Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Banned from BFT! - An open letter to Bidding for Travel Management

Oh Sheryl,

Thanks for banning me from BFT. I assume that you've banned me because of the posts I've made on this FT thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=524784). I don't really know, since you didn't have the common courtesy of telling me why I've been banned. :)

I also don't really care. You may have noticed that my last post on your "for profit" community was in 2002. The reason behind that is that is because of your attitude, rudeness, and the fact that I've been a happy betterbidding.com "customer" since they started in January 2003.

I'm glad that my decision to quit your site was validated by your petty move today. Just so you know, I've had at least sixty (60!) successful priceline hotel bids over the last 3 years (for myself and family members). Think of all the revenue you've lost on me!.

Now did you just ban me, or my ip address? I'm curious because I post from behind a proxy at work (which is where I posted from earlier today). I'd hate to think that you banned the other 55,000 people that work at my company too.

People should know what they are dealing with when they deal with BFT. My way or the highway is the motto there.

I'm honored to be in the "banned BFT" club though. :D

I guess you are banned because of your thread in FT. However, I don't understand it ... BFT is not Priceline.com. Your posting did not hurt BFT in any way ... only Sheryl believes that your proposed "bidding help" is fraud....OK, that's her opinion ...

BTW, how could she get the connection to you at FT and you at BFT....you are (always) behind a proxy ...

The beautiful part is that she only thinks she bans people. Anyone who has a bit of knowledge can get back in pretty easily.

I guess you are banned because of your thread in FT. However, I don't understand it ... BFT is not Priceline.com. Your posting did not hurt BFT in any way ... only Sheryl believes that your proposed "bidding help" is fraud....OK, that's her opinion ...

BTW, how could she get the connection to you at FT and you at BFT....you are (always) behind a proxy ...

I have the same userid on BFT as FT. I was active on BFT wednesday and banned yesterday. Since I've not had any posting activity on BFT, its clearly petty retaliation for my posts critcal of her stance here on FT. Her reaction is typical, and sad.

I posted this thread to let people know what kid of person they're dealing with when they're dealing with Sheryl and BFT.

The beautiful part is that she only thinks she bans people. Anyone who has a bit of knowledge can get back in pretty easily.

Of course. She doesn't have any of my IP's so I can choose to browse her site and send my commissions and info to BetterBidding.com for as long as I want... :D

Oh, another "I have an irrational hatred of BFT and Sheryl" thread? Is the original thread closed?

:rolleyes:

Oh, another "I have an irrational hatred of BFT and Sheryl" thread? Is the original thread closed?

:rolleyes:

What's irrational about it?

Oh, another "I have an irrational hatred of BFT and Sheryl" thread? Is the original thread closed?

:rolleyes:

I think this is a new development. Posts on FT can now get you banned on BFT.

What's irrational about it?

It isn't obvious? The most active threads in this forum since its inception are almost entirely those bemoaning BFT and/or Sheryl. The oldest of these threads is nearly four years old. Some FTers need a healthy dose of "get over it."

I think this is a new development. Posts on FT can now get you banned on BFT.

It's hardly a new development. Beckles was banned from BFT for something he posted on FT back in March 2002.

It's hardly a new development. Beckles was banned from BFT for something he posted on FT back in March 2002.

Thanks for the info. That was what, 4 years ago? :confused:

It isn't obvious? The most active threads in this forum since its inception are almost entirely those bemoaning BFT and/or Sheryl. The oldest of these threads is nearly four years old. Some FTers need a healthy dose of "get over it."

Yet you keep visiting this forum. Isn't it easier to skip the thread(s) than complain about the complainers? :confused:

Some FTers need a healthy dose of "get over it."

Irony alert.

Yet you keep visiting this forum. Isn't it easier to skip the thread(s) than complain about the complainers? :confused:

Oh, I suppose. I've always been hopeful that this forum could return to something useful, though I guess I'm wrong. Where do I go to prospose that we rename this forum to "I hate Sheryl and/or BFT"?

Oh, I suppose. I've always been hopeful that this forum could return to something useful, though I guess I'm wrong. Where do I go to prospose that we rename this forum to "I hate Sheryl and/or BFT"?

Great idea! Maybe add a subforum? She generates a lot of hate with her draconian/petty style. I think it would be entertaining to ..... about it, no? ^^

Great idea! Maybe add a subforum? She generates a lot of hate with her draconian/petty style. I think it would be entertaining to ..... about it, no? ^^

If it clears these types of posts out of this forum, I'm all for the subforum. :D

As many have stated, the woman is not know for being very welcoming :)

And about the ban, change your IP address and you are unbanned.

curbcrusher
I think I answered you "concerns" on the new post you started.
I agree that sometimes it seems like "overkill" when this forum breaks out in attacks against BFT (allowed; personal attacks are not), but it's no different than Hilton's when HH does something "negative" or the years of "attacks" against Delta's management at the Delta forum.
I think that it's great that FT doesn't have a imperius style.

I gthink that it's great that FT doesn't have a imperius style.

Thanks Jim. I'm glad that you and Randy support that 'non imperius' style. ^

I think I answered you "concerns" on the new post you started.

:confused: I've not started a new thread on this subject.

I agree that sometimes it seems like "overkill" when this forum breaks out in attacks against BFT (allowed; personal attacks are not), but it's no different than Hilton's when HH does something "negative" or the years of "attacks" against Delta's management at the Delta forum.

The difference being that the Hilton and Delta forums are dedicated to discussion of those companies and their programs. By your logic, I guess the world of travel bidding begins and ends with BFT. Again, where do I propose we rename this forum "I Hate BFT and Sheryl"?

I think that it's great that FT doesn't have a imperius style.

Yeah, it's fantastic, especially when it allows for a forum to be overrun and ruined by folks turned into a bunch of Robert Paulsons thanks to the imperious BFT. :rolleyes:

There's only two travel bidding meta sites on the web that are of any consequence. I think they both are fair game for discussion here.

Isn't it nice to be able to state your disagreement with the moderator here without the fear of being 'banned'? My personal opinion is that if the owner of BFT lighted up a bit no one would complain.

There's only two travel bidding meta sites on the web that are of any consequence. I think they both are fair game for discussion here.

Discussion is one thing. Irrational hatred which leads to near-daily rehashing of the same tired complaints for nearly four years and ruins this forum is another.

Isn't it nice to be able to state your disagreement with the moderator here without the fear of being 'banned'? My personal opinion is that if the owner of BFT lighted up a bit no one would complain.

That's a great opinion, but it should be obvious to all after nearly four years that Sheryl is going to run BFT how she sees fit. Either learn to play along, or ignore the site. It's simple, really.

And as I've said (and the moderator has supported): This is a 'free speech' board. If I feel like .....ing about BFT, that my perogative. You're welcome to skip the thread, as the title makes it easy to reveal what's underneath.

It's hardly a new development. Beckles was banned from BFT for something he posted on FT back in March 2002.I honestly don't know if I was banned or not, the EZBoard software that BFT runs on had some issues in the past that would make it appear you were banned even if you weren't. An email to BFT straightened it out actually and I continue to post on there to this day, occasionally getting a warning when I do something that the moderators don't like, and I stop doing it.

I honestly don't know if I was banned or not, the EZBoard software that BFT runs on had some issues in the past that would make it appear you were banned even if you weren't. An email to BFT straightened it out actually and I continue to post on there to this day, occasionally getting a warning when I do something that the moderators don't like, and I stop doing it.

