Credit Card Dispute Against Priceline
August 9, 2007 by TFBThis is an update to my credit card dispute against Priceline. When I went on vacation a few months ago, Priceline gave me a bad hotel. I’m usually not very picky. But this time it was bad enough for me to file a dispute with my credit card company against Priceline. It was the only dispute I ever filed against anybody. Just as I predicted, my dispute was denied. I received a form letter from my credit card company, which said:
“We have thoroughly reviewed the details of your dispute, and based on the information we have received, we are unable to issue a credit for the disputed amount(s). We understand that you were not satisfied with the outcome of the service provided by the merchant. Unfortunately, the merchant has the right to receive payment for services that were rendered. At this time we consider this dispute closed and the full amount now due.”
So basically as long as *some* service was provided, no matter how crappy it was, no matter whether it was misrepresented or not, there is NO protection from the credit card company.
I was not alone in complaining about Priceline’s misrepresentation. Many other travelers left negative comments about the same hotel right on Priceline’s website. Here are few of them:
“You can tell just from looking at the outside of the [...] Hotel that the building is old, and the rooms are just as shabby with old or cheap furnishings, a tiny television, and ceilings that are in ill repair. It really seemed more like an old Holiday Inn or similar budget hotel, and not a three star establishment.”
“I was very disappointed even with the reduced price. The A/C was on its last legs.”
“Very poor! Not a 3 star hotel–dirty chairs with large stains. Dirty curtains. Slow room service. A clock radio that was broken. And a very noisy room–both from road noise and hallway noise. I’ve traveled for years for work–and this was not a 3 star hotel!”
Yet Priceline continues passing off that hotel as a quality hotel.
I didn’t have high hopes for the credit card company. I always thought the credit card protection is a myth. Now it has become very clear to me. Choosing a reputable company for your business is the best defense against unsatisfactory experience. I learned my lesson.
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I’ve never heard of credit cards refunding money for poor service. That’s expecting a lot of a credit card company.
Not happy with the food at a restaurant? Contest the charge! Not happy with your hotel room? Contest the charge!
No, a better solution is to simply not use priceline in the future. You want a cheap hotel? Guess what? You got a cheap hotel.
If you buy a laptop online and they ship you a radio clock instead, would you not contest the charge? How is service any different? I bought a 3-star hotel, and they gave me one worse than Motel 6. I don’t think I was unreasonable.
tfb - I could not find a guarantee about hotel quality on Priceline. Do you have a link or something? I seem to recall that there used to be a guarantee, but I can’t say for sure. Perhaps they’ve done away with that and use people’s memories as capital.
I did find this on their website:
“Hotel Star Ratings: Priceline.com’s star rating system is provided for your reference. Like other well-known hotel rating systems, priceline uses a number of factors in evaluating the quality of participating hotels such as: size of rooms, decor/furnishings, amenities, public areas, hospitality services, maintenance/housekeeping, reputation, etc. Priceline.com screens participating hotels carefully and updates our information periodically to ensure the validity of our ratings. Our ratings systems may sometimes differ from those of other rating systems that you may be familiar with. We do not warrant or guarantee that our star rating system is equal to or consistent with any other star rating system.”
I disputed with Bank of America in regards to a failed mold remediation done on my home. I sent them 30+ pages of documentation to support my side of the case. For over two months they told me it was enough for them to proceed on my behalf. I called frequently and sent letters to follow up, asking did they need anything else. They continually said no. Meanwhile, they KNEW based on the fact that I’d disputed (on their recommendation, mind you) they under the header of quality of service that they actually needed something in very specific words in a very specific format that I hadn’t supplied them. Did they tell me while there was time for me to get that? No. They instead waited till the last minute and sent me a letter stating that what I’d sent wasn’t sufficient and they were going to close out the dispute in favor of the merchant. Which they did. I’ve been fighting this for a year. It is now in the hands of the OCC. I am in collections, and they are trying to serve me with some sort of papers. I am researching Regulation Z under the Truth In Lending act to see if it will help me. You might want to do the same. if you’re interested in a class action lawsuit you can count me in!
M, I applaud your fight for your rights all the way to the OCC. I wish you’d win. Can you share with us what “very specific words in a very specific format” they were looking for? It will help others who face similar issues with quality of service. Thank you.
I know I am reviving an old post here but I just wanted to comment with my own frustrations in a similar situation. If you want to read all about it you can go here:
http://thebaldmonkey.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/why-i-will-never-stay-at-holiday-inn-again/
The long and short of it was that I was quoted one price and charged another. The hotel denies the quote and I have been fighting them for 2 months now. BBB has gotten me nowhere and I am sure the credit card dispute won’t either as the hotel says they have signed receipts for the charges. But I can hope that someone with some authority will see my side and agree with me at some point.
I still have the Chamber of Commerce up there and the Attorney Generals office to complain to.
I won a disputed AMEX charge recently against a Hotel that was impossible to stay in due to outrageous and continued noise. The property told me to suck it up and no refund. I warned them I would publicize the case all over the internet. They laughed and told me to do my worst. I managed amongst other things, to get them pulled off the State’s tourist board list of recommended Hotels, a rebuke from their franchise owner, and many many travelers alerted to the type of treatment they may also receive.
This was not a Priceline stay, but I use Priceline frequently. I am currently in communication with a particular property I may end up winning in a PL bid. This Hotel assigns it’s PL customers with its oldest and dirtiest rooms, then tries to sell you an upgrade to a room approaching the quality level you thought you were bidding on in the first place. This has been bought to PL’s attention to no avail. There are PL user forums that document such behavior.
When you purchase a Hotel room at a particular star level, you have an expectation of merchantable quality commensurate with the generally accepted standard of that particular quality level.
Priceline generally will ignore all complaints about quality levels.
So, if you use PL you have to understand and accept its business model and shortcomings going forward.
Always, always, complain about bait and switch, and poor quality. It raises standards and improves chances for all of us. Ignore the amateur travelers that accuse us of whining. They generally need to stay out of airplanes and hotels, and off the roads.
YMMV