Finally, here's the major complaint I want to make:
As you can see in the voucher above, the deal seems to good to be true... 50% discount at Club Med Malaysia! Talk about a holiday that's sooo worth it!
Given the many events in my life, I was obviously not free for a holiday the past few months. After passing the half-year mark, I figured that I might as well use the voucher for a much-needed break and October/November seems like a good time. It would be monsoon season, but my friend assured me that Club Med would still be open then. They would just close the beach, and anyway Club Med has its own lagoon which would be calm in spite of the wild seas.
Although the voucher stated a 50% discount, when I checked the
Hong Leong Bank MTV Visa card webpage, they only listed 10% discount for all Asian villages during normal season, so I decided to call up to confirm the discount, and maybe even make bookings if possible.
Here's what I found out during the phone conversation, with the girl who sounded rather snobbish:
No, your voucher is no longer valid. Club Med has an allotment of the number of vouchers redeemable and we have already achieved the limit. Your voucher is not guaranteed redeemable.
May I know what that number is?
That's P&C.
Well... then am I entitled to any other discount?
No.
The conversation ended after the customary polite Thank-yous.
Let's have a look at that voucher again, shall we?
Did they state there is a limit to the vouchers redeemable, or some kind of first-come-first-serve basis?
No.
Did they refer to any other external terms & conditions?
Not indicated.
When does the voucher expire?
31st December 2004.
I should've known better. A deal that seems to good to be true always is. And I'm not even entitled to the 10% discount!
The fact is, the voucher was grossly misleading. If they really only accept a certain number of redeemable vouchers, it should have been stated. As it is, there were no other T&C written. How can I read the fine print if there is none to begin with?
Even printing something as generic like
"The management of Club Med reserve the right to reject the redemption of vouchers subject to terms and conditions" or some other similar nonsense would vindicate them. As it is, now it looks like a petty trick on their side to reduce the possible losses incurred from the number of people making use of the discount offered, especially with the refusal to disclose the number they claimed to have alloted. For all we know, no one's been allowed to use that 50% discount. Giving out discount vouchers like these and then refusing to honour them seems like false advertising, although technically it isn't advertising. I feel somewhat cheated.
I had been
soooooo looking forward to a Club Med holiday. Now, I'm not sure if I'll ever want to go to Club Med Malaysia in the future. Maybe to one of their foreign clubs, but I have great reluctance in going to the local one. I have lost faith in their marketing team.
