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Re: 38 People are looking at this post right now

#51

And I always assumed they use some sockets to sync that count from server. How dumb to just fake on the client side.

%99.999 of people aren't going to look up the legitimacy of this. Why spend development effort where the likelihood of getting caught is so low. And even when "getting caught" isn't that big a deal.

Re: 38 People are looking at this post right now

#52
post #30

There's a product I've bought regularly at Amazon, it perpetually has 3 or less left in stock, but never goes out of stock. Also I was buying airline tickets and Delta told me there were just 2 left at this price for ... a plane nearly 70% empty.

In delta’s case that is correct. There are two left at that price (in that fare bucket). After they sell those seats, they will be selling from a higher fare bucket and the price will go up

Re: 38 People are looking at this post right now

#53
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only way out of it I can think of would be: if the site could prove that some number of people, greater than 45, were hitting that specific query on that specific page, then vacuously, they could say that any number of people between 1 and 45 were also looking at the offer. But then, why wouldn't they just display "at least 45 people" or the exact number? I'm struggling to find some way of doing this which could…

The source code literally calls Math.random. I hope that defence wouldn’t fly in court, even if accidentally true.

Always get in the seat of the defense.

I would absolutely have made a few headless browsing bots masquarading as users just incase this scenario occurred

Look your honor the logs say other users, “people”, were looking regardless of our random function

Re: 38 People are looking at this post right now

#54
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Booking.com is horrible to use in my opinion. It is handy but you need to ignore the dark patterns on every. Single. Page. Honestly it makes me want to use the website less, and does not urge me to buy.

I wonder about an app that just has phone numbers and a short description of hotels. If there are 50,000 hotels in the US, and you store 1K worth of data, that's only 50M. You could keep that on a phone no problem.

Sadly that list doesn't answer the most important questions - do they have availability for a particular date, and at what price

Re: 38 People are looking at this post right now

#55
post #22

So some manager came up with this, tasked a PO, who tasked a team, and a frontend developer implemented it - and in this chain, in the end, everyone complied. I know it's not like murder, but especially in a field where it's so easy to hop into another job/project, one should have greater integrity.

Can't assume they don't have integrity. They might just have different moral values. I would gladly implement this any day. Its not illegal.

It is almost certainly illegal. The use of falsified facts in an advertisement is illegal.

Re: 38 People are looking at this post right now

#56
post #22

So some manager came up with this, tasked a PO, who tasked a team, and a frontend developer implemented it - and in this chain, in the end, everyone complied. I know it's not like murder, but especially in a field where it's so easy to hop into another job/project, one should have greater integrity.

Can't assume they don't have integrity. They might just have different moral values. I would gladly implement this any day. Its not illegal.

The dictionary definition of fraud:

  wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain

Re: 38 People are looking at this post right now

#57
post #42

Funny thing is that it works. 15% CR uplift in the last website where I tested it

Of course it works, because lying to people to instill a sense of urgency plays on our base emotions and gets us to do things we might not rationally do.

Sellers of snake-oil and other fake "remedies" have been using this sales tactic--"your friends and neighbors have already tried it, look here, see this line of people ready to buy!" that are all plants--since the days of the horse-and-buggy.

Doesn't mean we should still keep lying to our friends and neighbors.

Re: 38 People are looking at this post right now

#58
post #55
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't assume they don't have integrity. They might just have different moral values. I would gladly implement this any day. Its not illegal.

It is almost certainly illegal. The use of falsified facts in an advertisement is illegal.

>almost

That it mean not illegal ?

Re: 38 People are looking at this post right now

#60
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes it happened to me, a hotel was priced significantly cheaper on Google and on their site initially. When the price went up I just called the hotel and the higher rate was their standard and only rate that they offered. The initial advertised price was never an actual option.

AFAIK Google takes this sort of thing rather seriously... if they ever hear about it.

Sure they do, unless you are a cash cow in which case you get a mild warning.
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