I had shopped them on and off for several months in 2001. When I was ready to buy, I went through the process of entering my credit card information and choosing an itinerary. I was quoted a price of $231 on March 27th, 2001, 16 days before I planned to travel.
After confirming my itinerary, I clicked "purchase". Instead of a purchase confirmation, I got the error message below:
(I always take a screenshot of my online purchases for my own records). I believe "NSAPI" refers to the Netscape Server Advanced Programming Interface (Hotwire runs Netscape Enterprise on the Solaris operating system). There were no instructions for proceeding with their transaction, or anything to indicate it did or did not go through.
I clicked "back" and tried again, and got the message below:
Although I could understand this message, it was inaccurate. I had not been inactive for 30 minutes.
I went to the site's Customer Service section and sent a message using their web-based email form. I included the complete text of the error message, my purchase reference number, and user name. After submitting my email message, I received a confirmation which said I should hear back within 12 hours.
I didn't hear back, so I called later that same day. The customer service agent said the site was having difficulties, and the email staff needed a few more hours to get caught up.
I was told my transaction would still be completed at the price I was quoted. In other words, we had a deal; a sale had taken place, and I should not purchase a ticket elsewhere.
Two days passed, and I never heard back, so I called again. I was now told that my my transaction would not be completed, and they didn't have any of the emails I sent.
I was told the price of my itinerary was now several hundred dollars more. They would not honor the earlier transaction or give me the same fare because I didn't "complete the purchase".
They told me the purchase was completed on the phone earlier, preventing me from buying my tickets elsewhere. The 14-day advanced purchase window had now closed, and they were reneging on the transaction we agreed to over the phone.
I was told the website originally crashed due to a "necessary re-cycling of the servers". This is not a technically valid reason for dropping transactions. Hotwire could not explain why my email went unanswered, which is obviously poor service.
I would caution those looking for discount airfares that I found Hotwire (in 2001) to be unreliable their web technology and customer service.
Beware, Hotwire has introduced me to some fine hotels in San Francisco, and deals can be found at the highest price points; however, my last three experiences have been horrific. After receiving a small, handicapped room with no door on the bath and blood on the mat in one room, sharing a wall with the elevator in another, and being told by the front desk at the third that I was receiving a basic room with two double beds because I booked with Hotwire, but could pay another $80 for a King...I have had enough. Hotwire offers their "dollars" as an apology "for the hotel" but will not admit that the rates they offer are for the most undesirable rooms in the hotels. It is also industry standard to offer reduced amenities and services to customers of third party travel sites. You get what you pay for, why give Hotwire the money?
wow...if I had done a search for Hotwire, I probably wouldn't have used them either. As it is, I've used them twice with very good results! The first time, I paid $58 for a 3.5 star hotel in Cincy (turned out to be a handicap room @ the Millennium, but I was quite content!) and more recently, I was having computer issues so I called Hotwire directly, spoke with a rep who was very patient with me (I was battling a cold that had me sounding like I had a terrible case of laryngitis, plus I kept asking her to repeat every other word 'cause my ears were plugged up, too) & booked a 3 star for $52 in Baltimore..ended up at the Hilton Garden Inn, brand new hotel in Hanover (had only been open about 4 mths), was less than 10 mins from the airport AND offered an airport shuttle (I was also able to print my boarding pass using their business center). The hotel was clean & quiet (I think I may've been the only person on the entire 5th floor), the bed was so comfy, it made me want one for everyday! (The 32" LCD tv also helped me realize that I wouldn't need anything larger than that), & the staff was extremely courteous.
I admit that the whole idea of prepaying (and not knowing which hotel I've paid for until the end) was almost enough to make me think twice..but I've been satisfied the 2 times I've used them. The only reason I was doing a search for it now is because I'm still having those computer issues (the date fields aren't visible).
HOTWIRE AND HOTEL ROOMS
I read a number of people here were angry about booking a hotel without first finding the name of it and its location.
The rates on Hotwire are probably great for hotels, but it is "too much an act of faith" to choose a rate...and then get the hotel later on...
Sorry, I don't have that faith, and common sense tells me it is unwise to rent an (unnamed) hotel. The exception is if you are traveling alone on business and don't really care.
I will try it for a rental car. There's less risk in that.
Folks, be reasonable...it just doesn't make any sense to get an un-named hotel room.
sanjosemike
I booked a 3.5 star hotel with Hotwire only to find that when the hotel was "revealed", it had become a 2 star. They are not going to give me a refund, even though their website amounts to a bait and switch.
