Priceline Dispute aka. Are we Screwed? - UPDATE!!!!!!!!

[Green Tea]

So did you possibly accidentally put in a 2 star, maybe in trying to add different zones or something? If you entered a 2 star, then I think you are stuck. You got what you bid on. If you did not enter a 2 star, no adding zones and getting confused about what you were doing, then yes, you should get refunded. If not via PL, from the CC.

 

[LSchrow]

i just looked at reviews on trip advisor.......
that hotel is not just bad ~ it's downright scary
if i listed all the most disgusting & frightening things we could possibility ever encounter in a hotel, fun spots hotel would match on every single one

roaches, mold, filthy bedding ("unknown brown stuff"?! ~ as well as the comment that they don't change bedding daily & apparently not between guests), prostitution, visible drug & alcohol use, urine & other pungent odors, "wet spots"......
the cosmetic items (mismatched toilet pieces, peeling wallpaper, chipped paint, flat sheets i/o fitted, etc) while not appealing, are tolerable. the other problems are totally unacceptable, & most certainly adversely affects my opinion of priceline

good luck with your dispute ~ after reading those reviews on TA, i think you have a valid case

 

[Kate and Pete]

I tried this morning with two people using the Guarantee that IDoDis posted. It's listed on a page that says "Name Your Own Price Guarantee" at the top, and I was told by the first person that it did not apply when you name your own price and that there was nothing that could be done. I called back to get another person (because I was then disconnected). She told me that I have to check in first to verify that the hotel is gross, and then give the hotel a chance to fix it (which, by the looks of the reviews, means they'd have to tear it down in front of me!!!!) and then call PL, where PL would speak with the manager. I told her that the guarantee says to call "BEFORE the check-in date," but, again, there was nothing she would do. She said that before I could speak to anyone above her, I had to send a letter to management. So, I did, with links to the reviews, on Trip Advisor and their own site, and with a link to there guarantee.

I guess I'll wait and see what happens - looks like I'll be contacting my CC tomorrow! Thanks for everyone's continued help!

 

[mnasf]

I tried this morning with two people using the Guarantee that IDoDis posted. It's listed on a page that says "Name Your Own Price Guarantee" at the top, and I was told by the first person that it did not apply when you name your own price and that there was nothing that could be done. I called back to get another person (because I was then disconnected). She told me that I have to check in first to verify that the hotel is gross, and then give the hotel a chance to fix it (which, by the looks of the reviews, means they'd have to tear it down in front of me!!!!) and then call PL, where PL would speak with the manager. I told her that the guarantee says to call "BEFORE the check-in date," but, again, there was nothing she would do. She said that before I could speak to anyone above her, I had to send a letter to management. So, I did, with links to the reviews, on Trip Advisor and their own site, and with a link to there guarantee.

I guess I'll wait and see what happens - looks like I'll be contacting my CC tomorrow! Thanks for everyone's continued help!

I would continue emailing them and asking for a supervisor. I would be sweet by saying I'd read so many good things about them and gave them a try. I would then say you would never bid a 2 star so there must be some kind of glitch. We almost always do resort or 4 star and really use www.biddingfortravel.com and www.betterbidding.com for reference. I would continue stating it is not your fault.

 

[cnj]

Oh My God! That hotel has the worst reviews I have ever seen on tripadvisor. I will NEVER use priceline again after seeing that.

 

[maymom96]

How did some of you read the trip review. I looked for a link (or even a name of the town) but couldn't find it. I would love to read the reviews. Can someone please share with me the link. Thank you!

 

[mrsheppo]

How did some of you read the trip review. I looked for a link (or even a name of the town) but couldn't find it. I would love to read the reviews. Can someone please share with me the link. Thank you!

Here's a link for Trip Advisor

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...Hotel_at_Fountain_Park-Kissimmee_Florida.html

 

[robsmom]

I read the reviews and agree Yuck! There are so many places to stay in Orlando that you don't need to deal with this. I have always been afraid of priceline. i toyed with it a bit and read the bidding for travel site a few times but could never go through with it because I wanted to be sure that i get something I will like. I would fight it. the tripadvisor data seems to show that a number of people were fleeced by priceline on this one. If they get customer survery data, it should be telling them that this is a bad place.

 

[tlynk]

I prefer Hotwire over Priceline. I don't get to bid, but when I'm on a budget they offer great prices, and I've always been happy with the hotels they assign me. Sorry to hear about your experience.

 

[Darcy03231]

I prefer Hotwire over Priceline. I don't get to bid, but when I'm on a budget they offer great prices, and I've always been happy with the hotels they assign me. Sorry to hear about your experience.

Me too I've heard a lot of bad things about Priceline hotels so I stay away. We travel frequently and have never had an issue with a Hotwire hotel.

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

awww, man.....That is so gross!!! I hope you win your dispute!!

 

[Mono~rail]

Great balls of fire! These reviews are disgusting! How is it allowed to stay open? Nasty and dangerous.

Here are some of the reviews that are just downright .

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser..._at_Fountain_Park-Kissimmee_Florida.html#TOPC

2nd Review on the page

We stayed here on a group trip. One group had to change rooms because the door on the balcony fell off. Another group had to change rooms because there were toe nails, yes I said "toe nails" in the bed. After getting to the new room, the floor was dirty.



