IHG has taken a huge step backward when it comes to IHG One Rewards customer support, as a reader alerted us after my IHG Confirmable Suite Upgrade cert chase last week.

For usual non-urgent inquiries, such as applying these certs and fixing stay postings, the email has been the most convenient way of reaching customer support, and the email turnaround time has been great, as you have received a reply in less than an hour.

You can access IHG here.

READ MORE: IHG One Rewards Rate & Bonus Points Offers

Here’s a reply that you get from IHG email customer support:

We’re Here to Assist You! Dedicated support for your IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Membership

IHG – Do Not Reply

Thank you for reaching out to us. While this email address is no longer monitored for incoming support requests, our dedicated Diamond Elite support team remains ready to assist you.

For immediate support with your account, points, Diamond Elite benefits, or recent stays, please visit our IHG Customer Care page. There you’ll find helpful answers and convenient self-service options. You may also connect with our Digital Concierge or a dedicated Diamond Elite Specialist for more personalized assistance.

Your continued loyalty as a Diamond Elite member means a great deal to us, and we’re committed to providing exceptional service every step of your journey.

Warm regards,

Diamond Elite Services Team

Also, when you email, you have an audit trail if things go south.

Now, IHG wants you to call or FAX them (how 1990s), or chat with a brainless AI chatbot that cannot even resolve the most basic issues.

Apparently, the AI bot can eventually, after a few rounds of messages, “transfer” the chat to a “human” chat agent with whom I have previously had a bad experience, as I have documented here.

But if you say “agent,” the chat suddenly ends, and you are prompted to leave a phone number for someone to call back.

Conclusion

This is completely insane, and only someone at HQ who doesn’t have any customer service or hospitality experience, but has a spreadsheet in front of them, can come up with an idea like this.

Elite members contact customer support only if there is an issue they cannot otherwise resolve, and chatbots are certainly incapable of doing anything significant beyond frustrating users.

So, I guess I need to sign up for some eFax program again (I cannot remember the last time I sent a fax) and start faxing IHG One Rewards Diamond support when I want these suite upgrade certs applied.

It’s like all these businesses just want to p#$$ off their customers, which really cannot be the right way to run any business.