FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - SUV cheaper than Compact?
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Old Mar 25, 2018 | 8:36 pm
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jackal
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Originally Posted by AutoSlash
Hmm, well not sure I agree that it's a mistake per se. It may be an unintended consequence resulting from their rate management system. For example, a company called Rate Highway offers a tool that allows rental locations to monitor competitor's rates and automatically adjust their own rates in response to price changes at the competition. More info on this here and here. Lower prices for higher vehicle classes could be a mistake, but I would counter that this is definitely not always the case.
Well, yes, what you said is true, but I would classify run-away changes by automated rate management systems resulting in a price discrepancy like this to be a mistake. Maybe mistake is too harsh of a word—unintended consequence that the system isn’t coded to really handle might be a better way to say it.

It’s the automated system doing what it’s told to do, yes, but if a human were manually setting the rates, they wouldn’t ever intentionally set them like that, and/or if a human is made aware the automated system is doing it, they’ll generally fix it.
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