Question
Aug 28 2006:
I'm editing this, being the top post in a reasonably active thread.
My very first concierge experience was mediocre, as described below. But 95% of them since them have been amazing. The Personal Assistants have gone out of their way to do all sorts of useful information-gathering; the tasks I generally have them do are things that involve doing web research then making 20 - 50 international calls to find the information I need.
A few examples: needed to find a doctor to do a scuba diving medical in a landlocked portion of Australia (thus hard to find one who'd do a scuba medical) so I could start diving when I got back to Sydney after the weekend. They called around to quite a few places and found me a couple who could.
Another example, I needed a scratched pair of sunglasses replaced. I gave them the basic info and where I was, and they got back to me with several locations. Additionally, they'd contacted these locations personally (without me asking them to) to find out what the repair would entail, approximate costs, etc.
They have confirmed various airline policies (baggage, changes, etc) for me more than once when I was unable to do so easily via the web or a call to the general reservations numbers.
Transportation: Always very good at finding me general information. I have NOT used them to book flights (I prefer to do that myself), so I can't comment on that. But as far as knowing ahead of time to find the nearest tube stop when I'm in London, or to find transportation and costs for rail trips, they've been excellent.
Another diving request: They were quite efficient at contacting local dive centers in London to find out locations, timing, transporation, and cost. The friend who I'll be going with hasn't been diving for 7 years, so they made sure to mention that and find out about refresher courses and such for her.
Restaurant reservations: Only used them once so far. I usually do it myself, unless it's a weekend night and I'm planning on possibly getting into several different places, in which case it's more efficient to have them call around. Did that just fine. No better than Amex, and I will say Amex has an edge here just from their name carrying a bit of weight as far as getting one into a supposedly-fulled booked location.
Anyways... In general, they are amazingly pleasant on the phone, great at their jobs, quick and efficient, and in my opinion far superior to the Amex Platinum concierge. From friends with Centurion cards, I've concluded they are at least equal, and most likely superior, to the Centurion concierge. They of course have their occasional quirks; you will want to read the rest of this thread for more information.
Oh yeah: if they don't recognize you by voice, they recognize you by registered phone number. Failing that you just need to give them your name (almost all my calls lately have been to someone who's just recognized me!) They are also very good at keeping a profile with all your info: phone numbers, frequent flier numbers, addresses, random personal preferences, etc. (E.g., them automatically knowing that when I'm in London and need information on destinations to just send me the nearest tube stops without even having to ask.)
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My original post follows:
I recently picked up the Chairman Card to replace my Amex Platinum, mainly since I'll be travelling internationally more so the Priority Pass will be more useful than the DL/CO/NW lounge access.
Just made my first call to the "personal assistant." Currently in Sydney, was looking for a sushi restaurant. The woman I talked to was friendly, but didn't seem nearly on the level as the Amex Plat concierge folks. (Not to mention she couldn't even come close to pronouncing anything Japanese. Come on, sashimi turning into "samishee?" Okay, maybe she was dyslexic, but then being a concierge wouldn't quite be the right career choice.)
I did like that I got to a human right away (well, one button press); Amex's Concierge has turned into an even worse tree of menus than it used to be. But then she asked me for my name, which I spelled out, and she read back a phone # that wasn't mine (not even the same area code.) And I have an unusual name; I would be surprised if there was another Chairman Card holder with the same name. I didn't get asked for my card number or any other details. I told her that wasn't my phone number, that it was my first call, and then gave her my correct number. She seemed to ignore that. I then asked if maybe she'd pulled up someone else's profile, but she just asked how she could help me (again.)
So I gave up on identifying myself. Got a decent list of restaurants and descriptions matching my criteria. No offer to make a reservation (though I'm sure I could've asked; I'm just used to being offered.) Anyways, the "personal assistant" was polite and friendly, but completely off the ball as far as being a concierge. And what's up with the lack of identifying me? Do they not do things like keep my contact info on file?
I'd appreciate any input from anyone's who's used this service frequently. Did I just happen to get a REALLY bad concierge, or is this about par? If it is, I'm sadly disappointed. :(
Answer
The person you reached on your call sounds suspiciously like it was outsourced to a firm in India or elsewhere. I know AMEX uses this route pretty heavily.
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The person you reached on your call sounds suspiciously like it was outsourced to a firm in India or elsewhere. I know AMEX uses this route pretty heavily.
The person seemed to be American, from the use of language, the occasional joke, and such (and I know they try to train them to do that, but I've toured a couple of Indian call centers which makes the differences even more obvious.) It was something like 3AM ET when I called though, so maybe the night shift is just plain bad... I'll see how my experiences go calling during the US day cycle.
I'm pretty sure Amex doesn't outsource any concierge service past North America. As far as I know they use Circles, previously out of Boston, now out of eastern Canada somewhere. (At least for Platinum. I've heard Centurion had the same move to Canada though.) It was rather nice when it was Boston-based since I live there.
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I use the Personal Assistants heavily and I find them MUCH better than AMEX Platinum...
Maybe you just got unlucky...try asking for Brandy B., she is very good...
Also, once they get to know as you use their service more frequently, they can anticipate what you are looking for as they keep everything in a file...
