Can I get my money back from Priceline if I never stayed at the hotel and it was beyond my control.

Can I get my money back from Priceline if I never stayed at the hotel and it was beyond my control.?

I have used priceline here and there for years and have never had a problem. I went to Orlando, FL this past weekend. I booked my flight through Priceline. The flight went from New Orleans, LA to Miami, FL to Orlando, FL. My flight was not supposed to return back to New Orleans until 12:30 am on Monday. I live about 2 hours away from New Orleans so I opted to get a hotel room for the night and drive out later when the sun came out. My flight took me successfully to Orlando. Everything was fine. I got a hotel in New Orleans at the Four Points by Sheraton for $65.03. My flight left from Orlando at 8:00 pm Sunday night. When I reached my gate, the screen said that the flight would not leave out from Orlando until 10:30 pm. I came to find out there was a problem with our original plane so they sent it to get fixed and we were waiting on another. That meant that we would not be in Miami in time for the connecting flights. They told us that we would stay in Miami and they would make sure we had a room and were taken care of, but no flight would be leaving out for New Orleans (from Miami) until 10:30 am. I decided to stay in Orlando with my friend and catch the flight out t Miami the following morning. I understand that Priceline has a no refund policy, but exceptions should be made or at least considered when it is obviously out of your control. I had no way of getting to New Orleans to stay at the hotel that I had booked. It is documented and in fact Priceline sent me an email saying that my flight had been changed; so why would they take money from my account when they know I couldn't get to the hotel! I called Priceline and they told me they would not give me my money back repeatedly, because that is their policy. I called the hotel to cancel my room since I was not there. The hotel told me I would get a refund, but I know it would not be from them but from Priceline. When I looked at my bank statement this week on Thursday, February 17, the money is still taken out with no refund pending. I checked the Better Business Bureau for Priceline. I find it hard to believe that they have an A+ rating with over a 1000 complaints. From reading posts and other information regarding Priceline's policy, I would like to know how I can fight them. I know it is a mere $65 in comparison to some people who have lost 1000s or 100s of dollars, but I work hard for my money and I want it back. I at least feel as if the BBB can change their rating with all the complaints. What kind of monopoly is Priceline running?? Anybody have any valid advice or information on what I can do to get my money back. I will fight them and advocate for anyone else who has fallen prey to them.

Law & Ethics - 4 Answers

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1 :

no because it was also not in their control either....the hotel held the room for u as agreed even tho u didn't end up using it..... would be same thing as if u got a paid reservation to a restaurant and then got into a car accident on the way their....not their fault...

2 :

Your beef is with the hotel, not Priceline. Actually, your real beef is with the airline. Priceline is merely a broker. All they do is make the arrangements with a hotel for you. Priceline already gave your money to the hotel for that night's stay, and that can't get it back. Why should Priceline pay you money just because you didn't make it to the hotel? (In spite of Priceline's advertising, you will often get a better price booking your rooms yourself, since Priceline takes a cut for its service. Hotels also prefer to book directly to customers, since they do not have to pay a cut to Priceline for steering the customer their way.) In any event, the *hotel* might choose to give you your money back as a good gesture, but they are certainly under no obligation to do so. What you bought was the right to occupy a room at that hotel on a certain night. The hotel kept the room vacant for you. Whether you actually show up to use your room is not really their concern. It's a shame that your flight was canceled, but that's not the hotel's fault. If you want to complain about somebody costing you money, why not complain to the airline? It was their delay that cost you the money.

3 :

My husband and I use these services all the time for hotel stays, and you are bound by the terms and conditions. These types of services have a strict no refund and no cancellation policy. The company maintains careful records of the booking process with customers. In a refund complaint, they may pull up the dates and exact times you accepted the terms and conditions. I'm sorry to say that there have been people with more unfortunate circumstances than you found yourself in that were refused a refund. It certainly doesn't hurt to ask though. It's not like they're going to eat you. Good luck.

4 :

Your comment that "exceptions should be made" indicates that you now regret entering into a contract that allowed for no refunds. No law prevents you from entering into a contract where you agree to pay for a hotel whether you actually use it or not. Similarly, no law prevents you from negotiating a different contract with a different provider when you do not like the terms that are offered to you.