I consistently find these sorts of errors in my later searches: you click on one deal and it switches to something else as some point in the check out process. They are basically a scam, and seem to not care, as their customer service is a joke and cannot refund or switch your deal.
Class action lawsuit in the making?
asynchronously Durer Lyra puppets poignancy withstands ...
I'm doing some research on the internet to see if there are any legitimate complaints against HOTWIRE.COM, and came across this site.
At first I was shocked at all the negative postings, but then I read many of them and noticed that most of you people who were burned by their experiences often put 100% faith in the descriptions and details on Hotwire instead of doing proper third party research on the hotels in question...when I pull a package off of the site I type the hotel name into TRIPADVISOR.COM and also have GOOGLE EARTH up at the same time. I can check the hotel area, estimate distances to attractions, airports and such, as well as get a variety of reviews from TRIPADVISOR.
You would think when you guys plan to spend thousands of dollars on a trip you might actually do some research before you sign on the dotted line.
Ever hear of buyer beware? Shop smart, do the leg work and protect your investment. All you complainers sound like the parents who blame McDonald's or Coca-Cola for making their children obese, but fail to look in the mirror to see the ACTUAL person to blame.
Complaints are fine, but show us all that you think first!!
BTW Guys,
I did a little more research...you all DO realize that HOTWIRE.COM is a fully owned and operated company by EXPEDIA...trading on the NASDAQ under EXPE (Expedia's normal stock code).
The terms and conditions on Hotwire is quite the document, but not any different than the same conditions on Sears Travel, Marlin Travel and all other travel agencies.
love this website. you get your moneys worth.you only get what you give. just be smart with their policies every company has one.
i tried to book a car rental at 18.90 but when i clicked on it it said the SAME CAR SAME TIME was 26.90. i called them and i talked to a costumer service person that was in INDIA! they are rotten liers
I booked a hotel room weeks ago.Got confirmation #, everything was fine & dandy. 7days before leaving up to N.Y. to stay at my booked room I receive an e-mail from hotwire. Sorry but the suite you paid for is no longer available. Now how is that possible? I can keep my reservation but take another room & I'll get hotwire bucks as a reward for my next booking through hotwire. First of all, I never booked a suite to begin with and second of all I WILL NEVER USE HOTWIRE AGAIN. So I am downgrading my room for the same price & getting some stupid hotwire bucks that are worth sh..!
I have booked several times on Hotwire and never had any problems. Maybe it was because I read the rules and restrictions before booking knowing how much flexibilty I would have.Granted it wasn't much but thats why I booked on there,I knew I was getting a deal on the rooms I booked.Our Church uses this site all the time.
I am being charged by HOTWIRE for a hotel stay I didn't want, hit the wrong tab w/ too many tab buttons open on computer. I am not going to pay for something I didn't use. I think that HOTWIRE are thieves and they take the money and run. My next stop is Attorney General!
forge hedges?wenches ha?grinder stumbling braying viscounts
Not only is it a scam, it is extortion. They have no regard for the end user in mind. There rates aren't even that good! I would rather pay $5 a night extra to be sure that I won't get screwed.
All I can say is DON'T USE HOTWIRE!! They are the perfect desription of "scamming" on the interent! I booked a hotel for my parents in Mass. for June 2009. After booking it I was surprised with what I got since I asked for a certain area and got a totally different one. I went by the hotel to take a look with my parents and could not believe my eyes! It looked like the gheto! I am not even exaggerating a little! The place as my mom put it "is a "dump"! There were people living there! Grills on the patio, ripped curtains and even a tire swing hanging from a tree!! I was appalled. My parents kept asking me if I was sure I had the right address! The place looked like a bedbug cockroach infested place without a doubt! They are absolutely not going to stay
there so I contacted Hotwire and got NO help what so ever! They basically told me that once you put in all your information and hit "ENTER" that is it!! Never will I use them again. They were so rude and could care less that these were elderly people I was talking about. My parents were not even asking for their money back they were just asking to be switched to another hotel and would even pay more if they had to! They again told me "Sorry we can't do anything for you." I guess it's true what they say "You get what you get and you don't get upset!" They should have that plastered all over their website then maybe people would think twice before hitting "ENTER"!!!
