anonplz

And another thing: this is not a black/white issue. If you've been around here long enough, you've seen lots of these deals come and go, and each one is unique, in which either the consumer or the provider has a better case. And there are mixed signals from both consumers and providers (for example, the United rep who told me that the ATL - HNL fare was "totally legit").

There is also the question about what does it mean that consumers can appeal to a sort of "travel bill of rights"?

KathyWdrf

It isn't close-knit any more. There are well over 100,000 registered FT members now. (And no doubt, a proportional number of unregistered lurkers.) Five years ago (about when both of us joined), there were fewer than 8,000 registered FTers. And the RATE of growth of FT is ever-increasing.

I remember four and five years ago, there were hotel mistake rates that many FTers took advantage of by making (guess what?) multiple bookings; sometimes dozens or even hundreds of nights per person. So what's different now? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, except that FT has grown tremendously in the intervening five years, so the impact of ever larger numbers of people taking advantage of mistake rates is, most likely, greater than it used to be.

Otherwise, I must say that, contrary to the OP's argument, this is really nothing new at all.

anonplz

At the local Starbucks recently, I saw a sign by the cash register, (paraphrasing): "A valid promotional offer for a free iced coffee which was intended for a limited audience has made its way around to include many additional people, and therefore, we will now not be able to honor that offer. Thanks for your understanding."

Same principle here, IMHO.

bumpme

Following the Delta/Coke Rewards thread, it would seem many redeem more than one 500/1500/2500/5000 mile Coke reward. Some redeeming multiple awards one right after the next. Granted, they may have earned it by buying Coke but it would appear that these awards have seen the FT affect too.

bumpme

Some posts amazes me and makes me wonder what kind of person the poster is in real life. From allot of the posts on here and on other internet boards they seem dirt cheap. I mean like going onto Travelocity and finding a cheap fare then going to the airline's own website to book to save the five bucks. We all want to fly cheap but some take it to the extreme.

bhatnasx

Sorry it took me a few days to respond - I've been on the road for the past week & have only limited time on FT.

I don't necessarily regard it as saving 120/night because of the following main factor:

If it was a deal that was booked because of something I saw in the hotel deals forum, chances are, I wasn't planning on going there anyways & the only reason I'm going now is because the hotel is cheap enough that it may be worth my while to go there & visit a place I've never been to.

Also, just because I'm saving money on something, doesn't mean I'm going to blow money on something else. I work hard for my salary - I like to make it stretch as much as I can - so, the chances of me paying 65/each way for an airport pickup in a BMW if a cab (or even public transportation or renting a car) is much cheaper in the long run, why would I bother doing it? I don't feel obligated to the hotel to spend my money with them. Sure, it'd be nice of me to do so, but just because it'd be the nice thing to do, doesn't mean I'm going to do it.

cravenstatus

Some posts amaze me, too.

KathyWdrf

The difference isn't just the $5 (or more) booking fee. If you book on the airline's website, you may earn extra miles, such as United's 1,000-mile bonus (available on many, though not all, online UA bookings). Also, some promos/discounts are only valid if booked on the airline's website! For example, over the past couple of years, I have received (through various promos) a large number of e-coupons for discounts of varying amounts ($200 off, 10% off, 15% off, etc.) from United. They can ONLY be used on the UA website, not by phone, not in person, not on Travelocity or anywhere else.

Another example is that quite often, you can only earn points (as well as stay credit towards status) if you book through the hotel chains' websites (or by phoning the hotel chain's own reservations lines, or in person at a hotel in the chain) rather than third-party websites or phone numbers.

The airlines and hotel chains WANT you to use their booking engines, and do all sorts of things to "incent" you to do so. @:-)

KSinNYC

I read the Conrad thread a while ago. What stood out in my mind was how some posters (not saying the OP is one of them) clearly booked multiple stays, sorted out what they wanted to do, then promptly turned around and implored other posters not to be "greedy." I found that to be the height of hypocrisy, and it really irked me.

Regarding the idea of "well I'll get a massage and that will make it up to the hotel" -- all I can say is . Do you really believe what you say, or are you just trying to make yourself feel better? If you really want to make it up to the hotel, pay the real rate! Or tip the cleaning staff. Or the concierge. Don't pretend something is a gift to somebody else when it's something that really benefits you.

Regarding people who say "well I helped the hotel out of its bind by letting it make me a deal I couldn't refuse" -- please. You get too. If you want to, call it a negotiation. Negotiation isn't a bad thing, especially in a business situation. But please don't pat yourself on the back for "helping" solve a problem that you were complicit in exacerbating, if not creating.

Now, having said that, I think that one reason people delight in airline and hotel errors is that it's a little bit of "live by the sword, die by the sword." They hassle, charge, and deny me when I make a mistake, so I don't have much sympathy when they make a mistake. And if they hold me to the deals I make (even if they're horrible), then I should be able to hold them to the deals that they make (even if they're horrible). I would like the places that cause pricing errors to own up to their mistakes, ask forgiveness, and if it doesn't come, suck it up and do better next time. But one party shouldn't get to cancel a deal just because it wants to, while the other party can't.

FatManInNYC

As it should.
No, no one was being serious. (I hope).

JoeBagodonuts

you might want to smarten up and think before you post this stuff, why would I 1. pay more for the identical product if I didn't have too, that would be plain stupid 2. why would i give up my online booking bonus and pay more to do that 3. what if I have to use another booking site say for business purposes but use travelocity or something else to find the lowest fare to save the company money?

bhatnasx

<Moderator Hat On>

Folks - just a quick note - please remember to keep this thread civil & don't get too personal. It's okay to argue & have differing opinions - but don't let this get to a personal attack level.

Thanks,

bhatnasx
Mileage Run Moderator

<Moderator Hat Off>

tinkybelle

i couldnt have said it better myself!!
And that is why I feel that these websites should stick by their tiny rates.
we all make errors like booking non refundable hotel dates
and not being able to fly on non changeable tickets and paying penalties for award airline tickets so why shouldnt we avail ourselves of their tiny rates.

DeirdreTours

No, it is people's magical ability to classify their own bookings as reasonable and others bookings as greedy that I find strange. Also, if one thinks it is "unethical" to book a mistake rate for 30 days, I don't understand how it is more ethical to book that same rate for 3 days.

mario33

3 nights is the average stay in a hotel for most people, 30 nights is not.

Even if its not a mistake rate, it is usual for us to book 3 nights at a hotel. And if the hotel is willing to honour the 3 nights at a mistake rate, its a bonus to us; if the hotel is not willing to honour the mistake rate, its no big deal either since we are able to afford to pay regular rates for the 3 nights.

On the other hand, booking multiple 30 night stays seems to be an attempt to create havoc on the hotel's room inventory. I call it industrial sabotage. Had it been at a regular rate, would the same person book 30 nights ? Probably not.

Example : a Front Desk agent mistakenly gave you access to the executive lounge with free drinks and you informed him/her of the mistake. If the agent decides to honour the mistake; would you have a couple of drinks in the lounge and say thank you, or would you remove every single bottle of booze from the counter to your table and drink straight from the bottle ?