Inaccurate Priceline Map

[Colfax]

Last week I bid in Sacramento's South Natomas zone and won a brand new hotel, the Sheraton Four Points Airport. I liked the hotel just fine. My only issue with the Four Points was that it's in North Natomas, about two miles outside the boundaries of Priceline's South Natomas zone.

While I was at the hotel I sent Priceline an email through their Customer Service link, telling them about the inaccurate zone map. I didn't request or want a refund. I just wanted them to fix their map.

A couple hours later I got a response that said, in part:

When you placed your request, you selected the specific shaded area in which you wanted to stay. The hotel you received is in fact in one the shaded area of the map you saw on our web site. We apologize if you are not satisfied with the location of the hotel within your chosen zone.

But the hotel is NOT in the shaded area. Not only isn't it in the shaded area; it's off the zone map altogether, by more than a mile.

I wrote back, asking that they look at the matter again. I heard back from a different Customer Service Specialist, who replied as the first one did:

Thank you for taking the time to send us an e-mail. We understand that you beleive that you beleive that the Four Points By Sheraton Sacramento International Airport is not in the South Natomas area. You would like us to redraw our zone boundaries to include the Four Points location within the South Natomas zone or create a new zone that includes the Four Points area.

When you placed your request, you selected a specific shaded area in which you wanted to stay. The hotel you

received is in fact in the shaded area of the map you saw on our web site. We apologize if you are not satisfied with the location of the hotel within your chosen zone.

Contractual agreements with our travel partners do not permit us to change or cancel your reservation.

But the hotel is NOT inside the zone, and I'd never asked to change or cancel my reservation.

Then I called the 800 number and spoke to a third agent. I told her I'd written two emails and both reps erroneously told me the Four Points was inside the South Natomas zone. She put me on hold a few minutes. When she came back she said she'd investigated and the Four Points IS inside the zone as drawn. That made three Priceline reps in a row with the same wrong story.

I wondered if I was seeing a different zone map that these reps were looking at. Maybe Priceline revised the map at corporate level but the revision hadn't transmitted to the Priceline site yet? I asked the rep to bring up her South Natomas map and over the phone we verified that we were looking at the same map with the same zone boundaries. She said she'd refer the matter higher up for "research".

I emailed back the last rep and told him I wasn't satisfied with his response and had called the 800 number and Priceline would be researching the case further. He wrote back, in part:

Our records indicate that we have previously advised you of our policies regarding your reservation(s).

We wish we could provide the answers you are looking for; however, these policies are directly tied to contractual agreements with our travel partners. This in turn allows us to continue to offer competitive pricing and subsequent savings to our customers.

We are truly unable to assist you further in this matter. Please do not expect a response to further correspondence on this issue.

It's four days later now. I haven't heard back from Priceline and the zone map hasn't changed. I'll post back if there's any update.

[WillTravel]

I know you liked the hotel and didn't request a refund, but a response like this would make me want to dispute it with my credit card company! That might force them to look at the map.

I had a similar situation with Hotwire, and it took them a couple days to resolve it, but they did, offering me either $50 HotDollars or a refund (this was prior to the stay).

[dahammer]

a year or so ago, I was bidding in the Williamsport, PA zone, which at the time did not have a map outlining the zone. I won the Quality Inn in South Williamsport, which was a bit of a dump, so I disputed this with Priceline claiming that the hotel was not located in the city of Williamsport. Spoke to two different robots at PL, they were steadfast and would not budge, claiming that the hotel was within the zone.

HOTWIRE now lets you search for an address on its zone maps, which is a great feature.

[thereuare]

The problem may be that this address is not widely avaialable thru all mapping services.

If you put the address of the propert into GoogleMaps it gives an approximate location just south of Arco arena... placing this property in the South Natomas Zone.

Using MapQuest the location is shown more accurately (from what you're telling me) as just North of Arco arena... placing it outside of the South Natomas zone.

So it may be that the exact location isn't shown on the maps that priceline customer service is using internally.

If this happens again and it is a hotel that you don't want ot keep, i would try two other things in addition to what you've tried above:

1) ask them where on the priceline zone map they believe the hotel is located

2) ask priceline to call the hotel and ask the hotel to confirm that they're correctly zoned as per the priceline boundary

[Colfax]

thereuare,

I think you hit on the explanation. The Four Points is in a newly built area and apparently not all mapping programs have the new street names and addresses loaded yet.

