When your airline cancels a flight because of weather, are you entitled to a full refund? Elizabeth Hearn wanted to know after she booked a flight from Norfolk, Va., to Shreveport, La. — a flight that was canceled because of a Nor’easter late last year. Neither her carrier, American Airlines, nor her online travel agency, Priceline, would give her back the $400 she had spent.
PRICELINE
What do you get when you put a Las Vegas hotel, a mandatory resort fee and an opaque Web site together? If you said “trouble,” you’re absolutely correct.
Priceline this morning launched a new application called Price Maps, a hotel mapping service that lets you scroll over city maps that automatically locate and display hotels and prices. If you’re looking for a bargain on your next hotel, this might be an interesting new resource.
I’m a sucker for anything having to do with Priceline’s Negotiator, William Shatner’s alter ego. There’s just something about Captain Kirk bargaining with airlines that’s a utterly surreal. Well, it turns out some of you feel the same way.
After a double-billing error on his car rental bill, Priceline promises Larry Lundeen a prompt refund. It never comes, despite the online travel agency’s insistence to the contrary. What can you do when your credit card records don’t match up with those of your travel company?
Can’t. Stop. Laughing.
Linda Kirby prepays for a rental car through Priceline, but when she tries to pick up the car, she’s denied. The reason? She doesn’t have a credit card. Now Priceline is balking at a refund. Is there any hope for her?
Ray Richardson thought he found a deal when his Priceline bid on an Orlando hotel landed him a reservation at the Radisson. But then he got his bill.
When he cancels his trip to Istanbul, Kevin O’Connell tries to get a refund for the taxes and fees on his flight. But his online travel agent, Priceline, is giving him the runaround. How does he get his money back?
There’s bad news for anyone who is considering booking a trip online: the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index from the University of Michigan finds customer satisfaction has fallen to an all-time low. The online travel industry’s aggregate scored slipped from 76 to 75 last year, a drop of 1.3 percent. It’s the lowest reading since the ACSI began tracking online travel agencies in 2002.
Here’s an important footnote to the airline industry’s year from hell. A closer look at the Transportation Department’s 2007 report card shows some carriers were likelier to lose your luggage, deny you boarding, get you to your destination late and provoke a written complaint. And some airlines were above it all.