I apologize for my error, then. I based my statement on this post:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2651642&postcount=15

Discussion is one thing. Irrational hatred which leads to near-daily rehashing of the same tired complaints for nearly four years and ruins this forum is another.



That's a great opinion, but it should be obvious to all after nearly four years that Sheryl is going to run BFT how she sees fit. Either learn to play along, or ignore the site. It's simple, really.

1) How does it ruin this forum? There are only 2 threads related to BFT in the forum listing, and one complaining about people that complain about BFT.

Of course, the funny thing is, that you have only ever posted in TWO other threads in this forum that were not related to BFT. If this forum really were being ruined then I'd say you are doing a mighty good job of assisting with that.

2) I guess the tired complaints about Hilton, United, Starwood, Continental, Delta, Southwest, BA and any other hotel or airline on FT are now also off-limits to you? No more daily complaints about the RCC, no more posting about how bad the Starwood website is?

1) How does it ruin this forum? There are only 2 threads related to BFT in the forum listing, and one complaining about people that complain about BFT.

Threads that can be categorized as "I hate Sheryl and BFT" make up a large chunk of the traffic in this forum:

Top threads sorted by reply count:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&f=204&page=1&pp=25&sort=replycount&order=desc&daysprune=-1

Top threads sorted by views:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&f=204&page=1&pp=25&sort=views&order=desc&daysprune=-1

Of course, the funny thing is, that you have only ever
posted in TWO other threads in this forum that were not related to BFT. If this forum really were being ruined then I'd say you are doing a mighty good job of assisting with that.

You lost me here. I'm ruining the forum by not contributing to the noise? :rolleyes:

2) I guess the tired complaints about Hilton, United, Starwood, Continental, Delta, Southwest, BA and any other hotel or airline on FT are now also off-limits to you? No more daily complaints about the RCC, no more posting about how bad the Starwood website is?

Again, by this logic the world of travel bidding begins and ends with BFT. I'm sure you'd be loath to agree with that. :rolleyes:

I apologize for my error, then. I based my statement on this post:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2651642&postcount=15No problem, I knew where you got the info from, I was just clarifying what I had said in that thread based on what I learned subsequent to posting the info you were referring to.

Irony alert.

^ ^ ^

Don't even blink an eye at this, skofarrell. She is a neophyte in the business world as can be demonstrated by her own actions. If you still find a use for her website, log on someplace else and milk it for your own purposes. By your doing this and not contributing back, her website diminishes in value thus validating her ineptitude in business.

Any chances that FT could set up a biddingfortravel-type sub-forum?

...If you still find a use for her website, log on someplace else and milk it for your own purposes.

Or just use an anonymizer service. :D

So, I try and log on today to biddingfortravel.com and find that I am banned! Well, after an e-mail exchange with the infamous Sheryl, I've been told that I used a cyber-squatter site to access priceline and that her site has not gotten any credit for my bids. She thinks that I am lying to her, when it turns out that I used the wrong link! I legitimately used www.amazingbargains.com instead of www.amazing-bargains.com. Boy, was she pissed when she responded that I was PURPOSELY using another site! Well, I'm not quite sure who angered her today or any other day (after reading other posts here) but, it's her loss as well as her readers. It seems that I find myself in quite a few situations where I bid using priceline and SHARE my experiences on her board. Here I thought that I was helping, but apparently she does not feel that way.

What a hoot! I told her to have a nice life and just left it at that!

What a hoot! I told her to have a nice life and just left it at that!

Welcome to the ever growing family of "banned" members. ^

There really is no point in using BFT anymore. I find I can get the same results by just knocking off 10-20% off hotwire's numbers and bidding on P/L. I feel you OP, I was banned four years ago...

just post on betterbidding. Really, it's that simple.

Noticed this bid posting (http://p070.ezboard.com/fpricelineandexpediabiddingnashville.showMessage?t opicID=678.topic) by Sheryl for a friend. Nice to see she used the AB link to give herself a kickback. :D Although, I'm not sure she shouldn't be banned for not properly following the bid formula, she didn't check the 2.5* rates before bidding. Also notice the links to Overstock and Entertainment - new sponsors?

Edited to add - sometime within 3 hours after posting this Sheryl decided to go ahead and ban me too. I guess she monitors us very closely. Say hi to your sister for me Sheryl.

I don't use BFT as much as I used to, but I always thought the TOS were pretty clear. I never had any problem with how she ran her site. The key words being "her site"....

The key words being "her site"....
It was Connie Wong's restaurant. Didn't matter to the czarina.

Well, one thing's for sure: Sheryl's tight control over her site means that there are no threads devoted to character assassination! :p

As it happens, Governator, I'm the person Sheryl made that reservation for that you mention. I would have done it myself except I didn't want to have to make it on my Treo! I would have done it through the link had I been able to make it myself, so it's not like there was anything unusual going on. In fact, it was a real lifesaver to be able to do that late-evening bidding (which was the point of the post).

Oh, and rates WERE checked before bidding. ^

Well, one thing's for sure: Sheryl's tight control over her site means that there are no threads devoted to character assassination! :p

As it happens, Governator, I'm the person Sheryl made that reservation for that you mention. I would have done it myself except I didn't want to have to make it on my Treo! I would have done it through the link had I been able to make it myself, so it's not like there was anything unusual going on. In fact, it was a real lifesaver to be able to do that late-evening bidding (which was the point of the post).

Oh, and rates WERE checked before bidding. ^
Not sure what exactly in my post rates as "character assassination". Because I dared to mention her and her post? Does BFT TOS also specify that if you speak of her outside her site she can ban you?

To the OP and the other posters here:

So you claim to not care if you were banned at BFT. I think you doth protest too much.

If you can't behave yourselves and obey the site's rules, you WILL get banned from BFT. What an amazing concept. :rolleyes:

Those rules shouldn't apply on other websites though.

As it happens, Governator, I'm the person Sheryl made that reservation for that you mention.

What?!?!? Sheryl really does have friends? Don't you know that friends of Sheryl's are not welcome on this thread!!! ;) J/K

Actually, this thread welcomes defenders and protesters. That is,unless there are personal attacks.
Everyone agrees that the lady has the right to run her ship as tight as she desires.
There are those of us that remember the first time we were the recipients of the vitriolic words and temper of the owner. I was new to the world of forums when I first received mine. While trying to aid others in a post I was "slapped" down in a way that seemed straight out of Dickens. I was totally amazed that an adult could act that way. I was a new contributer in reports and money (that's when the site insinuated that this was not a business). Did she have right to act this way? Yes!
Was it smart? Maybe to keep her kind of control as she saw it, but it did result in less information. Correct me if I'm wrong, isn't the only value of BFT it's information?
So when people at FT want to report mistreatment from BFT, I am sympathetic. But( I'm sure there's at least one person scowling in disagreement as they read this), I believe I'm fair and civilized.
So every now-and-then someone will post here as a new victim wanting to share their circumstances to both vent (in an allowable way) and to warn others that they may be next.
So ,those who desire to,please defend BFT, but don't be surprised if someday you find yourself in ageement with the many here. In agreement that BFT was a great idea and the owner had the fortitude to birth it. Yet,it could have been so much more.
Just my two cents. :)

Actually, this thread welcomes defenders and protesters. That is,unless there are personal attacks.