I am always surprised to see that Hotwire advertises car rentals for $19/day and the total amount for the rental happens to be the same as other sites that offer $31/day... Maybe it's just me or Hotwire really thinks that we are all suckers for a $19/day deal that really is a $31/day deal...
Used Hotwire for the first time and will NEVER use them again. I was promised a 4-star hotel in Chicago, but what I got instead was a company lodge in the woods. The trip isn't until July and I am NOT going to stay at a lodge. These folks do nothing but read from scrips about no refunds, etc., but they fail to see that a lodge in the woods does NOT qualify as a 4-star HOTEL.
Not one person at "customer service" can tell me the name of an executive I can write. Not one. I even spoke to a supervisor who had no clue. He didn't even know the corporate headquarter's address.
These scammers have NOT heard the last from me.
There is NO consumer protection and NO customer service. DON'T USE HOTWIRE.
I thought I found a deal on hotwire.com for a hotel for $99 per night, but after reading all of these experiences I'm very much hestitant from booking with them. I could never understand why they won't disclose the name of the hotel until you book. Now, I see. That quirk gives them leverage to bait and switch you. If this site is as bad as you guys say it is, some state's attorneys should be looking into these deceptive practices the same way they scrutinize Craigslist. There needs to be more consumer potection laws for users buying things on the Internet. I say making Hotwire clean up their act is a good start. I will not be booking with Hotwire; although I was surprised to read hotels.com is a subsidary of the Hotwire's parent company.
I have used Hotwire a lot. Usually things go ok although I have had a few surprises.
Tonight I was going on to book the room I booked last time. $49 per night. It stated it was in North Scottsdale but in fact when I got there, it was a neighboring city, Paradise Valley. It was much further than I had hoped but the hotel was so nice and the free breakfast buffet was great. I was suppose to pay $15 a day for the internet but if you go into the lobby and sign on for free you can walk back to your room and still be connected. So that turned out to be a great deal, despite the lawn mowing at 4:04 AM!
So when I was going on to book at that hotel again, which was a three star hotel, I noticed that there was a 4.5 star hotel for only $17 a night more. So I went ahead and booked 5 nights at $66 a night. I got the confirmation email, which I usually never read. I noticed that at the bottom, in gray letters, it says that this hotel will charge $25 per night once I get there.
Totally unacceptable! The hotel was not in Scottsdale as advertised. It's in Paradise Valley again and instead of $66 a night it is $91 a night. I think that is a bit of bait and switch. You think your room is paid for but then you have a 35% additional fee added on.
Isn't there anything that can be done about these deceptive practices. After being a monthly customer of Hotwire for the past few years, i will no longer be using them.
After reading all the complaints on here, I realize that without a doubt they are not going to refund me my money. Lesson learned. Hopefully all of these complaints will save someone else the cash and learn from our mistakes.
If only I have found this site, I wouldn't lost a thousand dollars for that shitty HOTWIRE site.
Obviously the people at hotwire can't do anything at all but sit in their scamming chairs opening their rude mouths to people.
I have not come across any company that hire employees that "can't do anything" at all.
DO NOT USE HOTWIRE!!!
I rented a car from Hotwire for "Houston". When I typed in Houston, it took me right into the car options screen. No pop up window or other warning that there are apparently two airport options in Houston, 45 minutes apart. When I got the HW confirmation, I realized the two airports didn't match, and called to switch airports. Same city, same pick-up day/time, same rental agency- I would even have paid more if necessary. I was given multiple, verbatim quotes on "company policy" and admonished in every interaction about my responsibility. Three transfers and a disconnect from a "supervisor" in India later, I finally realized that there would be absolutely NO attempt to help. None. A deceptive, miserable, exploitive experience. As a first and only time Hotwire user, I will avoid Hotwire at all costs moving forward, and will make sure to share my experience with every consumer website and unwary individual traveler I can. As a senior hospitality executive, I am absolutely shocked at the poor levels of customer service I received from this company- if I mistreated my customers even half as badly , I wouldn't have any customers to worry about. May Hotwire be as successful as their policies and customer service are fair and helpful....that is, not at all.
I've been trying to get a charge back for a room I booked in Cancun. Now the medical alert has been raised for all areas of Mexico and unnecessary travel has been discouraged, Hotwire will STILL not refund the hotel charge. They'd rather you risk your health and others. What do they care? THIEVES. Live and learn.
