Reply With QuoteI haven't had the balls to use it myself but I reccomend it to all my friends and they have all been very happy with it.
Has anybody here used Priceline.com to book your hotel? I'm thinking of using it, but am hestitant because I am not sure that their idea of a 4-star hotel matches my idea of a four star hotel. The thought of getting booked in semi-randomly is a bit daunting. Also, is there any rules of thumb for picking a good price to bid? I know they have some pricing info and guidelines, but I'm guessing those rates are designed to optimise their revenue.
I haven't had the balls to use it myself but I reccomend it to all my friends and they have all been very happy with it.
If you are from Canada, this is mentioned in the FAQ:
There is a workaround mentioned on BiddingForTravel.comCan I place a request if I am not a U.S. resident?
You do not have to reside in the U.S. to place a request; however, the credit card you use to purchase your tickets must have a U.S. billing address. Travel requests may be placed using an American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa credit card.
All travel must originate within the United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
If you live in the United Kingdom or Asia, visit Priceline Europe or Priceline Asia to purchase tickets.
Non-U.S. Resident FAQ
You can also try Hotwire.com
I recently had a terrible experience with Priceline when I was selling my home and had to get out on short notice for a painter.
We've used Priceline many times before for traveling, so thought it would be a cinch. We selected the "downtown" region for the town we live in, that designation being defined on the Priceline site by crude map image, but when the transaction completed the hotel was actually at least ten miles outside of the region we selected. Since the location was impossible for our commutes and schedules at the time, we couldn't use what we purchased.
Priceline staunchly refused to do anything about it and blamed me. I walked her through the problem again carefully and politely, and demonstrated that their designation of "Downtown" was totally wrong by every standard. She decided to get rude on me and when I escalated to her manager he got even ruder. Apparently they don't like complaints at all. He ultimately promised me an email escalation process from there, but to date I haven't received anything.
American Express was no help either when I contested the charge, as they simply asked Priceline about it and Priceline told them it was a valid charge and they said "Oh, okay" and passed the charge back to me. I'm repeating the process again with Amex, but I'm pretty skeptical. I doubt small claims will be an option at this point, so I'm pretty much out of options.
So there's my experience -- don't ever use this service!
It seems like the service providers themselves don't like priceline customers much either. My Dad had rented a car through them, and later wanted to add a few more days. The rental agency wouldn't allow it. He had to return his car and then could get another, but under no circumstances could he just keep the same car longer. He wasn't even asking to get the same deal on the extra days, willing to pay full price for those.
Getting back to the rental agency to renew the rental was a big pita. He said he got the impression they were trying to make him regret using priceline.
Barstein, with Amex did you make it clear the problem is that the merchant is not delivering what was advertised (a downtown hotel), and that you're not going to use or pay for it. If they aren't helpful, I would close the account and let them know you'll be complaining to your state attorney general and the federal reserve (the latter may not apply for amex, but they should direct the complaint appropriately if not). And I don't think I'd pay the disputed charge no matter what.
You can try similar stuff with priceline, I think the government authorities would be your AG and the FTC, but I think Amex is your best chance for getting your money back.
If Amex somehow might have thought you were saying "I didn't make that charge", they may be asking the wrong questions with priceline.
I used CheapTickets.com for the trip to E3 and I was very satisfied with their service, choices and the info they provide. You might want to give them a try.
Wouldn't the proper response to Amex in that case be "Oh, that's fine. I'm sure Visa will cover my ass the next time I order online. Cancel the card please."
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