Prof. Bryan Caplan Writes: [...] > Joel Simon Grus wrote: > > > (1) Where else do people buy things without knowing the price first? > > (I've been thinking and have been unable to come up with any examples.) > > Hotel phone calls.
Before single-price nationwide long distance became popular, people used to buy all long distance calls this way. In theory, you could call the operator for a rate quote, but most of the time people just placed their calls. Some anecdotal reports: I've visited a number of web stores where the shipping charges were added on after you authorized payment with a credit card. (Yes, I got burned on one of these.) I think people often tell their auto mechanic to just fix the problem without quoting a price. I usually tell mine to call me only if the price will exceed a few hundred dollars. (I don't have the time to price-shop for repairs to the car I use to get to work.) I can't ever remember my doctor and I discussing prices before he runs a test or does a procedure. On the other hand, my dentist always told me the cost of anything unusual, and sometime offered several approachs. Mark Draughn -- [EMAIL PROTECTED]