I decided to take my girlfriend to Paris for a long weekend for her birthday since flights were very cheap for March. I went on Hotwire to book a room and they showed a "4 star" hotel right near the Arc Triomphe. The site stated that the hotel had a fitness center and laundry facilities. It turns out that the hotel had neither, and according to the manager, never had. In addition, the hotel could not be considered a 4 star hotel by any stretch of the imagination. Calling it a 3 star hotel would also be a stretch. The bed sagged badly in the middle and had seen better days. The sheets were paper thin. The room was tiny (this after the manager upgraded us to a "deluxe" room). The safe was broken. After booking, I found the same room on Travelocity for $5 more INCLUDING BREAKFAST, which the hotel charged $22 per person if you did not have it included. I contacted Hotwire and they said they would investigate and gave me a $50 discount towards future bookings. It has been several weeks now and no answer. They are now not even responding to my e-mails. I would never use Hotwire again, nor their affiliated sites, Expedia and Hotels. com, all 3 owned by the same company. Stating that all transactions are final is not an excuse to lie and commit fraud.
Ugh, Hotwire is horrendous. I booked a small SUV to take a piece fo furniture and my dogs to Dallas from Oklahoma City. I got a confirmation saying the small suv was guaranteed. When I went to pick up the car, Hertz only had behomoth SUV's and "upgraded me to one" I said I didnt want a big car, (my everyday was is a TownCar), so the last thing I needed was another gas guzzler. I had no choice but to take the huge SUV. I called Hotwire to complain and ask them why they simply didnt place my reservation with another car company that HAD what they promised to get me. They said they'd give me $25 Hotwire dollars. I said, "do you seriously think I'd ever use your miserable company again" and they hung up on me. Hotwire is miserable to deal with and I would NEVER use them again.
Booked through Hotwire for a room in Venice Beach, CA. When we arrived there was no water in the room (front desk assured us it would be working by 7 PM and it was in the toilet and shower, however never in the sink.tough to brush your teeth without water in the sink) It was advertised as having wireless internet in all rooms (there was none, but for a fee, they would add it for us) there was no mention thru HOTWIRE of a charge for parking (and it was $15.00 per day) HOTWIRE advertised Breakfast with the room (there was ONLY coffee in the lobby) We called HOTWIRE from the room before checking out. The only response we got was they would investigate. Later told, these things happen occasionally. We complained at the front desk on checkout, told they weren't concerned as the hotel would be changing it's name shortly and any complaints would not pertain. I will never trust Hot Wire again. I certainly can understand things happening, but I can't understand their cold indifference, paying top dollar and getting campground setting. And all the extra charges that were "hidden" until were their "captives". Our nightmare was March 11, 2009.
Hotwire was and IS a huge problem. They would not allow us to make any changes to our travel reservations once the credit card was charged. My wife got sick 3 days before our departure date. I still had to go as it was a business trip. Hotwire will not help you in any way once the money is in their account. It took several phone calls trying to work with them to just change the reservation to my credit card. They simply refused to help me and wouldn't give us a refund. I ended up losing the money and still paying for the trip. I had a similar disaster with Hotels.com. In this case, I was the keynote speaker at a convention in California. I booked my hotel reservation 3 months in advance. The day before I was supposed to leave Hotels.com e-mails me and says due to an error on their part, I have no reservation. All the hotels were now booked and I ended up paying 3 times as much at a hotel 15 miles away. Hotels.com's idea of customer service when I called them was offering a $20. coupon the next time I used their service. I am convinced that on-line services purposely make non-refunds their policy to cheat people out of money. I will never use one again. NEVER. If you are smart, go directly to the provider and make your reservation and check with them about refunds before you give them a dime.
Hotwire - Hotels.com Horrible!
No problems with Hotwire -
I have never had a problem with the site--in fact, I have found great deals on hotels in downtown Chicago. Checkout betterbidding.com and you can basically figure out what hotel you will get (at least within 2 or 3 hotels).
As for the mileage complaint--read their terms. The mileage is not from the hotel, it is from the center of the area.
As long as you are not a complete fool you can rather easily use Hotwire to get a great deal. Here is a word of advice--don't book a 2.5 star hotel on Hotwire if you don't want to stay in a shithole. Stop looking for someone else to blame, Hotwire is not a scam.
As a note, my last use of Hotwire was staying at the Hilton in downtown Chicago for $79 a night.
Hotwire takes advantage of people.
