Don't use PRICELINE!!!

[HolliePoppins]

OP: several have asked for the star rating and chain hotel you got/requested. Is there a reason you have not indicated that info?

Many of us are curious to know. Not that THAT factor/s are an excuse for filth, but I hate to say, often, you get what you pay for...cheap price means one should expect less and issues are more likely. I mean if it was Billed as 3-4 rating, I'd FLIP!

I think your experience is just awful, both thru the hotel AND thru chase! I think that I would document it all in writing, file a complaint with Chase and show all your calls, documentation to them and demand resolution. Its not your fault that chase sat on the situation, waiting for call backs??? and then said it was too late?? Thats not fair by any stretch!
I wish you good luck!

BY the way ...I have used Hotwire, specifically to snag Hyatt at MCO and was very happy, paying pennies on the dollar, both for late mco arrivals and for nite before cruising....I recall someone explaining "how" to get Hyatt/MCO, but its been a while, and I do not recall what they told me to look for when requesting.
If anyone knows, could you again POST this info.....Hyatt mco is an awesome rest/sleep and is so convenient!!
Would like to do that again, actually.
Good Luck OP, sorry you had such a Horror!!!

I would be interested in this info also.

 

[HolliePoppins]

This is the key!! I've used Hotwire many times and never choose below 3.5*. (Marriott, Hyatt, etc.) The one time I chose a 3*, we felt it was just "ok" but still clean. (The free breakfast was mediocre and carpet was soaked from AC unit by morning.)
We have saved a ton of $$ esp for pre cruise stays at the Hyatt MCO which we often get for $55-75 and usually is almost $200, $159 for AAA rate.

I wasn't even aware of HW's guarantee, never had to call them. I hope you get this resolved.

eta: Just want to say the only reason I don't try PL is that they only guarantee bedding for 2. Yes, some say you can call the hotel directly to request 4 but I don't like having to plead for special favors after I've bought it. Usually our HW stays are for 1 night with a late arrival and I know we'd be too tired to deal with any issues.

How did you get it at this price? any tips? TIA

 

[robinb]

How did you get it at this price? any tips? TIA

Go to http://www.betterbidding.com and look in the Florida section. They will tell you which amenities show up for the Hyatt on Hotwire.

 

[Lewisc]

The Hyatt used to be easy to spot on Hotwire, they didn't list a shuttle. They now list the same amenities as the Renaissance Airport hotel. You can be sure you'll get a good hotel but you can't be guaranteed you'll get the Hyatt.

 

[HolliePoppins]

Go to http://www.betterbidding.com and look in the Florida section. They will tell you which amenities show up for the Hyatt on Hotwire.

The Hyatt used to be easy to spot on Hotwire, they didn't list a shuttle. They now list the same amenities as the Renaissance Airport hotel. You can be sure you'll get a good hotel but you can't be guaranteed you'll get the Hyatt.

Can you give me any tips on how to use Hotwire? I have no idea what I am doing. Thank you so much for any help you can give me.

 

[robinb]

Can you give me any tips on how to use Hotwire? I have no idea what I am doing. Thank you so much for any help you can give me.

Yes. My tip is to read the Better Bidding website. It will explain everything and the people are quite friendly there.

 

[rosiep]

OP: several have asked for the star rating and chain hotel you got/requested. Is there a reason you have not indicated that info?

:

I'd like to know too please.

OP- So sorry this happened. I know how frustrating it can be to think you are following all the right steps, documenting things and following up and STILL not getting resolution.

Please keep us posted.

 

[JB2K]

We booked 3 rooms for 2 nights near the beach on our drive home. When we got to the hotel- it was NASTY!! We are not picky...

My question to you is was this booking in a large area with multiple hotels, or was it in a small town on the I-95 corridor with only one or two properties?

My experiences with Priceline are if you book in an area with multiple properties within a mile radius, you're not going to get stuck in a fleabag -- competition is tough, and these hotels want your (hopefully, return) business.

Just for the sake of our knowing, do you want to post the name/location of the property? Also, those pictures you mentioned (along with the star rating) would be nice, so everyone else would know to "steer clear"...

As for your problems with Disney Visa -- take the mouse off the card, and it's just another big bank (Chase) credit card -- now that Chase and others are getting goverment help (and under scrutiny), they are not exactly what I call "customer-focused"...

