That warm and fuzzy feeling is a false sense of security.

Ramasastry explains that many Americans are convinced that price customization is and should be illegal. They are also outraged to find out that it commonly happens. I think this first reflects the general lack of knowledge most people (I am generally part of this category as well) have about online shopping and the online experience in general. Just as the article points out, no one really reads the terms and conditions anyways. Second I think that the reports about specific companies serve the same function as reports of people getting fired because of facebook - it only makes clear what some people already know but refuse to acknowledge. Car dealers offer different prices all the time but the minute some of us get online there is some warm, fuzzy feeling that takes over and lulls us into a sense of security, assuring use that we are protected from all the things we think should be illegal. And as an aside, I wonder if all the people that think price customization is bad think of it as broadly as other practices such as student and senior discounts.