REALLY? :rolleyes:

Most of the anti BFT posts seem to me to be nothing but "personal attacks" on Sheryl. Yet they are allowed to continue on and on.

Once again BFT is still by far the best site for info for bidding on foreign Priceline hotels. Since I have always abided by the site rules, I have never had any problem. :) :)

I think that many of us enjoy posting our experiences with travel sights, hotels, airlines, etc. It was completely surprising to be "banned" from a sight that I not only found helpful, but almost always recommended to others. While the owner may think that banning people is her right, it was downright funny to get into an e-mail argument with her and really see how angry of a person she was/is. Perhaps business is bad? I think that the annual fee is due for hosting and the funds must not be there! Either way, they'll not get anything from me in exchange for attitude. Enough said.

I Either way, they'll not get anything from me in exchange for attitude. Enough said.

Ooooh, I am sure they are just about ready to close up shop without your participation.

If you insult the webmaster, do not be surprised if she takes it personally and bans you. It's really just a consequence of boorish behavior - what I find amusing is that people complain about being banned after they have asked for it by their insults and snide remarks.

... seem to me to be nothing but "personal attacks" on Sheryl. No, they are attacks on boorish, rude behavior that is (astonishingly) directed toward the very people who provide the data for the site in question.

The BFT Administratix is a human being, and I'm sure she has some redeeming values, as we all do, but one doesn't have to be in attack mode to wonder about the thought process that allows her to mistreat many of those who (indirectly) pay for her pigouts at Blue Fish House, Ginza, and Azuma.

Mark
Your opinion is probably what some unimformed people may agree with. In actuality, almost all people banned were banned because of different reasons.
For instance, someone forgets to use her link to PL to bid. She bans them. if they then send a polite email stating their case, they can expect an unbelievably vitriolic attack. Imagine that the next time you come to FT you found that you were banned because you didn't book your Alamo car from a link here. Would Randy have the right to? Absolutely. Then you send a polite email to Randy and Randy ,in so many words, "curses you out". This scene ,obviously, seems far fetched,but it's not in the world of BFT.

BFT won't "close up" because of those posting here no longer post on BFT, but they will be a less valuable commodity. You can go to many other travel forums and find other people reporting about rough treatment at BFT. These folks also no longer post. I'm sure that there are many others that don't frequent any forum that do likewise. Years ago BFT was much more valuable than today. By now they should have had an exponential growth in posts (like FT), but they seem to have less fresh info than ever.

These posts aren't about a one time incident, nor is it about someone just having a bad day. BFT is what it is. Eventually, this kind of behaviour will see Better Bidding surpass BFT. The fact that BB's internet traffic rank has almost doubled BFT indicates that the "news is getting out" about BB.
BFT has been a valuable websie and the owner deserves a lot of credit, but BB deserves the business. All this is MHO.

Mark
Your opinion is probably what some unimformed people may agree with. In actuality, almost all people banned were banned because of different reasons.
For instance, someone forgets to use her link to PL to bid. She bans them. if they then send a polite email stating their case, they can expect an unbelievably vitriolic attack.

I have used her site a few times for information and have posted bids I have won. I have never used her link to bid even after she asked me. Most recently I just explained that I wasn't at her site to begin with when I bid but afterwards, came to post the info. She questioned as to whether I had a problem using her link and I replied that I wasn't going to go out of my way to do so. I was not banned. Makes me think some here are exagerating a bit or leaving information out.

dupe ....

Years ago BFT was much more valuable than today. By now they should have had an exponential growth in posts (like FT), but they seem to have less fresh info than ever.

Exactly so. I have no idea what BFT might be worth, or indeed if anyone has tendered an offer for the site. But I have not the slightest doubt that BFT would be worth millions more dollars as a saleable enterprise had its management policies and practices not soured so many, many frequent travelers.

I have used her site a few times for information and have posted bids I have won. I have never used her link to bid even after she asked me. Most recently I just explained that I wasn't at her site to begin with when I bid but afterwards, came to post the info. She questioned as to whether I had a problem using her link and I replied that I wasn't going to go out of my way to do so. I was not banned. Makes me think some here are exagerating a bit or leaving information out.

No! It's not possible! Cheryl is just ****l, I tell you, ****! :D

She questioned as to whether I had a problem using her link and I replied that I wasn't going to go out of my way to do so. I was not banned. Probably simply an oversight on her part that will quickly be rectified once she reads your post here (assuming you use the same s/n). :p

Probably simply an oversight on her part that will quickly be rectified once she reads your post here (assuming you use the same s/n). :p

Yes, I do. Same at BetterBidding as well. I guess we will see ;)

REALLY? :rolleyes:

Most of the anti BFT posts seem to me to be nothing but "personal attacks" on Sheryl. Yet they are allowed to continue on and on....

As we've discussed many times, Sheryl is running a travel-related business. She pretends it's a "community" but that's like calling North Korea a democracy.

If Sheryl were to stop running a travel business online, I'm sure that jabez and Randy would reconsider whether to allow such intense criticism of her. Until then, she's going to have to accept that she's mostly fair game, subject to FT's general rules of decorum.

While I agree that some comments have gone too far, she makes it very difficult for others to sympathize.

Exactly so. I have no idea what BFT might be worth, or indeed if anyone has tendered an offer for the site. But I have not the slightest doubt that BFT would be worth millions more dollars as a saleable enterprise had its management policies and practices not soured so many, many frequent travelers.

Whoa. Millions? Maybe tens of thousands. I just don't think the A-B kickbacks and the banner ads can get you behind the wheel of a Bentley.

No! It's not possible! Cheryl is just ****l, I tell you, ****! :D
Last edited by jabez : Today at 10:27 am. Reason: No personal attacks please.


Irony alert.

Apparently lost on our dear moderator. :D

Yes, I was caught not catching what you were really saying.
At least I didn't ban you. :D

If Sheryl were to stop running a travel business online, I'm sure that jabez and Randy would reconsider whether to allow such intense criticism of her.

The horror, the horror!

Imagine some one having the nerve to run a travel business online.

wideman: But I have not the slightest doubt that BFT would be worth millions more dollars as a saleable enterprise had its management policies and practices not soured so many, many frequent travelers.

dhuey: Whoa. Millions? Maybe tens of thousands. I just don't think the A-B kickbacks and the banner ads can get you behind the wheel of a Bentley.

My speculation is not so much the regualr revenue that BFT produces, but the potential value of selling the site. If BFT had been intelligently managed and had sustained a growth comparable to travel sites like FlyerTalk and TripAdvisor, my guess is that BFT could be sold for a far, far heftier sum than it might be today.

Look at TripAdvisor, for example. Like BFT, its primary value comes from contributions of its readership. Unlike BFT, TripAdvisor does not create a hostile environment for contributors, nor does it make apologies for being a business. TripAdvisor is a thriving site -- it wouldn't surprise me a bit to hear that it could be sold for $millions -- while BFT appears to wallow in its own mire. Yet only a few years ago, BFT was positioned to be a player, and no one had heard of TripAdvisor.

To keep things in perspective, Sheryl has saved me lots of $$.

When you view the package as a whole, I am way ahead using BFT and I have no complaints.

wideman: But I have not the slightest doubt that BFT would be worth millions more dollars as a saleable enterprise had its management policies and practices not soured so many, many frequent travelers.

dhuey: Whoa. Millions? Maybe tens of thousands. I just don't think the A-B kickbacks and the banner ads can get you behind the wheel of a Bentley.

