Priceline Hotel: 3.5* Saddle Brook-Teaneck (Teaneck-Ft Lee) Crowne Plaza Englewood

[rayrios16]

I booked this hotel for my next stay in New Jersey.

I got this hotel by bidding with free re-bid zones. I was surprised that after getting the hotel confirmation, i saw the retail price to be lower on other websites, the hotel's website and even on the same Priceline page.

I called PRICELINE and complained about this, and they offered to match me the difference in price, give me a refund for the difference plus they issued me a $50 Bonus Cash for a future retail reservation.

The same thing happened to me in another reservation in July, but i forgot to report it to the forum. Priceline practices to confirm you in a hotel even though your bid price is higher than the actual price the hotel offers at retail prices or in other cases you get a $3 discount from the retail hotel's rate. This last happened to me in a Vegas reservation. I only saved $10 by naming my own price. I don't know why PRICELINE does not correct this glitch on their reservations system.

If a customer will not be getting at least 15% of discount by naming their own price, PRICELINE should just reject the offer and not confirming reservations at hotels where an actual customers overbids. They use false publicity to say people can save by naming their own price when actually they don't.

Since there are no refunds, cancellations or modifications, you have to stick with the hotel they have you, even though you have overbid and they give you a price match if you named your own price. I don't think it is fair.

[thereuare]

Sorry to see you're disappointed with the results.

Do you recall your bidding history... what star rating, zone(s) and bid amount you placed each step of the way?

Regardless if you bid properly or not and there was no ability to get this hotel lower, i disagree with your comments above. It is every user's responsibility to do their homework first and determine prices in the area and make sure that they don't overbid. There are some users who want a 50% discount to make an opaque purchase worthwile, others are happy with any savings... so why should either use the 15% threshold you suggest? Again, it's up to the bidder to research prices and determine their maximum bid accordingly.

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

Hope you enjoy your stay.

PS- great burgers just a short drive from this hotel:

Jackson Hole Wyoming

362 Grand Avenue

Englewood, NJ 07631

Tel: 201-871-7444

[rayrios16]

I did my previous research on the same Priceline hotels page and found out that the only 3.5 stars were the Crowne Plaza at $113 per night and the Marriott at Glennpoint at $229 per night.

So that is why i went ahead and bid $120 aiming to get the Marriott or other similar 3.5 hotel in the area. Instead, Priceline booked me in this hotel as i previous said. Other time i bid $150 aiming to get a hotel in Manhattan and added the re-bid zone in Long Island City (did a previous price research in the area) and they booked me in the Holiday Inn even though the HI was at $140 at retail price.

Do you think this practice is fair?? I think not!! If Priceline cannot find a hotel in which a customer will get a great discount as the Name Your Own Price states in their publicity, then they should just reject the offer in the first hand. False publicity can me sued against a company because they are fooling customers and luring them for something they will not grant at all.

[thereuare]

I did my previous research on the same Priceline hotels page and found out that the only 3.5 stars were the Crowne Plaza at $113 per night and the Marriott at Glennpoint at $229 per night.

Note that the hotels in Priceline Hotel List are only hotels reported to the board... there could be (and often are) others which are not yet known.

So that is why i went ahead and bid $120 aiming to get the Marriott or other similar 3.5 hotel in the area.

See this thread: Don't Bid Higher for a Specific Hotel

Other time i bid $150 aiming to get a hotel in Manhattan and added the re-bid zone in Long Island City (did a previous price research in the area) and they booked me in the Holiday Inn even though the HI was at $140 at retail price.

You're not bidding correctly and/or trying to 'beat' the system by targeting a specific hotel, and that's why you're not seeing the discounts most others are experiencing.

If Priceline cannot find a hotel in which a customer will get a great discount as the Name Your Own Price states in their publicity, then they should just reject the offer in the first hand.

Nonsense. Priceline let's you name your own price for a hotel at a minimum star rating in a given zone, and will see if a hotel is willing to accept that price. As i commented in a post above, it's your responsibility to do your homework beforehand to make sure that the price you offer is a 'good deal' for the a hotel of that star rating in the area. While your bid price may be a good deal for the specific hotel you were trying for, that's not how the service works, and you can receive any hotel in the zone at the star rating you select. PRICELINE does offer a Best Price Guarantee which helps ensure users are getting the best room rates possible.

[dahammer]

Do you think this practice is fair?? I think not!! If Priceline cannot find a hotel in which a customer will get a great discount as the Name Your Own Price states in their publicity, then they should just reject the offer in the first hand. False publicity can me sued against a company because they are fooling customers and luring them for something they will not grant at all.

PRICELINE works like a "market maker" matching up bids (from folks like you) and offers (minimum acceptable opaque rates from hotels). I believe that PRICELINE also recommends that hotels load multiple price points in order to maximize room revenue and leave less money on the table. BTW, I probably have bid 40 or more times in this zone and only received the Marriott Glenpointe once and I practically fell out of my chair when I got the confirmation.

Don't think I'm piling on here, but I've used PRICELINE hundreds of times and saved thousands in the process, but each time I start a bidding session, I do my homework. This includes looking at rates on PRICELINE's "shop and compare" site, checking out HOTWIRE, and using this board's Calendar of Wins and Advanced Search function for the zone I'm bidding. This allows me to see recent winning bids for hotels in this zone.

Best advice is to reiterate Thereuare's comment to do your homework, ask questions, and indeed, check out the burgers at Jackson Hole. If the weather's nice, you can sit outside.

Re: your question "Is it fair?"...... reverse the roles and let's hear your reply. If someone is willing to pay me more than the price I have in my mind for something, I generally oblige, unless its from family or friends.

[rayrios16]

I always do my homework prior to bidding. I do the same research you do. Exactly the same. Priceline SHOULD NOT book customers who overbid on hotels that have lower rates at retail prices if they are naming their own price. They should get them a higher priced hotel or simply reject the bid.

If a customer get their bid rejected and the price of a similar star hotel is lower, the customer should have the option to purchase that hotel at HIS convenience, not something that obligates them to be in that hotel when they are paying over the actual price.

Another option would be to confirm the customer the best available room with a higher retail price at the confirmed property, in order for the customer to receive VALUE and SAVINGS by Naming Their Own Price.

You guys seem to be biased on Priceline's side than with an actual customer who always wants more out of their money.

[thereuare]

...not something that obligates them to be in that hotel when they are paying over the actual price.

If your bid was more then the room rate at the hotel then make a paid more then submit a Best Rate Guarantee claim.

You guys seem to be biased on Priceline's side than with an actual customer who always wants more out of their money.

I think we're trying to show you where your strategy (ie- trying to target a specific hotel), or what you expect from PRICELINE, is flawed. PRICELINE works a certain way, you can either accept that you can receive any hotel in the given zone and bid accordingly... or you can't (or you can continue to try to bid to obtain a specific hotel with the risk of overbidding and/or not receiving the hotel you wanted)

In the future if you change your mindset from trying to bid and win a specific hotel, and focus on winning any hotel in a given zone at the minimum star rating you select, i believe you'll see better savings from your hotel purchases.

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