Hotwire left me on my own after a completely irresponsible action of one of their hotel partners (OAK PLANTATION RESORT, Kissimmee FL). I was refused of the hotel room I had paid for in advance to Hotwire. I was left without any accommodation at 2:00 am in a city unknown to me. I was forced to look for hotels at 2:00 am in a place that was all booked up because of the irresponsible actions of OAK PLANTATION RESORT and because HOTWIRE did not assist me on getting an alternative place. I lost all morning and part of the afternoon recovering from a nightmare my family and I will never forget. I had to pay from my pocket for another hotel and after sending countless emails and making even more phone calls, HOTWIRE agreed to pay me my money back, not without a catch: I have to wait for up to 60 days to get it. In compensation HOTWIRE offered an apology and 25 Monopoly dollares (they call it HotDollars and they are only good for buying stuff from Hotwire). Yes, you read correctly: 25 Monopoly dollars was what they offered to compensate for their irresponsibility and incompetence.
That's HOTWIRE for you.
Join the campaingn: DO NOT USE HOTWIRE!!!
Hotwire takes advantage of people.
Hotwire left me on my own after a completely irresponsible action of one of your hotel partners (OAK PLANTATION RESORT, Kissimmee FL). I was refused of the hotel room I had paid for in advance to Hotwire. I was left without any accommodation at 2:00 am in a city unknown to me. I was forced to look for hotels at 2:00 am in a place that was all booked up because of the irresponsible actions of OAK PLANTATION RESORT and because HOTWIRE did not assist me on getting an alternative place. I lost all morning and part of the afternoon recovering from a nightmare my family and I will never forget. I had to pay from my pocket for another hotel and after sending countless emails and making even more phone calls HOTWIRE agreed to pay me my money back, not without a catch: I have to wait for up to 60 days to get it. In compensation HOTWIRE offered an apology and 25 Monopoly dollares (they call it HotDollars and they are only good for buying stuff from Hotwire). Yes, you read correctly: 25 Monopoly dollars was what they offered to compensate for their irresponsibility and incompetence.
That's HOTWIRE for you.
Glad I googled hotwire first! Even though there are a lot of comments in support of Hotwire(MUST HAVE SOME CONNECTION,I tend to believe when there are more than two or three complaints.I guess I'm so sick of all the companies,businesses,etc..with their schemes and scams (seems like everyone from cell phone providers to insurance companies have hidden "policies"). You should not need a law degree just to rent a car,use a cell service,isp, or any other service,and the customer service employees they pay and train to intentionally mislead all in the name of the almighty dollar.I hope you all know how to hunt,fish and grow your own food.Between you and the rest of the greedy slime that are destroying this country and world you will eventually need retraining when money is not worth the paper it is printed on as I will not be feeding you. Oh yeah,I will not be using Hotwire.
DO NOT USE HOTWIRE!!! I used them the first time just a couple of months ago...booked a room that was to be within a certain mileage of a certain address but after I purchased it and was given the hotel information I found out it was actually NOT within the decided mileage. Called Hotwire and they DID NOT CARE! They commented that it was "only 1 more mile, was it really that important?" This past weekend I decided to give them another try. Surely it would be better! I booked a 2.5 star hotel. When I got there I found the hotel to be in complete disrepair. The location was unsafe (in my opinion, and I was traveling alone with my daughter) and the room itself was disgustingly filthy! Upon opening the door of the room a stench hit my nose that there are no words to describe. Also, when I pulled back the sheets of the bed there were hairs an other debris on present. The pillows were a dingy, dirty, stinky yellow mess. I went immediately out of the room and down to my car to call Hotwire. I described the problem to the service rep and was hassled on exactly why I wanted out of the rental agreement. After quite a long conversation I was given the option of canceling and getting a refund and re booking at a different hotel. Obviously I needed a different hotel! I was not allowed to use the money I had already paid-it was going to be refunded to me in 3-4 business days. I was required to pay immediately the amount that it would cost to rent another room. That put me in quite a position! OR I could simply cancel the reservation and not have a hotel room. Needless to say,I had to pony up another reservation fee and travel to another hotel. No apologies just business. Hotwire was NOT worth the $9.99 that I saved on the room rental! I will just pay the entire room rate in the future and know that I will be in a safe, clean hotel.