Now they know how I like to fly, where I Like to sit on an airplane, all my FF numbers, and which area of a hotel I like to stay at...
makes life so much easier...
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I use the Personal Assistants heavily and I find them MUCH better than AMEX Platinum...
Now they know how I like to fly, where I Like to sit on an airplane, all my FF numbers, and which area of a hotel I like to stay at...
makes life so much easier...
WoW! awesome. Is this service also availible for PremeirPass Elite Card?
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I know that Premier Pass Elite has a concierge service, but I do not think it is the same as these guys...I think that Chairman shares the same conceirge with Diners Club...
Upgrade to a Chairman card...I did it from a Preimer Pass Elite...
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I recently picked up the Chairman Card to replace my Amex Platinum, mainly since I'll be travelling internationally more so the Priority Pass will be more useful than the DL/CO/NW lounge access.
Just made my first call to the "personal assistant." Currently in Sydney, was looking for a sushi restaurant. The woman I talked to was friendly, but didn't seem nearly on the level as the Amex Plat concierge folks. (Not to mention she couldn't even come close to pronouncing anything Japanese. Come on, sashimi turning into "samishee?" Okay, maybe she was dyslexic, but then being a concierge wouldn't quite be the right career choice.)
I did like that I got to a human right away (well, one button press); Amex's Concierge has turned into an even worse tree of menus than it used to be. But then she asked me for my name, which I spelled out, and she read back a phone # that wasn't mine (not even the same area code.) And I have an unusual name; I would be surprised if there was another Chairman Card holder with the same name. I didn't get asked for my card number or any other details. I told her that wasn't my phone number, that it was my first call, and then gave her my correct number. She seemed to ignore that. I then asked if maybe she'd pulled up someone else's profile, but she just asked how she could help me (again.)
So I gave up on identifying myself. Got a decent list of restaurants and descriptions matching my criteria. No offer to make a reservation (though I'm sure I could've asked; I'm just used to being offered.) Anyways, the "personal assistant" was polite and friendly, but completely off the ball as far as being a concierge. And what's up with the lack of identifying me? Do they not do things like keep my contact info on file?
I'd appreciate any input from anyone's who's used this service frequently. Did I just happen to get a REALLY bad concierge, or is this about par? If it is, I'm sadly disappointed. :(
I used Citigroup's Concierge last week. I got into an argument with my girlfiriend last week and asked them to help.
1. They helped me find a suitable restaurant, reviewed the menu with me and ordered her dinner for delivery (I was out of town).
2. They helped me find a day spa, got the list of available appointments, and called my girlfriend to schedule it.
3. The day spa didn't take credit cards over the phone. Citigroup convinced them to do it anyway.
They took a little bit longer than I liked to complete the request. Overall, the experience was A-.
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The person seemed to be American, from the use of language, the occasional joke, and such (and I know they try to train them to do that, but I've toured a couple of Indian call centers which makes the differences even more obvious.) It was something like 3AM ET when I called though, so maybe the night shift is just plain bad... I'll see how my experiences go calling during the US day cycle.
I'm pretty sure Amex doesn't outsource any concierge service past North America. As far as I know they use Circles, previously out of Boston, now out of eastern Canada somewhere. (At least for Platinum. I've heard Centurion had the same move to Canada though.) It was rather nice when it was Boston-based since I live there.
When they called me back, I saw a 703 area code.
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They are based in the US....and they are good at what they do....usually I would rate them an A+...
they usually get whatever I need to get done....
Also, you can give them different credit cards -- such as business and personal -- and then tell them which one to charge depending how it needs to be charged...
Also, you can give them your email address and they will send you an email instead of calling...I find this to be much easier for me...I just reply to their email....
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Okay, after a couple more calls I have to say I am much more satisfied than with my first experience.
Went to the Dubbo, Australia (pop 40k) area last weekend, as well as the little village of Tooraweenah (pop 76). Called and asked for information on the area (Dubbo's small, but the largest population center in a radius of something like 200km.) Got an email back a few hours later with a TON of useful information, both on Dubbo and on stuff around Tooraweenah. There were quite a few bits I hadn't found in my own research online. I was visiting friends in Tooraweenah as it was, but I figured I'd see how the Chairman Concierge fared on this request.
But what really impressed me was my next call...I'd just decided I was going to start scuba lessons in Sydney on Monday, and since I was out of town until Sunday night I wouldn't have been able to both have the required medical exam and get the initial materials on Monday. Called the Chairman Concierge, told them I'd be in Tooraweenah, but reasonably close to the larger town of Gilgandra (pop 2900), and the situation with my scuba medical. Preferably wanted it done in Gilgandra, but down in Dubbo (120km from Toorawenah, but where I was traveling in/out of) if necessary. They called around to a whole bunch of doctors for me and found one in Gilgandra that could do the scuba medical. (Quite a landlocked area, on top of being very sparsely populated, so I'm guessing it wasn't the easiest place to find a qualified doctor for that.)
