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Priceline - Volcanic Ash


Kev
By Kev,
in

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Unfortunately, due to the volcanic ash cloud over most of Europe, it looks like my flight out to the US has been cancelled, and the next available date is after I am due to fly back.

I reserved a hotel (7 nights totaling $1300) through Priceline, and I am currently looking for ANY options I might have that will mean me not losing $1300

I have contacted the hotel directly, and they tell me that they cannot change the booked dates, and cannot cancel the reservation (and offer any sort of refund).

My travel insurance company has informed me that the flight cancellation is an "act of God" and as such they have no liability for any losses incurred due to this, including hotel costs, car hire & travel expenses. So that is a complete non starter.

My only option is Priceline, and I am sure their answer will be the same as the hotel, but does anyone have any suggestions at all that I might try. Is it even worth contacting Priceline? It's so frustrating...$1300, that's almost 3 iPads !!!!

Any help would be gratefully accepted.

Regards,

Kevin

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I would contact PRICELINE as they have sometimes been known to have show some understanding in situations such as this.

If unsuccessful, i would lean on your travel insurance company a bit, as i'm assuming travel interruption is included in your coverage, and almost all travel interruptions are due to 'acts of god' (and if they're mechanical in nature usually the airline will cover the expense of putting you up locally... although not reimburse for an unused accommodations)

Good luck... please update us with anything you pursue.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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This is an interesting topic that I imagine a few people are going to be affected by. I have 3 weeks of travel in England, in 5 star priceline hotels booked, starting next week. If my flight is also cancelled then I will also be thousands of dollars out of pocket, unless priceline offer refunds.

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Thanks.

I have e-mailed Priceline customer support, so I'll see what they have to say.

As for my insurance company, they are sticking with their get-out clause and refusing to consider anything.

I'll keep you informed as to what Priceline say, as it may come in useful for someone else in the future.

Regards,

Kevin.

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A few years ago Priceline refunded my hotel purchase in Modesto, CA because the highway into Modesto was closed due to fog. As weather events go that was minor and very local, but it was impossible for me to reach the hotel, and Priceline refunded without a fuss.

Please let us know how it goes with Priceline, Kev.

And which hotel did you win for seven nights? I don't see a win report. :)

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A few years ago Priceline refunded my hotel purchase in Modesto, CA because the highway into Modesto was closed due to fog. As weather events go that was minor and very local, but it was impossible for me to reach the hotel, and Priceline refunded without a fuss.

Please let us know how it goes with Priceline, Kev.

And which hotel did you win for seven nights? I don't see a win report. :)

I'll let you know how I get on.

It was this one :)

http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?sho...c=94108&hl=

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Just a quick update re my hotel situation.

I just received an e-mail from Priceline customer care asking me to telephone them to discuss the matter.

I did this, and they were very understanding, and after having left me on hold for a couple of minutes (I expect to speak to a supervisor), they said that they would be passing this matter onto a specialist who would liaise directly with my hotel and see if they can work out a resolution for this for me.

They never mentioned any kind of refund, but talked more about dates changes, so I will see what kind of suggestion they come back with.

They told me to expect a response by e-mail within 2 business days, which is unfortunate, as it is now a weekend and that takes it to Tuesday...My flight is due to fly out on Monday, and that is my current check-in day. I hope they realise this and manage to get back to me before then.

So, at least all is not definitely lost, and there is a glimmer of light at the end of a dark and ash filled tunnel.

I'll keep you updated.

Kevin.

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I see your hotel post now, Kev, for Boston. Thanks. On first reading I missed that you were flying FROM Europe, not to Europe, and so I was looking for a win thread in a European city.

:)

I imagine Priceline is handling thousands of phonecalls and emails today from people wanting refunds over this situation. I can't speak for Priceline but if your flight is cancelled due to weather I'll be very surprised if you don't get a refund.

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I have the same problem with hotels in Florida and Atlanta, where I was supposed to check-in on friday. But my flight from Germany to the US was cancelled. We are now booked on a flight tomorrow, but I doubt that there will be any chance that this is going to happen.

So I just wrote an email to priceline and now I'm pretty curious about what's going to happen. I think there will be hundreds if not thousands of bookings through priceline which will be affected by the problem with the volcanic ashes.

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I have 3 weeks of travel in England, in 5 star PRICELINE hotels booked...

Perhaps you could help other users by sharing your wins with the board? (as well as add the dates of your stay to your previous Hotwire London thread.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Thanks.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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Just to let people know the final outcome of my flight cancellation.

I received an e-mail from Priceline support team asking me to telephone them. I did this, and we had a good chat about the situation, and the guy said that my reservation had been authorised for date changes, and I could arrange this directly with the hotel.

