Expedia

I used to work for Hotels.com/Expedia and I can honestly say that i would never book anything through either of these companies. First thing, you don’t save a whole heck of alot of money, if any, and for what you do save, it’s not worth it. I have several horror stories of guest being kicked out of their rooms so that the hotel can sell them at a higher rate to guests off the streets and leaving them homeless. Please take it from me, book direct with whatever company, i.e American Airlines, Hilton, etc, you will get about the same rate, not have to pay for the full amount upfront, and you will have direct negotiations with the hotel and not have to deal with a middle man who really doesn’t give a darn!

This is a bit dated but I still can’t feel satisfied with the outcome. Let me preface my saga by saying that I have used Hotwire almost exclusively booking 4 star hotels around the country.

A few months ago I booked a room at a 4 star hotel in Boston through Hotwire.I check into the hotel late evening and as I entered my room I walked into a closet. The room was exceptionally small, the bathroom was ridiculously compact and the furniture in the room left about 2 feet of space on each side to get around. The heating system was just left of the bed making it near impossible to set a confortable setting for the night.

I quickly called the front desk to complain. They referred me to the manager who then proceeded to tell me that the room is of the type set aside for Hotwire offers and that I should read the fine print. I pressed on and he offered to cancel my room at no charge and I was free to find a hotel on my own. (This hotel was apparently full up). This was clearly not avery viable or attractive option for me. I then called Hotwire and after a lengthy delay connected with an agent who after hearing the nature of my call told me to hold on and connected me with a manager. Great you think? No, that manager she connected me to was the same hotel manager I had just spoken with?????

After I returned from my trip I contacted Hotwire again to vent my frustration with this experience. To sum it up, they pointed the finger at the hotel and offered me a credit in my account against a future booking. They also suggested that I contact the hotel’s main office to lodge my complaint. This I did, called and left a message which was returned a week or so later.

This individual was as helpful as a room full of slugs. She read me the party line about the fine print again and suggested that I take the matter up with Hotwire. I told her that the Hotel was as complicit in the deception of listing this as a 4 star hotel and that they should reexamine their procedures and introduce customer service attitudes at the hotel in question. Got absolutely no satisfaction from her although she did tell me that I would be hearing from the hotel’s manager after they had reviewed this case. That was a few months ago and I have yet to hear a word.

This is a very popular Boston hotel that enjoys a history of full capacity bookings, is visibly thread beaten and is living off of it’s past reputation. I’m sure it has some very nice rooms but then again not for Hotwire’s customers. The property is acknowledged by Hotwire and the Corporate Office as in need of major updating but why bother if it’s always sold out…

This for me was a rare exception to my positive Hotwire experiences however, if did point out some significant gaping holes in their customer service, ratings and advertising policies. Moreover when Hotwire and the hotel point at each other as the responsible party then there is a more severe problem at the core of the business model.

My recent experience with Expedia has been horrifying. I had booked an international ticket for my in-laws from India to US and back. They are currently in US and just recently I received a notification from Expedia that one of the return flight schedule has changed. The transit time between flights in Delhi changed from 3hrs to 1hr. After calling Expedia and waiting patiently for over 30min, the lady tells me that this time is legally sufficient for transit. For anyone who has travelled to Delhi (India) and changed international to domestic airports, they can tell that 1hr is no way sufficient. Air India (airline) agrees with me. But, Expedia refuses to make any changes to the ticket without a fee and tells me that since this is an international flight, I have to talk to the airlines and get the necessary changes. Isn’t it ridiculous. If Expedia can’t help make the changes, then why do they book in the first place and charge booking fees.

Dear Mr. Elliot,

I found your email online, (and I am also posting this up on your website) and I was wondering if you could help me. I recently bought a roundtrip Lufthansa ticket from Incheon to Vienna from Expedia.com. The ticket was reasonaly priced at around $750. ($460 was the tax amount) The day after I bought the ticket I found out I was getting laid off from my job. I realized that I could not afford to take the trip. When I called to get a refund, both parties told me that the ticket was nonrefundable and there was nothing I could do. Later, a friend told me that I am entitled to the taxes and fees. I called Lufthansa and Expedia again, but I kept getting the runaround. Lufthansa would say that they couldn’t do anything because Expedia did not pay them yet. (My credit card statement has Lufthansa on it) Expedia would say they cannot do anything for me because it goes against their policies.
Finally, Expedia told me to call the IRS. I called the IRS today and I am even more confused. The IRS representative that I spoke with talked about filling out a form. He said he never saw a case like mine before. I’m beginning to feel that both Lufthansa and Expedia are not being honourable. Since I am not knowledable about these matters I feel like I am being taken advantage of.
I know I can’t get the full refund back, but even getting the taxes back would be such a relief for me.
Mr. Elliot please advise me on what to do. I’ve read some of your articles online and I realized that you are the person I could talk to.

Thank you for your time