How do they get away with this?

We booked a Celebrity suite on the Summit for an Aug 2017 sailing back in June. We got the suite for about $6,000 with the 4 perks included. I am one of those who book early then constantly check the rates to see if it goes down.

Last week I checked and the price for our room jumped to over $8,100. I thought this was very strange to jump this much.

Today I checked again and Celebrity is running a Promotion..."Get 2nd person for half off". This brings down the $8,100 to the same price I paid of ~$6,000. How can they get away with increasing the price and 1 week later discounting it back to the original price and calling it a promotion? My guess is Celebrity will raise the price back to $8,100 after the promo for a week then drop it back down close to the $6,000 original price.

Nothing illegal. Just renaming promotions. Happens all the time. Gotta be a smart shopper nowadays.

I know this kind of thing drives agents crazy too.

Actually, it is illegal although really not enforced. The price I paid was not a promotional price but was considered their full price. (so not just renaming) The FTC prohibits temporary pricing for the purpose of stating a higher original price in promotions.

FTC Section 233.1 (illegal deceptive pricing)- "If the former price is the actual, bona fide price at which the article was offered to the public on a regular basis for a reasonably substantial period of time, it provides a legitimate basis for the advertising of a price comparison.... where an artificial, inflated price was established for the purpose of enabling the subsequent offer of a large reduction -- the ``bargain'' being advertised is a false one;"

It is an industry standard but that doesn't make it right or legal.

In the UK that's illegal. A price must be set for 28 consecutive days or more (no more than 6 months previously) before being dropped for it to be legally called a sale.

This is the new trend for Celebrity and RCL. Finding an actual sale is becoming increasingly difficult with these companies. So if the price never really changes, this teaches me not to book until the last minute. I'm not sure that's what Celebrity and RCL intended. :confused:

We booked a Celebrity suite on the Summit for an Aug 2017 sailing back in June. We got the suite for about $6,000 with the 4 perks included. I am one of those who book early then constantly check the rates to see if it goes down.

 

Last week I checked and the price for our room jumped to over $8,100. I thought this was very strange to jump this much.

 

Today I checked again and Celebrity is running a Promotion..."Get 2nd person for half off". This brings down the $8,100 to the same price I paid of ~$6,000. How can they get away with increasing the price and 1 week later discounting it back to the original price and calling it a promotion? My guess is Celebrity will raise the price back to $8,100 after the promo for a week then drop it back down close to the $6,000 original price.

Our RS booked on the Connie in Asia, in Jan, 2018 has gone up $4000 since May 2nd. Since X classifies our cruise as "repositioning", even though it doesn't leave Asia, it's not due to sale perks as they use this b.s. classification to exempt any promo perks.

I assume this increase is due to supply and demand as half the RSs are booked for our 15-day cruise.

Not being familiar with UK law in such instances, I readily suggest it is NOT illegal just peeved customers who have yet to either win or bring a class action law suit.

I Am sure those who accuse X of wrong doing has told X where X needs to value/price their product, yet I know of no X critic in this area who has started their own product for mass consumption or have they? Some leave due to this perception, others take their place as we do appreciate some of the great value we receive.

Other threads report great values found for certain sailings and are quite happy at that.

Many of us live in a free market world whereby if we do not find value in an offering, then we vote with our $ until a vendor does so.

Alas dear friends, we have choice, there are several other lines to choose from and we can exercise that right. Yes we can rail against it too in public forums, but mass sailing other lines is the most effective, in the case of pricing.

Yes, here in the U.S. we have the right, in many instances, to voice our opinion even if we plan on doing nothing about it and I support those rights and etc...

Additionally, individuals who point out U.S. federal laws to prove their point really can create the penultimate class action law suit to stop said practices or do they actually have the will to do so?

bon voyage

Unless you look at a printed brochure or a website that shows the brochure price:eek: the price you paid was discounted. Find out what your rate code - the description can be found for the rate code.

Rarely do you see the brochure price - I can think of 1 website that shows it - or at least they used to.

So every price less than that (ridiculous) price is discounted.

Brochure Inside $2,398

Our Inside $1,149

You Save 52%

Brochure Oceanview $2,998

Our Oceanview $1,499

You Save 50%

Brochure Balcony $3,298

Our Balcony $1,549

You Save 53%

Actually, it is illegal although really not enforced. The price I paid was not a promotional price but was considered their full price. (so not just renaming) The FTC prohibits temporary pricing for the purpose of stating a higher original price in promotions.

 

FTC Section 233.1 (illegal deceptive pricing)- "If the former price is the actual, bona fide price at which the article was offered to the public on a regular basis for a reasonably substantial period of time, it provides a legitimate basis for the advertising of a price comparison.... where an artificial, inflated price was established for the purpose of enabling the subsequent offer of a large reduction -- the ``bargain'' being advertised is a false one;"

 

It is an industry standard but that doesn't make it right or legal.

I guess two weeks is the reasonably substantial period of time. Princess is pulling the same crap too. Don't even get me started about when they jack up the price of an ocean view and advertise "Book a balcony for the price of an ocean view". As someone else said you have to be smart about booking. If the price is too high hold off. On another thread someone actually admitted that they knew the price was high but booked anyway. They were so happy when the price went down. :rolleyes:

Actually, it is illegal although really not enforced. The price I paid was not a promotional price but was considered their full price. (so not just renaming) The FTC prohibits temporary pricing for the purpose of stating a higher original price in promotions.

