another angry rant

noonereal · #1 02-26-2015, 08:23 AM

What is it with airline tickets?
Transportation is too important to be subjected to such radical price differences and commitments.

If I take a subway, a bus or a train, I know the price, I know the schedule. Why is flying a dramatic game that can take hours to play to buy a ticket if you need to optimize price? And then it's a crap shoot anyway as to how good the price is. If something comes up and you need to change your flight, BAM pay again. WTF?

Yeah this is a rant but honest, what am I missing? How and why do we allow such a system of pricing and commitment?

noonereal · #2 02-26-2015, 08:32 AM

wait a minute, amtrack plays the same damned game?

donquixote99 · #3 02-26-2015, 09:13 AM

The sellers figured out that transportation right now is often worth more to people than transportation later.

finnbow · #4 02-26-2015, 09:22 AM

If you know how to game the system, it can be a good thing. A buddy and I just bought roundtrip, non-stop tickets from DC Dulles to Miami for $78 to go and watch a few Spring training baseball games.

Ike Bana · #5 02-26-2015, 09:49 AM

IF AIRLINES SOLD PAINT
----------------------
Customer: Hi. How much is your paint?

Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends on quite a lot of things.

Customer: Can you give me a guess? Is there an average price?

Clerk: Our lowest price is $12 a gallon, and we have 60 different
prices up to $200 a gallon.

Customer: What's the difference in the paint?

Clerk: Oh, there isn't any difference; it's all the same paint.

Customer: Well, then I'd like some of that $12 paint.

Clerk: When do you intend to use the paint?

Customer: I want to paint tomorrow. It's my day off.

Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint.

Customer: When would I have to paint to get the $12 paint?

Clerk: You would have to start very late at night in about 3 weeks.
But you will have to agree to start painting before Friday of that
week and continue painting until at least Sunday.

Customer: You've got to be kidding!

Clerk: I'll check and see if we have any paint available.

Customer: You have shelves FULL of paint! I can see it!

Clerk: But it doesn't mean that we have paint available. We sell
only a certain number of gallons on any given weekend. Oh, and by
the way, the price per gallon just went to $16. We don't have any
more $12 paint.

Customer: The price went up as we were talking?

Clerk: Yes, sir. We change the prices and rules hundreds of times
a day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store with
your paint yet, we just decided to change. I suggest you purchase
your paint as soon as possible. How many gallons do you want?

Customer: Well, maybe five gallons. Make that six, so I'll have
enough.

Clerk: Oh no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy paint and don't use
it, there are penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you
already have.

Customer: WHAT?

Clerk: We can sell enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall
and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the bedroom,
you will lose your remaining gallons of paint.

Customer: What does it matter whether I use all the paint? I already
paid you for it!

Clerk: We make plans based upon the idea that all our paint is used,
every drop. If you don't, it causes us all sorts of problems.

Customer: This is crazy!! I suppose something terrible happens if I
don't keep painting until after Saturday night!

Clerk: Oh yes! Every gallon you bought automatically becomes the
$200 paint.

Customer: But what are all these, "Paint on sale from $10 a quart"
signs?

Clerk: Well that's for our budget paint. It only comes in
half-gallons. One $5 half-gallon will do half a room. The second
half-gallon to complete the room is $20. None of the cans have
labels, some are empty and there are no refunds, even on the empty cans.

Customer: The heck with this! I'll buy what I need somewhere else!

Clerk: I don't think so, sir. You may be able to buy paint for your
bathroom and bedrooms, and your kitchen and dining room from someone
else, but you won't be able to paint your connecting hall and stairway
from anyone but us. And I should point out, sir, that if you paint in
only one direction, it will be $300 a gallon.

Customer: I thought your most expensive paint was $200!

Clerk: That's if you paint around the room to the point at which you
started. A hallway is different.

Customer: And if I buy $200 paint for the hall, but only paint in one
direction, you'll confiscate the remaining paint.

Clerk: No, we'll charge you an extra use fee plus the difference on
your next gallon of paint. But I believe you're getting it now, sir.

Customer: You're insane!

Clerk: Thanks for painting with United.

merrylander · #6 02-26-2015, 12:04 PM

Always makes me remember this

Rajoo · #7 02-26-2015, 12:56 PM

Here is yet another rant.

About three weeks ago, I was booking airline tickets on Emerites on my Amex Card. Not for me but for an associate in Asia. He had provided me the link.

I went and booked the ticket on line, quite an easy task really and when I went to make the payment, the website came back and said my charge was denied. Since I have a Business Platinum card with an excellent credit rating, I went ahead and called Amex and asked what was going on. They said there is no problem, payment has been authorized but Emirites has not made the transaction. So I then called Emirites to ask and the reservation agent said the transactions has been canceled and there is nothing more she can tell me. When I asked if my Amex charge was declined, she said all she can see is the cancellation. End of story and that I will have to do the reservation all over.

By now I have spent 45 minutes and close to midnight. I persevered and when I got to their site again, fare had gone up from $12xx to $18xx. I said screw it and went to a travel site and got the same tickets for the $12xx price the very next day.

Moral of the story is that they constantly tease with their rates and by the time one does the actual booking, rates vanish.

Rajoo · #8 02-26-2015, 12:57 PM

Ike, your Post #5 is quite entertaining. Thanks.

noonereal · #9 02-28-2015, 10:24 AM

FRom a popular airline on line site:"Oct 31, 2014 - There are a ton of theories out there about the best day to buy airline tickets. Some people say Tuesday at 3 p.m., some say 1 a.m. Wednesday, ..."

I want Whelly to explain to me how this is wonderful capitalism.

This is insanity, big business out of control. imho of course

But it is ridiculous and frustrating to the little guy, which I now am. Did I mention, never get sick in the good ole' USA?

Oerets · #10 02-28-2015, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noonereal

What is it with airline tickets?
Transportation is too important to be subjected to such radical price differences and commitments.

If I take a subway, a bus or a train, I know the price, I know the schedule. Why is flying a dramatic game that can take hours to play to buy a ticket if you need to optimize price? And then it's a crap shoot anyway as to how good the price is. If something comes up and you need to change your flight, BAM pay again. WTF?

Yeah this is a rant but honest, what am I missing? How and why do we allow such a system of pricing and commitment?

Deregulation of the Industry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airline_Deregulation_Act

Barney