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Auctions

This section shows you how to bid in auctions and save money when dining out.

Overview

Bidding or Buy Now

Paying for auctions

Auction Vouchers

Overview

The auction process

Auctions are a great way to save a fortune when eating out. Unlike some other auction sites, it is free for you to register and also free for you to place bids. You only pay the final bid price if you win and get to enjoy huge savings at great restaurants. Below is an outline of how the auction process works:

Finding an auction

It's very easy to search through auctions on the site. You can either find them using our search feature, or simply click on the 'Bid for Food' tab at the top of the page.



When you have found an auction you would like to bid on, click on its link to find out more information about the venue and the offer itself. The venue details page is laid out with the restaurant address and navigation on the left hand side of the page, the restaurant details and photos in the middle of the page and the bid panel, offer details and Terms and Conditions on the right hand side of the page. Please note that all these details will vary from auction to auction.

Bidding or Buy Now

Placing a bid

Once you have found an auction you would like to bid for, make sure you understand what items are included, the expiry date of the voucher and any specific terms and conditions of use. The panel on the right hand side then allows you to place your bid:

  1. The current price of the auction
    (shown below this is the full price of the auction)
  2. Enter your maximum bid in the bid box. This must be the maximum amount you are willing to pay for the auction (see below on how the bidding process works for more details)
  3. This section shows you a live countdown timer of when the auction will end. All bids must be placed before the time remaining reaches zero. The number of bids placed and also the username of the highest bidder are also shown
  4. The amount that the current highest bidder will save is shown at the bottom
  5. Once you are happy to place your bid, click on the BID NOW button

How the bidding process works

Priceyourmeal uses an advanced autobid system to ensure that you do not need to constantly place bids in order to win an auction. Below is an outline of how our autobid system works:

  1. Once your bid has been placed, our autobid system compares your bid to those bids placed by other users for the same auction
  2. Our system then places bids on your behalf, using only as much of your bid as is necessary to maintain your high bid position. The system will bid up to your maximum amount and will not bid beyond this
  3. If another bidder has a higher maximum, you will be outbid, however if no other bidder has a higher maximum, you will win the meal. This means you don't have to keep coming back to re-bid every time another bid is placed

Sometimes you will be outbid as soon as you enter your bid, even though the bid you entered was higher than the current bid shown on the item listing. When this happens, you will usually be notified immediately and you will be given a chance to bid again. This happens because another buyer had entered a higher maximum bid than yours. Your bid prompted our autobid system to raise the other buyers bid above yours. The other bidder may have placed their bid hours or even days before your bid.

To help avoid disappointment, please ensure that the maximum bid you enter is the highest amount you are willing to pay for that auction. Our bidding system automatically increases your bid up to the maximum amount you specify, so entering a higher maximum may help prevent you from being outbid in the closing seconds of an auction.

Buy Now listings

Buy Now listings are a great way of instantly saving money without having to bid. As mentioned above with the auctions, please ensure you read and understand all of the terms and conditions relating to the listing before making a purchase:

  1. The Buy Now price
    (shown below this is the full price of the auction)
  2. Enter the quantity you would like to buy. The quantity remaining is shown above, however the maximum number any individual users is allowed to buy is shown below the entry box
  3. This section shows you a live countdown timer of when the listing will end. All listings must be purchased before the time remaining reaches zero. The amount that you will save is shown at the bottom
  4. Once you are happy to place your bid, click on the BUY NOW button

Paying for auctions

Methods of payment

most of the auctions on priceyourmeal must be paid for on the site within 2 days of auction completion. There will be an image on the auction page (see below for sample) that will tell you if the auction is to be paid for on the site, or at the restaurant.

  • Pay online - these auctions must be paid for using a credit card or Paypal account before you can access your voucher (see section below on completing payment)
  • Pay at venue - your voucher will be available to download as soon as the auction completes and payment must be made at the restaurant when you go to dine.

Completing payment

When an Auction has completed, you will be sent an email confirming you have won the auction along with a brief description of the auction. The email will also have a link that you can click on which will take you to the payment page. If you have bought a meal using the Buy it Now button, you will be directed to the payment page immediately where you can complete payment and download your voucher.




To complete payment for your auction win:

  1. Login if you have not already done so
  2. Click on the "Bids, Wins and Vouchers" link at the top of the site and you will see a list of the auctions you have won.
  3. Click on the "Pay Now" button next to the auction that you wish to pay for. Please note that payment for all auctions must be done within 2 days of auction completion.
  4. You will then be taken to a page that shows you a brief description of what you are paying for. This is also the page that you will see immediately after clicking the Buy it Now button in an auction, or if you click on the link in your E-Mail. Select the method of payment you would like to use in order to proceed.
  • Paying by Credit/Debit card - select "Go to Checkout" button if you wish to pay with a credit/debit card. You will be asked to input your payment details - please note that for security reasons, we do not store payment details on our servers. Please ensure all details have been entered correctly, including your billing address details. Once complete, click on the "Continue" button to complete payment.
  • Paying by Paypal account - you can pay using Paypal Express Checkout by clicking the "Checkout with Paypal" button.

Auction vouchers

Accessing vouchers

Once payment has been completed (or you have won an auction that is to be paid for at the restaurant), go back to your 'Bids, Wins and Vouchers' page to access your voucher.

You will find the voucher in the 'active vouchers' section - click on the 'Voucher' button to access it.



Downloading voucher - To download either voucher, simply click on the "Get PDF Voucher" text with your right mouse button and then click on "Save Target As..." from the menu. Choose the location where you want to save it so you can print it later.

Printing voucher - To print your voucher, simply open up your voucher using the free Adobe Acrobat reader. Please note that you must have this installed to print your voucher.

How to gift a voucher

When you access your voucher for the first time, you will be asked if the voucher is for your personal use, or to be given as a gift. If the voucher is to be gifted, change the option to YES in the drop-down menu and you can then enter the name of the recipient along with a short message below. If the voucher is for your own personal use, leave the option in the drop-down menu set to NO. You will then be taken to a page where you can download your voucher.

Using your voucher

In order to use your voucher, you must make a reservation at the restaurant or hotel in accordance to the terms and conditions of use. You can either call the restaurant (on the number shown on your voucher), or use our online booking system to make a reservation. Once your reservation has been confirmed, simply take your voucher with you to the restaurant when you dine and hand it to a member of staff BEFORE you order your meal.