 

[taliategan]

Identifying Hotwire hotel listings through betterbidding.com is not exact science. The listed amenities for the Hotwire hotel listing is compared to previous reported hotels on the board. Some hotels are more easy to identify than others and some you can make a good educated guess, but there is probably never a 100% certainity that the hotel you purchase is the one your expecting. Some hotels in the same area use the same amenity icon listings, some hotel are not consistent in always using the exact same amenity icons, the star rating on a hotel may have recently changed under the Hotwire rating system or Hotwire could have recently added a new hotel in the zone you are looking. The moderators some times have other ways to try to identify a particular hotel such as trip advisor ratings and their experience in knowing some past "tricks" hotels have used in their Hotwire listings (such as using different amenity icons if searching for a different number of guests). I think the site is very helpful, but some times you can not get an answer or may just get an educated guess on the identity of a hotel.

I think Hotwire and Priceline are great, but they are not for every person. You always have to take a chance that you will get a bad hotel. There are ways to help avoid this - bidding only higher star hotels, not bidding in more remote areas where there are not many hotels and researching through sites like betterbidding to identify particular hotels at a certain star rating you would not want. As an example - if there are 5 hotels listed in a particular zone at a particular star rating & one of those hotels you do not like - you should not bid at the zone at that star rating. You should look for a different zone or a higher star rating. Otherwise, you risk getting the hotel you do not want (that hotel may also be the most likely "win" through Priceline, because it may be a lesser hotel that more often has rooms available and would be willing to let them go at a lower price than the other hotels in that zone).

 

[dhdozier]

I once got a hotel room in Orlando for $1.

OP, I am sorry that you had a problem with Priceline. I guess the real lesson here is to raise a ruckus with your credit card company earlier.

Please tell me more about this $1 hotel deal!! Where and when, more details!! I just love a great deal. My pocket book salutes you

 

[robinb]

Please tell me more about this $1 hotel deal!! Where and when, more details!! I just love a great deal. My pocket book salutes you

It was years ago when Priceline offered a special code for $30 off per night. Those days are long gone . However, you can still get a perfectly nice hotel for around $30 per night. I stayed for a month in Oak Brook, IL in 2.5* hotels for an average of about $32 per night when my mom was in the hospital last August.

 

[AJRitz]

The real problem will all of these aggregator sites - not only Hotwire and Priceline, but even Travelocity - is that even when they offer a guarantee, the guarantee still won't cover you costs if there's a problem. None of them will offer you more than a refund of the (already discounted) amount you paid for the room. So if there's a booking problem and the reservation doesn't appear on the hotel's books when you get there? You're out of luck. Find another room, often at an inflated no-advance purchase rack rate, and pay that while you file the dispute with the aggregator. And then when/if the aggregator gets around to resolving the matter, the most you get is a the refund of what you paid them. You're still out the higher amount you paid for a last-minute room to replace the one that wasn't available or was filthy or had broken air conditioning, etc.

I used to use aggregators a lot, and saved some good money doing so. But not anymore. It's just not worth it. ONE bad screw up overshadows many, many money-saving experiences when it's late at night, the weather isn't cooperating, and you just need a clean and safe place to shower and sleep.

 

[JennMouse32]

i had a problem with a busniess called Venue.. similar... i ordered something it never came and never came, i got a bill for it.. obviously i wasnt gonna pay if i never got it... called the better busniess bureau... weeks went by, i got another bill, still didnt pay it, BBB called back saying they couldnt get ahold of anyone at Venue.... and there was nothing tthey could do. I didnt lose anymore, if just really ticked me off.. and i really hope not paying for something i never got, didnt mess with my credit score,

 

[Ava]

My only gripe about these two sites are the bid prices have gone up so much since I started using them 8 years ago. Gone are the days of $25 a night 4*'s

This is so true. I never got as low as $25 for a 4*, but I did used to get 4*s in Washington DC for around $50/night pretty frequently. I loved being a poor 20-something staying in "fancy" hotel, lol. Now it's next to impossible to get anything for under $100/night in a big city. That's still a pretty good deal, but not nearly as good as $50!

My Priceline days are over anyway now that we have DD, since you usually get chain hotels with large enough rooms but it's not guaranteed. Once in DC my partner & I got an adorable historic hotel in Dupont Circle. The room was fine for the two of us but there was only 1 bed and no room for a pack 'n play; if we'd had DD at the time that room would not have worked for us.

OP, I'm sorry you had a bad experience & are out the money, but I do still like Priceline. I'd just never go below 3-3.5*s on there, anything lower I feel is too risky.