The one really annoying part... they sent me 4 or 5 copies of each of the last two emails. Most of them were also cced to my cellphone email address (so my phone kept getting nice international roaming MMSes) that I'd told them NOT to use for these requests (but to keep on file.) So it wasn't just a software glitch somewhere; the sent times were different, and the messages were differently addressed since some were just to regular email and others were to regular email+phone email. Anyone else ever run into them sending you tons of copies of emails? I haven't called them back yet so I haven't had a chance to mention it...
So yeah, I'm now suitably impressed with the Chairman Concierge compared to Amex. I don't think Amex would've been able to handle the last two requests, past probably just sending me information on the well-known Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo.
I think that's the final goodbye for the Amex Platinum. Only thing I'll miss is the SPG Gold status, which I have until 2007 anyways since SPG apparently comped me for the year based on my Delta status. Besides, my $30/yr Starwood Amex gets me SPG Preferred Plus which is basically SPG Gold minus the 50% bonus; Gold-level upgrades and 4PM checkout are still there. :)
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I have used the Chairman Card Personal Assistants a few times with mixed results. The worst example was when I was showing some colleagues from the UK, Poland, and Germany around in the U.S. and needed help with a local restaurant. The town we were in was very small, but very popular with summer tourists. I called in hopes that the Personal Assistant service could get us reservations at a local popular restaurant that only has two lunch sittings per day. They could not. However, after asking the lady to find another local restaurant for our group of eight she did find a suggestion, made the reservation, and called me back within fifteen minutes. We ate and then I presented my upscale-black-MasterCard logo on the back credit card to the waitress and she replied, "I am so sorry honey, but we do not accept credit cards." Luckily I was with business colleagues and not clients. They just laughed at me and paid with cash instead. Yes, I was the only American in the group of eight and I was the only one that did not have any U.S. dollars.
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I have used the Chairman Card Personal Assistants a few times with mixed results. The worst example was when I was showing some colleagues from the UK, Poland, and Germany around in the U.S. and needed help with a local restaurant. The town we were in was very small, but very popular with summer tourists. I called in hopes that the Personal Assistant service could get us reservations at a local popular restaurant that only has two lunch sittings per day. They could not. However, after asking the lady to find another local restaurant for our group of eight she did find a suggestion, made the reservation, and called me back within fifteen minutes. We ate and then I presented my upscale-black-MasterCard logo on the back credit card to the waitress and she replied, "I am so sorry honey, but we do not accept credit cards." Luckily I was with business colleagues and not clients. They just laughed at me and paid with cash instead. Yes, I was the only American in the group of eight and I was the only one that did not have any U.S. dollars.
Some restauranteurs cannot get past the 2-4% they would have to pay to take CC's - very short-sighted of them. I generally carry only enough cash to tip or buy some snacks from the cart girl, so a trip to one of these places requires an extra stop (where I pay $4 to get cash because I haven't opened a new bank account in my new state yet) or else it will clean me out.
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I use the Personal Assistants heavily and I find them MUCH better than AMEX Platinum...
Now they know how I like to fly, where I Like to sit on an airplane, all my FF numbers, and which area of a hotel I like to stay at...
So you use them to make your travel reservations? What travel agency do they use, and is there a fee for this? I usually book all my travel on-line, because I like to control exactly what flights and booking class I get, plus enjoy the 1,000-mine on-line booking bonus at united.com. Lately, however, I've gotten frustrated enough with bugs in united.com that I would consider using a travel agent...
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So you use them to make your travel reservations? What travel agency do they use, and is there a fee for this? I usually book all my travel on-line, because I like to control exactly what flights and booking class I get, plus enjoy the 1,000-mine on-line booking bonus at united.com. Lately, however, I've gotten frustrated enough with bugs in united.com that I would consider using a travel agent...
Sorry for the late reply....
there is no fee for this...all included with the card...just tell them what booking class you want...once they have you on record, it gets easier than the first time...first time takes some time since they have to build your record...
they also have all your FF#'s so they just punch the appropriate ff# in the reservation...
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I know that Premier Pass Elite has a concierge service, but I do not think it is the same as these guys...I think that Chairman shares the same conceirge with Diners Club...
Upgrade to a Chairman card...I did it from a Preimer Pass Elite...
Did they pull a hard inquiry when you upgraded? I also have the Premiere Pass Elite card from Citi and wanted to see how the transition was? Pretty smooth? Any questions?
Thanks :D
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Did they pull a hard inquiry when you upgraded? I also have the Premiere Pass Elite card from Citi and wanted to see how the transition was? Pretty smooth? Any questions?
Thanks :D
Not that I know of...my card number stayed the same...I think the only thing that they care about is the fact that the yearly fee is non-negotiable..
Agree to that and the card is yours...
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Not that I know of...my card number stayed the same...I think the only thing that they care about is the fact that the yearly fee is non-negotiable..
Agree to that and the card is yours...
thanks for the reply.
I could care less about the $400/yr, only about ~$35/month :D If they dont pull another hard hit on my credit report, I'm game :D
Also, how long were you a Citi PP Elite cardholder before you upgraded? I've only had the card for about 7months, and not sure if i should wait a bit longer before I call. Did you just call the Citi Cust Serv # on the back of your PP card to get upgraded? Any bonuses for sign-up/upgrading? ^
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thanks for the reply.