My speculation is not so much the regualr revenue that BFT produces, but the potential value of selling the site. If BFT had been intelligently managed and had sustained a growth comparable to travel sites like FlyerTalk and TripAdvisor, my guess is that BFT could be sold for a far, far heftier sum than it might be today.

Look at TripAdvisor, for example. Like BFT, its primary value comes from contributions of its readership. Unlike BFT, TripAdvisor does not create a hostile environment for contributors, nor does it make apologies for being a business. TripAdvisor is a thriving site -- it wouldn't surprise me a bit to hear that it could be sold for $millions -- while BFT appears to wallow in its own mire. Yet only a few years ago, BFT was positioned to be a player, and no one had heard of TripAdvisor.

Too bad TripAdvisor is already owned by Expedia

I think a better example is Fatwallet. I remember when it got pun off from the Anadtech forums. Had the management of the forum insisted on click throught for their cut it never would have become what it is today.

Cheryl is reaping the rewards of her misanthrophy. I'll not post my experiences there...that's a dozen data points she doesn't have. The data dries up, the value of her site dries up. She was stupid enough to think it was all about her when actually it was all about her users.

The horror, the horror!

Imagine some one having the nerve to run a travel business online.

You seem to miss my point. It's not a matter of nerve to run an airline, hotel, or any other travel-related business. If you do, however, you are opening yourself up to criticism on FT by those who might take issue with the way you run that business. Airline CEOs in particular are regularly skewered on FT.

I know that Sheryl (and you, perhaps?) would delete any such criticism on FT in a heartbeat, were she to have the FT master delete key. The rules of the road on BFT may well be Sheryl's way or the highway. However, Randy is the sheriff in these parts, and he supports a culture of free speech.

BFT never escaped the amateur level. The site looks like it was developed by a 12 year old, it runs on a third party service meaning she has zero control over her content (proven by the disasters last year) and the service provided hasn't changed since it started. Had she invested some of that hard earned cash on developing a good forum platform for the site, with some professional design work then it would be an even better place to visit.

BFT never escaped the amateur level. The site looks like it was developed by a 12 year old, it runs on a third party service meaning she has zero control over her content (proven by the disasters last year) and the service provided hasn't changed since it started. Had she invested some of that hard earned cash on developing a good forum platform for the site, with some professional design work then it would be an even better place to visit.

Yes, and I mostly agree with wideman that there was a much larger business opportunity there. Ah, the missed opportunities when you are unable or unwilling to control your temper.

Mark
Guess what?
try criticizing moderation or management decisions in that thread (if it isn't closed in a nanosecond). A one way ticket to "Banned City."

You just did and you're still here.

I still never heard of anyone get banned here for not using a link or posting something negative about FT at a different web site. I also don't know of one moderator who has been rude and consistently vitriolic.
That said, trying to compare FT to Bft is like comparing a new Ferrari with an old Ford Pinto.

That said, trying to compare FT to Bft is like comparing a new Ferrari with an old Ford Pinto.

:D

Ain't that the truth. ^^^^^^^

As I suggested, perhaps we could ask Punki if she agrees with your opinion.

I guess we could, if she wasn't banned from FT. ;)

Just one example. I am sure we could find more if we looked around a bit.


Please spare us. Many here were sick to death of listening to her rants.

Mark
What Punki says means very little here. The fact is you are still here and if you asked these same kind of questions or stated the same kind of opinions at BFT, you'd immediately be gone. We're not talking about people who had many warnings, were disruptive in many posts,etc.
I prefer people that voluntarily go away. Hint-Hint! ;)

Mark
What Punki says means very little here. The fact is you are still here and if you asked these same kind of questions or stated the same kind of opinions at BFT, you'd immediately be gone. We're not talking about people who had many warnings, were disruptive in many posts,etc.
I prefer people that voluntarily go away. Hint-Hint! ;)

"Immediately" is a term of art. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week. The fact that you're "hint hinting" that I'd better shut up proves the truth of my point! :D

And FWIW, I haven't criticized any moderation or management decisions at FT. That's the third rail of this site - much more so than getting banned in part for her off-FT criticisms, which is exactly what happened to Punki.

In sum, those that want to slam BFT for censorship, etc... and hold up FT as a paragon of "free speech" don't realize that the two sites are not so different as some posters here want to think.

And FWIW, I haven't criticized any moderation or management decisions at FT. That's the third rail of this site - much more so than getting banned in part for her off-FT criticisms, which is exactly what happened to Punki.

Not even close. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Now this is really FUNNY! :D :D :D

Try opening up a discussion of moderation and management practices on FT, and even better, try criticizing moderation or management decisions in that thread (if it isn't closed in a nanosecond). A one way ticket to "Banned City."

Management on FT engages in the most stringent form of censorship I have seen on internet discussion boards. Free speech my $%#! ;)

Isn't that right, Punki?

Take a look at this post:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=999726&postcount=15

In Nov. '02, I criticized Randy's ff mile protection program, AwardGuard. I did this among potential purchasers of the product. If anyone there was persuaded by the concerns I raised, my post actually cost Randy some money. Still, Randy never deleted it -- it's there for you to read today.

And this is "the most stringent form of censorship [you] have seen on internet discussion boards"?! Holy hyperbole.

Not to throw this off topic but...******* I never knew. What happened to the Randy only forum?
Back on Topic, I use BFT and find it very usefull. BB is a good site but has a long way to go.

Cheryl is reaping the rewards of her misanthrophy. I'll not post my experiences there...that's a dozen data points she doesn't have. The data dries up, the value of her site dries up. She was stupid enough to think it was all about her when actually it was all about her users.
Exactly. I don't remember ever having an actual spat with her (maybe i have and have just forgotten). But reading her responses to her own users encourages me to NEVER (at least in the future) post my experiences on her site (let alone use her links). I'm sure there would be MUCH more information on her site from people such as myself if not for the negative environment. In the meantime, i'll continue to check her site occasionally and peruse the ever-dwinding data...

To the OP and the other posters here:

So you claim to not care if you were banned at BFT. I think you doth protest too much.

If you can't behave yourselves and obey the site's rules, you WILL get banned from BFT. What an amazing concept. :rolleyes:

I was banned for an exchange here. No violation of her rules.

If you insult the webmaster, do not be surprised if she takes it personally and bans you. It's really just a consequence of boorish behavior - what I find amusing is that people complain about being banned after they have asked for it by their insults and snide remarks.


I'm a big fan of the "I can dish it out, but can't take it" defense. Cheryl is too! :rolleyes:

As I suggested, perhaps we could ask Punki if she agrees with your opinion.

I guess we could, if she wasn't banned from FT. ;)

Just one example. I am sure we could find more if we looked around a bit.

Interestingly enough, it took Punki the better part of 6 months to earn her suspension, I was suspended after 1 post! :D

In sum, those that want to slam BFT for censorship, etc... and hold up FT as a paragon of "free speech" don't realize that the two sites are not so different as some posters here want to think.

Did Randy ban Punki? No? Next analogy please...

Let's not talk about this issue please. This is a bidding forum and the topic here realtes to a major bidding website. Let's keep this on topic.

Wow, am amazed at how many people think Sherly from bidding is ...awful. Not surprised though, as just a reader on the site, I found her too rude. I'm just glad I didn't register on the site just to be banned, it's no biggie but just makes you feel bad. It's supposed to be a helpful site but she seems to make it into a do or die.

