Priceline canceled my reservation and left me with a $360 bill

Charles Marcus books two rooms at a Hampton Inn through Priceline, but the site cancels them without his permission. When he rebooks the same rooms, the price jumps by $360. Can he get his money back?

Question

I booked two rooms at the Hampton Inn in Islandia, N.Y. through Priceline.com for a stay over the holidays. The total cost was $502. A few days later, Priceline canceled the rooms without my knowledge or consent and issued a refund.

I immediately called Priceline to ask for a rebooking at my original rate. An agent told me no and said Priceline would not offer anything. I then rebooked the same rooms on the same website for the same dates, but this time I was charged $862.

I’ve spent weeks calling and emailing Priceline. During these conversations, a Priceline agent actually confirmed that my original reservation was canceled by an agent without my consent. Despite admitting to the error, the company refused to refund the $360 price difference.

I have been very diligent and honest. I provided a full log of my calls and the original receipts. I even filed complaints with the California and New York attorneys general to try to get some movement. I even had an attorney send a demand letter for the refund. Priceline kept telling me that the matter had been escalated to a management team and asked for my patience, but nothing has happened for months.

I did not cancel this trip, and I should not have to pay for a mistake the company admitted it made. Can you help me get my money back? — Charles Marcus, San Francisco

Answer

Priceline should have honored your original rate. If its own agent canceled your reservation by mistake, the company is responsible for making it right—either by restoring the original booking or covering the cost of the new one.

You did the right thing by trying to resolve this through the official channels, but when a company admits it made an error and still holds on to your cash, it’s time to escalate. You can avoid a lot of this frustration by keeping a meticulous paper trail, which you did. If the front-line agents are stuck in a loop of “we’re looking into it,” you should send a brief, polite email to an executive. I publish the names and email addresses of the Priceline executives on my advocacy site, Elliott.org.

In hindsight, though, I think it might have been better to wait for a resolution instead of booking a replacement room. Generally speaking, online agencies are reluctant to refund customers who book on their own and then bill the company. But getting something in writing—not a confession by phone—that promises to fix the problem, that’s usually a sure thing.

I contacted Priceline on your behalf. Priceline asked you for more evidence, including phone logs and previous email where Priceline admitted its error.

Priceline finally did the right thing. You received an email authorizing a full refund of the $360 difference. It’s a reminder that persistence pays off, especially when you have the receipts to prove the company is wrong. 

Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter.