Priceline.com-BEWARE!!!!
 

<BR><BR>Hello everybody!<BR><BR>I just allowed myself to get trapped by Priceline! They accepted my offer for a 4 star hotel in Barcelona and it turned out that that hotel is offered cheaper by Travelocity, Expedia and Hotel.com. I called and spoke to a rep and a supervior and name the offers and have them check those sites. Their response: &quot;live with it&quot;. <BR><BR>So, where is the advantage of &quot;gambling&quot; with Priceline versus buying a specific hotel offer from a website? <BR><BR>Of course I am not giving them my business every again. They do not have any better deals that the named websites.<BR><BR>I should have known better, I recently got the Ranaissance in Amsterdam from them. I had to upgrade to the executive floor to survive inside the hotel, however the area outside was the most unsafe I have ever experienced.<BR><BR>Thanks for allowing me to share my experience with you.

Tink, you were not deceived by Priceline. You must do your homework BEFORE bidding. There is a website dedicated to teaching you how to use Priceline, www.biddingfortravel.com. You can learn how to bid correctly by studying this website. The moderators will even help you construct your bid so you will not overbid.

The idea is to check other sites like Travelocity, Expedia, etc. BEFORE bidding, not after. Then check biddingfortravel.com to see what others have successfully bid in the same city. I think you really didn't understand how to use Priceline.

I have to agree with the naysayers. You bid, you made an offer, and it was accepted. Just because you overbid, does not mean that Priceline rooked you at all. Why do you think that Priceline should negate your offer, or even give you a partial refund?<BR><BR>If you were on the other side of the fence, you would be in agreement with the others that have responded thus far.<BR><BR>I have only had positive experiences with Priceline. I may be in the minority, but I have only had success.

Tink,<BR><BR>I have to join the others in saying that if you invest in doing your homework and learning how to use the system, you can get great deals on Priceline for certain travel-related items to or within certain cities. Sorry that you feel cheated by your first experience.<BR><BR>John H.

Priceline's website states that if you find a lower published hotel rate for the one you've bid on they will refund you the difference guaranteed. It's on their hotel bidding page.

Before bidding on Priceline I check all the other sites--Hotwire, Travelocity,etc.--to see just what the range of prices are so I will always bid less than those sites. There isn't much other way to know where to start.<BR>

Even before you check with Travelocity et al, check www.biddingfortravel.com, which posts lists of the hotels that people have won on Priceline, and includes their messages about how much they paid, and for what dates. Armed with these insights,you then have a list of potential hotels to check about on Travelocity et al. You get what you pay for, but part of the &quot;price&quot; of using Priceline is doing the advance research so you don't overpay.

I have to agree with the other posters in that you should have done a bit of research first. But having said that, if you offered what you thought the room was worth to you, then I don't see how you can complain when you find you could have got it cheaper.

I am so tired of all these cheapskates who complain about prices that they have already accepted. You weren't &quot;trapped&quot;.<BR><BR>I am equally repulsed by people who brag about getting the cheapest cost of everything whether it is a ticket or buying something from a street vendor. <BR>A fair prie is a fair price. <BR><BR>&quot;Live with it&quot; are actually kind words for you.

All you people who are ranting at tink, why haven't you responded to Natalie's comment that Priceline will refund the difference if you find a lower published price elsewhere??? Is this true or not? If so, then tink DID deserve more than a &quot;live with it&quot; response. <BR>I never used Priceline and never will. I prefer to know what I'm getting before handing over my cash (or credit card) and I have always found hotel rates close to (occasionally lower) than the Priceline rates bragged about on forums like this. The appeal of Priceline is a complete mystery to me. <BR>tink, you're doing the right thing by avoiding them in the future. Chalk this one up to experience but keep spreading the word.

The 'mysterious' appeal of Pricline is being able to stay at the Stanhope in New York City for $75 per night. Or the Walforf for $115. There is nothing mysterious about it.

Yes, Priceline does have a best-price guarantee -- their website offers the following:<BR><BR>&quot;If you find a lower online price from another web site within 48 hours of your priceline Hotel room purchase, e-mail us. <BR>Give us the details of the lower retail rate - must be from an online web site for an equivalent room in the exact same hotel and for the same check-in and check-out dates as you purchased through priceline. <BR>A priceline Customer Care Representative will confirm the rate and, if it's still available, process your refund. &quot;

The appeal is still mysterious to me when I can find approximately the same rate elsewhere AND know what I'm getting in advance AND get *real* customer service. <BR>Apparently Priceline posts a guarantee to lure people like tink in, but then feels no obligation to honor it. The mystery of Priceline's appeal deepens, not diminishes.

Now I wonder if Tink is a troll. Tink, have you tried calling and asked about the best price guarantee? I've read on bidding for travel that others DID get their money back. Have you tried? And I'm curious that a person in customer service would not tell you the same thing.

Tink may not have seen the advertised prices at the other websites s/he mentioned 48 hours after her/his bid was accepted. If that's the case, then Priceline is under no obligation to negate the bid and issue a refund.

Glad to see the majority of the posters here agree: you get what you see with Priceline, and I've never been able to beat a hotel or car rental price I've gotten with Priceline.<BR><BR>However, if Tink meets the requirements for getting reimbursed for a difference in price, then he/she needs to point this out to priceline. I've had pretty good experiences with their customer service department.

I've always been able to beat all other sites using Expedia or Hotels.com.