 

[robinb]

My Priceline days are over anyway now that we have DD, since you usually get chain hotels with large enough rooms but it's not guaranteed. Once in DC my partner & I got an adorable historic hotel in Dupont Circle. The room was fine for the two of us but there was only 1 bed and no room for a pack 'n play; if we'd had DD at the time that room would not have worked for us.

OP, I'm sorry you had a bad experience & are out the money, but I do still like Priceline. I'd just never go below 3-3.5*s on there, anything lower I feel is too risky.

I have found the problems with small rooms like the one in DC are mostly in large metro areas. I think someone is pretty safe booking a room in Orlando. If a 2nd bed is required and you don't want to chance getting a smaller room, then Hotwire is a better choice. You can specify the number of people staying in the room and you will get bedding for that many people. Of course, Hotwire's rating is about 1/2 star higher than Priceline. For instance, a 3* hotel on PL is 3.5* on Hotwire .

 

[Purseval]

This is so true. I never got as low as $25 for a 4*, but I did used to get 4*s in Washington DC for around $50/night pretty frequently. I loved being a poor 20-something staying in "fancy" hotel, lol. Now it's next to impossible to get anything for under $100/night in a big city. That's still a pretty good deal, but not nearly as good as $50!

We didn't get a 4 star but we did get the Sheraton Four Points Studio City, a 3 star, for $22/nt last July. We also got the Radisson in Celebration for $21/nt but they had an $11.50/day resort fee so it took the fun out of getting a deal.

Since it's only my wife and myself we don't worry about a otel turning out to be less than perfect. For the price we are paying and the amount of time we actually spend in the room it would have to be unbelievably outrageous for us to get upset over it. So far that's never happened and we've been using Priceline since it first got national exposure.

 

[Lewisc]

Book a hotel on your own and you'll know about any resort fee or parking fee. You may select a hotel that has an amenities you find valuable. Free breakfast. Free internet. Suite hotel. Fridge. Coffee maker.

JMO but you need to bid low for a 2.5 or 3* hotel with PL to counter those issues.

 

[Huff]

I've used Priceline for each of 14 trips to Disneyland this past year. Stayed at 3 1/2 * hotels every time for $40-$65. Some of them charged $10 parking but I knew that was likely before bidding and figured it into the cost. It was still over 50% off. Hotels I got were Hilton, Crowne Plaza, Red Lion and Marriot.

I did a lot of research before bidding and always had a good idea of what hotel I would get and how much to bid.

A couple months ago I got a 3 1/2 * hotel in Flagstaff, AZ for a weekend trip. The day of our trip Flagstaff got buried by a blizzard. All roads were closed so could not get to Flagstaff. I called Priceline who then verified my story with the hotel and instantly refunded my money without any argument.

 

[beautifultomorrow]

To the OP: Have you tried submitting a complaint online to the Better Business Bureau? I know it may seem like a longshot, especially when dealing with such a large company, but you never know, they may respond to those things.

I recently had a problem with my mortgage through Bank of America (ugh, dont EVER use them!!) I tried EVERYYTHING I could think of to resolve the issue, asked for escalation, contacted higher ups, etc. I submitted a simple complaint with the BBB online and not long afterwards I received a call from someone in the office of the CEO at Bank of America who said they were handling my case. It still took over a month for them to resolve the issue and the communication from Bank of America was still very poor, but it did get resolved properly and after it was over I received a message from BBB updating my case and considering it resolved.

For what it's worth, last year I had a huge problem with travelocity's customer service. It took weeks and many calls to their foreign call center but eventually everything got worked out for the best. Not without a HUGE headache though.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

The real problem will all of these aggregator sites - not only Hotwire and Priceline, but even Travelocity - is that even when they offer a guarantee, the guarantee still won't cover you costs if there's a problem. None of them will offer you more than a refund of the (already discounted) amount you paid for the room. So if there's a booking problem and the reservation doesn't appear on the hotel's books when you get there? You're out of luck. Find another room, often at an inflated no-advance purchase rack rate, and pay that while you file the dispute with the aggregator. And then when/if the aggregator gets around to resolving the matter, the most you get is a the refund of what you paid them. You're still out the higher amount you paid for a last-minute room to replace the one that wasn't available or was filthy or had broken air conditioning, etc.

I used to use aggregators a lot, and saved some good money doing so. But not anymore. It's just not worth it. ONE bad screw up overshadows many, many money-saving experiences when it's late at night, the weather isn't cooperating, and you just need a clean and safe place to shower and sleep.

They really can only guarantee what you paid for the room. They aren't under any legal obligation to offer you more than what you paid them. That goes for any hotel that has over booked, even if you booked it directly with them.