We're thinking of trying one of the online bidding agencies. Has anyone had any experience, good or bad? can you specify all-inclusives or ratings? which are the reputable agencies, which are the rip-offs to avoid?

I've used Priceline for airfare and hotels, and SkyAuction for a hotel in Nevis. All have worked out quite well.<BR><BR>The people who complain about Priceline (this isn't an auction site BTW, it's a blind-bid bucket shop/consolidator) and SkyAuction (a true auction) are always the ones who don't read the fine print. For example, SkyAuction can charge up to $200 in fees on winning bids, but they tell you that upfront--and you can still save a pile if you do a little math beforehand. And unless you buy their own insurance when you bid, Priceline won't allow retractions, refunds, or reseatings no matter what. That's the price you pay when using them, but the tradeoff is you can save hundreds of dollars. We got a hotel in Nevis for 66% off the rack rate, and the airfare was also over 60% off. Good luck!

If you enter &quot;skyauction&quot; (without the double quotes!) in the text search box at the top of the web page, you will find there have been numerous comments about it on this board.<BR><BR>Not so many comments about priceline, though.<BR>

Hi,<BR> I am a professional travel agent and have used skyauction twice. I have been very impressed with their immediate responses to my email questions. I got an amazing deal to Cozumel last year and a great one to Cayman today as a matter of fact. Try it, do read the pages carefully and use your math skills before bidding. I especially like that they will not charge you if they cannot make the dates of the auction match with your vacation dates - how cool is that? Have fun!

I never used either but, last year, I met a woman in St. Martin who, as a joke, made a $3 bid on Skyauction for a week at a hotel there. There were no other bidders, so she won! When she got to the hotel, they upgraded her to an oceanview room at no extra charge.

I frequently look to see what is available on Skyauction. You have to read the fine print carefully and realize that your cost will be your bid plus possible additional charges (depending on departure city, and sometimes destination city), taxes and a service charge. Almost always there is a $195 service charge on 7-day, hotel only deals. So, while she still may have received a good/great deal, the woman Johnno speaks about paid far more than $3.