I could care less about the $400/yr, only about ~$35/month :D If they dont pull another hard hit on my credit report, I'm game :D
Also, how long were you a Citi PP Elite cardholder before you upgraded? I've only had the card for about 7months, and not sure if i should wait a bit longer before I call. Did you just call the Citi Cust Serv # on the back of your PP card to get upgraded? Any bonuses for sign-up/upgrading? ^
Waas a PPElite for approx 9 months before I called up....but I got the card in 2005..when they had the asset qualifications and so forth and you could not apply online...I guess now they want the card to be available to anyone who is willing to cough up the 400/yr...
I did not meet the asset minimum, but was going to go over the limit on PPElite points (200000/yr), so I had to sell myself to Chairman .. basically threatened them to cancel my acct -- they would have lost a customer who charges approx 4-6000/month... and pays in full every month...never late...so it worked out fine...
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Though I hate to be ignorant, I'm a US + UK Cent CH, + US + Aus Plat, so I was wondering what the benefits of the Chairman's Card are. I've never even heard of it up to today. How does it compare to AmEx Plat in terms of PUBLISHED benefits? Most specifically, air and hotel travel. Thanks! (Links are good too)!
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Though I hate to be ignorant, I'm a US + UK Cent CH, + US + Aus Plat, so I was wondering what the benefits of the Chairman's Card are. I've never even heard of it up to today. How does it compare to AmEx Plat in terms of PUBLISHED benefits? Most specifically, air and hotel travel. Thanks! (Links are good too)!
Since you just posted in this forum, there is another forum "AMEX PLAT VS CHAIRMAN -- the facts" in the OTHER CREDIT CRAD FORUM...
Extremely helpful...
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Though I hate to be ignorant, I'm a US + UK Cent CH, + US + Aus Plat, so I was wondering what the benefits of the Chairman's Card are. I've never even heard of it up to today. How does it compare to AmEx Plat in terms of PUBLISHED benefits? Most specifically, air and hotel travel. Thanks! (Links are good too)!
Here is an excellent comparison of the Chairman Card to the AMEX Platinum Card:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=587738
Key Chairman Card benefits are:
1. Priority Pass Membership (unlimited access, plus 2 free companions during each visit)
Pass
2. Hilton HHonors Gold Status
3. Excellent customer service and concierge
4. Good rewards program (excellent points per $, but limited redemption options)
There are other benefits. Here is a link to a guide:
http://www.smithbarney.com/pdf/chairmanbook.pdf
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Thanks!
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Here is some information that I need that I asked Concierge to get for me? Let us see what they can do...If anyone has a Amex Plat -- then can ask AMEX to do the same and we can compare ---
Location: El Paso, TX -- EAST and FAR EAST
What: I need information on renting warehouse space for the following size warehouese:
700sft
1500sft
2000sft
2500sft
5000sft
Pls include the following information:
1) Price per sft
2) What does the price include such as landscape maintainence, property taxes, utilties, and anything else?
3) Min contracts
I have asked for this information sent to me by end August...
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not even 30min after I sent the previous email about my whse requirements, I get an meail from them, asking even more specific questions...such as dates of the rental, height of the whse and use of the whse...
amazing service...
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so I had to sell myself to Chairman .. basically threatened them to cancel my acct -- they would have lost a customer who charges approx 4-6000/month... and pays in full every month...never late....
What do you think the industry insider slang is for a customer like yourself who pays in full every month and is never late???
:)
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What do you think the industry insider slang is for a customer like yourself who pays in full every month and is never late???
:)
something not very nice I am sure...but they earn a percentage of all my charges...don't they....so too bad what they call me...I am using their money for free for at least 25 days ....
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something not very nice I am sure...but they earn a percentage of all my charges...don't they....so too bad what they call me...I am using their money for free for at least 25 days ....
Not what they call you per se. There is an actual bonafide industry term for someone who pays their bill every month in full and is never late.
This is not esoteric. It is widely known in the industry and financial media.
Anyone?? anyone????
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Not what they call you per se. There is an actual bonafide industry term for someone who pays their bill every month in full and is never late.
This is not esoteric. It is widely known in the industry and financial media.
Anyone?? anyone????
I've heard this and racked and racked my brain to no avail, so I had to resort to Googling it.
Apparently we're all deadbeats here. :)
(I also have a reasonably large balance on one Amex that has a 1.9% lifetime APR on it that I obviously just make the minimum payments on, so that's costing them a decent chunk of money. I wonder if they have an even worse term for me! Or the folks who churn 12 month 0% BTs year after year...)
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I've heard this and racked and racked my brain to no avail, so I had to resort to Googling it.
Apparently we're all deadbeats here. :)
(I also have a reasonably large balance on one Amex that has a 1.9% lifetime APR on it that I obviously just make the minimum payments on, so that's costing them a decent chunk of money. I wonder if they have an even worse term for me! Or the folks who churn 12 month 0% BTs year after year...)
Oh well....I am a deadbeat along with all 99% of the FT'ers I am sure....but we sure give them a run for their money right !!!!
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[QUOTE=karthik]I've heard this and racked and racked my brain to no avail, so I had to resort to Googling it.
