The Cookie that Changes Everything
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Did you know that most deals and offers sites run a sting operation on you?
Well, not in the normal matter, but more of an ultimatum one - Buy now or pay more, using a simple solution that raises the prices individually for every user, thus granting that only new users will get the best deals, and those who come back will get a higher price each time.The Sting Explained
So, how does it happen?
Let’s make up a site for the sake of it - A site that centers deals on hotels around special conventions. When you first visit the site, you get an offer for a hotel which is only 2 minutes on foot from the area, and the special price of 50$ per night including b&b. Sounds nice, right? But, as the consumers we are, we’d probably want to check more options - So we’ll bookmark it and go on to different sites in that field, and at the end of the research - You’ve decided to go on the first deal. You go back, only to find out that the price now stands at 75$. What? Why? You have no clue, but in many cases, the user grinds his teeth and does the deal anyway, figuring out he probably missed a limited time offer and blaming himself for it. But truth is, it’s quite the opposite.
Those sites use cookies - A special file that stores its information on your computer, as a sort of “souvenir” that you visited the particular website. When you visit the site once again, the site detects that you’ve been there, and therefore can react accordingly. Usually,y we notice it when we visit a site that we’ve registered to, and see that the site will keep us logged in. But in that matter, the site recognizes that you already checked the prices, and therefore decided to make the prices go higher. In other words - We know you hesitated, so we’ve decided to make you pay more. This can go on forever, sometimes raising the price with every visit.
What Can You Do About it?
Luckily, there are 4 main methods for dealing with it, which are quite simple.Instant Checkout: The most reasonable one, and the action they want you to do, but if you’re seeing a good deal, just buy it at the best price possible.
Keep A Tab: You can just surf through various sites simultaneously, resulting in a few tabs that’ll allow you to compare between all of the services. Sadly, some of the sites will refresh automatically or claim that the site timed out and needs to refresh in order to access it again.
Delete the Cookie: When you’re planning to enter the site again, just delete the cookie. It’s a simple process, and there are many guides and tutorials on the web for all of the popular internet browsers in the market.
Incognito Mode: Probably the best method - Every decent web browser has the option of a private window, resulting in no cookies whatsoever. Using this will allow you to freely surf the sites, getting the regular “New User” prices with ease.
Quite a clever trick
Which one? Their trick or ours? :)
To be honest, both of them. But I meant theirs.. We're just acting accordingly...
Yeah, it's quite an evil genius thing. I don't know when it started, but when it did? The first site that did this probably did millions and millions of dollars.
I think that the other sites adapted quickly. But yeah, they make tons of money from people who don't get it.
I hate this. This is why I always go incognito. The more private I can get, the better.
Sure, but how many people know about this?
That's the point though. If you're keeping your privacy for the max, then you don't need to know the specifics to not fall for things like that.
For that I can agree with you, but the vast majority have no idea.
And that's a shame. A real shame.
What can you do besides teach them over and over again?
Nothing. Those who'll learn will earn from it. The others? Nah.
What else do they get from me?
Hey, so many options to get your info from you. Just pick!
What's the most dangerous one?
Well.. The credit card companies sell your transactions info to third side parties :)
What?? How the hell do they do it?
It's all legal , my friend. They just let you sign on it when you make the credit card.
This is madness! Where did you learn it from?
I was the same as you when I found out about it. I've learned about it from one of those third parties.. Called Rubiix. They decided to let people know about it because they actually pay you a % from their earnings on this.
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Great info. People should know about this!
How did you learn about the matter?
I've worked in one of those sites as a programmer :)
I didn't realize they could do that. Thank you.
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