Vault: He thinks his parents are being taken advantage of

Summary

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The Bert Show

Episode: Vault: He thinks his parents are being taken advantage of

Date: June 30, 2026

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Main Theme

This episode centers on a relatable, lighthearted dilemma: Bert’s frustration with his elderly parents’ unwavering determination to use travel vouchers—even when doing so actually costs them more money. The discussion explores generational attitudes toward frugality, the emotional ties to “earned” coupons, and the comic lengths to which people go to avoid perceived waste. The cast chimes in with sympathetic, funny, and insightful responses, making for a witty and affectionate exploration of family quirks.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Stubbornness Runs in the Family (01:00–01:27)

• Bert opens up about how his parents, who are “older and therefore stubborner,” are not easily persuaded to change their ways, especially about their travel plans.
  • Quote: “Imagine how stubborn I am. And then add five decades to that.” — Bert (01:13)

2. The Parents as Casual, Cautious Gamblers (01:27–02:22)

• Bert’s parents enjoy occasional trips to casinos but don’t treat gambling as an obsession—more as a way to kill a few hours. They detail how a $20 win or loss is newsworthy in their book.
• The cast jokes about the stereotypical “nickel slots woman” and the couple’s decades of marital teamwork.
  • Quote: “She’ll play one penny slot, nickel slot, quarter slot for 15 minutes. Then they'll wander over to the buffet and have a drink. Then they'll wander back over.” — Bert (01:47)

3. The Las Vegas Voucher Conundrum (02:22–03:33)

• After a botched return flight from Vegas, Bert stepped in, dealing with airlines to secure $150 vouchers for each parent as compensation for their troubles.
• The catch: the airline offering the vouchers is now significantly more expensive than other options, making actual use of the vouchers less cost-effective.

4. The Immovable Power of a Coupon (03:33–05:33)

• Bert’s parents absolutely refuse to let these vouchers go to waste, even when flying another airline would save several hundred dollars.
  • Quote: “They have a coupon in their hand, and they must use it…I can’t find a way for it to stick to their brain that they don’t.” — Bert (04:18)
• Bert has addressed any sense of obligation—reassuring his parents they don’t need to take the less logical option just because he intervened to get the vouchers.

5. Generational Values: Wasting is Unthinkable (05:33–06:19)

• Jessica and others suggest that their parents’ age group simply doesn’t believe in “wasting”—to them, not using a coupon is anathema.
  • Quote: “This is also a generation that doesn’t believe in wasting. That’s wasting money.” — D (05:47)
• Bert shares a classic family story: his dad once forced everyone to use a $25 restaurant voucher for poor food/service, costing more in the end just to avoid wasting it.
  • Quote: “He spent an extra $75 in order to use the $25 coupon for a meal that, as he predicted, was not that good.” — Bert (06:21)

6. Creative Solutions and Comedic Deflation (06:19–07:42)

• Bert proposes alternate uses for the vouchers (e.g., visiting Charlotte/Atlanta)—but his dad won’t hear of it; the vouchers are "for the flight to Vegas."
  • Quote: “His exact words were, ‘Well, but we got the vouchers for the flight to Vegas.’” — Bert (07:19)
• The group commiserates about the futility of logic when it collides with such deeply ingrained habits.
  • Quote: “Seriously. Just can’t crack out of that.” — E (07:22)
• The cast jokes that to Bert’s dad, all alternative arguments sound like a foreign language.
  • Quote: “No. Because we’re speaking right now. Korean.” — Bert (07:42)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Bert, on stubbornness (01:13): “Imagine how stubborn I am. And then add five decades to that.”
• Bert, on his parents’ gambling outings (01:47): “She’ll play one penny slot, nickel slot, quarter slot for 15 minutes. Then they'll wander over to the buffet and have a drink…”
• D, on generational values (05:47): “This is also a generation that doesn’t believe in wasting. That’s wasting money.”
• Bert, on family coupon ironies (06:21): “He spent an extra $75 in order to use the $25 coupon for a meal that, as he predicted, was not that good.”
• E, on logic-defying coupon use (07:22): “Seriously. Just can’t crack out of that.”
• Bert, on the barriers to persuasion (07:42): “No. Because we’re speaking right now. Korean.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment | |----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:00 | Bert introduces his stubborn parents and the Vegas trip issue | | 01:27 | The cast discusses the parents’ light gambling habits | | 02:22 | Las Vegas flight debacle and the airline voucher backstory | | 03:33 | The refusal to let vouchers go unused; logic meets generational habit | | 05:33 | Family values on waste; past coupon story as cautionary tale | | 06:19 | Bert’s creative attempts to find a compromise; dad’s unwavering stance | | 07:42 | Cast concludes: sometimes you just can’t win against old-school thinking |

