izimba Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 Note that the correct zone is called Westport-Fairfield, not Lower Fairfield County/Norwalk-Westport. Norwalk is a separate zone now. I wasn't able to change it above. First, I checked the PRICELINE EXPRESS Deals and noticed a 3* available for these nights with amenities including free parking, free breakfast and free in-room Internet for $91. I also saw a 4* with far fewer amenities for considerably more. Sorry, I didn't make a note of the price for that, but it may have been $134. I started by bidding $75 for a 4*. I noticed that, in addition to PRICELINE's taxes and fees, I would be charged an extra $15 per night by the hotel. This was described as a "resort fee." In Connecticut?! Probably an energy surcharge -- and not very enticing. My $75 bid was rejected. I added the Stamford zone as a free rebid and raised my bid to $80 for a 4*, but that also was rejected. Because I wanted a hotel in the Fairfield area, where I'm traveling for my nephew's high school graduation, I went back to the Priceline home page and started over, aiming for a 3.5* hotel, bidding $75 and only in the Westport-Fairfield zone. This time, the annoying $15 "resort fee" was not included in my expected final price. But my bid was rejected. I added the 3* category, stayed with $75 -- and I won! My total with taxes and fees was $182.30, about $40 less than if I had taken the $91 PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal. The lowest rate for these night's on the hotel's own website is a AAA rate of $121.49 per night. The hotel looks a little dowdy. But it does promise free breakfast, free in-room Internet and free parking. I began my bidding through the PRICELINE widget on this site. Link to comment
thereuare Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Congratulations on your success! While perhaps not your first choice in the zone, hope this will work for your needs and you'll have a pleasant time with your family/nephew celebrating his graduation. Thank you for using the PRICELINE links on the board and sharing your win, helping us add this property to the Priceline Hotel List. Can you please check your purchase history using the MY ACCOUNT >> MY TRIPS link on the top right of the PRICELINE home page and confirm the current star rating for this property, as i believe it may be 2.5 stars. Enjoy your stay. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
izimba Posted April 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 WOW -- how did THAT happen??? I bid for a 3* hotel, and my confirmation from Priceline shows the hotel as a 3* property. But you're correct -- the rating has now been changed to 2.5*! Do you know if I have grounds for a complaint or some type of remediation? I will contact Priceline about this. I bid for a 3* hotel and I expect to be staying in a 3* hotel when I make this trip next month. It seems to me that they ought to allow me to bid again. Link to comment
thereuare Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 If you reach out to PRICELINE they will likely offer to cancel/refund the reservation since their current star rating for this property does not meet the minimum threshold that you designated for your bid. Good luck and let us know how you make out. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
izimba Posted April 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Great advice -- thank you! I did contact Priceline via chat and was offered the choice of a 20% refund or the cancellation of my reservation. Because the hotel is in a good location, the TripAdvisor reviews are OK and I'm not terribly fussy, I opted for the partial refund. I guess that effectively makes my winning rate $60! Link to comment
thereuare Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Glad to see you are pleased with the resolution offered by PRICELINE and that the deal got a little better! Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
izimba Posted May 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 Well, it has been nearly a month since I first contacted Priceline about this issue, and I am still waiting for my 20% refund. This is very surprising from a company that typically seems rather efficient. I have received two follow-up emails claiming they are still "researching" my partial refund "request" -- which wasn't really a request on my part, but rather a customer service representative's offer, which I accepted. My fear is they'll drag the matter out until this trip has been completed, but I don't plan to let it go. Link to comment
AaronJB Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 Sorry to hear that it has taken unusually long, but hopefully they will resolve things soon. Thank you for keeping us updated. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Register now, we have a huge community of travel enthusiasts to answer any questions you might have.
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountAlready have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now