Does anyone think the bidding help/strategies she gives out seem elementary or even not that useful?

The whole site makes it out as if it's a science and she its master guru. One of the advice is to not bid what others have bid. I have found that what others have bid makes a great reference and saves time searching every single website for hotel prices. From what I've seen so far, the hotel prices that people actually get don't fluctuate as much within a period of time as the prices found on other sites. I always look through and find the lowest price people have gotten and go from there. I have bid successfully (as in low low price) in all my priceline attempts so I think I can say this, at least for myself. This is only one of the advice I go against, many more, lol.

My two cents~

The whole site makes it out as if it's a science and she its master guru.
LOL. This thread is too funny.

One of the advice is to not bid what others have bid. I have found that what others have bid makes a great reference and saves time searching every single website for hotel prices. From what I've seen so far, the hotel prices that people actually get don't fluctuate as much within a period of time as the prices found on other sites. I always look through and find the lowest price people have gotten and go from there. I have bid successfully (as in low low price) in all my priceline attempts so I think I can say this, at least for myself.

FWIW, this is my strategy as well and it works great. As long as BFT/BB have enough data points for a certain area and/or hotel, it's pretty easy to figure out what you'll get a property for, and either there's PL availability or there's not, definitely not rocket science and frankly it's definitely not worth wasting your time looking up hotel prices from the different hotels around the area. BTW, I have never asked for Sheryl's help for bidding because I use the strategy above, although that fact hasn't exempted me from a couple Nastygrams from Sheryl (asking why I wasn't bidding thru her link.........yeah like I'll give up $15 in Anything Points to earn Sheryl another $0.25), at which point I just stopped posting my datapoints and instead just began to take in info from BFT instead.

The bidding advice might be useful for a novice. After a single bidding experience, though, just about anyone can figure out to best way to bid on Priceline. Like others have said, you just need the data points.

One more thought on this open letter idea. Sheryl, it appears that the criticism here on FT bothers you, since many have been banned from BFT for their comments here, and you have apparently sent some less-than-cordial messages to jabez and Randy.

Have you ever considered an apology? Not the "sorry if you're offended" kind, but a real one? Many of us think it's perfectly reasonable for you to run a tight ship on BFT. That's not the problem. Where we take issue is our sense of being treated very rudely. When you see so many different people posting criticisms in this forum, don't you start to wonder if maybe you've gone a little too far in your efforts to control the content of your site? Perhaps your language could have been a bit friendlier?

Of course, you might feel you've never done anything wrong in this regard. A more enlightened approach, though, would be to recoginize that we're all human and we all need to apologize for our behavior on occasion.

You might find that a sincere apology would instantly eliminate the bitterness that many here feel toward you and BFT.

Just a thought...
dhuey, among the banned

Sheryl is fine. BFT has saved me thousands of dollars. The site is clean & efficient. I like that she doesn't allow off-topic posts. I like that she enforces the rules because it makes the information so much more valuable. There are just too many whiners on this thread who need thicker skin.

An apology for online rudeness. . . grow up, dude.

BFT ROCKS! I have no problem with Cheryl making money...her product is excellent. People who do a good job deserve to be paid, unless you are a communist. Betterbidding is an inferior product....essentially useless. This woman has saved me TENS of thousands of dollars. I place my Priceline bids through amazing-bargains religiously. IT COSTS ME NOTHING TO PAY HER! I have the same name on both sites, and hope she reads this. Cheryl..if people give you a hard time, the heck with them and block them. I would too!

Sheryl is fine. BFT has saved me thousands of dollars. The site is clean & efficient. I like that she doesn't allow off-topic posts. I like that she enforces the rules because it makes the information so much more valuable. There are just too many whiners on this thread who need thicker skin.

An apology for online rudeness. . . grow up, dude.

The irony flows like category five rapids in this forum. "Thick skin"?! Sheryl reads this thread more than anyone, bans those who criticize BFT here, and sends nastygrams to jabez and Randy. Reynolds Wrap is thicker than that skin.

I place my Priceline bids through amazing-bargains religiously. IT COSTS ME NOTHING TO PAY HER!
You're ignoring the opportunity cost of not using more lucrative links.
I have the same name on both sites, and hope she reads this. Cheryl..
BANNED for spelling her name wrong!

Sheryl is fine. BFT has saved me thousands of dollars. The site is clean & efficient. I like that she doesn't allow off-topic posts. I like that she enforces the rules because it makes the information so much more valuable. There are just too many whiners on this thread who need thicker skin.

An apology for online rudeness. . . grow up, dude.

I agree, but the site has only saved me hundreds of dollars. :)

I don't think I could live with the thin margin of error the administrator allows for being a registered user of BFT. A single minor infraction and you're toast. Not worth the effort IMO. I will however, use the data :p

Besides, if you guys can't figure out your own bidding strategies after more than a few priceline bookings then you've got to be doing something wrong.

BFT ROCKS! I have no problem with Cheryl making money...her product is excellent. People who do a good job deserve to be paid, unless you are a communist.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Get a grip.

Betterbidding is an inferior product....essentially useless.

I use both sites and find both useful.

This woman has saved me TENS of thousands of dollars.

Yeah, right. :rolleyes:

Sheryl is fine. BFT has saved me thousands of dollars. With respect, I must offer a correction - the people posting their bid data have saved you, me and many others countless amounts of dollars.

Since it seems to escape the attention of the sycophants who give the apperance of having some kind of symbiotic relationship with the BFT Administratrix, I will point it out again - for the vast majority of site visitors (those who DO NOT need bidding assistance), BFT serves as a data aggregator,nothing more, nothing less.

BFT, by being there first, has presence in the "marketplace" and in the travel press (and awareness on the Internet). That advantage is very hard for newcomers like BetterBidding to overcome.

Further, even when the Administratirx does offer advice, it is often incomplete, if not outright incorrect. For example, the Administratrix seems to have a blind spot towards how conventions affect (potential) PL room availability.

I sometimes think that she purposely doesn't mentions this to make the newbies more dependent on her (and therefore more likely to use her revenue-producing links), but, based on her demonstrated temperment online, I realize I must be wrong :D :D :D

Yes, BFT is, in May 2006, the place where you will find a large amount of bid data, some of it useful. But it is NOT, I would suggest, where you will find much useful value-added imput from the site owner. If the Administratirx decided one day to buy a condo overlooking the Tokyo Fish Market and shut down BFT (and to destroy its data), BB and other successors would rapidly fill the void, and the Administratrix and her misantrophic attitude towards those who provide the raw data for her site would soon be forgotten.

BFT is a FORUM, like flyertalk. Sherly is an Administrator OF an excellent forum. A good administrator oversees that the forum runs smoothly behind the scenes. Is Sheryl a good administrator? ...Hmmmmm :rolleyes:

I personally think BFT could become a much better forum if the community is allowed to speak more openly and not worry about going against Sheryl's rules, whatever that may be. (An open forum also will help define the administrator's role better in that the administrator will actually have a bit of rowdiness to oversee. Look at flyertalk and all the bashing that goes on, lol).