HOTWIRE IS A SCAM -
Today I booked a hotel on Hotwire at one rate, then opened another browser found the exact same hotel description at a reduced rate. I told my friend about it who was going to stay at the same hotel. He booked the hotel at the reduced rate and we discovered it was the exact same hotel. I called to tell them that the different browsers are producing different rates, they would not give me a credit for my "over charged" purchase. I talked to an incompetent manager who gave me a half-assed explanation. I have a call into corporate to let them know how furious I am. It is a joke and scam and they are taking advantage of the consumer.
Beware of hotwire, very rude people, once you reserve there is no way back, they pick your hotel any where in the city so you don't know where you end, also they don't honor tax exemption when applicable
Beware of hotwire, very rude people, once you reserve there is no way back, they pick your hotel any where in the city so you don't know where you end, also they don't honor tax exemption when applicable
Beware of hotwire, very rude people, once you reserve there is no way back, they pick your hotel any where in the city so you don't know where you end, also they don't honor tax exemption when applicable
I too wished I had read this site before booking with Hotwire. I hate them and will tell the whole world about them I booked a room for two days in N. Carolina where my sister lives. She checked out the hotel they set me up with and said it was nasty, dirty and smelled. I am traveling with a four yr. old and six month old. I called hotline to complaint, but they said they could not take another persons word. That when I got there myself to call them and complaint. I will be getting in late and am not going to be looking around for another hotel at that time of night with two small children. Oh well I just lost 130.00 dollars. I hate you hotwire. Dont you check these hotels before you set people up in them.
I came across this site, and thought I would post a few insights into some of the issues I have read here. I am a hotel revenue manager, and my job is to manage content, inventory (rooms available), and rates on sites such as hotwire, priceline, expedia, etc. I also have an extensive professional travel background. Firstly, with regard to rates, and whether or not you got a "deal:" Hotwire does not set their rates, the travel vendors do. The same applies to all internet sites. We determine what rate we wish to receive, travel vendors add a pre-determined markup, which is usually 18-25%, and that is the rate you pay. The hotel receives the base rate, less the markup. The same applies for car rental and airline reservations.
You got to the hotel and they did not have your reservation-this is not the fault of the service you purchased thru. This is the fault of the reservations staff at the hotel. Understand that most front desk clerks understand very little about ecommerce, and how rates are set, or communicated to online sites. They are often poorly trained, and many of them honestly have no clue that someone at the hotel, or in the hotel chain, sets and manages these rates.
You can't change the name on your airline ticket, or make a change-duh. Again-this is an airline regulation, and has nothing to do with the service you purchased thru. You should also know for an absolute fact that if you ticket thru anyone other than the carrier directly, they will almost always tell you to go back to the ticketing agency. Unfortunately, the ticketing agency is legally bound by the rules of the fare imposed by the airline. Name changes are permitted on about three foreign carriers that I know of, and absolutely NO domestic carriers. Changes to itinerary always incur a change fee, and any difference in fare for the new flight. Any advance purchase, non-refundable fare incurs such charges, and that means virtually any ticket that is not first or business class. Period. If you have any doubt about your dates of travel, DON'T BOOK, or ticket thru the carrier directly, always. This also applies if you are booking thru a travel agent.
Hotwire changed my flight-NO, they did not. The airlines do schedule changes all the time. If the change is more than so many hours, they are required to contact the passenger. They usually don't. The new flights are booked by computer, and frequently create a misconnect. When you find this out, they will tell you to contact your ticketing agent or service. Don't stand for it. Demand a supervisor immediately. There are actual schedule change departments at all airlines, and it is THEIR job to fix the mess. This does not always mean you'll get the flight you want, as sometimes entire routes are discontinued, but going back to the ticketing agency or service really can't help a whole lot. It's up to the airline to fix the mess they created in the first place.
Regarding cancelling a ticket-it's an advance purchase non-refudnable fare. You're stuck. However, any ticket can be voided by the generating agency, including the air carrier if they did the ticketing, within 24 hours of issue. NO-the industry does not want you to know this, but it can be done, per ARC regulations. ARC, or the Airline Regulation Commission, governs the rules of ticketing for all agencies, including the airlines. A ticket can be voided in any ticketing system within 24 hours of issue by the ticketing agent. After 24 hours, the ticket is reported to ARC, and is a done deal. You are then governed by the fare rules regarding changes, and fees for changes.
Can you get a deal on hotwire-absolutely. We use opaque services such as hotwire and priceline to get rid of last minute inventory, or to build a base of business for future dates of stay, without publishing such distressed rates, and "cheapening" our product in the market place. This is why the hotel name is revealed after booking. And yes, I am employed by a four-star resort. Good luck!
