. So, since I didn't have a number, I just rang SS at 877-276-6816, selected Option #2, and the gentleman that answered the telephone provide my VS#. The process took him less than a minute. Hopefully, you'll have the same luck as me. And, don't worry about the gift. We didn't receive it either and we're in the US. Happy holidays to you and your family! Unfortunately us poor Brits have to call the London SS office, where customer service is an english term for total inaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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