But even the smartest among us can find ourselves tripped up. The following real-life examples are reminders that the online world can be more confusing than it should be. Our online user takes up the story.
The rail mix-up
I asked Google for “Kiwi Rail excursions”, as I was keen to go on one of the country’s famed rail journeys. A promising-looking website popped up, so I booked my spot. It wasn’t cheap, but I figured that’s just what top-tier travel costs. Only later did I realise that while I had booked the correct train, I’d done so through a third-party operator who charged much more than if I’d gone directly to Kiwi Rail. The journey was cancelled due to Covid, and I got my money back, but it was a lucky escape.
An Easter flight that wasn’t
I needed to book a flight to Nelson and I knew Air New Zealand was the way to go. I typed it into the search bar, clicked on the first link that popped up, and booked the tickets. All looked fine until I realised I hadn’t booked directly with the airline, but through a third-party website offering what looked like a discount. I crunched the numbers – the “20% off” was actually about 20% more than what I would have paid on the airline’s official site.
How easy it is to be misled by search engine tricks.
Dropbox drama
Another near slip-up came via a message supposedly from Dropbox. It said my laptop had only 100gb of storage left, and unless I upgraded my subscription, I’d lose access. I almost reached for my wallet, but fortunately I consulted the household IT expert– my grandson. After a quick glance, he reassured me that not only did I already have a Dropbox subscription and it had more than enough storage to spare. Grandparent 0, grandson 1.
Lessons learned
What I learned from these experiences was, first, never assume the first link on Google is the right one. Always look for the official website.
Two, just because something looks like a bargain doesn’t mean it is.
Online booking platforms make money by offering the convenience of “any time, anywhere” systems, but sometimes that “deal” just isn’t what it seems to be.
And three, always consult someone tech-savvy before clicking “buy now” on anything digital.
In the end, the internet remains a powerful tool, but one that needs to be handled with care.