Yes the set strategies are very useful and should be a basic guide in bidding on priceline. However, they are pretty basic for those who've used it a few times. All that happens on the forum is the mundane data of $XXX for a X hotel in X city. And as some replies on here prove, the site has become a data warehouse for many. I think having access to the large amount of data is great. I just think that it doesn't only have serve as a data warehouse. Maybe there are different ways of bidding and one could share them. For example, I would advise that if you see one of the low bids for a certain property coming up numerous times then start bidding a little lower, up to that price point until you hit. For a newbie, this would save much time. I've also seen so many people getting a hotel for too high of a price. Some due to their own mistake but some have been through Sheryl's bidding advice. I want to tell them to bid lower...but I don't feel like registering just to be kicked out. Other things I might share is that if you change our inputs such as email address, credit card number, office address, etc. you can rebid without having to wait. I haven't used priceline in awhile so not sure if this still works but it did work one time. I'm sure there are many other tricks people have encountered.

Oh well. :rolleyes:

I'm beginning to hate priceline anyway. :eek:

Why not close this thread? I mean, is there anything left to say about BFT that hasn't been said?

I find Sheryl to be very intimidating and therefore have never registered for the site. I've definitely used the information from there, though! OTOH, I think the other mods appear to be professional and friendly. It's just her.

Nonetheless, if she's running the board with her own personal money then I guess she's certainly entitled to run it as she sees fit. Yet if she chose to be slightly less restrictive she might have more people register instead of just lurking and then add more valuable bid information to the site.

I find Sheryl to be very intimidating and therefore have never registered for the site. I've definitely used the information from there, though! OTOH, I think the other mods appear to be professional and friendly. It's just her.

Nonetheless, if she's running the board with her own personal money then I guess she's certainly entitled to run it as she sees fit. Yet if she chose to be slightly less restrictive she might have more people register instead of just lurking and then add more valuable bid information to the site.


She askeds for doantions and after the desaster last year ezboards refunded her anyways.

Ooooh, I am sure they are just about ready to close up shop without your participation.

If you insult the webmaster, do not be surprised if she takes it personally and bans you. It's really just a consequence of boorish behavior - what I find amusing is that people complain about being banned after they have asked for it by their insults and snide remarks.

I got banned simply because I did not agree with her. There were no insults involved. We simply got in a debate about hotel levels and when I seemed to have the upper hand in the debate I was banned. I post all my winning bids on BB forum now. I can get back in to BFT, but I choose just to lurk there for info, I have no interest in helping her or her forum. I believe if she bans everybody for such minor altercations, the forum will ultimately fail. My point is you don’t have to insult the poor woman to be banned. Seems anything minor will do just fine...

Why not close this thread? I mean, is there anything left to say about BFT that hasn't been said?

We wouldn't have too many new threads in FT if "nothing left to say" about the topic were disqualifying.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Get a grip.



I use both sites and find both useful.



Yeah, right. :rolleyes:
Last trip to Thailand...JW Phuket...during Christmas with the family...2 rooms @$110 per night $600 on the website. savings $980 per night (plus tax on the $600 rate) times 12 nights. Savings from that one trip...almost 12 grand. Also spent 10 nights in Feb 05...2 rooms. Plus all my biz travel. Plus trips to Amsterdam, Rome, Milan, Copenhagen, The Hague all in the last 2 years. Do the math baby, and lay off the girl.

Careful, she doesn't like being called "girl". :rolleyes:

Last trip to Thailand...JW Phuket...during Christmas with the family...2 rooms @$110 per night $600 on the website. savings $980 per night (plus tax on the $600 rate) times 12 nights. Savings from that one trip...almost 12 grand. Also spent 10 nights in Feb 05...2 rooms. Plus all my biz travel. Plus trips to Amsterdam, Rome, Milan, Copenhagen, The Hague all in the last 2 years. Do the math baby, and lay off the girl.

As Non-nonRev pointed out, you saved this money because of the time other bidders spent posting their results. Sheryl could have left BFT on autopilot and gone to Fiji, sans laptop, for six months and you would still have saved this money. Actually, had she done that, you probably would have had more data to work with as there would have been fewer "community" members banned.

Careful, she doesn't like being called "girl". :rolleyes:



She banned my entire domain (we are talking something like 5000 users), since.... actually I have no idea why. Me and my girlfriend were bidding separately on a room in NYC. Maybe she found inappropriate that we were staying in the same hotel room, without being lawfully wed. I hear in North Carolina it is still as misdemeanour, if "with the intent of engaging in lascivious activities", which we certainly had.

Anyway, I wasn't aware she was making money out of the site. Not very smart banning that domain, if you ask me. Revenue lost and, of course, I've been using BFT all the same.

Maybe she found inappropriate that we were staying in the same hotel room, without being lawfully wed. I hear in North Carolina it is still as misdemeanour, if "with the intent of engaging in lascivious activities", which we certainly had.

You hit the nail on the head. :D

Or maybe she banned one of the other 5000 people and you were just one of the unlucky other 4999 people......

oooops

It was Connie Wong's restaurant. Didn't matter to the czarina.

Does anyone have the link for or text to that ridiculous petty rant Sheryl made against Miyako's in Houston a few years ago? I've read snippets and it's pretty disgusting...a near lawsuit because they wouldn't cut her sushi into 8 pieces rather than 6.

Thanks in advance

EDIT: Update, I found it. Here it is, enjoy.

(Posted by Sheryl on rec.food.cooking newsgroup)

As I've commented on houston.eats several times in the past, I'm a
regular at lunchtime at Miyako on Kirby. Looks like today was my last
visit. I'll let my letter to Ms. Connie Wong explain. I got Ms. Wong's
name when I called the Westheimer location asking for the name and
address of Miyako's owner, who I know by sight from various times he's
been in the particular Miyako location where I was eating at the time.
Whenever he sees me, he always acknowledges me. Unfortunately, I was
told that Ms. Wong is in charge of all the restaurants and that I should
write to her. The nature of my request was known since I was forthright
from the beginning of the phone call. I immediately identified myself
by name and said I had a bad experience at the Kirby location earlier
today and I wanted to inform the owner about it. Ms. Connie Wong


Miyako Restaurant
6345 Westheimer
Houston, TX 77057
Dear Ms. Wong:


My lunch hour today was an experience I hope to forget, as it was quite
unpleasant. Some background is in order, so first, I want you to know
that my first time ever eating sushi was at Miyako on Westheimer in
1985. I've been hooked on sushi ever since, regularly having dinner at
the Miyako on Westheimer, the Little Miyako that was located in the
Village about 10 years or so ago, and then when that location closed,
the Kirby location. In the mid-1990s when the downtown location opened,
I began having lunch there at least once per week, every single week,
until I began working in Greenway Plaza in January 1998. Since that
time, until today, I've had lunch at the Kirby location at least once
per week, every single week. So a reasonable estimation would be that
I've eaten at Miyako more than 500 times in the past 15 years. I arrived
at the Kirby location at 11:35 a.m. today and took my usual
seat at the sushi bar. Being that today was a federal holiday and many
offices were closed, there were only two others at the sushi bar, and
over the next 10 minutes, a total of about 5 tables were occupied.
Still, just the one couple and me at the sushi bar. In other words, not
very busy.


Among other sushi items, I ordered the Miyako Special maki. As I always
do when ordering the Miyako Special maki, I asked that it be cut into 8
pieces, rather than the usual 6 pieces, because when cut into 6 pieces,
a single piece is too large for me to eat without biting into it, and
then it completely falls apart. About three minutes after taking my
order, the waitress returned to say that I would be charged $1 for
cutting the maki into 8 pieces instead of 6 pieces. I looked her
straight in the face and told her that I was highly insulted by that
comment and told her of my frequency of visits to Miyako. She told me
that it was the manager's decision to charge me $1. I asked to speak
with the manager. The manager, who I recall previously as a waitress,
came from the kitchen area with a very sour look on her face. I then
reiterated to the manager what I told the waitress of how insulting the
idea of charging me $1 to make two slices with a knife. I also reminded
her of my very frequent visits to Miyako, which I knew she already knew,
because every single employee who works outside the kitchen knows me by
my frequent visits.


She told me that mine was a special request and there would be a $1
charge. I then told her that I guessed she had no idea what the notion
of customer service was and that she had two choices. She could either
charge me $1 for her employee to make 8 slices instead of 6 slices and I
would never again set foot in Miyako, or she could change her mind and I
would remain a customer. She stated once again that there would be a $1
charge. I then turned around, picked up my magazine and walked out of
the restaurant. Mind you, I had ordered a Coke which had already been
served to me and which I had partially consumed. I did not pay for it
nor was I followed and asked to pay for it. I am truly saddened to have
to make the decision to no longer have lunch
at a restaurant that I so much enjoy at least once per week. But then,
it's a sad day when $1 is more important than the loyalty I've shown
Miyako over 15 years and thousands of dollars.

/s/
P.S. As a final comment, I thought I'd offer that sometimes I order the
daily special, even when there is a piece of sushi that I do not care
for, typically squid. Whenever squid is on the daily special, I tell
the sushi chef he can just leave it off my plate, something I consider
to be quite thoughtful. Miyako can re-sell it to someone else, charging
the normal per piece price, and I've not wasted any food. END OF LETTER

As someone pointed out earlier bft runs at the pleasure of the public - take away the folks who post there and all you are left with is, IMO, a useless website with a angry moderator in need of therapy. :D

I have never posted there because of the moderator's attitude towards other people. To those who defend the site, its the worst attitude I have seen among all the webforums visited - certainly don't want to encourage such behaviour. I think its possible to run a website without pissing off your customers.

If you haven't seen this yet, enjoy:

http://p070.ezboard.com/fpricelineandexpediabiddingstlouis.showMessage?top icID=751.topic

If you haven't seen this yet, enjoy:

http://p070.ezboard.com/fpricelineandexpediabiddingstlouis.showMessage?top icID=751.topic


Dude, BFT already deleted this post!!! And, it was MY POST! I had posted this link on a similar thread on Slickdeals.net earlier today. Talk about Censorship...this had been on there for over a year now (of course edited to take out my final post to her which got me banned), which is fine until it was posted much more widely. I guess the truth hurts.

Sheryl, can you recommend a good place to eat Sushi in the Village here in Houston? Preferrably a place where they can cut it into 8 pieces rather than 6. Thanks,

Violatortx

She told me that mine was a special request and there would be a $1
charge. I then told her that I guessed she had no idea what the notion
of customer service was and that she had two choices. She could either
charge me $1 for her employee to make 8 slices instead of 6 slices and I
would never again set foot in Miyako, or she could change her mind and I
would remain a customer. She stated once again that there would be a $1
charge. I then turned around, picked up my magazine and walked out of
the restaurant. Mind you, I had ordered a Coke which had already been
served to me and which I had partially consumed. I did not pay for it
nor was I followed and asked to pay for it. I am truly saddened to have
to make the decision to no longer have lunch
at a restaurant that I so much enjoy at least once per week. But then,
it's a sad day when $1 is more important than the loyalty I've shown
Miyako over 15 years and thousands of dollars.


Well, I guess this is where Sheryl learned everything she knows about customer service.

Does anyone have the link for or text to that ridiculous petty rant Sheryl made against Miyako's in Houston a few years ago? I've read snippets and it's pretty disgusting...a near lawsuit because they wouldn't cut her sushi into 8 pieces rather than 6.

Thanks in advance

EDIT: Update, I found it. Here it is, enjoy.

(Posted by Sheryl on rec.food.cooking newsgroup)



That is one of the funniest complaint letters I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of them... Hilarious!

Like Priceline does, the Administratrix should have counter-offered "seven slices for a service charge of 50 cents"!!! :D :p

I actually would have brought out the sushi in 6 pieces and cut one of them into 3 pieces right in front of her. That's 8 pieces.

Hello!

I'm new, of course, and this thread just made me laugh so hard - because I've seen this "behavior" and though I was the only one who noticed - and it convinced me to register.

Well, admittedly, the automated sushi machine ad that came up because of the topics on this page was a riot too.

Anyways.. a story..

I haven't had time to thoroughly search these forums (I will, no worries) but for May and June, 2006, Walt Disney World has been offering their All Star Resorts on Priceline for $36. The rack rate is $99 for this period, and once Disney has you booked - you're a Disney guest, meaning free transport from the airport and all the other luxeries any other Disney guest gets.

Sheryl flat out forbid acknowledgement of the deal and that you HAD to bid $36 to get the room - if you went higher or lower you got Amerisuites and Holiday Inn Nikki Bird. She said people shouldn't say they are bidding for a specific resort - seriously, who isn't atleast hoping?

And with this one, it was a big gamble, but well documented on other sites, like http://www.magicvalues.com/ who keeps a bid calendar. With the hotel transport and Disney's own internal system, you'd be saving literally hundreds for a person rather than just the discount on the room.

But no. With Sheryl you could not tell people to try and bid for the All Stars in the 2.5* category by bidding $36 on a day it is known to be available. You could not tell them the number to call for room requests - though Disney themself acknowledged they didn't care if the room came from Priceline. You couldn't even mention the number to call to get Magical Express (the free transport setup) because it was like trying to get airline points from priceline, and again, DISNEY said it was perfectly ok.

I just don' get it. I haven't been banned, I just stopped posting.

And not bidding what others bid? That's craziness. If a bid was made within the last 24 hours by someone and got a specific resort, you'll probably get the same resort. It's not rocket science.

Anyways, thanks for the wonderful site, I ran across it looking for information about flying from one Disney theme park to another (I live near WDW, flying to Disneyland).

Hope to post lots :)

Welcome to FlyerTalk, KNRG.

Please don't take this response to you the wrong way. I am not being accusative here. I gotta ask, though, are you the administrator for magicvalues.com? You sure seem to know ALOT about Disney, as shown in your post in this forum and this one (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5842967#post5842967).

I don't mind and I hope you continue to share your knowledge, but people around here can get a bit edgy when they think someone is posting just to drum up some business for their own personal gain. Honestly, it does sound a little fishy you'd be posting here for the first time and recommending a site that has just been created within the past month.

I don't understand one aspect of the above - if the $36 bid is placed via the Not-So-Amazing-Bargains link that helps to keep the Administratrix in hamchi, why would she object?

Welcome to FlyerTalk, KNRG.

Please don't take this response to you the wrong way. I am not being accusative here. I gotta ask, though, are you the administrator for magicvalues.com? You sure seem to know ALOT about Disney, as shown in your post in this forum and this one (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5842967#post5842967).

I don't mind and I hope you continue to share your knowledge, but people around here can get a bit edgy when they think someone is posting just to drum up some business for their own personal gain. Honestly, it does sound a little fishy you'd be posting here for the first time and recommending a site that has just been created within the past month.