Apparently we're all deadbeats here. :)
(QUOTE]
yes DEADBEATS.
ya got it ^
scary new trend in CC industry.
long time cardholders who "thought" they were "exellent" customers are finding their acounts unilaterally cancelled!
The banks want it to be a profitable experience for THEM , not for YOU.
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[QUOTE=karthik]I've heard this and racked and racked my brain to no avail, so I had to resort to Googling it.
Apparently we're all deadbeats here. :)
(QUOTE]
yes DEADBEATS.
ya got it ^
scary new trend in CC industry.
long time cardholders who "thought" they were "exellent" customers are finding their acounts unilaterally cancelled!
The banks want it to be a profitable experience for THEM , not for YOU.
Really...just cancelling like that...how can they do that?
Great...now they just llumped us in the same group as fathers who do not pay their alimony
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scary new trend in CC industry.
long time cardholders who "thought" they were "exellent" customers are finding their acounts unilaterally cancelled!
The banks want it to be a profitable experience for THEM , not for YOU.
You have any evidence for this assertion (that they cancel accounts solely because you PIF every month)?
There certainly have been reports of people having issues when having extremely high balances/utilization rates, and Amex is notorious for doing financial reviews. But these cases are more about managing default risk than merely trying to squeeze more money out of their customers.
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Here is some information that I need that I asked Concierge to get for me? Let us see what they can do...If anyone has a Amex Plat -- then can ask AMEX to do the same and we can compare ---
[B]Location: El Paso, TX -- EAST and FAR EAST
What: I need information on renting warehouse space for the following size warehouese:
I have asked for this information sent to me by end August...
Here is their reply .. sorry for the multiple posts...I do not know how to attach threads..
Thank you for your email today. We have contacted the following commercial real estate agents and I am pleased to provide you with the following information that they provided us. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Commercial Real Estate Agents in El Paso, TX:
Option #1
Best Real Estate Incorporated
300 E Main Drive, Ste. 1208
El Paso, TX 79901
915-533-4901
www.bestrealestate.com
The following is an available property that they are currently offering:
6000 Welch
El Paso, TX 79905
County: El Paso
The property offers on-site management, a gated facility with maintenance, taxes and insurance and the price is approximately $1.49 per square foot. It is located south of I-10 in central El Paso. Not much landscaping is needed and for the common area landscaping is included. If you take the property "as is", it could be a one year contract; if any improvements are required, then it would be a 3-5 year contract. For more information, please contact Marivel Hafemeister at 915-533-4901.
All flexible space:
Suite 24 937sft $6.00/sft/year
Suite 18 2,731sft $6.00/sft/year
Suite 29 1,400sft $6.00/sft/year
Option #2
Brown, Irving J - Sonny Brown Association
200 Bartlett Drive, Ste. 105
El Paso, TX 79912
915-584-5511
www.sonnybrown.com
Sun Belt Business Park II
1520 & 1530 Goodyear
El Paso, TX 79936
County: El Paso
This property is located just blocks from Lee Trevino and Interstate 10 in the heart of East El Paso. There is an office space in each unit, a dock and ramp combination, it requires one month rent as a security deposit, and it has a 3-5 year lease and terms can be open. Prices exclude cost of utilities and janitorial maintenance. Taxes and insurance are paid for by the landlord and there is a common area that is landscaped. For more information, you may contact Will Brown, at 915-584-5511.
All flexible space:
Suite 1520-B 1,800sft $5.60/sft/year
Suite 1530-A1 3,210sft $5.40/sft/year
Suite 1528-A 3,000sft $5.40/sft/year
Suite 1520-G 3,600sft $5.40/sft/year
Suite 1530-K 4,500sft $5.40/sft/year
Option #3
Towe, Rose - Francis Properties
414 Executive Center Blvd
El Paso, TX 79902
915-351-8000
www.francisproperties.com
Eastside Business Center
11450 James Watt
El Paso, TX 79936
This Office/Warehouse facility is located one block from Lee Trevino and two blocks from Interstate-10. Each space contains a 12X18 office/reception area, restroom and approximately 975 square feet of grade level warehouse space with a 10X10, 10X12, or 12X12 roll up door available. A common dock is available to all tenants for unloading tractor-trailers. The lease contract length was not available.
Space available:
Suite A2 1250sft $800/month
Suite B2 1250sft $800/month
Suite B4 1250sft $800/month
Suite D2 1250sft $800/month
Airport Industrial Business Center
6400 Airport Road
El Paso, TX 79925
This second office/warehouse option is a complex located on the corner of Airport Road and Boeing. The spaces range from 1,500 square feet to 5,500 square feet, and is a centrally located area that is close to the El Paso International Airport. Most spaces consist of one to two offices, restrooms and grade level warehouse space. The lease contract length was not available.
Space available:
BldgA Suite A&B 3,000sft $1,740/month
BldgA Suite C 1,500sft $900/month
BldgD Suite FF 1,500sft $870/month
Shell Business Center
3733 Shell
El Paso, TX 79925
This Office/Warehouse facility is located on a cul-de-sac on 3733 and 3736 Shell Street that runs perpendicular to Montana Street. The spaces range from 3,000 square feet to 6,000 square feet, nearby to the El Paso International Airport. Most spaces consist of small offices, restrooms and grade level warehouse space. There are four units with well docks. All units have street level overhead doors in the front and back. The lease contract length was not available.