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Summary

In this endearing and humorous episode, Bert vents about his parents’ ironclad refusal to let travel vouchers go unused—even when it’s financially illogical. The story opens up a larger discussion about generational mindsets, thrift, and the comic reverberations of family "stubbornness." The episode is full of warmth and wit, highlighting the universal struggle of wanting what’s best for loved ones, while also accepting their quirks. It’s a must-listen for anyone who has battled (and lost) with their family’s logic.

Transcript

[A]

Hey everybody.

[B]

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[C]

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[A]

The bird show. So I am having an issue with my parents who are older and therefore stubborner.

[D]

Stubborner?

[A]

Yeah. Than normal aged person.

[D]

You're more stubborner than. They're stubborner.

[A]

Imagine how stubborn I am. And then add five decades to that.

[E]

You're frustrated by somebody else's stubbornness.

[A]

Stubbornness, yes. Last year they like to go out to Las Vegas and last year they went out to Las Vegas and the.

[D]

That's right. Your parents are gamblers.

[A]

Yeah, they go and like they normally go to the Indian casino that's near the house and they go and it's, it's. I think I've told you this. Like they'll go seriously with 60 bucks and then call to report a $20 swing either way. Really?

[E]

Is your mom like the nickel slots woman that's there all day, same slot machine over and over and over?

[A]

No, it's weird because they don't. There's no like significant passion about it. Like there's no 12 hour marathons or anything. It seriously is a way to kill three hours or four. So she'll play one penny slot, nickel slot, quarter slot for 15 minutes. Then they'll wander over to the buffet and they'll sit down and have a drink. Then they'll wander back over. My dad will play blackjack. Then they'll wa. So it's just. That's what they do.

[E]

They've been married how long now?

[A]

300 years?

[E]

Yeah, that's what you do. And they like figure out different ways.

[D]

But they're so fun. They both like going, and they go together. I think it's cool.

[A]

So they decide they have started going to Las Vegas once or twice a year to mix it up. Because then it's not just the unique casino, it's a who. You know, it's like a playground. There's a mile of different places for them to walk to. And last trip, their flight home got screwed up. And it was really. It was jacked up because I was on the phone with my dad. And they're not big travelers, you know, like, they. They're good getting to the airport, getting on the plane and coming back. But when there's, like, a customer service issue, like, they don't. They don't exercise their passenger rights. You know, like, if the guy says, I'm sorry, we can't get you on the next flight. You can't fly out until three days from now at two in the afternoon. And here's a $5 coupon for burger King. They're like, oh, thank you for the coupon. Because they think that's okay.

[D]

They just get walked on.

[A]

Yeah, so that kind of happened last time. And I was like, you know what? That screwed up. And I ended up calling, and it was a big ordeal. And I wrote a letter to the airline. It wasn't Delta. And the airline ended up writing my parents back and saying, we're sorry for the inconvenience. Received a letter from your son. He told us what happened. Here's $150 for each of you to use on your next flight.

[B]

Nice.

[A]

So I'm like, oh, that's cool. Here's the problem. For whatever reason, that airline now, to fly from Syracuse to Las Vegas is miles and a way more expensive than any other airline. I don't know why, but, like, they can fly from Syracuse to Las Vegas, like on Delta, for example, for, I think, like, 300 bucks or 350 bucks. This airline is like 500 bucks. So if they do a whole package deal, it's less expensive for them to fly on Delta and just tear up those vouchers and just pretend they never existed. It's free money, right? Those vouchers, they refuse to do that. They are going.