I said that it isn't date changes I need, as my flight has been cancelled, and the only re-booked date offered was after I was due to be back, so the flight was simply cancelled. I asked about a refund of my $1267.

The support guy said that Priceline Terms & Conditions do not allow for refunds, to which I said that I know for a fact that Priceline HAS done refunds in the past for extreme circumstances, such as volcanic eruptions in Alaska, so I know it is possible.

He asked me to wait a minute, and put me on hold. He then came back and said due to the circumstances, they would offer a refund in this instance for the full $1267.56

This is the e-mail confirmation I received:

We would like to remind you that this cancellation has been granted based on the extenuating circumstances related to your reservation. Under normal circumstances, reservations cannot be changed or cancelled.

So, a great result, and I am glad that I came here to ask for advice.

Good luck to anyone else needing to do something similar.

Kevin.

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Thanks for posting that. A friend is due to travel to the USA from London next week, and used PRICELINE on my recommendation. I've been worried he might end up severely out of pocket. We're both likely to be future customers if we know they're sympathetic to circumstances beyond our control.

I've booked with HOTWIRE for my trip to Pacific Grove. If my flights are changed or cancelled I'll have to see if they have the same policy. Has anyone had any experience with them?

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Here's Priceline's current Severe Weather Policy, from their Help Center:

Severe Weather Event Policies

In the event of a hurricane or other severe weather event, we will work with our travel partners to provide assistance for customers as outlined below.

Airline Tickets

To request a change to your reservation in the event of severe weather, you must contact us or the airline before the originally scheduled departure time. Failure to do so may cause the airline to invalidate your reservation, causing your ticket to lose its value for future travel or refund.

The ability to make changes to an airline reservation is dependent on the fare rules associated with your ticket(s). Any exceptions to the fare rules are at the sole discretion of the carrier. Most major carriers allow customers to rebook reservations affected by severe weather within a set number of days without incurring administrative change fees; however, if rebooking results in a higher fare, customers are responsible for the difference in price.

If carrier exceptions are granted, we also will waive our associated fees.

Hotels/Rental Cars/Tours and Attractions

If a weather event occurs close to your travel date, we recommend that you contact your provider directly to determine if they are open for business and will honor your reservation.

If the provider indicates that they are not open, or for any concern about a reservation in an area impacted by a weather event, please contact us for assistance. Depending on the severity of the weather event and the areas impacted, requests to change or cancel your reservation may be granted.

If a change or cancel is allowed, we will also will waive our associated fees.

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We wanted to fly to Florida today, but maybe you heard about it. There was a volcanic eruption. No flights are leaving europe since thursday, and no flights will go for several days. No end to see.

We just cannot go to the USA. What can I do?

Is there a chance of cancelling because of this very specila circumstances? Is it better to call or to send an e-mail?

Help please!!

I'm not a native speaker. I guess, it's obvious. Please excuse, if I make some mistakes.

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Just one simple question:

I wanted to sent an e-mail to priceline. After I filled out the form, I clicked "submit", and then the normal priceline homepage was opened. Do I need to get somekind of confirmation that my e-mail was sent?

Sorry, I'm very nervous because our cancelled flights and my english is not that good. I phoned, but I#m not sure if I got everything 100% correct. I was asked to call after 8 a.m. again. Hope it works.

I'm not a native speaker. I guess, it's obvious. Please excuse, if I make some mistakes.

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four leaf clover,

Do you have an upcoming stay with PRICELINE :) , as all i see reported to the board is this Priceline Amsterdam thread from last year?

Please share your win(s) with the board so that the information can be helpful to other users, just as you are seeking help from the users here :)

It would be appreciated if you used the requested PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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I have not yet booked with Priceline, but have booked a flight for travel in May. I feel, that I would be crazy to place a bid with Priceline in current circumstances, without being clear on the implications for getting a refund, whether I book with or without Priceline insurance. Of course, I understand I do not have to go the Priceline route at all, but more information never hurts.

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FLC - I had 2 nights booked in London, UK for Monday and Tuesday night (Apr 19-20) booked through PRICELINE. As Heathrow is closed, I am stuck in Canada and had to called PRICELINE to cancel. At first they said they couldn't, but after giving them a LITTLE grief, they quickly refunded the full amount back to my credit card, no hassle whatsoever. Didn't require me to provide proof of flight cancellation or anything. Total call was 7 minutes long, 5 of which she spent verifying my reservation.

FYI - I had the very same situation with Hotwire (Apr 16-19) - they were a LOT nicer about the refund, and just as efficient.

It was my first time using both HOTWIRE and PRICELINE - both of which had to be cancelled - but I can say that my experiences with both cust service departments were great.

In both instances, I cancelled the day before my check-in date.

Good luck with your trip!

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