Space available:
Bldg3733 Suite C 3,000sft $1,737/month
Bldg3736 Suite A 3,000sft $1,737/month
Bldg3736 Suite D 3,000sft $1,737/month
I hope this information has been helpful. Please keep in mind that prices and availability are subject to change. It has been my pleasure assisting you today.
Sincerely at your service,
Thank you for using the Citigroup Chairman Personal Assistants. It's been a pleasure to serve you! If you need more information or assistance with this request, please feel free to reply directly to this email or call us at 800-967-7900 (within the U.S and Canada) or 605-335-2222 (collect from all other locations).
Anyone from Amex Plat try yet? Anyone? Anyone? They already whopped *ss on Centurion...
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well,
have you had to dispute charges???
I'd perfer Amex on my side than Citi. --I must have 75-90 charges a month. some need to be disputed. I can't wasted hours with the merchants. That's where Amex helps. That's my "concierge" service.
Citi is known for atrocious customer service. No Verbal disputes
even among its gold account holders & near private bank type accts.
I'm not saying that Citi Chairman is bad. ( I have no way of knowing).
I do know that Citi treats customers who are worth a lot more--to citi in annual profits-- than a $400 annual card fee, poorly is the chairman card so seprate a culture from the organization.
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Here is their reply .. sorry for the multiple posts...I do not know how to attach threads..
Thank you for your email today. We have contacted the following commercial real estate agents and I am pleased to provide you with the following information that they provided us. Please let me know if you have any questions.
I hope this information has been helpful. [B]Please keep in mind that prices and availability are subject to change. It has been my pleasure assisting you today.
Anyone from Amex Plat try yet? Anyone? Anyone? They already whopped *ss on Centurion...
well my friend, and you know I respect and like you-- I hate to burst your bubble. How much time did they really save you???
It seems you need to call at least 2 , perhaps three and finalize the logistics.
also perhaps they missed the BEST option because a hourly paid CSR does not have the same degree of motivation as you- the small business owner.
I'd say before the internet and google they saved you several hours. Now I say that this information could have been obtained in about 90 minutes.
Sure they did a better job than amex concierge which sucks, but i'd rather have starpoints, hilton points and FHR.
can chairman help you with hotels in vegas and elsewhere?
I think it come down to the affinity programs.
The TY network works great for you so you love the card.
IMHO, and I could be wrong-- it would be the second time :D -, it all comes down to if the TY point scheme is better in a person's individual circumstance than Starpoints, MR
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[QUOTE=acf573]You have any evidence for this assertion (that they cancel accounts solely because you PIF every month)?
www.fatwallet.com
And a long time account is not canceled SOLELY for PIP.
But app o ramas . keeping the balance when 0% or very low intro rate AND then PAYING OFF. has resulted in outright cancalations as well as 90%+ decrease of credit lines.
IMHO, If I have a twelve grand credit line and they cut to One thousand, that's a polite cancelation or a defacto cancellation.
There also is a verifiable new micro trend of people who PIF and don't engage in balance transfers or anything else having lines severely, serverely reduced.
They give us high lines in the hopes we carry a balance and pay high intrest rates.
They don't like/want PIF
The risk/reward ratio is not there for them. They get a increasingly small discount ( merchant processing fee) rate on big $$$ that we use to earn points.{ a lot of big dollar charges today are the type of charges that would have been paid with a check years ago}
Then the one month we lose our job, our business hits a reversal or we have a nervous breakdown :D , they have a default on the full credit limit. They need intrest profits paid over a period of time from many accounts to defray collecion expenses as well as outright writeoffs.
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well,
have you had to dispute charges???
I'd perfer Amex on my side than Citi. --I must have 75-90 charges a month. some need to be disputed.
I do know that Citi treats customers who are worth a lot more--to citi in annual profits-- than a $400 annual card fee, poorly is the chairman card so seprate a culture from the organization.
I do agree with you in the fact that Citi serice is bad...I used to have an AA credit card...but with Chairman...it is a different world...I have had some merchant discrepancies...the CSR immerdiatly credited my acct for the charge and they did their own investigation...took no more than 10min max...
Amex does have its programs and connections..which is a benefit but it does not outweigh their negatives...
I had an amex plat...but cancelled it because of poor service considering that it was their sencond best card...do I have to pay 2500/yr just to get some decent service?
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well my friend, and you know I respect and like you-- I hate to burst your bubble. How much time did they really save you???
It seems you need to call at least 2 , perhaps three and finalize the logistics.
IMHO, and I could be wrong-- it would be the second time :D -, it all comes down to if the TY point scheme is better in a person's individual circumstance than Starpoints, MR
Of course, I have to do the logistics...I expected it...but a google and internet search would not have cut it....
Also, the big deal is that I already have a "bread and butter" business, so I do not have the time to do this legwork....
This is a new project....I cannot really spend a lot of time looking for space and hiring a realtor would cost me money for the same thing that Concierge did....
once I have the info, then I can calculate expenses a lot better....this might have saved me 90min....but I can spend the same 90min with a client and earn triple the money that I would have spent on the 90 min...
