I Agree. Many Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other mega sale day deals aren't good deals at all. Whenever possible, research and know the normal pricing in advance. Then you will know if a sale is a good deal. When that's not possible, I'd generally recommend buyer beware. I especially wouldn't commit to a prepaid nonrefundable reservation if I didn't have data to tell me it was truly worthwhile. I don't believe in the general benevolence of businesses. For the record, I am not blaming the OP. It is easy to get sucked in by the advertising. Caveat Emptor...

--Jon