Warning Message is Really Funny!

[nsxtasy]

Now, I'm NOT talking about the typical situation that most of us here on betterbidding.com are familiar with, where you get a warning that your bid is too low, with a really high number stated as the retail price. We know how that works; you enter your price on the page where you select the area and star level, where it says something like this:

Median retail price for a 4 star hotel in the area selected is $175. Name a lower price, or click here to shop and compare prices.

When you enter a dollar amount that's relatively low, like $50, you then see a red box below your price, saying:

Based on recent data, your price has almost no chance of being accepted.

You keep going, and then you get another web page that says:

We Want You To Get Your Hotel Room

Based on past priceline customer requests for hotels in this area, your offer price of $50 has almost no chance of being accepted.

You should, as a general guideline, expect to pay an average price of $175 per night for a 4-star hotel in the Boulder, CO area if you called the hotel directly.

We've all seen that, and it's pretty clear why we get those warning messages. Priceline would prefer that we bid as high as possible, because the higher the bid, the more money they get. They're counting on unsophisticated users bidding higher than they need to, and these warning messages discourage those unsophisticated users from bidding as low as they could for a winning bid.

But here's what happened to me, and I think it's a laugh riot. I was bidding on a 1* hotel in Boulder - Louisville, Colorado, and here are actual, unretouched screen shots from my bid sequence. Look closely at my bid and compare it to what they're claiming a retail price for the room would be if I called the hotel directly. Too funny!!!

[thereuare]

Please don't post screenshots to the board... and please do use the requested PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your bidding, searches and travel purchases.

As is often mentioned on the board, ignore the 'suggested retail price' shown by PRICELINE as it's not meaningful.

[nsxtasy]

Please don't post screenshots to the board...

Sorry. The screenshots warned me that my bid of $40 a night had almost no chance of being accepted, because the median retail price you would get if you called the hotel is $38 a night. That's right, it told me that my bid was higher than if I called the hotel directly. Too funny!!!

As is often mentioned on the board, ignore the 'suggested retail price' shown by PRICELINE as it's not meaningful.

In most cases, as I noted above, it's not meaningful because it's much MUCH higher than you can get the hotel room for on Priceline. However, here's a case in which it's not meaningful because it's LOWER than the bid you'll need on Priceline to land a room. First time I've ever seen that!

[Gallus50]

LOL. That's really funny. Just goes to show you....

[davidsehrlich]

I'm having another kind of problem.

I bid $110 for DT Toronto on 8/2 - 8/6 but Priceline said "Can't accept offer. Try again right now." But when I upped my bid to $115 and then again to $120, I got a box saying "Change at least one part of your original request." ????

What am I doing wrong?

Can anyone help?

Thanks

[Gallus50]

You can't just change your bid price. You have to also change your star rating and/or add a new zone. You do not have to do both at the same time, which gives you more possibilities for another chance, or a rebid.

You might want to read the FAQs posted here to be sure you are an informed bidder. It may save you some money and some hassles.

[davidsehrlich]

Thanks. I'm a newbie.

[nsxtasy]

You can also bid again, on the same stars and area(s), after 24 hours. So you can up your bid to $115 and then $120, but you have to wait 24 hours before trying each one. Unless, as noted above, you lower your star level and/or change your dates, in which case you don't have to wait 24 hours.

One trick you can use to avoid waiting 24 hours is known around here as the "free rebid", in which you add areas which don't have hotels in your star categories. For example, let's say you bid $110 for a 4* hotel in Downtown Toronto South and it's declined. You can add another area and rebid right away. If the area you add has no 4* hotels, you know that if your bid is accepted you will still wind up in Downtown Toronto South. (You can check on which areas have no 4* hotels by clicking on each one individually on the bid page.) So here are a bunch of bids you could do in this example, without waiting 24 hours:

$110 4* Downtown Toronto South

$115 4* Downtown Toronto South, Brampton

$120 4* Downtown Toronto South, Brampton, Burlington-Oakville

$125 4* Downtown Toronto South, Brampton, Burlington-Oakville, Don Valley

etc.

[thereuare]

See this thread: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained

HOWEVER, new hotels are added all the time, and existing hotels can be upgraded/downgraded, so it's highly recommended that you ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board to ensure that you understand how to determine your re-bid zones on your own, before bidding.

If you'd like help with an upcoming stay please start a NEW TOPIC.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[silencer]

LOL at OP's warning message.

[XT600]

PRICELINE (or agency) has employed good texters!

We all know that the messages above are irrelevant for your sucess - I've seen these messages several times e.g.for Frankfurt Germany when trying to bid $40 for a 4* hotel... however I won with my low bid the Moevenpick Hotel as expected :P

[optimus11]

that is really funny, i get that messsage all the time and just go ahead with my bid, i have not been successful so far

but i will keep trying