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www.fatwallet.com
And a long time account is not canceled SOLELY for PIP.
But app o ramas . keeping the balance when 0% or very low intro rate AND then PAYING OFF. has resulted in outright cancalations as well as 90%+ decrease of credit lines.
IMHO, If I have a twelve grand credit line and they cut to One thousand, that's a polite cancelation or a defacto cancellation.
Can you point me to a specific post? I'm a pretty frequent regular at FWF and I can't say that I recall anyone making these specific claims (that their credit lines are being cut or canceled due to PIFing a balance). I know some people have been getting cards canceled or reduced credit lines, but this is determined to be because of extremely high credit limits relative to income and/or extremely high utilization rates. If you can point me to specific posts, I would find that very interesting. Thanks.
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I do agree with you in the fact that Citi serice is bad...I used to have an AA credit card...but with Chairman...it is a different world...I have had some merchant discrepancies...the CSR immerdiatly credited my acct for the charge and they did their own investigation...took no more than 10min max...
This was actually my first BAD encounter with the Chairman CSRs. I had a one-night stay in Glasgow booked through hotels.com (couldn't get availability ANYWHERE as there was apparently a parasite conference during the week and then a huge international piping festival that weekend.) They booked me into a full hotel; after much trouble they moved me to a (admittedly much nicer) hotel. They agreed to pay cab fare both ways (about £20 each way) as well as refund £20 of the room rate. Hadn't seen any such thing a couple weeks later so I emailed them, no reply.
At that point I called the Chairman CSRs, as my due date was approaching in a couple weeks and I certainly didn't want to pay £60 of charges that were supposed to be refunded to me. They told me they actually could not dispute that until I'd gotten a written/email confirmation from hotels.com, or had at least tried to do so. So I ended up not being able to dispute the charge yet.
Amex will let you dispute anything, for any (reasonable) cause, at least temporarily until the dispute clears of course. I was told by the Chairman folks that they had a checklist that they had to go through to determine whether or not to open a dispute, and I'm guessing this is the same as with regular Citi.
It seems to me that they should at least put the charge in a pending dispute status and put the charge on hold until the dispute is fully opened. I'll have to mention this the next time I speak to them.
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<<Amex will let you dispute anything, for any (reasonable) cause, at least temporarily until the dispute clears of course. I was told by the Chairman folks that they had a checklist that they had to go through to determine whether or not to open a dispute,>>
I wonder if this may reflect differences in the merchant agreements used by the American Express versus the Mastercard network. The only way I can think to test would be to dispute a charge on a Citibank American Express card.
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<<Amex will let you dispute anything, for any (reasonable) cause, at least temporarily until the dispute clears of course. I was told by the Chairman folks that they had a checklist that they had to go through to determine whether or not to open a dispute,>>
I wonder if this may reflect differences in the merchant agreements used by the American Express versus the Mastercard network. The only way I can think to test would be to dispute a charge on a Citibank American Express card.
Merchant agreements or not, why can't Citi simply foot the amount of the charge until the dispute clears? It's silly that they don't just give me the benefit of the doubt until the issue is resolved. I suppose there could be a MasterCard agreement saying they are not allowed to do this... but there are enough ways around that. Simply issuing me a temporary "goodwill credit" in the amount of the charge shouldn't violate any agreements.
I think Citi is having a learning curve with the Chairman Card. I am impressed they've done so well so far with such a new, fairly high-end product, and hope they do even better in the future.
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Merchant agreements or not, why can't Citi simply foot the amount of the charge until the dispute clears? It's silly that they don't just give me the benefit of the doubt until the issue is resolved. I suppose there could be a MasterCard agreement saying they are not allowed to do this... but there are enough ways around that. Simply issuing me a temporary "goodwill credit" in the amount of the charge shouldn't violate any agreements.
I think Citi is having a learning curve with the Chairman Card. I am impressed they've done so well so far with such a new, fairly high-end product, and hope they do even better in the future.
With the new changes coming, let us see what they are doing...should know in a few months...as of right, no new apps are allowed...
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Long time lurker, first time poster so please bare with me. I tried to search for the answer but might have missed it...
Could a roommate and I share this card (ie both be authorized users) and both have lounge access--even while flying separately? Is this benefit solely limited to the primary card holder and his/her guests? We have different last names FWIW.
Second question: would spending for each card holder be broken out in the statement?
Thanks for the help!
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Long time lurker, first time poster so please bare with me. I tried to search for the answer but might have missed it...
Could a roommate and I share this card (ie both be authorized users) and both have lounge access--even while flying separately? Is this benefit solely limited to the primary card holder and his/her guests? We have different last names FWIW.
Second question: would spending for each card holder be broken out in the statement?
Thanks for the help!
Welcome to FT!
The primary card holder will also get a separate Priority Pass card with their name on it. The Priority Pass card provides access to the lounges. Additional card holders do not get a Priority Pass card or lounge access (except as a guest of the primary card holder).
BTW...if you want this card, you should probably apply soon. There are rumors that it will be changed soon by Citibank. However, the nature of those changes is unknown. One rumor is that it is being upgraded to compete with the Centurion Card which would in theory mean higher fees, better benefits, etc. (This was passed along to me by a Chairman CSR. However, different Chairman CSRs have other stories.)
