[B-Man]

I won the PartyPoker WSOP package a few weeks ago, by winning Step 6.

On their webpage, it advertises the package as including the $10k buy-in, 10 nights "luxury hotel" (for which they deducted $2,000 from the prize pool) and $1,500 cash. So the total prize is $13,500.

I've been bugging them for weeks to get the details on the hotel, and have gotten a different answer every time I've asked, but always to the tune of something like "you'll get an email within a month with all of the details."

Well, today I got the email. They've done the following:

1. Reduced the hotel by 1 night and increased the cash by $200 (fine).
2. Booked me at the MGM Grand, with the option to check out after 5 nights and get a refund of $800. i.e. they are taking $200 out of the prize for each night at the MGM.

There are two problems with that:

1. The MGM doesn't cost $200 per night. According to the MGM website, it is $149.95 for the nights in question (I'm not sure if I could get cheaper thru expedia or somewhere else, but I am SURE Party got some sort of bulk discount). So they are skimming at least $50/night out of everyone's prize (plus discount, less taxes, but I'll just call it $50/night).

2. I don't want to stay at the MGM. I can get the poker rate at Bellagio and pay less than $150/night (on average).

Does anyone think they'll be responsive at all to these concerns?

Any suggestions on the best strategy to convince them to give me the full amount in cash and let me book my own hotel?