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Anyone who has ever commissioned software or development resources has been there: they omit a minor spec but discover the oversight long after the design team is gone.
So, they scramble for a workaround, just as Hilton did when its programming team omitted a minor detail in their online reservation system: the ability to alert customers when they are about to book a reservation that cannot be cancelled (e.g., “This reservation is noncancellable!”). Instead, Hilton prominently displays a “free cancellation” deadline 15 days, 18 hours and 59 minutes before its customers click Book Reservation. In other words, Hilton leaves it to the customer to intuit, “Uh, I guess that means I can’t cancel.” Hilton – the industry’s leader. Too funny.