When a Deal is too Good to be True: Buy It

There are pivotal moments in life when we have a great deal at the end of our finger tips but we revert to Protestant self-deprecation and believe that we aren't entitled so the deal must be too good to be true.

I was sick as a dog in Melbourne and moving out from staying in a friend's basement to a hostel. The last thing I wanted to do was share my sickness with 5 suddenly close strangers (and I doubt very much they wanted much to do with me at that moment either). What I needed as a bed, a tv and AC for a couple days so I could sleep it off and get better.

I looked on Hotwire as this is my usual go to for hotel deals in North America. They're clearly not so big in Australia as my options were limited and about $150 AUD/night. So I flipped over to Expedia (Expedia.com.au) to see what they could muster up. Much to my surprise/delight/skepticism they pulled up what was listed as a single bed room at The Space Hotel for about $45/night. This was only slightly higher than a dorm rate so my skepticism immediately took over. I scoped out then hotel/hostel's website (https://www.spacehotel.com.au) and saw they indeed had single bed private rooms so I snatched up the deal on Expedia and started packing my bags.

Stopping at the pharmacy on the way over and getting myself summarily drugged up on flu meds I arrived to check in longing for nothing more then to crash as quickly as possible. I handed over my passport and was told my reservation had been cancelled as it had been booked for a bed in a girl's dorm and that Expedia should have called me to let me know this.

Now, if I have any advice for anyone anywhere on dealing with people in customer service positions it's that you should never (ever) yell at them, this does nothing for you as they have the power to decide if they want to help you or just put you out. It's always better if they take pity on you rather than dislike you. So, as my very wise friend Darcie once told me: 1) kill them with kindness and if that fails; 2) cry.

So the wonderful, beautiful, amazing Emily working behind the desk probably saw the angst (and nausea) rise in my face as I explained I was so sick and just needed a bed, I had been sent a confirmed reservation and that all I wanted was a private room. She calmly told me their private rooms ran $99/night and that was all she could offer directly but as Expedia was the middle-person she offered to call them up.

Now to say I was on slightly high on meds is an understatement. I was out of my fucking head and could barely converse with glowing Emily let alone the Expedia call centre but she took care of it got them on the line and told them The Space Hotel could put me up but only at the higher rate. And god bless Expedia they agreed to cover the difference and offered me a $50 credit for future use on their site: a $150 value.

So my advice is simple: when you see a good deal, fucking take it. You're only a sucker if you get nothing but you're a winner when you save 63% on accommodations in a major city over two nights.

Thank you to Expedia for being such stand-up folks and honouring the deal they made with me. Thank you to The Space Hotel for providing such a great space for me to nurse myself back into fighting shape. Most of all thank-you to the amazing, beautiful, wonderful, glowing Emily for being so kind, taking care of me and handling the whole situation with Expedia with such poise: you are an absolute star.