Price guarantee methods and systems

Abstract

A method is provided. The method includes recording transaction information for a consummated transaction related to a purchase of an item or service at a computer, the transaction information including information identifying a consumer; monitoring, by the computer, an incentive to purchase the item or service for a predetermined time period after purchase of the item or service by the consumer; comparing, by the computer, the incentive to the transaction information during the predetermined time period to determine if the incentive was offered as part of the consummated transaction; and if the incentive was not offered as part of the consummated transaction, duplicating, by the computer, the incentive for the consumer after the consummated transaction.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 recording, by a computer, transaction information that includes information associated with each of:
 a consummated transaction related to a purchase of an item or a purchase of a service; and 
 a consumer associated with the purchase of the item or the purchase of the service; 
   monitoring, by the computer, an incentive associated with purchasing the item or with purchasing the service, wherein the incentive is associated with the consumer;   comparing, by the computer, the incentive with the transaction information to determine whether the incentive was utilized in association with the consummated transaction; and   in response to determining that the incentive was not utilized in association with the consummated transaction, duplicating, by the computer, the incentive after occurrence of the consummated transaction.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising conducting the consummated transaction with a vendor via a host system. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining a pertinent geographic area for the consummated transaction and limiting the monitoring to incentives available within the pertinent geographic area. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing a warranty to the consumer. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining a number of price changes and monitoring the sales price of the item or service for a defined number of price changes. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the transaction information includes a purchase price for the item or service, and further comprising noting any price lower than the purchase price; calculating a money-value difference between the purchase price and said any price lower than the purchase price; and refunding the money-value difference to an account of the consumer. 
     
     
         7 . A computer memory having stored thereon computer executable instructions that when executed by a system cause the system to perform operations comprising:
 recording transaction information that includes information associated with each of a consummated transaction related to a purchase of an item or a purchase of a service and a consumer associated with the purchase of the item or the purchase of the service;   monitoring an incentive associated with purchasing the item or with purchasing the service, wherein the incentive is associated with the consumer;   comparing the incentive with the transaction information to determine whether the incentive was utilized in association with the consummated transaction; and   in response to determining that the incentive was not utilized in association with the consummated transaction, duplicating the incentive after occurrence of the consummated transaction.   
     
     
         8 . The computer memory of  claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise conducting the consummated transaction with a vendor via a host system. 
     
     
         9 . The computer memory of  claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise determining a pertinent geographic area for the consummated transaction and limiting the monitoring to incentives available within the pertinent geographic area. 
     
     
         10 . The computer memory of  claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise determining a number of price changes during the predetermined time period and monitoring the sales price of the item or service for a defined number of price changes. 
     
     
         11 . The computer memory of  claim 7 , wherein the transaction information includes a purchase price for the item or service, and wherein the operations further comprise noting any price lower than the purchase price; calculating a money-value difference between the purchase price and said any price lower than the purchase price by the computer; and refunding the money-value difference to an account of the consumer. 
     
     
         12 . The computer memory of  claim 11 , wherein the account is a retirement account of the consumer. 
     
     
         13 . The computer memory of  claim 11 , wherein the item or service is purchased by the consumer on-line via a network system. 
     
     
         14 . An apparatus comprising
 a processor; and   a storage device operably coupled to the processor, the storage device having instructions stored thereon that if executed by the processor cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:
 recording transaction information that includes information associated with each of a consummated transaction related to a purchase of an item or a purchase of a service and a consumer associated with the purchase of the item or the purchase of the service; 
 monitoring an incentive associated with purchasing the item or with purchasing the service, wherein the incentive is associated with the consumer; 
 comparing the incentive with the transaction information to determine whether the incentive was utilized in association with the consummated transaction; and 
 in response to determining that the incentive was not utilized in association with the consummated transaction, duplicating the incentive after occurrence of the consummated transaction. 
   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise conducting the consummated transaction with a vendor via a host system. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise determining a pertinent geographic area for the consummated transaction and limiting the monitoring to incentives available within the pertinent geographic area. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise determining a number of price changes and monitoring the sales price of the item or service for a defined number of price changes. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the transaction information includes a purchase price for the item or service. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the operations further comprise noting any price lower than the purchase price during the predetermined time period. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the operations further comprise calculating a money-value difference between the purchase price and said any price lower than the purchase price; and refunding the money-value difference to an account of the consumer.