zqtchas Posted December 9, 2012 #1 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Did anybody else get a Judith Ripka gift card? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stumblefoot Posted December 9, 2012 #2 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Not as of today, December 9th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le petit navire Posted December 9, 2012 #3 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Read the fine print on the back of the card. Only valid in a few cities and only for the purchase of 18 caret gold items and must be presented in person. Also it expires on December 31, 2012 Not much of a Christmas present. If Silversea had any sense at all they should have never sent this out to their guests. Great negative publicity! I hope this is not what we should expect on future Silversea sailings. le petit navire:mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqtchas Posted December 9, 2012 Author #4 Share Posted December 9, 2012 I saw that. Just wondering if it was worth a trip to NY to get a $1,000.00 worth of 18K gold? What's the catch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddie2312 Posted December 9, 2012 #5 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Is there small print with a minimum spend and then you get the $1000 off? Yet again it must be a US offer as they don't have UK stores. (or that many in the US either) Had a look at their website didn't see anything under $2950 for 18k gold so no freebies to be had from the main product range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Jet Set Posted December 9, 2012 #6 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Our last Christmas present was on the Whisper and best forgotten. We received a small Panettone cake which incidently was available every day in the Cafe. We have always wondered what they were thinking of as we were in Australian waters and they have a strict rule that NO food can be taken off the ship so we could not even take it home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcrooz Posted December 9, 2012 #7 Share Posted December 9, 2012 :mad: Did anybody else get a Judith Ripka gift card? I got bubkus, guess 10 cruises isnt enough to warrant even a christmas card ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddyo Posted December 9, 2012 #8 Share Posted December 9, 2012 We got the gift card yesterday. After reading the fine print; had to chuckle. It reminded me of those sweepstakes offers we get in the mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CASHIPman Posted December 9, 2012 #9 Share Posted December 9, 2012 I received USD40 million from the Silversea Lagos, Nigeria office. Alls I have to do is give over some money to pay for the shipment of the funds. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare crusinbanjo Posted December 9, 2012 #10 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Mrs. Banjo received her card yesterday. I figured that it might really be worthless. Not much chance we will be in any of the cities noted before December 31. Kind of like getting a lottery ticket as a gift...... ..... "your chance of getting the discount only improves slightly if you have the gift card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruppert18 Posted December 10, 2012 #11 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Got my card today. Got the same one from Neiman Marcus. Both worthless unless you want the gold Ripka pieces which start upwards of $3000. Judith Ripka has a great sterling line which is affordable. Maybe a shipboard credit for the spa would have been a better choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldens4 Posted December 10, 2012 #12 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Yup, got mine. Not good if you live in GA and cannot use online and will not be in the cities where you have to use in person. Nice gesture, but not practical. $1000.00 OBC or off your next cruise would have been a nice present.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duct tape Posted December 10, 2012 #13 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Geez, I didnt get anything! Something is wrong here, I guess!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare crusinbanjo Posted December 10, 2012 #14 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Geez, I didnt get anything! Something is wrong here, I guess!! I would not take it too hard! Getting a gift that is pretty useless to the receiver and really cheap to give doesn't really mean anything! SS was just trying to look generous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougburns Posted December 10, 2012 #15 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Got it; read it; trashed it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herman The Cat Posted December 10, 2012 #16 Share Posted December 10, 2012 This is a really bad marketing faux pas in my opinion. This should not have been positioned as a gift. It was very exciting to receive it because I really like Judith Ripka designs, but I decided to check the back of the card since I thought it was probably too good to be true. When I saw it was 1) good only at stores; 2) expired 12/31/2012; and 3) was good only for the 18k gold collection, I decided to check out the Judith Ripka website. I suspected 18k gold items were probably above a few thousand, and they were (minimum about $3000). I was appalled that they positioned this as a gift. This should have been positioned as a special holiday offer to Venetian