Priceline Hotel: 2* Hilton Head Plaza Suites Hotel

[micheles]

i am now trying to tie up my last loose end

bid $71 for a resort in hilton head for friday 7th april - rejected

no where else to go with the bid at present as no free bids in this area ( i don't really want a 2.5 *) so will leave things for a few days and try again

any advice where to pitch my bid?

hotwire has a 3.5 star resort at $149 and a 4* at $140 (presumably the westin and the crowne plaza) - i already have the westin from 3/26 - 4/1 (booked months ago at $69 with hotwire)

[dahammer]

the 2.5* is possibly the Holiday Inn which I believe is the one on the ocean....would this be tolerable for one night?

[micheles]

i don't know - i might be even more spoiled by then

i'll look it up

thanks

[dahammer]

looks like the Holiday Inn has seen better days, the reviews on Tripadvisor are mixed. :)

[micheles]

after trying for resort hotels up to $91 and 2.5* up to $61 over the past few weeks - decided to bite the bullet and go for a 2* (it is only to sleep in after all) as we expect to arrive quite late and leave for the airport after breakfast next day

so $45 first bid at this level and it was accepted

previous bid today - $91 for resort and $60 for 2.5 * to no avail

so hilton head plaza suites hotel

1 x $45

taxes and fees $12.18

total $57.12

all nights for this trip are now put to bed.

i did remember to book through savingsbarn.com

[thereuare]

Thank you for adding this property to our HOTEL LIST and for starting your bid using the links at SavingsBarn.com

Enjoy your stay.

[micheles]

i had a booking for one night in hilton head (friday 7th april) at the 2* hilton head plaza hotel and suites

- although the reviews were quite awful i kept saying - it is just one night ...

we arrived late (11pm) and the clerk said he had nothing on his system about us - no booking - i showed him my priceline confirmation etc - on paper and on the computer screen (no good at all)

it turns out that they were overbooked and we had to go elsewhere - which we finally did - at our own expense ....

i could not reach priceline at midnight (just got stuck in their loop) on the phone so we drove off in search of a room for the night

we went to the westin and paid $209 although were upgraded to club floor and given an ocean view room - it was nice for the time we were there (we had an early check out as we were flying home the next day)

priceline were sympathetic when i spoke with them on saturday morning and today have offered me $57 - the cost of the room - they call this a favour and a one off gesture (in their email) - i replied saying what? you did not give me what i had paid for so i do not consider it a favour at all!

they invited me to ring to speak with a customer agent - why bother? she hadn't a clue why i was ringing and was quite rude (surprise surprise) and finally passed me to what she said was the highest authority(?) i could speak to a hotels agent - she again repeated the $57 was the best she could do etc but went on to say these things happen from time to time etc etc

we discussed compensation and they are offering 'a link' that can save me up to $50 off future bookings....

brilliant!

i know that priceline customer service is noted for its compassion but really - is this the best that they can do when they made the booking with the cowboy hotel?

by the way - do not risk bidding 2* in hilton head you may 'win' this awful hotel AND be unlucky enough to have to stay there ...... we did have a lucky (if quite expensive) escape - it really is a dive .......

:)

[ufjoe21]

in this case I would dispute the priceline charge with your credit card company, typically priceline wins disputes, but seeing how priceline is admitting fault you would most likely when the chargeback for the cost of the original priceline reservation

[micheles]

thanks

they have said as a goodwill gesture they will give me back my money - that's good of them as they didn't give me what i paid for

has anyone else had a similar problem?

when walked from a wyndham in orlando last year i was well compensated - a night in a local hotel, transport both ways, $20 in phone calls and two nights to be used at a later day - all this and i was asked if i wanted to move

the plaza and priceline didn't ask - or tell - until close on midnight - and then i had to pay for another room ... :)

[micheles]

horrible hotel - and that is just the outside and foyer and reception staff

please do not feel tempted to bid on a 2* in hilton head - you could end up here and the bad reviews are far closer to the truth than those who say that they like it here

:)

[WillTravel]

Just refunding your money is not enough. I would suggest a campaign of fax and letter to Priceline. Just think if everyone who bid for a hotel showed up at their destination and were simply refunded their money!

