Hotwire.com is WONDERFUL, Priceline.com SUCKS!!
 

I have to have very unexpected eye surgery or I will go blind (small tumor). We are forced to have to cancel our California vacation plans. Our hotel in LA was booked through hotwire.com and after faxing them the doctor's note and expected recovery time etc, they could not have been nicer about allowing me to cancel and refunded all our $$. <BR>On the otherhand, priceline.com basically said "Tough Sh@#" and wouldn't do anything and refused any refund whatsoever. I know both companies say No Changes, No Refunds etc. but when both of the hotels can EASILY be resold (LA and SF) give me a break. Priceline.com will resell our hotel and actually be paid double I'm sure, I feel they could have made a concession. I had never asked them for a favor before in 5 years.<BR>Anyway, from now on I will only work with hotwire.com. They are TOPS and so much easier to work with anyway!! Priceline.com will never see one more penny from me! Carla<BR>

Actually, Priceline won't resell your room. The hotel will simply run it vacant but pre-paid. Because of the contract with the hotel partners, Priceline can't cancel the room even if you've notified them that you will not travel.

Carla,<BR>So sorry for you and I wish you well with your upcoming surgery. That's unfortunate that priceline.com was not understanding but I'm glad for you that hotwire has a heart! Alice

I can understand your frustration, but saying that Priceline sucks is going overboard. They were merely adhering to company policy, which is made crystal clear from the get go. It was wonderful of Hotwire to make exception for you.

It sounds from your posting that you have been a loyal cutomer of priceline.com. If this is the case (and I'm sure they can research this), it does seem that they should have made an exception due to something so out of your control. Best of luck. Beth

I think it's great that Hotwire refunded your money but it seems unfair to chastise Priceline for adhering to their clearly stated policy. The pre-paid non-refundable nature of their service is one of the things that prompts some folks to use other means of securing hotel rooms. It goes with the risk factor that on occasion some folks may be unable to ravel and lose the money they paid for the room. I was hospitalized for six days with a serious illness this past fall. That weekend I had plans for a two night stay in Chicago and had prepaid the htoel through Hotwire. It never occurred to me to ask for a refund - I simply accepted the fact that this was the risk and I continue to use both Hotwire and Priceline because of the money I save. Glad you got the refund but again, it seems unfair to criticize PL for adhering to their policy.

Does anyone know what companies like hotwire and priceline did during 9/11 when travel came to a halt? <BR>What would happen if a traveler died prior to traveling after booking? Just curious....??<BR>Good luck to you Carla with your surgery.

I gotta agree wtih Owen, it's a bit much to say that a company sucks, just because they stuck to the policy that you agreed to when you bought your tickets.

3 years ago I tried to contact a customer service representative once at priceline.com and never could get a LIVE person...just phone prompts confirming my reservation. This turned me off. How can you operate a huge company like this without live operators to answer questions?? I was without a computer at the time so sending an email was not even an option. That was enough to turn me off....hopefully they changed their phone system now. Mary

I just used hotwire for the first time and found it much easier compared to Priceline. I will only use Hotwire from now on.

Tommi: Those with hotel reservations on Priceline immediately after 9/11 (I think within two weeks or a month) were allowed to cancel and were given full refunds.<BR><BR>Carla, while I sypathize with your position, I don't think that it is fair or accurate to say that Priceline "sucks" because they won't give you a refund. You knew their policy going in, and you chose to make your reservation at likely substantially savings. To say now that you want to have the advantages of Priceline without accepting the inherent risks is what doesn't make sense - not their refusal to give you a refund. While it would have been nice if they had offered you something, they don't "suck" because they didn't.<BR><BR>That having been said, I had to cancel a 5 night stay in New York for similar reasons as you. As with your situation, I asked Priceline if they would give a refund and they refused. I accepted it, but called the hotel directly and nicely explained the situation. I started by saying that I knew I was not entitled to anything, but wanted to let them know I wouldn't be using the room and therefore they were free to sell it to someone else. They were very grateful and sent me a certificate for two nights stay at the hotel to be used another time. I used it several months later and was given a very nice room.

