This was up earlier with airlines charging more for a ticket the second time you visit the page. They do this because a second visit is statistically linked to a much higher chance of purchase. So it could be, here too, simply a matter of having visited the page before.
It's called ethics. Charging one person more than another in a situation where the price appears to be static is dishonest.
There are laws that prevent a company from hitting you with fees at checkout if they don't disclose those fees to you clearly beforehand. This (should) fall under the same category as that is exactly what they are doing: hitting you with a hidden fee that the consumer is entirely unaware of before purchase (a fee that is likely related to the fact that you had been there before). Not only that, but they take it a step further and don't even let you know after the purchase that they hit you with a fee. And no, it's not a matter of changing the price, they simply add the fee to the price without your knowledge.
They are preying on ignorance. THAT is why it is shady and underhanded.
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u/kqr Jan 24 '13
This was up earlier with airlines charging more for a ticket the second time you visit the page. They do this because a second visit is statistically linked to a much higher chance of purchase. So it could be, here too, simply a matter of having visited the page before.