Compare and Save Using Priceline

Alright, the first thing you must understand is that hotels don't put up rooms way in advance. Bidding is not for planning a trip for two months down the road. The cheapest room rates are obtained shortly before your reservation dates. This means that if you are trying to book for Mardi Gras or another big event you most likely will not have a lot of luck. That being said I have been surprised at what deals I have gotten and when I have gotten them. Who says last minute planning doesn't pay off.

The main method to not getting ripped off is to check a website like Hotwire.com. Don't bid above the price shown on the competitor site. If your bid is not being accepted and you don't think the AREA will be booked out then bid again later. It is that easy. Priceline's inventory of empty hotel rooms does not hit the shelves until the product is almost spoiled.

I once, tried to bid on a room in Las Vegas, which are notorious for going for reduced rates. Well I was trying to plan the trip a few months in advance, and it seemed like no matter what I bid, the bids simply weren't excepted. I even tried bidding above the Hotwire.com price. I ended up forgoing the trip, because I didn't feel like I was getting the deal I wanted. Yeah, I know I am a cheapskate. Later I took a trip to Los Angeles for a huge tradeshow, and my wife booked the rooms two hours away. I called up and after a really long discussion convinced Priceline to refund my money but interacting with the hotel. I thought for sure we wouldn't find anything in the vicinity of the tradeshow, but I was pleasantly surprised when I booked a three and a half star room for just forty five dollars. The amazing thing is that the hotel seemed to be full.

The point is if you absolutely have to plan ahead, bidding might not be the best route. Then again if you want to make some last minute plans don't let your ideas of not being able to get a room discourage an attempt.

Priceline Customer Service: Refund

Alright, many of the comments I have received regarding Priceline's customer service have been negative. The main complaint is that it is a rip off even when the price was low due to being denied a refund. This is mainly due to the fact that the purchases made through Priceline are nonrefundable. This is why they are cheap and the intention is to stop business travelers from taking advantage of the steeply discounted prices offered through the Priceline site. The fee to make your purchase refundable is five dollars on hotel rooms. If you think you might have a scheduling problem spend the money it is well worth the additional cost. That being said I have never purchased the safeguard.

Now if you did happen to forgo the safeguard of five dollars you can still get a refund. Go about this by contacting the customer service department, then having them contact the hotel. The hotel will generally coordinate with the customer service representative from Priceline to provide you a return. This does take some time and patience. You may even have to call the hotel desk yourself but Priceline's commitment is to the hotel. These are their real customers, you are the hotel's customer. Keep this in mind stay calm and things should turn out for the better. Another little trick is to keep in mind the star levels. You'll often find that the hotel your staying in fails to meet the requirements of the star level in some small way. For instance, the hotel room might not have a hairdryer in the room. Boom refund, that being said you have to show up.

Always remember you are not Priceline's customer. They do have a customer service line and it connects to the Philippines not India. Have them contact the hotel then contact the hotel yourself if that doesn't work. Be sure to tell Priceline's customer service representative to ask that the room rates be refunded. Also, the Philippino's are always polite and you won't find that they would dare hang up the phone without your acknowledgement. Use patience to your advantage. Yelling at a foreigner will only intimidate them and they will have greater difficulty delivering your request. If you speak to them clearly and calmly you'll save time and achieve your refund.

Priceline Cheap Vacations Review

I have recently traveled abroad. I decided against booking with Priceline to get a cheaper room rate. I traveled to Hong Kong and the total savings when booked at the competitor site for a four star hotel was about 400 dollars. At first you may be saying, "Wow, what a deal". Well that is what I thought because this included the room upgrade of two levels. When I got to Hong Kong I found out otherwise.

The size of the room was 140 square feet and I could barely squeeze into the shower. To give you an idea of the problem I will give a little background. The shower door opened into to the shower space. I had to suck my stomach in and do a little turn as I closed the shower door to get in. To make things worse the drain was slightly clogged. By the time I was standing in a 3 inch puddle of water. Now you might be thinking I am a big fat fatty, which is a little true. I am 6'3" and weigh 235 pounds. I still don't think that showering should be a problem for a man of my physical stature. Now the bedroom was advertised to be large enough for two. I had my wife with me and the bed barely fit the two of us. I complained but it wasn't going to get me anywhere.

I will be booking my next vacation with Priceline. The reason is their room standards. When booking with Priceline you'll know what to expect. The room would have undoubtedly been smaller than normal but a four star hotel would have offered a King size bed or two queens. I go on vacation to feel comfortable not cramped into a room. I did enjoy my trip to Hong Kong but will book with Priceline my next go around. I've got a new saying, "Go with what you know or your trip may blow".