Priceline cancellation policies are clearly stated when you book. Guess what? If you had booked a $3000 cruise and cancelled at the last minute you would have lost $3000 if you had not purchased travel insurance.

Thanks guys! I guess I over-reacted. It's not like me to name call. I've actually "simmered" down. I think I was just under too much stress when I wrote my original posting and apologize for my arrogance. I suppose it just upset me when my husband tallyied things up over the last 5 years to see how much we'd spent on travel through both priceline.com and hotwire.com. The final totals are:<BR>hotwire: $460 (airline tickets ONCE)<BR>priceline: $11,240 (numerous hotels, airline tickets, car rentals)<BR>I am moving on but I think priceline.com should have made a one time exception since I have used them sooooooooo many times in the past 5 years. My husband is actually more upset this moment than I am. We travel so often....it would have been a small price to pay to keep us as loyal customers. They chose otherwise and never showed any regret, no "good luck with your surgery"....NOTHING. I just have a bad impression at this moment. On the otherhand, hotwire (who has very little of our prior business) was SO SO nice and understanding!! A little compassion goes a long way and I just can't say enough nice things about hotwire.com. This will be my company of choice in the future. Thanks again for the well wishes. I REALLY appreciate that! God Bless, Carla

Carla,<BR>With your good attitude, you'll sail through your surgery and I'm wishing you the best! Why would such a large company as PL, play hardball and lose a really good customer? STUPID! I've only used PL once and HW once so I'm kind of new at this travel stuff (never left the USA yet). After reading your report, I will stick with HW since they have real people with feelings. Policies CAN be broken and should be reviewed on a case by case...you're situation is a perfect example. They're losing a GREAT customer! Too bad the exec's of PL don't read Fodor postings. They could learn a good lesson. Good Luck and report back to us. Laura

What a joke. Do you think they pull these policies up out of their ass? They are trying to make money here, not lose money. Don't buy if you don't agree with their terms! <BR>

Idiots, you're probably right about only wanting to make money; but ...maybe I'm interested in dealing with a company that wants continued business...not just money TODAY. Word of mouth is the best advertising possible. I'll take my travel busines elsewhere. Larry

Carla, a great posting and I wish you the best. I'd better stick with my old faithful travel agent where I have total cancellation rights. I'd rather pay a bit more and know that I'm protected in the event of an emergency like yours. Thanks for making us aware. Priceline.com is NOT for me! One cancellation for any reason will negate all the savings that you all think you're getting with priceline. I've heard so many bad things about priceline (although I've never used them so can't speak from my own experience)...they sound so difficult to play "their games" even under the best of circumstances. Linda Scott <BR>Karen

Well I was impressed with Priceline. I am from UK and booked 5 nights in hotel in Chicago through Priceline from 25 Sept.2001. My husband works for an airline, and all staff travel was cancelled due to priority being given to flights being used to repatriate travellers.We probably could have got a commercial flight. We cancelled with Priceline (by fax) detailing all this and to be frank, didn't expect much. I put it out of my mind.We received full credit back to our credit card in November.

I think that 9/11 was a rare exception with Priceline.<BR>I guess those of us who read Carla's post are forewarned; there are bargains to be had thru Priceline, but don't expect human decency - it's all about money with them. Now if we take that chance, we have only ourselves to blame if a situation arises. <BR>I sort of understand their position, but as a small business owner, I guess I'd rather be a little less rich and remain human.

That's why you're small and Priceline is big.

Sorry to disagree,IMHO priceline is a better choice than Hotwire. The risk we all take in getting a $150 room for $40 is we are "stuck" with it. That's the rules.Hotwire has a terrible rating system. You think that you are getting a four star resort and you end up at a Holiday Inn Select. They,generally,overrate their properties beyond any other rating system. I stay in hotels about 100+ nights per year. I use priceline for about 20 of those nights.Some of my savings have been unreal.Have I had some problems? Yes,but they've been my "bad". I've always been able to fix the problems through their CS.<BR>IMHO,I make a contract with them and expect them to live up to their promises. If I ask them to bend the rules (and break their contract with the property)I would consider it unfair to attack them. We can't have it both ways. <BR>