[D]

And that's making you angry. They have to use the vouchers.

[A]

They have a coupon in their hand, and they must use it. And they can't. I can't make them process. I can't find a way for it to stick to their brain that they don't.

[D]

Like I said, those were hard earned, maybe. Does it have anything to do with the fact that you went to so much effort for those. I've told you that. I wonder if part of them feels like, well, you know, you had to go through a lot of trouble.

[E]

They're showing you some respect.

[A]

Yeah, which I. But I've said. I've addressed that. I'm like, I've said, don't use the voucher because we'll, you know, there's, you know, my dad's good on the computer, but, like, you know, as far as, like, comparing flights on different, like a kayak versus an Orbitz versus the airline site directly, and then, you know, the package deals that you can get, you know, Vegas hotels, you go to any one of their websites, and you can get airfare and a hotel usually at a pretty decent discount. So, you know, I'm online and I'm making sure. And so we're, you know, on the phone or on Skype and, like, both looking up different flights and stuff. And I've said to him, look, you can stay at the Mirage and fly out on Delta, and the whole thing is going to cost you $500 less even if you use the vouchers on US Airways.

[E]

I got the vouchers, man.

[A]

Yeah. And he's like, well, we got to find something in US Airways. We've got the vouchers, and they expire on May 8th. And I'm like, well, you don't have to use them. It's found money, like. And I tried to explain, like, they're going to expire.

[D]

Jeffrey got to use it.

[E]

Digging in for the sake of digging in.

[D]

This is also a generation that doesn't believe in wasting. That's wasting money.

[A]

Well, voucher y then, as Jessica pointed out, there was one time that we went back to Syracuse and we went to a restaurant, and as we sat down to the restaurant, my dad apologized because he knew both the service and the food was not going to be good. But they got a $25 gift card for buying a recliner at some furniture store, and it expired in two weeks. So as we're sitting down, my dad

[E]

says, just want to let you know, you're not going to enjoy this.

[A]

That's what he said.

[D]

It's not going to be very good.

[A]

But he had. I've got a coupon. He had the coup. So we went down and we used a $25 coupon, and it was probably four people, $80 meal, whatever. So he spent an extra 75 bucks, say, with gratuity for bad service. He spent an extra $75 in order to use the $25 coupon for a meal that, as he predicted, was not that good.

[E]

Now can he use the US Airways voucher on a different flight? So can he fly to Atlanta and save the cash that way?

[A]

I have proposed that he cause US Airways has a direct flight to Charlotte. So I propose that he comes to Charlotte and then Jessica and I could go pick him up in Charlotte, you know, a couple hours up the road, and then like hang out in Charlotte for the day, then bring him down to Atlanta for a long weekend. Then maybe he can even go to Vegas from Atlanta, still save money and stay at our house, you know, and then boom, and then whatever. But then he still uses the voucher. He gets to see us. And his exact words were, well, but we got the vouchers for the flight to Vegas.

[E]

Oh, no.

[D]

Oh, no.

[E]

Seriously. Just can't crack out of that.

[A]

The flight to Charlotte could potentially be free. Like it's $149. Sometimes it's $150 voucher. So he could come to do Atlanta.

[E]

If you send him this break and he's on the outside listening in to us talk about him, would it make any sense?

[A]

No. Because we're speaking right now. Korean. The bird show.

[B]

Hey, everybody, lady luck here. And we're celebrating America's 250th birthday. Now, all summer long, I'm going to be celebrating by playing on spinquest.com, which is an American owned social casino. It obviously features over 1000 slot games and live blackjack, live craps, live bubble craps. Head over to spinquest.com, get yourself a $30 coin pack for just 10 bucks.

[C]

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[D]

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[C]

It feels good to save some hard earned cash.

[A]

It feels good to Geico.

[C]

Ahora masco los ye vacada pro. Ahora quince porciento Nuna selection de puerto.