 

FTC Section 233.1 (illegal deceptive pricing)- "If the former price is the actual, bona fide price at which the article was offered to the public on a regular basis for a reasonably substantial period of time, it provides a legitimate basis for the advertising of a price comparison.... where an artificial, inflated price was established for the purpose of enabling the subsequent offer of a large reduction -- the ``bargain'' being advertised is a false one;"

 

It is an industry standard but that doesn't make it right or legal.

So get yourself a Florida attorney and file a "class action" lawsuit :). The cruise lines have never seemed to fear the FTC. There is a history of cruise line's playing fast and easy with pricing strategies. It took a law suit (lost by Carnival) to finally get the cruise lines to clean up their act regarding "port fees" and it would take a lawsuit to force cruise lines to be honest in their advertising.

Hank

I'm not a lawyer or Judge so I really don't know what might result from a Class Action in the matter. What I do know is that the occupancy rate on the ships would indicate that a significant number of people are willing to pay the price. Cruise lines, like other businesses will get what they can get for as long as they can get it. I also know that the vast majority of cruisers I know have not been regulars on Cruise Critic. Most people I know really don't take time to investigate cruises and prices, they just turn it over to a Travel Agent. They get an itinerary and price and just say "yes", or "no". People on sites like Cruise Critic tend to be much more involved in planning a cruise. Many never use a TA for anything but booking so they can get some extra perks. I count myself in this "highly involved" group. I and others on Cruise Critic are not typical of the people in the market place and that's how "they can get away with it".

A cruise is not a "need", but a "want". Book if you like the deal. Don't book if you don't.

.....

 

Many of us live in a free market world whereby if we do not find value in an offering, then we vote with our $ until a vendor does so.

 

bon voyage

So unfair!

The government should take over the cruise industry, and should make it everyone's "right to cruise".:rolleyes::eek:

So unfair!

 

The government should take over the cruise industry, and should make it everyone's "right to cruise".:rolleyes::eek:

Yet another "Bernie" hopeful! Where was Robin Hood when I was growing up?

The ships are registered in Malta or Nassau. You might have to sue them where they are registered . Good luck.

Because of all this price dealing we decided to take cruises that we can drive to & book after final payment to get the best prices .;)

Actually, it is illegal although really not enforced. The price I paid was not a promotional price but was considered their full price. (so not just renaming) The FTC prohibits temporary pricing for the purpose of stating a higher original price in promotions.

 

FTC Section 233.1 (illegal deceptive pricing)- "If the former price is the actual, bona fide price at which the article was offered to the public on a regular basis for a reasonably substantial period of time, it provides a legitimate basis for the advertising of a price comparison.... where an artificial, inflated price was established for the purpose of enabling the subsequent offer of a large reduction -- the ``bargain'' being advertised is a false one;"

 

It is an industry standard but that doesn't make it right or legal.

The ships are registered in Malta or Nassau. You might have to sue them where they are registered . Good luck.

The Company's that own the cruise lines have a 'fleet' :eek: of legal staff that make sure that we the consumer, cant touch that! :D

These threads pop up every month or so, they all do this, nuttin new or different here.

The Company's that own the cruise lines have a 'fleet' :eek: of legal staff that make sure that we the consumer, cant touch that! :D

These threads pop up every month or so, they all do this, nuttin new or different here.

Yep. MYTHBUSTERS learned something that frequent cruisers have long knew.;) When I think of how simple booking and pricing was 25 years ago....

Now I wouldn't think of booking a cruise on their website willy nilly. Shop around and don't book on impulse. Know the actual value of a "promotion" . The big,better,best pricing system, (replacing the 1,2,3 Go promotion deals of two years ago) was really eye opening and disappointing to most that worked the numbers.

Because of all this price dealing we decided to take cruises that we can drive to & book after final payment to get the best prices .;)

Our RS booked on the Connie in Asia, in Jan, 2018 has gone up $4000 since May 2nd. Since X classifies our cruise as "repositioning", even though it doesn't leave Asia,

You keep posting this and you are wrong. It is a repositioning cruise between Asia and the Middle East. If you don't like the price, cancel and book with someone else.

Not being familiar with UK law in such instances, I readily suggest it is NOT illegal just peeved customers who have yet to either win or bring a class action law suit.

 

So you're "suggesting", having confessed total unfamiliarity with UK law, that it's not illegal?

You are wrong. As someone has posted, traders claiming a price reduction have to detail when, for how long, and possibly at what outlets, the original price was charged. Such details appear frequently on TV adverts.

At least you didn't claim to know what you were talking about.

Stuart

 

At least you didn't claim to know what you were talking about.

 

Stuart

But Stuart! That would wipe out 50% of the threads and comments on here.:rolleyes:

But Stuart! That would wipe out 50% of the threads and comments on here.:rolleyes:

And get the Hosts to start the Drink/Beverage package sticky, and that's the other 50% :rolleyes: :D.

You should just book a cruise at the price you are happy with in the first place then if it goes up or down it doesn't matter. Why spend so much time worrying about it?

So you're "suggesting", having confessed total unfamiliarity with UK law, that it's not illegal?

 

You are wrong. As someone has posted, traders claiming a price reduction have to detail when, for how long, and possibly at what outlets, the original price was charged. Such details appear frequently on TV adverts.

 

At least you didn't claim to know what you were talking about.

 

Stuart

w - I would surmize that if it were illegal under 'UK' law, with the number of cruisers sailing from your shores, this would have been addressed some time ago, no? Previously, it would have been Euro laws, I think.

bon voyage....

Welcome to the world of business and marketing. ALL the cruise lines do it (raise prices, then offer "deals"). RCI & Oceania do it all the time and the others do, but not quite as obviously as them.