Priceline Hotel: Made a mistake...what to do?

[CKelGo]

I was bidding on 3 and 4 * properties in Charleston's historic district. My bid got rejected, so I added in the North Charleston - Airport - Coliseum area which I thought the list indicated there were no 3* hotels in that area and upped my bid. It got accepted for the area I did not want.

Am I able to try and sell this stay to someone else as its not even the area we will be staying in?

I am very new to priceline and clearly made a big mistake. I really can't afford to be out $250.

Thanks.

[dahammer]

before you ask for help to get out of your jam, you should post your winning Priceline bid with the date(s) of travel, the star level of the hotel, your bid amount, and the zone in which your hotel is located.

[CKelGo]

Ok, thank you. I just posted it. I appreciate any advice you have for me.

[dahammer]

thank you for posting your win.

I would call priceline immediately and advise the customer service agent of your mistake, indicate that you accidentally checked off that zone. Priceline will occasionally allow you a "do over" and refund your bid, less $25, if you bid successfully for another property in the same area such as Downtown Charlston.

You should never use the BetterBidding lists to determine your rebid zones, the following appears on the top of each list:

This list is NOT a complete list of all hotels that Priceline offers in this area, it is ONLY a compilation of hotels that have already been reported on this forum. Hotels are added/removed by Priceline all the time, and star ratings can change at ANY time. As well, the geographic boundaries of an area are subject to change, so it is always a good idea to look at the Priceline map before purchasing. DO NOT USE THIS LIST to determine what areas to add when attempting to bid again within the 24 hour window (CLICK HERE for information on how to add cities in order to bid again).

In light of the above, you MAY get a hotel that is NOT on this list, or get a hotel on this list but at a star level you didn't expect (if the star rating has changed).

in the case of your bidding area, Charlston, there are two rebid zones where the highest rated hotel is less than 3 stars. Can you list these below?

[CKelGo]

I thought there were three:

North Charleston - Airport - Coliseum

North Charleston - Northwoods Mall - Wannamker Park

West

I chose the first one as my re-bid. The list shows that one as well as an Airport - Coliseum listing. I was obviously a bit confused by that, considering Sheraton is listed under Airport - Coliseum and I chose my re-bid area as North Charleston - Airport - Coliseum. Maybe they are one in the same, I'm not sure.

[CKelGo]

As a side note, I did call Priceline several times last night right after I realized what happened. They said they could not help. I now have a call into the hotel manager and I'm hoping they are willing to help somehow. Priceline said if the hotel agrees to cancel, then they just need to confirm with them and they can refund my money. That's what I'm hoping for.

I completely realize this is not Priceline's fault, it is my own. Maybe you can help me understand where I went wrong in understanding my re-bid. Thank you.

[dahammer]

at the 4* level the current rebid zones are:

Ashley River Area, Downtown Charleston, Folly Beach, North Charleston - Airport - Coliseum, North Charleston - Northwoods Mall - Wannamaker Park, West Charleston

At the 3* level, the current rebid zones are:

North Charleston - Northwoods Mall - Wannamaker Park, West Charleston.

Hotels are added and dropped all the time so you need to check your rebid zones each time.

I would call PRICELINE again and ask to speak to a supervisor, ask for the option to cancel out the bid for a $25 cancel fee if you are successful with a new bid in the Charlston area.

Good luck, this cancel option has been granted to me at least once and to other board members.

Let us know how you make out.

[CKelGo]

Thank you, I will keep you posted. I will try to call them today and get a supervisor.

[CKelGo]

An update: I put a call into the Sheraton last night and they said someone would call me within 24-48 hrs. I followed up with a call just now and a very nice lady told me that my reservation had been cancelled and that they had already notified Priceline for me. That was very nice of them to do for me and I expressed to her how much I truly appreciated it. Now, I will just follow up with Priceline to make sure the charges are refunded. I'm very happy with this result and will now try again to get the area that we wanted.