Comments on: I can’t get a refund from Priceline or American Airlines — or anyone

By: Jodeb571

Jodeb571 — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:34:00 +0000

priceline is a total rip off…..never use them again never can get a live person concerning a refund…..

By: Orca713

Orca713 — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 06:30:00 +0000

Priceline is a rip-off!! I’m done with them. Liars, and ping pong is their specialty. I wouldn’t use them again for anything.

By: Alice B

Alice B — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:16:44 +0000

I am a Travel Agent and I had a party of 14 going from New York to Puerto Rico, I called Delta and since they could not fly my clients they received a full refund. Did you pay cash to the Agency, because if you did they received the refund from American. If you paid be credit card dispute it, you were not able to fly because they cancelled not because you did.

By: Allen Trottier

Allen Trottier — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:41:25 +0000

Wouldn’t it be as simple as doing a chargeback on your credit card? Services not rendered.

I would assume that the majority of the time there are no issues. The total savings for a frequent flyer would be worth the small incidents once in a while. A quick call to your credit card provider and you have your money back (as long as you have a solid case, like above).

Just my two cents.

By: Barry Graham

Barry Graham — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:58:11 +0000

This is the price of getting a great deal. Usually you get a fantastic price and it all works out, but occasionally things go wrong and it’s hard to sort them out. I think that if she had been persistent or gone to the right people right away she would have got her money back without having to involve you.

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:01:46 +0000

I work as a travel agent for a very well known online travel website, one who has a contractual agreement with a prestigious credit card. I know firsthand how difficult it is dealing with the airlines in these situations. In some cases, all we can do is contact the airline, and are at their mercy. We have no control over the rules and fees the airlines impose, and we are obligated to disclose all of this at the time of booking. Those same rules and fees are also disclosed when a customer books online themselves to save the $25 booking fee, but most of them don’t read it and click right past it. It’s all there for them to read. But in all sincerity, I have total sympathy for the customers, but when dealing with a third party online booking agent, when it comes to reservations, we really are at the sellers(airline/hotel) mercy.

By: Sarah (now going to post as Sarah Di to avoid confusion)

Sarah (now going to post as Sarah Di to avoid confusion) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:38:08 +0000

I need too much control over flight times when booking people for work and for myself so I won’t use name your own price for that. But I have used it for hotels for work and saved a ton of money with good deals. The key for me is to do the research and find out what is in the area. If there is a particular hotel in the area that I absolutely would not want people to stay, I won’t do it. I also price check everywhere else first. I have won very nice hotels for as little as 40 or 50 dollars depending on the location and typically using the highest star rating will net me a good hotel for little money. For my own upcoming vacation, I have booked directly with the hotel because I know exactly where I want to stay and am willing to pay for that.

I have had very good experiences using expedia for flights, even when there has been trouble with weather and cancelled flights. If I can get it there for a better price than direct through the airline, I won’t hesitate to book with them.

Most of the time, I book flights directly though just for ease and comfort and I always book my cruises direct with the cruiseline!

By: Carver

Carver — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:52:14 +0000

@Steve

lol. A kindred spirit.

But you’re right. I admit that I micromanage every aspect of my travel, finding the sweet spot between getting a good deal, and spending too much time chasing the last dollar.

And I am super picky about which hotel I stay in. Don’t care about cars that much, but as a President’s Circle member of Hertz, its always cheaper to rent a full sized car and get the guaranteed upgrade then renting a premium or luxury car through any other means.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:16:33 +0000

Carver–true, it wouldn’t have hurt to try calling the hotel to see if that deal was available directly through them. And this was the first time I’ve seen a deal through a third-party website that was significantly cheaper.

I’ve also never and probably will never use an opaque sit like Hotwire or Priceline. Not so much because I distrust them, but because I’m a control freak when booking travel and I want to choose everything for myself…

By: Victor Ozols

Victor Ozols — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:40:25 +0000

I don’t have any comment on the story itself, but that photo is pretty awesome. I wish I could take pictures that looked like that.

By: Di

Di — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:00:59 +0000

I’ve never used Hotwire or Priceline because I always felt there was a catch. How can they offer such low prices for nothing? Now reading Chris’ blog, I can see what the catch is: buying through them may be cheaper, but seems to offer less protection. I am very picky with where I stay and who I fly with. This is why I’ve never used them.

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:42:49 +0000

I would never use Hotwire or Priceline for either a flight or a hotel. That’s like going into a men’s store with $100, and telling the clerk to pick a suit out for you. Sure, he might give you something nice, but it’s more likely he’ll come back with that lime-green leisure suit they’ve had in the back room for 30 years.

I’d be OK using Hotwire for a rental car. A car is a car. As long as it’s a major chain, I’m pretty sure I won’t be in a rolling death-trap.

By: Carver

Carver — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:56:07 +0000

@Steve

You make a good point. If you are getting a killing from a third party website, then it might make sense to book accordingly. Although personally, I would call the hotel and try to get them to match the price.

My personal experiences haven’t borne out that third party websites are generally any cheaper, but each person’s experience will differ

By: John

John — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:27:13 +0000

The issue is not that AA refused to refund the money. Their policy on refunds for canceled flights is well documented. The issue is that it’s an opaque (name your own price) ticket, and as such, they can’t see how much was paid for the ticket and couldn’t do a standard refund. This is completely normal. Priceline needs to be the one to take care of this (even if it involves calling someone at American to resolve it) as they are the travel agent. Don’t blame AA; blame Priceline.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:23:55 +0000

“The moral of the story, as with many others on Elliott, is never, ever book travel through third parties.”

I agree with trying to avoid doing so, but sometimes the discounts can be huge. I personally wouldn’t book airfare because I’ve always seen the price to be the same on the airline’s website (so why add another layer of complexity?); the hotel discounts can be incredible. My wife and I are going to Las Vegas next week and are getting our third night (the most expensive night of our stay) free for booking through Expedia; additionally, the price for the first two nights is lower than the price given on the hotel’s website. We’re saving close to $200 on a 3-night stay. I just looked at the hotel’s website again and now they’re offering a night free with a 3-night stay for the next couple of weeks…but it’s the cheapest night, so it would still be $100 more than what we’re paying.

Am I concerned about something going wrong that would not have had we booked directly with the hotel? A little…but to save upwards of 40% on our hotel, I think it’s more than worth the gamble. (BTW, this great rate wasn’t even nonrefundable…I could cancel up to 72 hours beforehand with no penalty).