too much

Anyone know what's wrong with the person(s) who runs that website? It's like they're completely insane.

I tried to provide imput about my recent Priceline bid, but I was met with a slap on the wrist and a stern reminder to read a FAQ manifesto that rivals War and Peace in length.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

HappyTrekker

I have used biddingfortravel.com many times and found it very useful. I have also read all the postings from the web hosts (Sheryl and other people?) when they remind people to read the FAQ. Yeah, they are pretty strict about it, but if you've read most of the postings, you will understand that there are a lot of people out there who ask questions that could really easily be answered by reading the FAQ (as long as it may be). I do believe that it saves them a lot of time, and holycow, if you look at how much they help people with bidding questions and tips, they really do need to save time whenever they can.

thereuare

Try www.BetterBidding.com as a friendlier alternative.

If you search this board (and a few others), you'll find that many have had similar experiences as you.

Here's just one to get you started (but don't bother replying there, as the thread has since been "locked"): I've Been Banned by Sheryl


[This message has been edited by thereuare (edited 04-15-2003).]

jabez

Too much, welcome to FT!
This subject has been discussed MANY times here. I've often said that it's a valuable website,but it's limited by its "style". I think you'll see that the consensus is that it's her webite and she can control it any way she wants. If you want to share info,you either do it her way--or don't share it there.

KeepTraveling

too much,

Like everyone has said, the moderator there is quite stern in her approach. However, there is really no other site that compares in quality to www.biddingfortravel.com

www.betterbidding.com is available but there really isn't much information on that site yet. They are trying but, not really much.

I would just take her information with a grain of salt and also Read the FAQs. There are actually quite helpful.

And if you really don't like it, just don't post there, but you are only hurting everyone else that could benefit from your knowledge.

KT

ql2112

Or post your bid info on the above mentioned better bidding site. As KeepTraveling writes, there is not much information on the betterbidding site yet, but as more people post their bidding results there, the value of betterbidding will increase rapidly.
Don't let one bad site keep you from posting on another site!

TransWorldOne

Ill-informed people posting misinformation due to not reading the FAQ would be my guess.

thebigfish

While sheryl is a bit rough around the edges in people skills, asking people to read and study the FAQ isn't that big of a request.

I've found the website to be invaluable.Don't take it personally.. it's save me a lot of money.

wideman

I ran a word count a while ago and the Hotel FAQ was longer than the text of the amendments to the Constitution of the United States.

QuietLion

BFT is one of the most useful sites on the Internet. Really, if your feelings are hurt easily by the strict moderation just read and don't post. There's a big upside to her efforts too.

QL

iahphx

It's deja vu all over again . . . .

Seriously, I encourage everyone to post their bids on betterbidding.com. It is in every frequent traveller's interest to support a "friendly" alternative bidding site.

trader475

Shouldn't be much longer before part of the BiddingForTravel mandatory research is to check BetterBidding.com for the hotels not found at BiddingForTravel.

KeepTraveling

Obviously you haven't compared the two sites. Biddingfortravel has tens times the amount of information that betterbidding

I have no connection to either and would prefer the betterbidding if it were useful. However, take a look at the hotel available on each. Betterbidding barely has any. They haven't even copied the hotel list to begin with. They are just waiting on people getting new bids.

That will take forever and it forces people to use biddingfortravel.

KT

thereuare

There are copyright laws that prevent the copying of material as you suggest.

It won't take "forever" (as you put it) to build the database, and BetterBidding even has a few hotels that aren't available anywhere else on the 'net. Yes, it will indeed take more time for the hotel lists to become "complete", but BetterBidding is virtually there in some poplular metropolitan areas (and that's in less than 3 months time!) I also don't believe that 'wins' from over a year ago are relevant to my current bidding strategies, so what's the point of being "bogged down" with stale information.

If you are truly interested in a friedlier site to use, do your bidding research wherever you like, but as iahphx and ql2112 suggest above, post your results at BetterBidding. You'll be surprised how quickly it grows, and its usefulness will grow daily.

Remember, even FlyerTalk started with little content, but quickly surpassed their competition due to ease of use, the support of its users, the community it built, allowing differing opinions to be expressed, etc.


[This message has been edited by thereuare (edited 04-23-2003).]

pitflyer

If you think Sheryl is mean now, just wait till if she found out that another site was copying 'her' hotel lists..

I have posted a hotel that I received recently that is NOT on the biddingfortravel lists at betterbidding. Of course the reverse is also true. So while it's a little ...-backwards, I research the hotels and bids on both sites, and post my success on betterbidding.

Critical mass will take a while to obtain, and yes it may never happen. But unless you vote with your feet, things will never change (of course I'm not allowed to post on BFT either, so that made it easy )