What really "boils my blood" is bait and switch pricing in business. Ask me to pay whatever you think a fair price is, but then let me decide if your price is worth it before I buy.
Unfortunately, while in Cairns, Australia this summer, two tour operators were deceptive in their practice. We had paid for two tours in advance, one to the Great Barrier Reef (Quicksilver) and a second to the Kuranda Rainforest (Down Under Tours). These were both expensive full day tours. We were picked up at our hotel by their bus transportation. This is traditional where they bring you to the starting location of their tour and tell you about their day. On the bus, they tell us how expensive fuel is and that when we arrive at the beginning of our tour, we will need to pay an additional $5 "FUEL LEVY" PER PERSON in order to get on the boat or the train to begin the highly anticipated day.
This got me angry. When I am standing now 45 minutes from my hotel with my family eagerly awaiting the beginning of a great day, how can I say no? Why don’t they tell you this before you get on the bus? Why doesn’t the travel agent tell you?
When I questioned them, they told me that I could not expect for the tour operator to absorb such high fuel costs. I then asked if the price of fuel went down after I prepaid for the trip months ago, would they give me a $5 refund?
Nonsense. The price of providing the product or service is the risk that the business owner takes good or bad. This is where the profit or loss is. It is called risk.