I haven't used PL but have used HW for a recent trip to Chicago(air and hotel). We flew non-stop on United. We stayed at the DoubleTree downtown and I was very pleased. I don't think they "jack" their star rating around...I got exactly as it was described at a fabulous price. Sarah

It's funny that people are complaining that Priceline is only in it for the money. After all, why are you people using Priceline in the first place? To get cheap prices! If you really wanted great personal customer service, you would call the hotel directly and speak to their reservations department and then pay the standard rate for the room you booked. By using Priceline, you too are only in it for the money. After all you don't shop at Odd Lot and then expect service like at Saks.

Tommy,<BR>Good point!

Carla, what a great attitude, and to be able to listen. I find most posters here just dig their heels in when others don't agree with them. Good for you!<BR><BR>On the bright side for you, think of the $11K+ that you spent with PL, and how you probably got close to double the amount of travel out of them, than if you had used "conventional" means of booking travel!<BR><BR>Good luck with your surgery.

Carla, like all the others I wish you well with your eye surgery.<BR>I've been following these type posts here on Fodors for years. It appears to me that some people have had great experiences with priceline.com and others have had some disasters. One poor guy got caught up with a computer glitch that picked up on the last 4 digits of his credit card number as his bidding price (making his bidding price in the thousands of dollars). Other common complaints have to do with inability reaching customer service, (apparently priceline.com only wants you to send them emails which may work if you're accessible to a computer but a real problem if you're not...)<BR>Anyway, I'm curious to hear about anyone who has had bad experiences with hotwire. All I've heard is wonderful, rave reviews about this company. Has anyone had a bad experience with hotwire.com?

Only used hotwire.com once for airline tickets (LAX to JFK...a non-stop on American Airlines that left LAX at 9:00am) Perfect, no complaints here. Sallyb

Never used hotwire, but did use priceline.com with good success for a rental car in Hawaii. Mark

If Priceline were to start allowing cancellations and refunds, it would increase their operating costs, and soon their prices wouldn't be such a bargain.<BR><BR>And if cancellations were allowed, where would they draw the line? I'm sure everyone who didn't get the specific hotel they thought they were getting will be clamoring for a refund.<BR><BR>Given their business model, "No Refunds" is the only practical policy.<BR>

If I'd received more than $11,000 from one customer I'd let them cancel their hotel in a heartbeat! I'd go to great lengths to keep a good customer like this Happy, knowing that there's plenty more $$ where that came from. Sounds like priceline is cutting off their nose to spite their face by enforcing their no refund policy with this particular customer. It should be looked at case by case, for someone like myself that only uses them every once in awhile, then put the screws to me with or without a Dr.'s letter but....obviously, they're NOT looking at the bottom line. I'm a small business owner myself and am almost certain that if Carla had presented her case to a major stockholder or someone in upper management, they would have been more than happy to refund her money. Profitable companies are built on people's repeat business. Bad move priceline. Sorry Carla, you just got stuck with some "customer-no service" flunky.

2 weeks ago I cancelled my friend's Priceline hotel reservation because her son was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. I emailed Priceline customer service just to check if they'd refund her money. I didn't expect them to, and I wouldn't have minded had they not, since those are the rules that we bid by. They asked for verification of her son's illness (doctor's name; hospital's address and telephone #), and then they credited all but $25 per night back from her $100 per night resort hotel. I thought that was very nice of them!

How long have you worked for hotwire, Carla? You're full of such crap - it's up to the hotels and airlines, not these services. It has nothing to do with either hotwire or priceline

BJ, You're mistaken. The money is paid to priceline.com not directly to the hotel. If any refund is in order it must come from priceline.com NOT The hotel or the airlines. We were able to get a refund for our airline flight to JFK which was scheduled for Friday, September 15, 2001. The refund on our credit card came directly from priceline.com NOT American Airlines.

Well, I'm sure glad that BJ set us all straight....Carla works for hotwire but buys tickets from priceline #&@#%.<BR>Bj, you've been smoking too much funny stuff. better lay off!!