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.
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.

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,
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!

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!

Good luck with your surgery.

Carla, like all the others I wish you well with your eye surgery.
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...)
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.

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.

Given their business model, "No Refunds" is the only practical policy.

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 #&@#%.
Bj, you've been smoking too much funny stuff. better lay off!!