Question: I’m having trouble with a car rental reservation that never went through. I thought I had secured a reservation through Hotwire.com for a car in St. Petersburg, Fla., using its “bill me later” option.
When I printed out the details, I notice that there was a 19.99 percent interest rate if payments weren’t made within 25 days. I waited for an invoice, and when I didn’t get one, I just mailed a personal check to Hotwire.
On the day of my trip, I called Hotwire to double-check my reservation. That’s when I discovered there was none.
I checked to see if the check was debited from my account, and sure enough, it was. I immediately called Bill Me Later and asked them to return my money. They seemed agreeable, and asked me to fax all the pertinent information. A customer service representative said it would take five to seven business days to respond.
It’s now been several weeks, and I haven’t heard from Bill Me Later. I’ve contacted Hotwire and faxed them all the details. I’ve also been in contact with them by phone, but a manager said there was nothing they could do for me.
I don’t think I should pay $387 for a car I never got. Is there anything you can do to help me? — Kay Rihn, Lititz, Pa.
Answer: Hotwire should have refunded your purchase weeks ago. Bill Me Later is just another payment option, but the way you paid for the car shouldn’t really matter. You deserve your $387 — now.
Cars booked through Hotwire are nonrefundable. And, unless you’re paying through Bill Me Later, your credit card is charged for the rental immediately. Bill Me Later is a third-party site that allows you to postpone your payment, but you have to read the fine print carefully, which you did.
But maybe you should have kept reading. One of the frequently asked questions on the site addresses your situation. “If you are expecting a billing statement and have not received it, there could be a problem with the billing address we have on file,” it says. “Please login to view or change your address.”
When you’re booking travel online, assume nothing. And when you’re booking travel through multiple services (say, a car rental company, an online travel agent and a third-party payment service) assume something will go wrong. Maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but whenever your money changes hands so many times and you’re using an intermediary like an online agent, the odds of something going wrong certainly increase.
You should have phoned Hotwire when you didn’t receive a confirmation of your purchase. I’ve used Hotwire to book rental cars, and I usually get an email from the site within five minutes of clicking the “book” button. Waiting a few days and then sending a check was probably the wrong move — even if you were looking at a 19.99 percent interest rate (which, by the way, is a tad high).
Unless you have an email that confirms your car, you shouldn’t be paying anyone. When it became apparent that Bill Me Later had your money and you had no reservation, you should have not only contacted Hotwire and Bill Me Later, but also your bank. If you catch a mistake like this early enough, your bank can stop payment on a check.
I contacted Hotwire on your behalf. It asked Bill Me Later about your money, and you’ve been sent a full refund.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Haven’t we all learned a lesson yet from all the complaints about Hotwire and similar sites? Don’t book through them!! It saves time, money and effort in the long run.
Ditto
Booking through hotwire and its ilk seems like such a bad idea unless you have no other options.
I agree with you, Mr Elliott, that when “you’re using an intermediary like an online agent, the odds of something going wrong certainly increase.”
There are so many terms and conditions, “non-refundable, non-modifiable and non-cancellable” come to mind when dealing with sites like Hotwire and Priceline. I’ve found many times that renters can get cheaper rates by going through the car rental companies directly, if they have access to a car rental discount code or coupon. There are hundreds of membership programs and professional associations that offer discount car rental codes for their members. It is also, much, much easier to modify or change a car rental reservation when dealing with the company itself.
I suggest never using a 3rd party to actually book your flight/hotel/rental whatever, but use it instead as a price comparison tool. After you find who you want to work with, book it directly from the merchant. 3rd parties are always trouble.
Paid $125 for a rental to be picked up in Atlanta using Hotwire. Was unable to make the trip due to a family emergency. Call Alamo in Atlanta and cancelled the car. Alamo was not paid and I confirmed that with them. So Hotwire has the full amount of the rental and Alamo has nothing. I only want to have what I paid for or a credit for my next rental not even a refund. They are giving me the run around. If they screw enough people their business will fail. I for one will never use them again because of this but hoped that they would do the right thing and just give me what I paid them for.
Hmmm, I have not used Hotwire before but after hearing about Hotwire horror stories and also about Bill Me Later, I would think twice about using them. I don’t see why I should book through them and not directly with the providers themselves. Ok, maybe some savings but the savings are not much in comparison to the hassle I would have to deal with later.