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Have another great Personal Assistant experience to report on.
Another FTer referred me to a Smart Money article that I was interested in reading, so I called up the Personal Assistants, told them the name of the magazine and what the article was about and asked if they could try to locate it. I expected that if they could they'd just find out when it was published, and then I could go purchase that issue if it was recent... but they seem to have done better! (Part of this was the Smart Money folks being helpful, but still.)
They got back to me about 24 hours later (I had called in the evening, US time) with the following:
Dear [karthik],
It was a pleasure to research your request for an article from Smart Money magazine regarding private banking with minimum account sizes and services. I am delighted to provide you with the following information.
I spoke with Arlene at the Article Editorial section of Smart Money; she believes she knows the article you are seeking. She will research it further, and send the article to me. May I please have a fax number, so I may forward the article to you?
It has been my pleasure assisting you today.
Sincerely at your service,
Carrie M
Haven't got the article yet (I just sent them my fax->email number), but this particular experience really stood out as outstanding anyways.
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The short story:
Best price the Personal Assistants could find on an LHR-ARN/ARN-AMS/AMS-LON circle trip: $674.96
Best price I later found myself doing a simple multi-city search: $389
Price I actually paid doing it as separate LHR-ARN and LHR-AMS roundtrips (an option I had specifically asked them to check on the initial call and on a later followup email): $235.94
The long version: Due to lack of net access I decided I'd actually use the Personal Assistants for flights for once. I'd researched some possible options a few days earlier, and it seemed buying separate LHR-ARN-LHR tickets on BA and LHR-AMS-LHR on KL would be the way to go. Told the Personal Assistants that and the dates and preferred times, and that I would prefer to fly on a SkyTeam carrier but any airline would be fine if the SkyTeam fare was significantly higher.
I was told that they were very busy but would try to get the information in the next few hours. (I was departing Munich that evening and wanted the information in the next 4 hours or so before I left.) Also got a call back 5 minutes later asking what airline SkyTeam was (I had to explain that it is an airline alliance.)
I have net access now, so I'm just booking it myself. A basic online search as a multi-city brings up BA LHR-ARN/ARN-LHR-AMS/AMS-LHR for $389 as the cheapest option by far. I confirmed that this is bookable on the BA site for a similar price in pounds.
The suggested itineraries by the Personal Assistant:
KL LHR-AMS-ARN/ARN-AMS/AMS-LCY for $674.96
BA LHR-ARN / KL ARN-AMS/AMS-LCY for $1370.10
I have no clue how they failed to AT LEAST search for a regular multi-city and bring up the $389 BA fare. Not to mention that they completely failed to do what I had requested and try separate BA LHR-ARN-LHR and KL LHR-AMS-LHR itineraries. So I emailed them back noting that these fares were significantly higher than what I'd found recently and to again please try the separate tickets since they hadn't... got an email back saying those were the best flights they could find and suggesting that I book the KL fare.
Anyways, I'm glad they didn't find the $389 BA fare as I might have booked it if I didn't have net access now.
I did a search for separate roundtrips as I'd asked them to do, and had very little trouble booking the following:
BA LHR-ARN-LHR $132.60 (booked via aa.com, so no booking fees or forex)
KL LHR-AMS-LHR $103.34 (booked via nwa.com, so no booking fees or forex)
These are on separate itineraries (couldn't find a website that'd let me book it all on one, I guess maybe BA and KL don't interline.) So I left myself almost 4 hours in LHR between my BA ARN-LHR and KL LHR-AMS flights to be safe. I'll take a 4 hour layover over paying $450 extra. I'm disappointed that they didn't follow my specific instructions to search as separate roundtrips not once but twice.
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Hello,
I tried to book a flight from JFK to CNX on Thai Air for specific dates, times, and even gave them the flight numbers that I wanted. I also asked that they provide pricing in all classes of service, and any fares that many be eligible for the free comp tix.
The lowest price that I got online: 1600 for prem. econ seats which is fine. The price that Chairman’s international desk got (and five days later): $7K. Yep. 4.5 times the price that I got.
They called me back a few minutes later and asked where I was able to find that fare and I told them www.thaiair.com. The person seemed shocked.
This bugged me, but I figured it was because they haven’t really been told to hammer through the net to find stuff.
The flights I wanted are below.
1 TG 791J 15NOV JFKBKK 1200N 500P 16NOV
2 TG 126J 16NOV BKKCNX 700P 810P
3 TG 642J 22NOV CNXBKK 910P 1020P
4 TG 790J 23NOV BKKJFK 105A 600A
- SR
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Hello,
So one of the reasons that i got the Chairman Card was to save me time.
The Chairman PAs were able to save me time by getting reservations at Per Se for my brother's brithday that I would normally have had to call directly for, but it's just much easier call to the PAs.
They got me the time that I wanted and the date. And from my stand point the whole process took not even five minutes. Excellent.
I just hope that the new card is as good.
- SR
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How far in advance?
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How far in advance?
For a Friday night about a month in advance and they told me that they had two times that I could take if I wanted them. The reservation is pretty late, after 9:00pm, but that's fine.
- SR