[micheles]

i agree with you

it is most unsatisfactory that a booking made by a customer cannot be changed but a booking not honoured can be 'cancelled' by priceline

i have scoured the priceline website tonight to find details of this situation and cannot find anything other than when a booking is made on priceline the hotel has the details immediately locked into their reservation system (showing up as paid i presume)

priceline have invited me to ring them and speak with a customer services rep (again) but i think that this is their standard email response

i will do as you suggest and just keep on at them by email

does anyone know the name of anyone in particular i can target? the woman i spoke with tonight informed me that the rep in hotel reservations dept. was the highest authority i could speak with

now i feel sure some of you know better.......

[dahammer]

this is unconscionable! The hotel should have arranged and paid for similar accomodations because the hotel was overbooked and you were "walked". You should also have been provided transportation to the new hotel as well as breakfast the following day. I'm not sure if this website will help, but give it a shot. http://www.mytravelrights.com/

Priceline should use its relationship with the Hilton Head Plaza Hotel and Suites to "make good" on your behalf and should not shirk its responsibility. I would start with Priceline Management and Lisa Gillingham and go up the ladder from here.

[thereuare]

When you talk to Priceline customer service you'll need to reach an equitable resolution with them (which is actually the hotel's fault, but since you're priceline's customer, it now falls on their hands).

What is customary in the above is as dahammer mentions in his post, but if you went off and booked on your own it complicates things as you won't always get back the full price of your new hotel room. What if a Days Inn you book is sold-out and then you check-in to the local Four Seasons.. you won't get the Days Inn to pay for that room since the hotel quality is so different (just as the Westin is different than the 2* Plaza Suites).

I'm sure if you talk to a priceline rep you can come to some understanding, perhaps the cost of your room at the Westin (or at least the additional cost), but may have to settle for less due to the difference in each hotel's quality rating. (much will also depend upon how hard you tried to find a similarly rated hotel... if the Westin was 'reasonable' because it was right across the street and it was late, if there were hotels nearby that were comparable to the Plaza Suites, etc, etc)

[micheles]

thanks for your advice - i will contact the priceline management and see how things go

we went to the westin because we had stayed there earlier in the week and knew that they had availability - we also knew where it was! (we believe it to be a 3.5 star)

i appreciate that there is a difference in the quality of the two hotels and recognise that priceline might baulk at making up the difference but it would not be unreasonable for them to pay the going rate of a nearby 2*

it is a concern that priceline can almost condone this unreasonable behaviour and it could cast a shadow of uncertainty over future bookings at busy times - for any priceline customer :)

[GM Mike]

i appreciate that there is a difference in the quality of the two hotels and recognise that priceline might baulk at making up the difference but it would not be unreasonable for them to pay the going rate of a nearby 2*

I think you're right. Might be a good idea to do some searches of what other 2* hotels go for, on the same day of the week, and have that number in mind, so you can say "I'd like you to refund my payment to you and also the cost of my other hotel. no? well, I think it would be acceptable if you'd at least refund my payment and the cost of a comparable 2* hotel, which is $x"

Every reputable hotel would pay for your room somewhere else and transportation there. It's priceline's fault they put you at a disreputable hotel. It's time for them to take responsibility and go after that hotel themselves.

[micheles]

oh just for info thereuare, we had no choice but to go off and book another hotel, the plaza hotel did nothing to help us to find alternative accommodation and certainly did not offer to pay for the cost of our room elsewhere

[micheles]

hello

i did as you suggested and checked out the cost of a friday night stay at the comfort in in hilton head (excluding this easter weekend) and the cost ranged from $100 - $116 - so i sent this information to priceline and suggested that they might want to refund my original monies $57 and $109 (middling fee) for the cost of a night at the comfort in - i suggested that transport between hotels and breakfast could be left to them to see what they thought was acceptable

just received an email from katie leilous in the corporate offices saying that are willing to reimburse the difference between the cost of the two hotel stays ($57 and $209) - so i will fax the receipt tomorrow

thanks to all for your advice - i'll let you know when the monies hit my account

michele :)

[thereuare]

Glad you were convinced to stay on them and that priceline did the "right thing".

Happy to see it resolved to your satisfaction.

[micheles]

for the information of anyone who might find themselves in the same situation as we did

priceline have agreed to refund the money for the plaza and make good the difference for the westin

the plaza refund has already reached my account but the fax i sent with the bill from the westin has yet to reach them (!)- will have to resubmit

i'll let you know when the money does turn up (two months now.....) :)

[dahammer]

Scan the hotel bill as a .pdf file (if possible) and email it to someone in Customer Service. Ask for a reply as confirmation that s/he got it. :) Good luck!

you can use the refund on your next adventure!!