Referral bonus decrease?

[danielboldea]

Just a quick question....
When did the referral bonus go down to $50? Wasn't it $100?

[LL_Travelfan]

I don't recall it ever being $100,

[kyshel]

Daniel and LLTF--All my referrals were $100 off their first purchase. $100 for them and $100 credit for me for later use.

I see it is now $50. BUMMER.

[jmbklj]

Well, I can tell you that it was still a $100 referral bonus on 7/13/12 - that's when I sent out two referrals in 2 emails by inserting my referral link in them. I expect these 2 people will accept the referrals but haven't done so yet. In fact one person told me which package she wants to buy.

Of course, in the email I explained how it worked - first register with the referral link, then when she bought her first LL package (whenever in the future), both she and I would get $100 LL certificates to use.

Now it's $50?

And now it's a "credit" rather than a "certificate"? What are the implications, if any, of this change?

[jmbklj]

I don't recall it ever being $100,

It was always a $100.

[kyshel]

The referral $ is a credit that is automatically applied to your next purchase. There is another thread about it. It's very efficient that way, but I totally agree that cutting the amount by half diminishes the "reward" significantly. Why bother? Hardly an incentive at $50.
AHA--found it!!
$100 Referral Credit System--AWESOME!!

[jmbklj]

Regardless of how it worked in operation prior to this change, it was always described as a "certificate" on the website in the explanation of the Referral Manager.

I have some friends who accepted the referral and registered with LL while the $100 referral certificate was in effect. They have not bought anything yet. If these people buy something now after the change, will the $100 amount apply that was in effect when the accepted the referral & registered?

It's a big change......cutting it in half.

For the 2 friends I just sent emails with $100 referral links on July 13th.....since they had not gotten around to accepting it & registering it, I imagine it will be $50 for them? I guess I'll need to send them a new email explaining the change.......not a good first impression for them.

It seems that a change like this should have been announced in the messages boards in the Announcements & What's New on Luxury Link section.

Why do companies think they can make negative changes that affect their customers without telling them in advance?

[kyshel]

"Referral Manager

Track your referrals below. See who has accepted, and resend to friends that may have missed it in their inboxes. They will get $50 off their first purchase — and you will get a $50 credit when they book it."

This is the same as Dec 2011 when I got my first referral, EXCEPT it's now $50. I've only seen "credit"--where did you see "certificate"? I must have missed that.

[Mountie]

Here we go again.

Next thing will be why did the VIP Certificate values get reduced by 50%.

[TravelerBen_ll]

Hello All – Correct, as of Wednesday, July 18, Luxury Link members who refer a friend to the site will receive a $50 credit towards future travel once that friend purchases their first Luxury Link vacation experience. This only applies to referral e-mails sent from July 18 onward – any first-time Luxury Link travel booked from a referral e-mail sent before July 18 will still earn you a $100 credit. You can check your account balance by clicking on “My Account” from the top-right of any page, and then “Referral Manager” under “My Credits” on the left-hand menu.

While we understand your concerns about this policy change, Luxury Link still maintains one of the most generous referral credit programs in the online travel industry. We hope these bonuses – combined with our seasonal credit awards, sweepstakes giveaways and promo code sales – help convey the gratitude Luxury Link has for its loyal travelers and brand advocates such as yourselves.