Pease don't give me a failing grade for this post. I just want to share my experience in a very similar situation. When the net was very young and I was about to turn 50 years. I started getting lots of snail-mail from the AARP wanting me to become a member. After years of just trashing them. I finely opened one, they were down to $20 from the first asking price of $50. One of the benefits they offered was 20% off any hotel and the Best Western was on their list of partners. We were just weeks away form our annual winter brake in Dumaguete. Well I did the math and hell with 20% off my saving would be about $20. the first time I used it. I sent off a check for the first year's membership and promptly got a card-board membership card, in return. Well the weeks went by fast and we are on the 747 for Manila. So at the check-in counter at the Best Western, Manila. I was handed the what would be the bill for our one night stay, on check-out. I than remembered the 20% AARP discount. I wiped out MY AARP card and ask for the 20% discount for being a AARP member. They said "no problem" and soon came back with a new one with the AARP discount figured in. I took a look and the cost of the room, with the AARP discount, was hundreds of pesos MORE that the one they first gave me. I sure as he!! ask why that was. Here is what they told us, AARP sets THEIR members price and requires the Best Western to use the AARP price in order to avail the AARP discount. To me, I was smiling a scam. I ask them to switch it back to the first price that they gave. They all had big smiles. I signed and we went to our room. When we left for dinner I stoped by the front counter and ask them to please inform me as to the brake down, how did it work. They informed me that the AARP price was 30 to 35% higher than the hotel's normal price. Ah the light bulb came on. AARP than kicks back a small percentage of the take to the hotel. It is a ripe-ripe for the Best Western and AARP and a lose-lose for the AARP members. I ripped up my AARP card on the spot. AARP is a FOR PROfiT Corp. Once I got on the net I was immediately hammered with AARP spam. Now I ask you are you having a "Deja Vu" moment?
