Monday, August 22, 2011

The Difference Between The Best Deal And The Best Value

Everyone wants to get the most bang for the buck. This is always the case. But this becomes especially true when times are tough. The incentive to squeeze the most value from every dollar becomes a first priority. But just as always, there is danger lurking amongst the various methods people use to find the best deals. When the priority shifts to "lowest price" then all the potential pitfalls rear their ugly heads and more often than not a good deal turns into a regrettable compromise.

Everyone is subject to overlooking the obvious once in a while. When we focus solely on lowest price then we become blind to other very important factors. For example, lets say you're comparing different five bedroom vacation rentals. One is listed at $399 per night plus a cleaning fee while another is listed at only $299 per night and the owner is waving the cleaning fee. That's a savings of over $300 or more for only a 3 night stay. So you opt for the lowest price, since the homes look similar anyway and start imagining the additional money you can throw away on slots.

When you arrive at the vacation rental, the first thing you notice is the Strip is not very close. The owner said it was "about 15 minutes away" but he neglected to mention that the the traffic is usually pretty bad in this direction, so that's actually closer to 25 minutes. Especially right when you want to go. And there are no taxis way out here.

As you look over the home, you begin to see why there was no cleaning fee. There was little or no cleaning done. It looks like the last guests did the dishes and washed the towels themselves, but there is still dust and the floor is dirty. The bathrooms need a scrubbing. Bad!

The backyard is a real adventure. It appears that lawn maintenance is done annually. The tall dead grass helps to hide some of the trash and cigarette butts, so that's good. The pool was cleaned fairly recently and the water is somewhat clear, but the barbecue looks like a science project. It is also quite apparent that pest control has been sacrificed to give you a good deal, as pigeon evidence is everywhere and the scampering red beetles on pool deck make this all too clear.

Now you might be laughing at all this and think this is an unrealistic scenario. But these stories are based on actual complaints we hear from the public all the time. It is quite simple to understand actually. Vacation rentals cost money to operate and maintain. You cannot do it well or even correctly if you keep giving everything away. Homeowners who are in distress will bend their standards because they are in distress. You risk being a victim if you fall for the trap.

It is so easy to overlook the elements that make up a great vacation. Ideally you wont even have to think about them. But you will know for sure when they are missing, and the money you saved will come back to haunt in other ways. We recommend that you don't waste your money on unrealistic prices and deals that are too good to be true. Your vacation is not worth the risk of saving a few dollars for giving up the good time you really want. Be smart! Shop for a great Las Vegas vacation rental that offers great value and do not sacrifice for mere dollars! You will be glad you did.