Heh, nope, not me. I'm actually a researcher for the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World though, which ironicly I left out of my signature because I wasn't sure if it was appropriate. I understand it's cool. The Disney forums I frequent are just as suspect of new folks ;)

The internet is a big scary place, but I still think you folks are neat.

About the other post above, how she wouldn't like it if her link still got cash - well she says that saying you're going for a particular hotel, or asking for advice on how to get a particular hotel, is cheating the system and her website is monitored by hotel companies who she says have pulled their priceline listings when they feel people were "abusing" the system. And apparently getting more than what priceline says you can, along the lines of airline miles and in this case, Disney's various services, was an abuse also.

If the company dealing through priceline doesn't care, why make it an issue? I mean, if someone isn't sitting there going "How can I scam XX?" why not just be happy for what they got?

I do recommend a word of caution, that "Bidding $36 is NOT a guarantee, bid at your own risk." but to forbid mentioning the obvious pattern is just silly.

Oh, anyways - back to the first part, i'm not the editor of the book, just a data-finder, but I'm gonna mention this website and it's great information and she if they take an interest in it. The book isn't really a "how to travel" but moreso a "what to do when you get there" type deal. Did you know there are mathmatical formulas that determine what rides to do in what order at WDW to avoid waiting in line? Sounds crazy, but us 'Dinsey-geeks' love it.

Last trip to Thailand...JW Phuket...during Christmas with the family...2 rooms @$110 per night $600 on the website. savings $980 per night (plus tax on the $600 rate) times 12 nights. Savings from that one trip...almost 12 grand. Also spent 10 nights in Feb 05...2 rooms. Plus all my biz travel. Plus trips to Amsterdam, Rome, Milan, Copenhagen, The Hague all in the last 2 years. Do the math baby, and lay off the girl.

Were you really going to spend $600 on the room in JW Phuket? I mean - just before laying down 12 grand for them you found BFT forum and spent only $110 per room? Yes, then you saved $12 000.

More believable is that you'd either look for a hotel in your price range or buy room in JW Phuket from Thailand's discount travel agents... who are offering these room for $100-200.

Not much sense in comparing Priceline prices to inflated/rack rates. If that boost your ego more, I can setup a site offering rooms at JW Phuket for $10 000. Wow, you have saved hundreds of thousands now!

Well, if these thousands were in your pocket and you were going to spend them, yes, you saved. And BFT wasn't the only way to do that. Otherwise - how can you save something you never had?... :confused:

Sounds crazy, but us 'Dinsey-geeks' love it.

FT is a geeks'r'us for travelling so you should fit in very well! Welcome to FT!

KNRG, welcome to Flyertalk. Unofficial Guides are spectacular. Keep up the good work researching!

Yeah, KNRG, thanks for clarifying. As I said before, I hope you continue to share your knowledge, which is seemingly pretty comprehensive.

Although the marriage between Mickey Mouse & William Shatner is certainly "news", I'll really get excited when we start seeing the Grand Floridian reported as a Priceline win in either the resort, or better yet, 5-star hotel category! ;)

There is one thing I find very amusing about this thread: Every complaint on it about being banned is an advertisement for Bidding For Travel.

I am not a poster on that site -- in fact, I just visited it for the first time a few seconds ago -- and as I have never used a site like Priceline, I doubt that I will sign up for Bidding For Travel.

However, if I were interested in bidding, this thread would have turned me into a Bidding For Travel member. Why? For two reasons:

1. Without it, I never would have even heard of Bidding For Travel.

2. I have to figure that if people are so upset about being banned from a site there has to be something there worth getting angry about losing.

(Let's face it, nobody would be annoyed if they were banned from a site promoting Nigerian scam offers.)

Gut reaction: Given that F/T is the internet's biggest travel forum, with over 100,000 members, this and other threads complaining about Bidding For Travel have given it tremendous publicity and, undoubtedly, a host of new members.

I especially don't believe that even one person seeking bargains is going to avoid the site because its owner likes her sushi cut into 8 pieces instead of 6.

Gut reaction: Given that F/T is the internet's biggest travel forum, with over 100,000 members, this and other threads complaining about Bidding For Travel have given it tremendous publicity and, undoubtedly, a host of new members.Well, yes, and no.

One does not need to "join" BFT (become a registerd member) to use the bidding data. One only needs to do so to post.

The Administratrix uses the free-access bidding data to entice new/inexperienced users to generate funds for herself, some of which is no doubt used to purchase sushi (in multiples of eight, please). ;)

I see the comments in this thread as an expression of wonder and amazement over the business methodologies of the Administratrix - and of bafflement over the way she trests what are, after all, her customers.

And I think that those expresions are valid because her attitudes and tactics are so diametrically opposed from those seen here on FT, where the board Administrator does everything in his power to encourage the sharing of money-saving travel information between his members.

As much as FlyerTalk embodies the communal sharing ethos of the Internet, the user experience on BFT reflects something else altogether.

Also, I would venture a guess that first-time visitors to BFT get there via referal from sources other than FlyerTalk.

Gut reaction: Given that F/T is the internet's biggest travel forum, with over 100,000 members, this and other threads complaining about Bidding For Travel have given it tremendous publicity and, undoubtedly, a host of new members.

Good, we need new people to sign up, join BFT, and post their winning bids otherwise at the rate it's going, everybody that ever posted there would eventually be banned and there would be no more data for us to glean from there and we'd have no idea what to bid on PL. ;)

People should use both BFT abd betterbidding for information, but post their winning bids on http://www.betterbidding.com

Many FT threads have considered the effect the thread is having on something in the outside world. Some argue there is a positive effect, others negative.

Too often, no one considers a likely third possibility: not much effect at all.

Bidding For Travel is great so advertisement for Bidding For Travel isn't a negative thing.

The post was more about one particular administrator rather than the forum itself.

I'm surprised that you even checked out the post since you've never used a site like Priceline...



There is one thing I find very amusing about this thread: Every complaint on it about being banned is an advertisement for Bidding For Travel.

I am not a poster on that site -- in fact, I just visited it for the first time a few seconds ago -- and as I have never used a site like Priceline, I doubt that I will sign up for Bidding For Travel.

However, if I were interested in bidding, this thread would have turned me into a Bidding For Travel member. Why? For two reasons:

1. Without it, I never would have even heard of Bidding For Travel.

2. I have to figure that if people are so upset about being banned from a site there has to be something there worth getting angry about losing.

(Let's face it, nobody would be annoyed if they were banned from a site promoting Nigerian scam offers.)

Gut reaction: Given that F/T is the internet's biggest travel forum, with over 100,000 members, this and other threads complaining about Bidding For Travel have given it tremendous publicity and, undoubtedly, a host of new members.

I especially don't believe that even one person seeking bargains is going to avoid the site because its owner likes her sushi cut into 8 pieces instead of 6.

I'm surprised that you even checked out the post since you've never used a site like Priceline...

I just did a search on myself and found that of the 15,000+ posts I have made only 5 of them (until this one) were on the Travel Bidding Forum. Four of those five were on one particular thread.

I don't remember how it is exactly that I came to this thread but I imagine I saw it on the main page listing all the forums and became curious.

Yikes, sorry, didn't mean to cause you to go through all that trouble. I was just thinking out loud...lol.

I just did a search on myself and found that of the 15,000+ posts I have made only 5 of them (until this one) were on the Travel Bidding Forum. Four of those five were on one particular thread.

I don't remember how it is exactly that I came to this thread but I imagine I saw it on the main page listing all the forums and became curious.