MapQuest correctly locates the hotel's address --- 4900 Duckhorn Drive --- as well outside Priceline's South Natomas zone. Google Maps doesn't recognize the same address and returns an "approximate location". That "approximate location" is within Priceline's South Natomas zone, but it's not where the Four Points is actually located.

Even though Priceline told me further emails on this subject won't get a response I'm tempted to write again and ask them to recheck the address using MapQuest instead of whatever program they're using. I'm not ready to dispute it with the CC company, as WillTravel suggests. I'm afraid Priceline will cut me off and then I'll be out on the streets! :)

[Colfax]

Here's an update:

Even though Priceline told me not to contact them about this matter again I did. I thought the new info from thereuare---that some mapping programs, including Google maps, misplace the Four Points---was crucial and relevant. I advised Priceline of the Google Maps issue and requested that they map the Four Points using MapQuest, which has the location right. Since different programs yield different locations I suggested Priceline contact the hotel to determine which location was correct.

Without acknowledging my comments about Mapquest vs Google Priceline wrote back that the case was closed and further correspondence from me would get no response. Great customer service for someone who booked more than 90 hotel nights on Priceline in 2007, yes? :)

Six weeks later I bid and won the Four Points again. During those six weeks Priceline had revised the South Natomas map, expanding the zone to take in a Fairfield Inn. That revision STILL left the Four Points outside the zone though.

Immediately after checking in I asked to see the hotel's manager, and I had a printout of Priceline's South Natomas zone in my hand. The general manager agreed with me that the hotel was outside the zone boundaries. She was already aware that Google Maps incorrectly maps the hotel's address but she'd never seen the Priceline zone map. She also told me the Four Points doesn't show up on some GPS systems, although the hotel's been open four months now.

I emailed Priceline again, making no reference to my stay 6 weeks previous. I was concerned if I mentioned that prior stay Priceline would see "Case Closed" and not read my current email. I hoped to start fresh with someone new.

This time I got an email that Priceline wanted to speak with me on the phone and they gave me a 1-800 number to call. I took that as a sign that they were taking this request more seriously than the first, especially since the mail was signed by someone with an English name. (The first time I dealt with three different people in India.) It turned out the 1-800 number was the regular customer service number though and the person who answered the call hadn't seen my email and didn't have access to it. I had to explain the situation from scratch all over again.

Rep #1 told me that I should have contacted Priceline before I checked into the hotel. There was nothing she could do. I asked to speak to her supervisor. The supervisor gave me a $10 voucher and said I should email Administration through the Investor Relations link on Priceline's home page about the mapping issue. I did that and got the following response a couple days later:

Dear Mr. XXX,

Thank you for contacting us regarding your concerns and feedback with

your hotel reservation at the Four Points By Sheraton for Request Number

XXXXXXXX.

We are writing to let you know that we have received your e-mail in our

Executive Offices. We understand that the hotel is incorrectly located.

We apologize for the inconvenience you have been caused. We have issued

you a full refund on this reservation for the mistake. This refund will

be posted to your account in 5-10 business days. Our research team has

been made aware of this mistake and will fix it as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

XXXX XXXXXX

Executive Offices

I just checked and the South Natomas map is fixed now. It took more than six weeks and I had to speak with six different Priceline reps before anything happened. I think I'm entitled to comps for those two nights I won in December too , but I'm going to let it rest now. If the situation comes up again I'll go straight to Investor Relations.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the update... glad to hear your diligence has resulted in more accurate data for the rest of us :)

[dahammer]

I think I'm entitled to comps for those two nights I won in December too , but I'm going to let it rest now

I wonder if investor relations would be interested in seeing copies of your December correspondance? Since you have the email address of a real human being rather than a faceless "customer care" general email address, you have nothing to loose. Well done, BTW!!

[Colfax]

Thanks, dahammer. I think I'll forward that earlier correspondence as you suggest.

The big cigar here, more important to me than the refund, is that the representative from investor relations gave me a phone number where I can reach him directly and told me to call him if I have a problem like this again.

[BEAV]

I can't even remember the circumstances now, but a few years ago the only way I got anywhere with Priceline on a dispute was by correcponding with their executive offices via the investor's part of their website. It seems you have to get to that level before you find anyone with half a brain to stop and figure things out.

I agree with dahammer you should share your December experience with your new-found contact within Priceline. Refunds aside, they need to know what's going on (or in this case, not going on) at the lower customer service levels.

Excellent follow-through, Colfax!

"Colfax vs Priceline" would have made for great material for an episode on William Shatner's "Boston Legal". What a spin to have Priceline as the defendant on Shatner's show!