I did the "Nascar Racing Experience " at Texas World Speedway on 4/15/24, booking ID#DKHX-
250324. I had received a gift certificate from a family member, that was "valid from 2/22/22, never expires," with a "total balance (of) 48 minutes."
When I called to book the reservation, I was told that my gift certificate was no longer valid for the '48 minute Experience', because the cost of the Nascar Racing Experience packages had increased twice since my certificate was issued.
If I wanted the same 48 minute package on my certificate, I would have to pay the difference between what my family member had paid, and what the same experience package now costs, after two price increases. I was offered a smaller, lesser, experience for my pre- paid
'certificate'.
A discussion ensued, with at least two customer service representatives, about the definition of a certificate that "never expires", and a certificate that lists the actual experience, not the cost of that experience, as the gift. There is absolutely no documentation on the certificate regarding an additional cost, if prices increase before the certificate is redeemed. The original purchaser of the gift certificate was never informed that the recipient would have to supplement the cost of future price increases, to keep the certificate valid. In the end, I tentatively accepted a lesser package, rather than loose the entire value of the purchased gift certificate. End result to be determined…
The story has a happy ending. While registering at the track that morning, the customer service representative didn't understand why I was booked for a lesser experience than my gift certificate was purchased for, and she referred me to her manager - a live human being, actually there at the track! Ms. Sharon Bruce, the NRE Manager, is my candidate for Employee of the Day (event/week/month/year/....). In less than 2 minutes, and a phone call or two, she made the right / correct / just / and moral choice, to honor the full value of my gift certificate. It was impressive how quickly she reached her decision. A little common sense, and 'putting the shoe on the other foot,' mentality, solved this problem, and would solve many others like this. The bottom line, Sharon made my day, and I had a great Experience. I hope her supervisors appreciate and acknowledge her skills and talent. Also, a deserved shout out to the men and women in the trenches, who kept the event running smoothly, inspite of the weather, car malfunctions, and customers who can't or won't, listen or follow directions. The crew was very good about giving back rain laps, minimizing downtime, checking and adjusting the cars between sessions, and offering customers water bottles and relief from the heat, all of which resulted in my great Experience. The policy regarding the devaluation of Gift Certificates needs to be clarified so that both the purchasers and the recipients know what to expect when they redeem their certificates. If I had known the certificate was going to devalue with time or future price increases, I would have tried harder to use it, before that happened.
Thanks again to Sharon; you are excellent at what you do. And thanks to the NRE team at TWS - very well done.
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