Louisville Originals card...denied!!!

I'd like the forum's opinion on this scenario. I also plan on calling the Louisville Originals customer service and possibly the restaurant. Here's the deal:

On Monday night I took my family out for a nice dinner at a Louisville Originals place. Made reservatiions over the phone..check. The meal, wine and service were great, as it always is at this place. Now, I will round some numbers up / down, so as to simplify things. When the bill came, I was actually charged twice for an entree...the server fixed that at my request. The total sans tip was $150. I had a restaurant.com gift cert for $50, and that was applied no problem...along with the standard 18% gratiuity that usually accompanies these GC's. So, the remaining total was just over $100. I added a couple more bucks to bring the tip above the 20% range...I then paid with my credit card. All is going pretty smoothly...until I realized that I forgot to present the server with my Louisville Originals card. All I wanted was the credit applied to the card for the $100 (or so) spent beyond the Restaurant.com GC. I did not want to redeem any earned gifts, etc. I just wanted credit for the $$$ spent. When I asked the server to run my Lou Originals card, she sternly told me that she could not. That the manager / owner said it couldn't be used b/c I used a gift cert. I expressed mild confusion and displeasure over this and stated that I had never had this experience before and that I had used a Rest.com cert and got points on my Lou Oroginals card before...I know I have done this at Seviche. She didn't budge.

I think this was incorrect. I am not asking to be credited on my Lou card for the gift cert amount, but I do think I was entitled to the amount that did come out of my pocket.

Am I right, wrong, or is this something that is at the descretion of the restaurant. I didn't ask to speak with the manager b/c my server implied that she had rec'd her marching orders already from him / her...and I had a Birthday party to get to.

I'd appreciate any thoughts on this matter. Thanks. DD

Name names. I would think you'd get credit for your out-of-pocket dollars spent.

[Robin Garr]

I'd like the forum's opinion on this scenario.

Derrick, no offense meant, but IF Louisville Originals also takes a little "taste" when LO card users check in, then I could see the restaurateur feeling piled on by a customer doubling it up with the restaurant.com discount. If the LO card is cost-free to the restaurateur, then I'd say the server was just being a $#!+.

Vincenzo's ?
One could not get the Friday half price wine & use the restaurant.comgift certificate.
Great food , bad experience .
Don't think we got any originals points either...

I called the Lou Originals customer service and they stated that a user is entitled to get "credit" on their card for the total out of pocket expense. They offered to apply the credit, but I'd have to fax a copy of the receipt, etc. It really isn't worth that much trouble. However, I am going to contact the restaurant and give them a second chance to clear this up. I will provide an update...still thinking about naming names, but not quite ready yet. I really like this place, and I hope they make this right.

It was not Vinchenzo's.

Robin, I tend to believe that the server was being a @#$%. My wife actually was on her way to the restroom and she mentioned that I had forgotten to give her my Lou Originals card. I was ten steps behind her to present the card to the server. That bis when she informed me that the manager / owner said I couldn't use one in conjunction with the other.

I assumed that the server and the owner / manager were able to communicate on the ESP level, as there was no way she asked and got a responmse in the time between my wife and I speaking to her.

Thanks. DD

[Robin Garr]

I will provide an update...still thinking about naming names, but not quite ready yet. I really like this place, and I hope they make this right.

Derrick, I think that's very courteous and appropriate. Applause. I do look forward to hearing Page Two, and I hope they live up to expectations and make it right.

Vincenzo's ?
One could not get the Friday half price wine & use the restaurant.comgift certificate.
Great food , bad experience .
Don't think we got any originals points either...

I can see where they would not want to honor both discounts. Pretty hard to make any money when you are giving away wine and food.

[Robin Garr]

I can see where they would not want to honor both discounts. Pretty hard to make any money when you are giving away wine and food.

It's also a worthy gesture to tip on the full, pre-discounted amount, since the server (presumably) doesn't hold back on service to make up for the freebie. (Although in the case Derrick cites, this rule may not apply.)

I can see where they would not want to honor both discounts. Pretty hard to make any money when you are giving away wine and food.

It's also a worthy gesture to tip on the full, pre-discounted amount, since the server (presumably) doesn't hold back on service to make up for the freebie. (Although in the case Derrick cites, this rule may not apply.)

Agreed.

But we're talking giving him his points earned yes? Not redeeming and refunding moneys spent?

Vincenzo's ?
One could not get the Friday half price wine & use the restaurant.comgift certificate.
Great food , bad experience .
Don't think we got any originals points either...

I can see where they would not want to honor both discounts. Pretty hard to make any money when you are giving away wine and food.

Perhaps, but when we dined at 211 Clover a few weeks ago, we enjoyed their half-price wine AND they accepted our restaurant.com gift certificate, no questions asked.

I know it's not, but wouldn't it be funny if it were baxter station? Where's hutto?!

The same thing happened to us at Limestone. They would not credit the points for the $$ we spent after the discount from Restaurant.com. I was told it was their policy. Since we were there for a celebratory dinner, I did not raise a fuss.

As a founding member of Louisville Originals, please let me apologize for the problem encountered by Mr. Dones and try to sort out some of the confusion.

First, LO does not take any sort of cut from the rewards program. In fact, LO pays all costs associated with both the rewards card and gift card programs. Members pay nothing, although they do bear the cost of any rewards redeemed in their establishment.

Second, the rules for using the LO rewards card are pretty basic and are not subject to interpretation by individual member restaurants. Those rules are:
Rewards members are entitled to receive one point for every dollar spent in a member restaurant, and their account is credited with a $10 reward each time they accumulate 150 points. They may redeem their reward(s) during subsequent visits at any member restaurant, but there is a $100 limit on the amount that may be redeemed in a single visit.

Of course there are some shades of gray. For example, restaurants that participate in other discount programs -- such as Restaurants.com -- are certainly within their rights to specify that only one discount can be applied per visit. So you may not be able to apply both LO rewards and other discounts to the same bill, but any dollars actually spent in a member restaurant should be credited to your LO rewards account. This seems to me to be what the OP requested.

I do not understand why a member restaurant would refuse to credit a rewards card with dollars spent in their establishment. If the OP would like to contact me privately, I or another LO board member will contact the restaurant in question to clear up the confusion.

Again, I apologize for the problem encountered and hope you will continue to support your locally owned, independent restaurants.

Michael Reidy
The Irish Rover and Irish Rover, Too

Michael, I truly appreciate your concern and offer to rectify the situation. The infpornmation you provided was very helpful, and I think it confirmed that I should have been rewarded those points in question.

Shortly after my initial post, I called the place and spoke with the server. She indicated that the Restaurant.com folks advised them that when a rest.com gift cert was used, no other "offers" should be applied. I really do not have a problem with that, however all I wanted was my points. I was not trying to redeem or use an additional discounts. I let the server know my thoughts, and she said the manager would look into it and give me a call back. I never heard back from the place.

No biggie, the customer service folks at Lou Originals added the points that I should have earned. In the end everything was made right, however not by the restaurant.

The issue is resolved. I still love the restaurant, and I will certainly be back. I am disappointed that they never followed through on their promise to contact me though.

The place in question was Palermo Viejo, and I will continue to support this local / Lou Original. Thanks. DD