I think this is a new "Best Rate" question

[All Aboard]

Some people have indicated that they were offered a rate for thier stay, let's say $1000, and checked later to find the price for the same resort, same nights, same view had risen to, say $1500. Then, the next time they checked, it had fallen back to $1000.

So, hypothetically, what happens to the people (if there are any) that booked at $1500? Is thier reservation now adjusted down since the $1000 total was later offered, and thus the "best rate"?

 

[ms.ojo]

Some people have indicated that they were offered a rate for thier stay, let's say $1000, and checked later to find the price for the same resort, same nights, same view had risen to, say $1500. Then, the next time they checked, it had fallen back to $1000.

So, hypothetically, what happens to the people (if there are any) that booked at $1500? Is thier reservation now adjusted down since the $1000 total was later offered, and thus the "best rate"?

Interesting question..... i don't believe anyone booked at those higher rates as they knew they were Rack and not a deal. Folks just figured the system wasn't up and running properly yet. (at least that was my thought) I waited until the price was BELOW my AAA rate and then booked. Then cancelled my AAA ressie.

 

[SuzEm]

Based on what I saw while I was trying to book - I was checking other resorts, etc., and had to log out and log back in to get back the "best rate" after I had been given it once at all resorts. The rates that weren't discounted said "Best Rates not available at this date/resort, try another date/resort" or something to that effect. Only the discounted rates actually said it was a "Best Rate." It will say at the top above the rate info that this is a best rate and you have to show AP, etc. So if someone booked at a non "best rate" thru the site, it shouldn't have the non-refundable deposit and they should be able to cancel and get their money back. Only the "best rate" is non-refundable. Make sense? The rates I'm seeing posted are consistent among room type and resort. About $70 off Deluxe and down from there.

 

[gullyf]

(From a post I made earlier)... I think it is important to realize that something is indeed going on behind the scenes. After visiting a number of times with my pass and getting offers comparable to what is being reported, I am currently being told that no passholder rates are available no matter what dates or resorts I choose, or how many times I sign off/on. So I got curious and deleted my cookies, then signed in with my wife's AP, and I get AP discounts FOR THE EXACT SAME DATES AND RESORTS that under my AP I was told that there was nothing available two minutes prior (and yesterday as well). Unfortunately, I am not sure if it was deleting the cookies or the change in annual pass numbers, but I suspect the annual pass number. EDIT: because of the variability people are reporting, it appears more likely it is cookie info rather than something stored on their server.

The upshot seems to be that you had better be ready to book if you try this, and grab it if you want it, cause they are watching and won't offer it to you too many times...

Note that this is speculation, but I think this combined with other reports provides strong evidence that some kind of tracking and adaptive offering is in place... and I have answered my own question from a previous post...

 

[disneyworld!]

(From a post I made earlier)... I think it is important to realize that something is indeed going on behind the scenes. After visiting a number of times with my pass and getting offers comparable to what is being reported, I am currently being told that no passholder rates are available no matter what dates or resorts I choose, or how many times I sign off/on. So I got curious and deleted my cookies, then signed in with my wife's AP, and I get AP discounts FOR THE EXACT SAME DATES AND RESORTS that under my AP I was told that there was nothing available two minutes prior (and yesterday as well). Unfortunately, I am not sure if it was deleting the cookies or the change in annual pass numbers, but I suspect the annual pass number. EDIT: because of the variability people are reporting, it appears more likely it is cookie info rather than something stored on their server.

The upshot seems to be that you had better be ready to book if you try this, and grab it if you want it, cause they are watching and won't offer it to you too many times...

Note that this is speculation, but I think this combined with other reports provides strong evidence that some kind of tracking and adaptive offering is in place... and I have answered my own question from a previous post...

what dates are you trying for? yesterday and today, I am finding all sorts of disocunts for in Dec. I booked yesterday. BUT the dy before that, I could not get anything!

 

[gullyf]

Note that under my AP I have tried many different date and resort combinations over the last 24 hours, all of which offered nothing. Immediately prior to using my wife's AP, I tried 5 and 10 days from Nov 8 and 5 and 10 days from Nov 29, for several different resorts. I then deleted cookies and used my wife's AP, tried Nov 29 - Dec 9, and immediately came up with AP discount offers for each of the same three resorts that had no offers just two minutes earlier.

What I am trying to point to is that I don't think this is random, I don't think it is site "flakyness", I think it is planned and intentional. I think you have a limited number of offer "views" before it just presents rack rates. It would seem that somehow the counter is reset, either after a period of time has elapsed or if you delete cookies.

Realize that I am not actually looking to book anything at this point (well, I was considering it, but when I stopped getting discount offers I figured they must be booked so we'll do something else for Dec this year), but just trying to ascertain what the system is doing. If there is indeed a counter or adaptive mechanism, it is important that people realize that. Otherwise, someone like myself who would normally sign on 4 or 5 times before finally making a decision will lock themselves out of a potential discount...

 

[WDWorBUST]

I think the system is just working through "glitches". I've been trying all morning to book and I'll get the ap rate....but they'll have problems with the system. Then it will pop up no availability....so I log out and start over. Then I get ap rates but will have system problems again before I can go through the whole process to book it. I personally think it's crazy to require you to book something through the internet when your system isn't capable of handling the demand yet. It's driving me CRAZY.

 

[gullyf]

I think the system is just working through "glitches". I've been trying all morning to book and I'll get the ap rate....but they'll have problems with the system. Then it will pop up no availability....so I log out and start over. Then I get ap rates but will have system problems again before I can go through the whole process to book it. I personally think it's crazy to require you to book something through the internet when your system isn't capable of handling the demand yet. It's driving me CRAZY.

I would like to think you are correct, but for me to consistently over a long period get a "no discount available" message when using my AP, then delete cookies and switch to my wife's AP and all of a sudden there are discounts everywhere, all within 5 minutes? That doesn't sound like a glitch to me, though anything is a possibility.
I would also attribute some of the short term discount unavailability (such as you are describing) to the nature of transactions. You have a limited number of rooms, you can't show 500 people a room discount that is only going to be available to 5 of them, or, if you do and all 500 book, then 495 of those transactions have to fail. So I think what we are attributing to system problems on their end isn't. It is how they have decided to handle such situations, and the more limited the availability the "flakier" it is liable to seem.

 

[WDWorBUST]

That may be it. But I have consistently been getting the availability going through all the way to the login screen and then it kicks back that they are having problems with their reservation system. I just hope I can get it and be done with it. I'm tired of fighting with their system.

 

[gullyf]

That may be it. But I have consistently been getting the availability going through all the way to the login screen and then it kicks back that they are having problems with their reservation system. I just hope I can get it and be done with it. I'm tired of fighting with their system.

I can't speak to anything beyond the "offers" screen, as I am not interested in actually making a reservation so I haven't tried. I hope things improve for you.

 

[martha46]

So, hypothetically, what happens to the people (if there are any) that booked at $1500? Is thier reservation now adjusted down since the $1000 total was later offered, and thus the "best rate"?

I was one of those that booked at rack rate hoping to get a discount when they were released. My original reservation stated that it was the Passholder Best Rate program.

Well, the rates went down. And guess what? My rates did not!

It took three phone calls to Disney to get my rate adjusted. It was explained that there was a glitch in the system and that my ressie should have been adjusted since it had the proper code (EXH) attached to it.

Seems a bit of a waste of time for all involved. Booking online should not require a back-up phone call to get things straightened out.

Had I not gone back to check the Passholder rates and only looked at my ressie, it would have appeared that no discounts were offered for my dates.

Would I have ended up paying rack rate or would it have been caught eventually?