We're getting hit everyday by offers that hide more than they show.
A case in point is the Emirates holidays offer (photo) where 2 nights in Dubai costs more than the 3 nights in the European destination. For someone traveling from India, this is really strange. I spent more time trying to figure this out (no luck!) than appreciating the value of the European holiday.
Jet airways (www.jetairways.com) sends me upgrade coupons for being a frequent flier.
One of them is a 50% off for your companion coupon. Which i tried to use yesterday. Bought my ticket (non refundable) for Rs 6000 and asked to use the coupon for Ritu's ticket.
The polite customer service representative tells me the 50% off voucher is only applicable on a ticket that costs 16,000. So even at a 50% discount, Ritu's ticket would cost more than the fare of Rs6000 that my ticket cost me. Go figure.
And finally, Kuoni (www.kuoni.com) advertised its holidays to Australia with a very enticing photo of a couple in very light evening dress on a boat off the Australian coast. Err.... It will soon be Winter in Australia. And the last time we were there in late spring, light evening wear was definitely insufficient.
Why would companies do this? Why would brands expose themselves to such customer cynicism? If a brand has no real value to offer, misleading consumers is not a solution.
Venkat
1 comment:
venkat
I just came across your blog. good work. to add to your point about onion offers, I think companies tend to do that coz I think in my opinion, its like a bait and switch kinda thing, atleast they think or may be it does generate traffic to their site and people may buy those packages. Not everyone does, but I think this is very deceptive in a subtle way.
By doing that they are just distancing any prospective cutomers, remember this is 21st century and people can find deals at the click of a button and not many will fall for these tactics..
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