Visa Signature Concierge as Virtual Assistant

[MariaG]

In the past, The Tim has sung the praises of the American Express Platinum card and its associated concierge services. This sounded really awesome to me, but it doesn't make economic sense for me to pay the $200 annual fee at this time.

However, I've discovered a free (or nearly free, depending on your card) alternative with Visa's Signature card. The version I have (through Chase bank) doesn't have an annual fee and I get unlimited access to Visa's concierge services.

So far, I have used this service to research vegan restaurants in Sedona, AZ and to find me a list of maid services that work in the suburban Phoenix area (as a gift to the friend I stayed with in that area). In both cases I've sent off a quick email and gotten a response in perfectly formatted English within 48 hours. Compared to my experience using a firm I hired through Elance, this has been a painless (and free!) experience.

As far as I can tell, these services won't replace a firm like AskSunday, which can do things like call your mom or wait on hold with your phone company, but I haven't tried to push it very far yet.

I would love to hear about others' experiences with using these types of services and what you've gotten them to do for you

Maria from Never the Same River Twice

[mascij]

does this at all save you any time?? Waiting 48 hours to get a list of local vegan dining doesn't seem practical. If you have any cell phone you can just send a text to google (466453) and say 'vegan' and then the zip code of your location and it will instantly provided you the address, phone number, and name. Same for things like dry cleaning.

Unless they can provide a time savings, I don't think this is very effective. Between the time it takes to call them up and make the request, then follow up, I could already be on my way to the place and ready to eat.

check this out for more info: http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mobile/sms/

[MariaG]

@mascij - You make a good point for some tasks. In the case of the restuarants, it definitely saved me time compared to doing a Google search. I shot off a quick email and this is what I got back:

Thank you for requesting dining recommendations from Visa Signature® Concierge. Based on your request, we’ve provided several options below.

If you would like to make a reservation, or have any questions, please call Visa Signature Concierge toll-free – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – at 800-953-7392.

Option 1
Restaurant: The Heartline Cafe
Location: 1610 West Highway 89A; Sedona, AZ 86336 USA
Phone number: 928-282-785
Website: http://www.heartlinecafe.com/

Type of Cuisine: Continental
Dining Style: Casual Elegant
Dress Code: Casual Elegant
Average Cost: $21.00 to $50.00 per plate
Description: Offering innovative presentations of pasta, fish, chicken, and a variety of meats, grilled or roasted. Many vegetarian dishes are offered, some of them are green-only dishes. The pleasures of the meal are all represented, from appetizers to dazzling desserts, with soup, salad, sandwiches, and great entrees in between.

Option 2
Restaurant: D'Lish
Location: 3190 West Highway 89A; Sedona, AZ 86336 USA
Phone number: 928-203-393
Website: http://www.dlishsedona.com/

Type of Cuisine: Vegan
Dining Style: Casual Elegant
Dress Code: Casual
Average Cost: $15.00 to $30.00 per plate
Description: D'Lish's menu was inspired by and has evolved from employees and community requests. You will find delicious sandwiches, salads, wraps and desserts. Homemade soups and daily specials are what keep the locals coming back. They take pride in offering the finest and freshest ingredients available. Homemade Chai, organic teas and organic coffee start your day off right. They even offer great snacks for the trail, veggie juices and smoothies. Check out the daily specials link for up to date offerings from the chef.

Option 3
Restaurant: Sedona Raw Gourmet Cafe
Location: 1595 West Highway 89A; Sedona, AZ 86336 USA
Phone number: 928-282-2997
Website: http://sedonarawcafecom/

Type of Cuisine: Vegan
Dining Style: Casual Elegant
Dress Code: Casual
Average Cost: $15.00 to $30.00 per plate
Description: A raw vegan food cafe featuring an all raw food menu including salads, main entrees, soups, desserts, and raw chocolates. Also offering oxygen bar, biodynamic wine, organic onsite garden, books, bulk staples, raw food preparation classes.

It would have taken me a lot longer than 2 minutes to find all of this, and a simple text from Google wouldn't have done the trick either.

However, for some tasks, like looking up a quick phone # or making a simple reservation, I don't really see the point of using a service or VA at all.

[mascij]

Originally Posted by MariaG

@mascij - You make a good point for some tasks. In the case of the restuarants, it definitely saved me time compared to doing a Google search. I shot off a quick email and this is what I got back:


It would have taken me a lot longer than 2 minutes to find all of this, and a simple text from Google wouldn't have done the trick either.

However, for some tasks, like looking up a quick phone # or making a simple reservation, I don't really see the point of using a service or VA at all.

wow, that's actually really awesome - I didn't expect it to be any more comprehensive than just a phonebook listing, that's very cool and worthwhile.