Consumer protection sharply criticizes dynamic prices
Dynamic prices are of little benefit to snow sports enthusiasts. This is the conclusion reached by the Foundation for Consumer Protection (SKS), which has investigated pricing in various ski resorts.
"Non-transparent, higher prices and increased data collection make the customer the loser," said the SKS in a statement on Friday. Following an initial investigation in November 2019, the foundation carried out a longer price observation in January and February 2020. The findings were "sobering", according to the fatal verdict of the consumer advocates.
The dynamic prices are intransparent and confusing for consumers, criticizes the SKS. It is not at all clear which factors have a dynamic price effect. In fact, observations have shown that the new price dynamics are being used as a pretext to achieve general price increases inconspicuously. In addition, the new electronic purchasing system collects significantly more customer data.
It has been shown that there is effectively very little dynamism in dynamic price models: "Neither the weather nor the availability of the lifts plays a decisive role in the calculation of prices, only the day of the week and the season have a small influence," according to the criticism. The constantly praised price advantages for families who book their ski stay early cannot be justified. "Early booking discounts have been a well-known customer loyalty tool for decades, particularly in the leisure and travel industry, and are also practised without dynamic price models."
Prices were observed in the following ski resorts: 4 Vallées, Andermatt, Crans-Monana, Gstaad, Laax, Pizol, St. Moritz and Zermatt. For the mountain railroads, the dynamic prices have so far been a model for success: Just last week it was announced that the variable ticket prices have led to a significant increase in the number of ski days sold (Werbewoche.ch reported). (hae)
