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Some hotels giving priceline/hotwire guest a hard-time?


CruisingUSA
By CruisingUSA,
in

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Hey everyone,

Whenever I check into a hotel, I pay incidentals with cash because I do not have a credit card. My debit card tends to hold for 5 days, and if I am on the road for 2 weeks, that could be $20 or $50 multiplied by 14 days.

Usually I dont have an issue, but I have been told my managers that PRICELINE / HOTWIRE customers often steal lamps, comforters and other items from the room. It tends to make me feel wary and embarrassed when they mention that as I have no intention of taking anything from the hotel.

Has anyone gotten a hardtime when learning you used a bidding site?

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Maybe they are discriminating against me because Im Black...next time it happens, Im contacting that hotels upper management and complaining. It is not very welcoming to be told, "guest steal sheets, lamps...if you were to steal our TV, that'd cost alot more than a $50 deposit...and if you dont pay it, you cant check it" Yes, people have actually told me that!

Then they always say, priceline guests are the main ones who do that...So what? What that got to do with me?

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I hate to think that hotel workers would make that assumption, but it is certainly possible. I'm sorry if this has happened to you. The only thing I can think is that the cash thing makes them suspicious, somehow.

If they were smarter, they would realize the people with cash actually have the money, while the ones with cards may be seriously under water!!

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  • 2 months later...

I checked into a Candlewood suites property earlier today, and it took 3 trips and several calls to the bank to get into my room.

For one, the 'operations manager' was on duty this afternoon. She refused to accept a cash deposit like most hotels do ( I have a maxed credit card and cant get another one, plus banks hold funds for too long. holding $50 for 5-7 days everytime I check into a room is too much). In fact, the last Candlewood I stayed at did not even have a policy to hold funds, just a card imprint. I left to go make a deposit on my temp. card. Then, she wouldn't accept my temporary bank card because my name wasn't on it and my bank is out of state so I cant make deposits on that card. I told her to call and verify with the bank that the card was mine. She wouldn't do it. I asked for a supervisor...she was the supervisor :)

So, I go, transfer funds from my temporary card to the bank card with my name on it for $4.95. I get there, card is declined. What? The money is ON the card! I reply. She tried it again and it declined again. I get back on the phone with my temp. card bank and the funds are clearly on there. Apparently the bozo b!tch charged the card $25 for 1 night stay...but she says it was declined. Then, as Im on the phone in the car, she walks out and says, "ok, it actually went thru now."

I believe it was pure discimination (against a priceline customer), and I also called her manager up to the desk. She made a comment about priceline customers and also mentioned credit card fraud in the New Mexico area. That a temporary card has no security (bullshit as VISA/Mastercard protects unauthorized transactions) My response was, "this is ridiculous, I have NEVER had an issue paying cash for incidentals with one, and $50 wouldn't even cover crap if you're so damn worried about me breaking or taking anything. In addition, the Doubletree in Texas had no problem taking the temporary card...and thats a place that actually does have room service and a menu to order off of :)

I'm just getting so fed up with the select few hotels who give us "3rd party customers' a hard time. This hotel is definently getting trashed on tripadvisor and here too.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think I have come to the conclusion that I have lost my mind from being on the road for 3 months:

Yesterday, when I was pulling my suitcase out of the trunk...somehow I dropped like 15 pieces of clothing with underwear, all of my socks shirts, sweater...onto the parking lot pavement because I'd forgotten to completely zip the bag, and did not even realize I did it until this morning when I noticed I had some clothing missing. Like, ALOT of clothing missing.

So I go to the front desk of the hotel and they had my clothing in a large blue bag...but Im still missing a shirt and a sweater that I'd just purchased.

I think I need to get medical treatment

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I meant to bring this up earlier, but the other week I think I had clued in on something. I was arguing with one of the representatives about an incendental hold being mandatory at a particular hotel. I had wondered if it would have been possible to switch hotels had I not had the extra money to put on hold (the hotel wanted $50 on a debit card for a 2 star hotel. In most cities, a 2 star would have been a extended stay/homestead. So had I not had the money, I would not have been able to check in to the hotel).

So I told him, "whenever I check into a hotel, they have a credit card FROM PRICELINE on file that they swipe to pay for the room". I smartly told him, "why not the hotel use THAT credit card to put the incidental hold on. Then, I dug deeper and said, "so, if they are swiping priceline's credit card to check me in, how much is that hotel charging priceline?

The guy from priceline couldn't even give me an answer. He wouldn't........give me an answer. So that makes me wonder, who's REALLY naming the price, us or the hotel? And how much is the hotel charging priceline?

I also said, "from what it seems...the hotel can be charging all they want...probabaly full price, but treat us as if we are paying less.

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Priceline itself directly charges your card immediately when you have a successful bid. It is entirely possible the hotel does not have access to that credit card information. In fact, it is most likely they don't since it would be one more security on your card.

Hotels put rooms into the Priceline inventory at various prices. When you bid, if you are at or over one of those prices, you get the room. Priceline makes their money on the fee they charge, plus any difference between your bid and the price you either hit or bid higher than.

The price the hotel actually charges Priceline is supposed to be confidential, and generally is a pretty well kept secret. Occasionally it has shown up on somebody's bill because the hotel computer systems weren't performing correctly. There is some complicated logic on how to try to calculate what the hotel paid, based on the taxes. I've read on it, but make no claim to understanding it.

All the hotel gets is the price at which they offered the room to Priceline - the one at or below your bid.

I don't think hotel clerks generally understand the mechanisms of Priceline. All they usually know is that you have a "prepaid reservation". And frankly, I'm always happy when they do indeed know that.

I do carry a copy of the Priceline receipt to prove I have a deal, and to call Priceline if that isn't sufficient (I've never had to resort to this step though. Just a back-up.)

Although I've read of it, I've never personally experienced any second-class treatment for my Priceline reservations. And I've had many of them over many years, both in the US and outside.

I traveled for work a number of years. It is harder than non-traveling people realize. I know I've woken up in a hotel room and had to stop and think seriously as to just what city I was currently in. There is some serious dis-combobulation that goes on. Missed meals, weird meals, missed sleep, time zone changes, etc. I hope you can cut yourself some slack and take it easy whenever you see a little break in the schedule.

Regarding those credit card holds, it sounds like you are able to negotiate your way around them as needed. As far as negotiating goes, my grandmother would say "...you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar...". You can always get tough later, but I think it worth while to try sweet reason first.

Romelle

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  • 3 months later...

If you think hotels are ridiculous with debit cards, try rent-a-car companies. Often a PL rental will be with Alamo, which requires proof of a round-trip air ticket in order to use a debit card. This is essentially a test of whether you have the intelligence to buy a refundable airline ticket. Another time I wound up at Avis, which had a hissy fit because I dared to use a PayPal Business Debit card instead of a bank debit card. I managed to get most of my PL money refunded, then I walked across the hall and rented from Hertz #1 Gold, where my PayPal debit card is on file and where my car was waiting but at double the price....

Yes you are being discriminated against. I would have somebody white do the same thing and see what happens.

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