Society members in conjunction with Judith Ripka. In my opinion it was poor taste and a bit offensive to position it as a gift since it has strings attached and is probably worthless for the vast majority who receive it...i.e., they are not near a Judith Ripka store. I suspect there are some Silversea employees out there lurking on this board. Of course, they read a lot of complaints so they are probably a bit numb. But this stunt was just bad marketing strategy and judgment. They should know better. This is the big leagues, not the amateurs. So, I just shake my head. Will it impact whether I travel on Silversea again? Probably not for me, but they should be more thoughtful about these types of things and how they are communicated. They had a really good opportunity for good will and they squandered it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stumblefoot Posted December 10, 2012 #17 Share Posted December 10, 2012 This is a really bad marketing faux pas in my opinion. This should not have been positioned as a gift. This should have been positioned as a special holiday offer to Venetian Society members in conjunction with Judith Ripka. But this stunt was just bad marketing strategy and judgment. They should know better. This is the big leagues, not the amateurs. As someone who consults with consumer goods and services companies for a living, you really hit the nail on the head IMO. I have no idea what the strategy is, but the tactic clearly missed the mark. A gift is something given freely, without any payment. Unfortunately, this Silversea gift is merely an offer from a marketing partner as you noted. So, I just shake my head. Will it impact whether I travel on Silversea again? Probably not for me, but they should be more thoughtful about these types of things and how they are communicated. They had a really good opportunity for good will and they squandered it.Well said. This action doesn't drive me away from Silversea, but rather leaves me scratching my head. It reminds me of those worthless publishing gifts (offers) that American Express sends out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dusababy Posted December 10, 2012 #18 Share Posted December 10, 2012 SQUANDERED is the correct word. Makes me skeptical about Ms. Bettridge's plans going forward. Wasn't marketing her job at AMEX? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palamoh Posted December 10, 2012 #19 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Doug, I did the same thing you did, after reading it, cut it in half and trashed it, Just a marketing gimick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike2131 Posted December 10, 2012 #20 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Haven't see it, but I think it must have been originally planned to be an April 1st "gift". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emtbsam Posted December 11, 2012 #21 Share Posted December 11, 2012 We received our "gift" today. Is Judith Ripka going to replace H. Stern on board? Does anyone find it ironic that we can't get passenger lists because of confidentiality issues, but Silversea has no problem giving our names and full addresses to the folks at Judith Ripka? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duct tape Posted December 11, 2012 #22 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Good one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafairer Posted December 11, 2012 #23 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Very disappointing. Silversea obviously has a reciprocal marketing arrangement with Judith Ripka. Silversea hosts an onboard event for the jeweler, they exchange mail lists.. who knows? The real gift recipient is Silversea. It's a stunningly insensitive choice: 1) This is a niche item; jewelry is a matter of personal taste, so many won't be drawn to these products. 2) With Silversea's recent "value-oriented" advertising, I'm afraid that many Venetians will be a little insulted (and rightly so) by the suggestion that they should spend this kind of $$$$ on their "gift" - a cruise on Silversea is already stretching the budget. 3) As already noted, most recipients don't live near the shops, so they can't use the card. Now we're getting somewhere: there's actually little downside for Judith Ripka because relatively few can redeem the $1,000 discount. What kind of gift is this? Someone please send Silversea a copy of Emily Post!! 4) And what about the men out there - did you get anything?? In a rare show of unanimity on this board, I think we're all feeling a tad manipulated by this transparent marketing ploy - a gift few can use, but positioned as a show of great holiday generosity. How unbecoming for Silversea's image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAR3543 Posted December 11, 2012 #24 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I will regift mine to Duct Tape. See you soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotspea Posted December 11, 2012 #25 Share Posted December 11, 2012 SQUANDERED is the correct word. Makes me skeptical about Ms. Bettridge's plans going forward. Wasn't marketing her job at AMEX? Since this woman arrived we have had large price rises, no OBC, no free air, TA changes and cheap useless marketing gimmicks. Does anyone know of a single tangible improvement for the PASSENGER whilst onboard? Maybe now she has had her free family cruise at our expense she will go back to AMEX! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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