I know where that place is! I saw the Coney Island restaurant mentioned, and we at there years ago. The food was gross and the place is very outdated and run down. We only went to eat there because the in-laws had found a coupon, and they wanted the seafood buffet. It was gross.

OP, I would print off those reviews and try disputing with your cc company. If that doesn't work go to the Better Business Bureau. I've had to use them a few times when I had problems with businesses, and they helped me both times.


Good luck and pixie dust. You're gonna need it.

ETA: We've never used Priceline, and after the OP sharing her story, we won't be giving it a try. . . EVER!

 

[Gillian]

I think I remember lots of horror stories from people who had travel plans or on vacation when 9/11 happened. They couldn't make any changes themselves. Priceline had to do it. Also don't think they received refunds - I could be wrong on that.

We were given a refund for Priceline reservations made for late september 2001, FYI. I think by then everyone was letting you cancel with no penalty, but it took a while to straighten out for all travel providers.

 

[mnasf]

I hope you get it all sorted out. We have had such amazing experiences with Priceline that I hate to see you having this one. Especially if it was a glitch. We've had so many Budget trips to Disneyland staying at Hyatts, Hilton, etc. and after Christmas we spent $65 a night for the La Quinta Resort in the Palm Springs area. It was an amazing property. I could go on and on, but we generally stick with Resort and 4 star and are happy. We even get two beds. And our San Francisco stays have all been good. Sometimes we're hoping for one place and get another, but they are never dumps. Good luck with the process. Like I said, they gave us a one time cancel once and it was our fault.

 

[dennise]

We have used PL quite a number of times and have had both good and bad results. A couple of times I checked the wrong box by mistake, but we never got a bad hotel from those. One time their star rating was different from the hotel we got, but it still was not a bad hotel. Two years ago I made a major blunder, I bid $35.00, or so I thought, but but had an extra 0 in there, of course we got the room, but at $350. a night for a 3* who wouldn't. I immediately called PL and it was reversed excpet for a $25. fee, which was also refunded when I placed a bit for the same dates in the same area and * level. Last year we won a bid for a 3* that on driving up looked like a very posh resort, but on entering we were very disappointed, it was a fire trap. I won't go into details, but we did capture the room and its problems with picture. We were bookd for 4 nights, but stayed only one. Wehn we got home we contacted PL and listed the problems, they refunded up the 3 nights that we did not stay. After contacting the hotel, they agreed to refund the night we did stay. All in all I wuld still use PL unless there was property that I really didn't want to stay at.

 

[Kate and Pete]

Well, I got a letter from Priceline that I'll copy here so you can all see it:

We truly apologize that you are unhappy with your upcoming hotel
accommodations. We do evaluate each participating hotel on many
different criteria, including cleanliness, guest satisfaction, décor,
etc. We are sorry to hear that this hotel falls short of your
expectations.

We have researched to find that this hotel does meet our expectations
for the star rating selected on our website and does not qualify for
our
Quality Experience Guarantee. In this guarantee we state that your
hotel
will be star-rated by priceline according to our rigorous rating
system.
This means that our hotel staff has researched your hotel, reviewed
customer comments and compared star ratings assigned by other rating
services. The hotel you get will meet priceline's strict quality
standards. We have researched this hotel to meet our 2 star standards
in
most sites this hotel is rated 2 1/2 star or higher. Our competitors
rate this hotel as follows:

Orbitz.com = 3 star

HotelClub.com = 2 star

Travelocity.com = 2 1/2 star

Venere.com = 3 star

Hotels.com = 2 star

Bookit.com = 2 1/2 star

We do feel that this hotel is properly rated through our system and we
are not willing to offer compensation at this time. However, if you do
find that you experience problems while at this hotel and the front
desk
is unable to assist, please contact our Customer Service department for
further assistance.

If you have further questions please respond to this email or contact
us
directly at 1-800-945-4602 Monday through Friday between the hours of
9:00am and 6:00pm EST.



That didn't satisfy me, so I called the executive offices (the number they gave me) and spoke to someone directly. She told me that because it rates 3 stars on some sites (CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?????) they would not refund our money. I restated the whole entire story, which took a while, and then, MAGICALLY she agreed to cancel it!!! They are charging me a one night fee ($45) but that's nothing! AND, if I want to use Priceline again, they'll happily refund that fee. I kinda laughed in her face (and by "kinda" I mean, I did laugh in her face) and told her I would never, ever use PL again, but thanks.

I really want to thank EVERYONE who posted and helped me and told me to keep calling - it paid off!!!

 

[budbeerlady]

Glad to hear it worked out!

 

[DianeV]

I am SO glad to hear that. Sometimes with them they hope you give up. I really dont know how they can deny the quality of that place with actual photos but they always try. Another issue they have is with the Radisson Worldgate which is supposedly a 3* and totally isnt. That is why I wont bid on a 3* in that area because i dont want that place (already had it before). Its a shame because Sheraton Safari and a couple other hotels are also rated 3* with them and are so much nicer.

Anyway it does pay to not give up

 

[chris1gill]

Wow, first I cannot believe this rates as a 3 star ANYWHERE...

But what exactly did you say to her? I'm very curious!!!

Always request a 4*, that's what we do, either that or Resort.... never below, and we've always been happy with Priceline.....

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

glad you prevailed!!!