Some of our suppliers and competitors offer limited price drop protection.\u00a0 These plans are hokey gimmicks that most often leave people very disappointed and angry.\u00a0 We value our reputation too much to have angry and disappointed customers writing nasty comments all over social media.\u00a0 It\u2019s simply not worth tarnishing our reputation over a highly deceptive marketing practice.\u00a0If you are old enough to remember Mr. Haney from Green Acres, or Herb Tarluk from WKRP, you\u2019ll know what we mean.\u00a0 Or the screaming \u201clifetime guarantee\u201d on the late night infomercial. Here is why we don’t offer price drop protection like some of our competitiors:<\/p>\n
Last Minute Loophole:<\/strong>\u00a0 The biggest deception of all!\u00a0 Almost every price drop protection plan has a limitation on coverage within a period of departure.\u00a0 The most common one is that no price drop is covered within 30 days of departure.\u00a0 While flights, hotels, and cruises tend to go up in price at the last minute, over capacity in the Canadian vacation package market (especially during non-peak travel times) means\u00a0the biggest chance of a price drop is in fact within the period of time that is not covered.\u00a0 This means if you are truly concerned about the price and you\u2019re flexible on where and when you can go, if you go at all (only if the price is right), and it\u2019s a non-peak time \u2013 you\u2019re probably better to wait until 30 days or closer in.\u00a0 Most often people are caught by the big headline \u201cPrice Drop Protection\u201d and furious to find out this massive loophole in the fine print.\u00a0 Result: angry customer that thinks they\u2019ve been deceived even though it is perfectly legal and disclosed in writing.\u00a0 It\u2019s a question of expectations.<\/p>\n Airline \u201cClass of Service\u201d Deception:<\/strong>\u00a0 Some sites offer price protection on flight only.\u00a0 This is a massive deception because the conditions require that the airline yield \u201cclass\u201d (which is not just economy \u2013 but obscure letters like Q and V and L that mean nothing to customers).\u00a0 These \u201cyield buckets\u201d are essentially ways that the airline can sell a certain number of seats at low and high fares to sell out the flight and maximize their revenue.\u00a0 Most often, when a flight price drops, it is because space opens up in the lower price \u201cclasses\u201d (more like arbitrary price buckets).\u00a0 So, if you booked and you had a \u201cQ fare\u201d (who knew!) and the airline opens up seats in their cheaper \u201cL fare\u201d, it won\u2019t be covered.\u00a0 The only way they will cover it is if the Q fare actually drops \u2013 a customer will have no way to objectively even verify that.\u00a0 Some vacation packages offered that use Air Canada or Westjet are based on flight prices with these crazy class letters that affect pricing.\u00a0 If the price drops because of that, some package price drop policies are exempt.<\/p>\n Offer Period \/ Travel Period:<\/strong>\u00a0 Some offer limited price drop protection when you book within a certain period, for travel within a certain period.\u00a0 This is well calculated to coincide for things they know most often go up in price (peak times), or are mostly likely to already be distressed in price (travel in June and September to the Caribbean).\u00a0 You may have been attracted by the big Price Drop Protection logo on the website, only to find out your product is not covered AT ALL.<\/p>\n \u201cTaxes\u201d Not Covered:<\/strong>\u00a0 Most make the claim that the \u201ctaxes and service charges\u201d are not included in the price drop protection.\u00a0 This means if a \u201cpay no tax\u201d promo is launched after you book, it\u2019s not covered under price drop protection.\u00a0 This is a gimmick because at the end of the day, true taxes are never waived by the Government.\u00a0 When was the last time you saw an income tax sale?\u00a0 The fact is, the supplier lowers the price in an amount equivalent to the tax or surcharge, but claims the no tax sale doesn\u2019t apply.\u00a0 Another big deception.<\/p>\n Limits & Fees:<\/strong>\u00a0 There is a maximum claim to these plans, and in order to make a claim, you have to pay a fee.\u00a0 This effectively lowers the coverage.\u00a0 Talk about hokey.<\/p>\n One Time Price Drop:<\/strong>\u00a0 If you truly want to be spending your time monitoring prices for a price drop, and you find one that actually qualifies, you need to make a decision if you want to take it, or wait for a bigger drop.\u00a0 If you claim it and the price drops further, you can\u2019t claim again.\u00a0 If you decide to wait and the price goes up, you can\u2019t claim the earlier drop in price.<\/p>\n Exact Package Limitation:<\/strong>\u00a0 In order for the price drop protection to apply, the exact package must meet all of the conditions of the price drop \u2013 this includes supplier, room category, flight times, etc.\u00a0 You may have bought the package from one supplier, and another puts it on sale, or the same supplier offers it at a much lower price on a different flight \u2013 this is not covered.<\/p>\n Craziest Limitation We\u2019ve Seen:<\/strong>\u00a0 One of our competitors had buried in their fine print, that in order for their product to be covered by price drop, one of THEIR CUSTOMERS had to have purchased the same product at a lower price.\u00a0 This is really crazy \u2013 the chance that another person will buy exactly the same product as you \u2013 same hotel, room, date, duration, room category, flights, supplier everything \u2013 and how would you even verify that?<\/p>\n Something is better than nothing right?\u00a0 We don\u2019t agree.\u00a0 This is a usually a highly deceptive marketing practise borrowed from higher margin goods where the physical return of goods after purchase for a few bucks is a hassle few people will do.\u00a0 It creates the perception of a coverage that in fact is highly unlikely to be paid out on, and highly likely to disappoint customers.\u00a0 If they truly took the time to explain all of the terms and loopholes to their clients, we\u2019re sure it wouldn\u2019t be as effective.\u00a0 The deception is in the fine print, and they know it \u2013 gotcha!.\u00a0 Is that how you want to do business?<\/p>\n If our suppliers offer this gimmick, we will gladly help you make a claim if you are eligible, and we will disclaim it carefully on our site so you understand that we do not control the offer or the terms and conditions.<\/p>\n In order to pay out as little as possible on these schemes, they are constructed in such a way to be ineligible as often as possible.\u00a0 No doubt they will pay out on a percentage of these claims.\u00a0 In order to pay out, they need to get it somewhere else or cut service.<\/p>\n Our biggest contribution to your trip will be trying to uncover your needs, desires, and wishes \u2013 and match them to the best possible value for your money.\u00a0 Once booked, you should enjoy being booked, not chasing and following prices every day.\u00a0 If you are booking in advance for peak season (Christmas, New Years, University \/ School Breaks etc), the chances of the price going down are slim.\u00a0 If you are travelling in an off-peak time and care more about the price game, you probably shouldn\u2019t even look at the prices until closer to departure and these gimmicks don\u2019t apply anyway.<\/p>\n