It is possible to be refunded by Hotwire..well kind of..

[jamaicandaisy]

Last summer, we booked five nights at a hotel in Sudbury, Ontario through Hotwire. I cannot remember the specifics, didnt post on this site.

Anyways, we booked five nights, got there and it was a DIVE. Hotwire will email you after your trip with a questionaire etc. I took my time filling out, made my complaints very clear and thought that would be the end of it. I had heard that you never get your money back, they dont care etcc...

I think it was close to a month later I recd an email from Hotwire apoligizing for the poor hotel and they refunded my money in Hotwire Dollars that I had to use in a year. Sure it wasnt a total refund, but it paid for another trip that we booked to Ottawa.

It never hurts to try!

[Kade]

As an ex-employee of Hotwire.... we truly hope you call in if you arrive at your destination and its not the quality we promised. We will ALWAYS do whatever it is in our power to help you out in the situation.

You have to understand though, that as a business AND a 3rd party organization... There are certain legal limitations to which we have to abide. Its not easy for us to just shell out $xx when something goes wrong, simply because the product's provider is STILL going to be expecting the funds for that reservation regardless if you go or not.

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Not sure where you heard that there are NEVER any refunds made... Or that we don't care... Quite honestly, I've had customers call in and completely ruin my day because of what they were going through. Not because they were irate by any means, but there are times when its an honest story and its pretty emotional. Despite how we may feel... It really is a horrible experience to tell someone whos in tears that you cannot help them due to the legally binding contract to which they agreed. Of course there are fake ones, but with just a touch of experience... letting your heart go out to the real ones is second nature.

I'm glad you were still able to be taken care of, even so long down the road... But for future reference, call them. I worked with some great people, every call is different to us.

[Z3R0]

That compensation was more than likely from a call received, complaint recorded and sent for follow up. As far as I know, post stay surveys are just used to evalute hotel star ratings and see if they need to be adjusted down. And I honestly agree with Kade. If you have a reservation and you call in a week later saying the hotel was horrible, you're not liable to get much consideration. After all, how bad could it have been if you didn't call immediately.

You're best bet of getting assistance, is to request to see your room before checking in. If there's something seriously wrong with your room or the hotel, call in immediately and explain the situation.

[Chicago48]

You're best bet of getting assistance, is to request to see your room before checking in. If there's something seriously wrong with your room or the hotel, call in immediately and explain the situation.

What about car rentals? I just got an email stating my reservation - for one day rental - would not be refunded. I'm writing the President of the company. At the least they should give an exchange, like Southwest Air does. If you cancel, they hold the funds for a future flight.

If half the people who booked a car rental from HOTWIRE (which I learned is also PRICELINE) did not get refunded, then that's how they get their millions of dollars.

[thereuare]

What about car rentals? I just got an email stating my reservation - for one day rental - would not be refunded. I'm writing the President of the company. At the least they should give an exchange, like Southwest Air does. If you cancel, they hold the funds for a future flight.

Southwest gives you a credit for a future flight because that is their policy and the terms of your purchase... the terms of your HOTWIRE purchase (assuming this was on the opaque side of their service) stated no cancellations/no refunds, and you agreed to this before your purchase in exchange for the discount you received. While unfortunate you may have had circumstances which arose which made you unable to use this rental, HOTWIRE has met the terms of their service.

If half the people who booked a car rental from HOTWIRE (which I learned is also PRICELINE) did not get refunded, then that's how they get their millions of dollars.

To clarify, HOTWIRE and PRICELINE are two different companies, and the number of unused reservations is well under half (i would suspect it's probably in the very low single digits)... they each make their money by providing a service which offers travelers an excellent value, which comes with certain restrictions (ie- no refunds/no cancellations/no changes).

Also, please note from our Rules and Policies:

While we welcome both positive and negative experiences, please keep in mind that the spirit of this message board is helping users.

If you have a complaint, problem, or question with a recent or upcoming Priceline/Hotwire stay, we will be happy to do what we can to help, but please be considerate of the board's primary goal of helping others and first post the details of your 'win.'

It is important for everyone to know when problems and customer service issues arise, but the majority of the users come here to see winning bid information... so please oblige them with this information before asking for them for help.

If you'd like to continue this discussion please post the details of your car rental purchase to the board.

Thank you.