It is quiet, although Captain Kirk rides again

Maybe it is just me, but it seems that the folks who are behind Priceline have been taking lessons from the Crazy Eddie school of advertising [see a previous post featuring that madman and mastermind of the low price electronic store schemes and ads]. These are on practically every second of the day, with the good Captain saying that one can get hotel rooms at close to or at half off regular price.

It just so happens that when this is mentioned, there goes that pesky fine print across the screen. Usually associated with car ads or those from attorneys who say they can win any case for $199.95, it is so small that one would need an electron microscope to see that this may be saying 'subject to availablility, certain nblackout dates may not be available', etc. Some of this would be or rather should be common sense, but we are in an era when even that is a precious commodity.

It would be a little refreshing if businesses would just back what they are saying or doing with just their word as their bond. Yes I am well aware that we are a very litigious society and the need for the fine print to keep folks out of trouble and to protect us from ourselves, but gee whiz what would be the harm in just saying that they will back up the prices and leave it at that. I could be wrong here and old fashioned....but why not?

Not hotel related - however plane related

There is no real news on the hotel front, so to speak. All is quiet and the squirrels have been fed. But something I have noticed on the main page of that mainstay of internet tabloid journalism [not to mention questionable taste] - that being the AOL Homepage which is somewhat bothersome. This being airfares that look as though they were being sold by Crazy Eddie.

True believers, as you remember a while back in this space, that chain was mentioned in a previous post and it looks like his ghost [and the multiple children of same] has come back to haunt us again. Over the past few weeks there has been a listing of fares from $39 to some destinations. But as some people would intone with a voice like Ben Stein: 'read the fine print' because there may be additional fees that will make this almost seem like a joke. Such as:

-soft drinks
-pillows
-use of headphones
-additonal seat room
-extra checked bags
-real food
-newspapers
-facilty usage
-ancillary and sundry taxes

It is getting to the point where even buying a ticket to fly from let's say Seattle to Spokane is going to look like one bought a fully loaded Ford Taurus [or for you fans of the movie Fargo, a tan Oldsmobile Sierra]. And that is without the frills. Plus no one can negotiate the price at the gate. Then again...would anyone here actually trust an agent at the counter who was a former car salesman?