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.