Thursday, June 23, 2011

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.

2 comments:

ball_coach said...

I will never book through Priceline again. Priceline has now lost what was a loyal customer. I use Priceline so much it was in my best interest to get rewards credit card, which I will be closing as soon as I am finished voicing my displeasure with this company. I booked a flight with Priceline, since booking the flight I found out that my wife is pregnant. When going to her Dr. she was told that she could not fly. I called the Priceline customer care line and was pretty much told sorry (I didn't get the customer rep name or number). I asked to speak with a manager or supervisor, I then spoke with Joe id # 5260265 after voicing my issues with him I was told pretty much the same thing. I then said to him "So what you are saying is that Priceline cares so little for their customers that they are willing to take a stand on the side of sorry we can’t help you when a loyal customer has a medical issue that prevents them from flying. I explained that I didn’t want a refund just the ability to change the date and use the money that I have already applied to this flight to another flight at a later date when my wife was able to fly.” He then in an unconcerned, sarcastic voice said “sorry there’s nothing that we can do for you thanks for calling have a nice day.” Since I can’t go on vacation and can’t use the time off at another date I plan to devote my time to letting everybody that I can know exactly how Priceline feels about their customers. It’s amazing how everybody else that we had reservations with concerning this vacation were willing to work with us. The resort has a one day policy (which was acceptable) but offered to give a full refund due to the circumstances when I only asked for a credit. The rental car company (which I had pre-paid) gave a full refund after I provided them with the information of her doctor. Priceline is the only company that would not work with us. I will never use them again, and advise you to book with someone that values their customers as well.

Unknown said...

Hey I have been in a similar position. These people are taught to say no and that is all. You have to get them to start talking to the airline and have them agree to refund your money are allow a change. Part of what goes with getting these great deals is having to put up with the guff the customer service gives you. I know it can be frustrating but if you cut to the chase and go to the vendor providing your flight you will be much better off. Also, DO NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER. Everyone says they are a great customer so don't even bother with that approach.