It doesn't hurt to ask

As many of you know, my husband, Jon, and I recently took a trip to Europe. What most of you don't know is the process I went through to get the best deal I could on this trip. I am reminded of this because of some friends who also took big trips to Europe (you know who you are) were amazed by the constantly reducing price of my trip.

People who know me best, know that I will not pay full price for anything including vacations. With the Internet you can do quick searches to find who has the best deal, that's a given. But how many of you then call the company to see if you can get even a better deal???? I do!!!

We took a 12 day cruise from Venice to Barcelona and booked the trip almost a year in advance. We were part of a larger group although we each booked separately. I searched several websites and compared what was being offered at each site and against a local travel agent. How cruises work is that you put a down payment and then have to be paid in full a few months prior to your cruise. So we found the best deal and put the deposit down. What a lot of people do not realize is that during the time from your deposit to the full payment date, if the price of the cruise goes down, you can get the reduced rate. The catch is that you have to call the agency because it is not automatic. The first time we called, the cruise price dropped $1,000. Needless to say, I did this a couple of times. Even after the cruise was paid for, I called again to see if they are offering any upgrades and what the price would be? We upgraded from an obstructed view room to a veranda (balcony) cabin for a total price of $250. But once again, had I not called, we would not have received the deal.

Now the airfare. Just like the cruise, we booked our airfare well in advance. And like the cruise the prices dropped. Most people's initial response is that the airfare is booked and nothing can be done. WRONG!!! I noticed on the website that the price was lower so I called and discovered that the ticket agent's price was even lower that what the website said. Most airlines will not refund money, but they will give you a voucher for the difference. So we both received a voucher for $350 each which we will be using very soon.

The lesson is that it does not hurt to ask for a discount. This also applies to shopping at a store. For example, we go to Best Buy a lot and will check out their open box items. When we find a OB item we are wanting, we will ask if that is the best price they can do. Many times we'll get another 10% off. A few years ago we purchased a TV that was an OB, not only did we get an additional 10%, they threw in a remote since the original one was missing.

I even applied this to EBAY "buy it now" items. I will contact the seller and see if they will take a less price. What is the worst they can do but say no.

Even my mom applied this. She was looking a a new washer/dryer and went to Lowe's first. After noting the prices and specials she then went to Sears. As it turns out, Sears had a lower price on the units, but Lowe's was offering additional specials on delivery and other components. She returned to Lowe's and explained that Sears had a lower price, not only did Lowe's honor Sears' price, she also got all the other specials being offered. Many retailers have a price match but of course you have to do your homework and make sure you ask for the match.