I’m writing this to warn you about priceline.com. The business they do is so corrupt and they have screwed me over long enough.

Let’s start from an airline ticket that I have bought from them. Of course, by using their name your own price option, you run the risk of having very unfavorable times. It’s pretty much a blind date, and from what I experienced, it will be one ugly date. I was heading to Dallas, Texas to visit family and was planned to stay from Monday to Thursday and so this was the schedule they had given me:

Depart at 11am arrive in Denver at 2pm. It then took 4 hours for my next flight to Dallas which wasn’t too bad since I knew what I was getting myself into (Name your own price). I got to Dallas at 9pm which was a drag because once I got there, it was too late to do anything since all the stores were closed.

On my returning trip, they gave me a 6am flight. Since my family lives on a farm 2 hours away from Dallas, Texas we had to rent out a hotel near the airport to make sure we would make it. That’s extra money right there. The gap in between wasn’t too bad this time. It was an hour long but the bad part about it was that I had gotten to Dallas on Monday night, yet left on Thursday morning. That meant I only had 2 full days to see my family.
Really bad plan if you asked me but I guess it was my fault for using such a shoddy product given by Priceline which will just barf up anything they find that fits your “date.”

2nd Attempt with Priceline

So I’ve been planning a trip to Vegas with my family and they had already had a full suite at the Monte Carlo. This meant it was just going to be me and a friend needing a hotel room. Hopefully somewhat close. On Priceline, they have an option to decide if you want Las Vegas South or Las Vegas North. I chose Las Vegas South because it included Monte Carlo in the vicinity map. Low and behold, they had given me a room at the Stratosphere! If you don’t know, this is on the opposite side of the strip! It is 3.3 miles away, which may not seem far but, it will actually take you forever to go back and forth. As well as paying for the taxi ride back and forth.

I try calling them to resolve the issue saying they had given me a hotel on the opposite side of what I had chosen. Went through customer service and talked to a guy named “Seth” whom didn’t seem to know what was going on or how to fix the situation at all. He just told me that since I used the “Name Your Own Price,” I am stuck with my reservation. I then got fed up with that and got transferred to his boss in the customer relations department, Macy.

Macy was nice and she wrote down my information and filed a report for her higher superiorities to look over. She said she would give me a call back in 3-5 days. I felt sketchy on this part because I felt that the longer I let it drag on, the harder it will be to change or cancel my reservation. I asked her where I could contact her directly in case I don’t get a call back and she said I will have call their main number and that I would probably talk to someone else. I was persistent on trying to get her contact yet she would not give it to me.

I gave up and was pretty much forced to wait 3-5 days for a response. 6 days later…. No call back like I thought. I call them and go through the entire process again. Talked to a different person in customer relation and they gave me the bad news. Sorry, but your reservation is non-refundable and non-changeable.

But wait, I asked for a hotel room on one end of the strip yet you gave me a hotel on the other end of the strip. Because it was the only thing you could find to fit my prices? It’s like offering customers second hand items just because it “fits.”
Looking at the Commitment and Contingencies in their Company’s Proxy Statement, They have 45 lawsuits pending against them, as well as over 50 counties filing an audit against them. They are mostly tax problems stating that Priceline charges you a certain (higher) amount of taxes and “pocketing” them for themselves. This is the true meaning of Shady Business. This is… Priceline.

I’m really frustrated with Priceline as I have dealt with them before. I’m truly a flexible guy and you will never see me angry over small things. But when you decide to barf up what you can find to sell to your customers, I draw the line. Selling products in which the customer did not want in the first place. I am now stuck with a hotel reservation that is on the opposite side of the strip on Las Vegas, meaning Priceline has screwed me over once again.

Advice to everyone: DO NOT USE PRICELINE NAME YOUR OWN PRICE. You WILL get screwed over. Whether its airline flights, hotel reservations, and I’m sure the other services that they provide. BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY! Just buy your tickets elsewhere and have the peace of mind that you are not dealing with a shady company.

 

Well... If the hotel wasn't within the area they said it was going to be within, then I would file a dispute with your credit card company as the product was not as it was described.

With the first experience, I would imagine that you're limited to selecting the days of travel and have to recognize you're getting a deal at the expense convenience.

I forget which site we used, but we found a good rate on a hotel in Boston last year. We knew the price and the location within a couple blocks, but we didn't know the actual hotel or the exact location until we made the non-refundable purchase. All-in-all it worked out great and we got a great rate. However, I tend to like knowing exactly what I'm getting before I lock up funds.

 

uh

you get what you pay for. I mean, that's a crappy situation .. but you really should have known to expect that sort of thing.

 

You did read the ToS before you purchased right? I haven't but I bet it says they can swap things around to meet your budget. This isn't so much "you should have known" but more "I doubt you have recourse other than their good will."

 

Don't blame Priceline. You got what you paid for.

The airline ticket was actually fortunate. All they guarantee is that the flight will leave on the day you selected. I've seen some that have long/multiple layovers and you don't reach your destination until the following day.

As for the hotel debacle, I just looked at Priceline, and they have a group of hotels called "Las Vegas Strip". Since there is no "Las Vegas South", I assume this is what you chose, and it includes all hotels up & down the strip. The "Map View" shows both the Monte Carlo & The Stratosphere, so if you looked at that, you would know that you could end up with either one of them.

I've been screwed by the "no refunds" policy of Priceline before, so I feel your frustration... but I knew that it was nobody's fault but my own.

I'll view this thread as a fair warning to other people who may be considering booking with Priceline. They should definitely understand what they're signing up for before they book. But, I don't think you can say that they've wronged you in any way. They provided the service that you selected. Now you're wanting to change the terms, and it's not their responsibility to allow that.

 

Curious, I just looked too in the Name Your Own Price section. There are indeed selections for Las Vegas Strip South and Las Vegas Strip North. Maybe he inadvertantly clicked both? You can select as many areas as you like.

 

Ahh, my mistake. I didn't look at the Name Your Own Price map. I just looked at their regular map. Didn't realize there would be a difference.

If that's the case, then you should see if you have a display/print-out that indicates your choice, because if you really chose "Vegas Strip South", then they didn't honor your selection. Then check the terms and ensure that they don't state that they can offer a nearby property at their discretion. You may have some recourse here, but I suspect you'll have to prove that you didn't accidentally select multiple areas (or the wrong area).

 

Fyi I use priceline to bid on hotels everytime I visit home and have never had a problem. Even figured out what price and star level to put in to get the hotel I want every time. Can't beat 50% off
Sorry you had a bad experience

 

Yep, that's what I usually do when I visit Austin. Unfortunately, they snuck one extra hotel that's at the edge of the "zone" that I usually pick (and not a good location), and it's the same star-level as my 'usual' hotel... so I'm a little concerned that I might end up with that one next time and be disappointed. Oh, well. Guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

 

Seems to me that this service is for thoes willing to give up a little bit and do alot of research to pinpoint what they want.
If you are not willing to have a little leway or put in alot of extra effort to save the money then id say pass on this option.