Hi everyone. I just finished reading all the postings about Hotwire. OUCH! To all those who had horrible experiences, I'm sorry. IF I had read all your negative comments a few years ago, before I became an avid hotwire fan, I too would have never hearkened the door of Hotwire.
BUT, I didn't read these negative comments years ago. And I'm so glad I didn't.
Because Hotwire has saved me a HUGE amount of money over the past few years!!
1. Let's talk about Car Rentals. I travel a lot, and rent many cars, especially in the USA. By doing diligent comparative searches ahead of time between carrentals.com, expedia.com, etc., and by checking back every hour on Hotwire, I almost always find the cheapest (by FAR) car rentals through Hotwire. The same car-class on Hotwire at the same airport location is typically 25-50% LOWER using Hotwire than it's sister Expedia.com. (Note: Hotwire is only useful for car-rentals at airports, not city locations, so if you need to rent your car in a city, or one-way, don't bother with Hotwire.)
9 out of 10 times Hotwire car rentals have gone through flawlessly for me. I saved SUBSTANTIAL money and never once had any of the problems reported by others on these postings. I typically book the cheapest class on Hotwire, and then negotiate a few dollars more at the airport counter to get a good upgrade car. Frequently I'm lucky, and the company has run out of cars in the compact or economy class, in wuch cases the company had no choice but to upgrade to a better available car AT NO CHARGE.
Here's a couple examples: I just rented a week in Orlando the VERY HOT 2009 Dodge Challenger, serious muscle-car (salesman said 425hp) for all of $27/day, by paying $17/day for economy on Hotwire (believe me, the cheapest economy car on Expedia or any other site I could find was more than twice that) then upgrading an extra $10/day at the counter. That car would have cost minimum $50/day anywhere else, if it could even be found. (Hint: buy additional coverage $72/wk on Hotwire, it's $0 deductible, which in this case was good cuz some jealous person ran their key up the full length of the Challenger digging deep scratches...but hey, that's not my problem now, I'm happy to report, cuz I had bought the additional coverage...good idea if you're planning to upgrade your economy to a premium or luxury or jealousy-provoking race car).
Another time I rented an economy car at Newark airport for $16/day! Now the Newark airport car rental location has a constant influx of returning cars, and by patiently waiting 90minutes while watching all the returning cars come in, I nabbed the newest sporty Hyundai with sunroof for only $17/day for two weeks...believe me, that's unheard of at Newark airport.
Another ocassion I booked an economy at Phily airport thru Hotwire for $15/day (Expedia was $28), then using the same 'patient nice-guy' approach, ended up with the Pontiac G8, sunroof, black, VERY SWEET for only $5 dollars more per day.
My experiences were always positive with Hotwire, even when problems occured: for example:
I rented through Hotwire at "Enterprise" one time in Phily. Enterprise is one of the companies that works with only a debit card. However at the counter, I was told that since my driver's license was Canadian, under new regulations Enterprise couldn't rent to me. The manager, apologetic as all get out, gave me the government-issued bulletin as proof, apologized profusely to me, then let me use his computer to rebook at another agency, again through Hotwire. Kudos to Enterprise at Phily a/p. I got a similar deal at another car rental company only one minute walk from Enterprise, again through Hotwire. Please note, Hotwire didn't take money off my debit card.
Another time I had a "transaction interruption" on the internet on Hotwire's site, and I had to redo the booking. My credit card was charged twice. Upon discovering this, I called Hotwire, talked nicely (THAT IS THE KEYY!!!) and was given a full refund of one of the charges (however it DID take 20 minutes cuz the hotwire guy had to call Budget location to make sure I had not actually rented said car)...and that is the extent of any problems I've had with Hotwire.
One negative thing that can happen: knowing that Hotwire is linked with availability, one moment a car class can be very cheap, say $16/day. But if one searches again a few minutes later, it can pop up to $25 or more if no more cars are available. Here's what I do: make the transaction up to the very moment of no-return, but don't press the button. Then, open another browser and do further checks, compare locations, classes, etc...If you find a steal or cheaper deal, again book up to the point of sealing the transaction. If not, then GO BACK to the first browser transaction, and complete it. For some reason, it seems that the cheapest price goes through for me, even though other browsers may show a much higher price.
Anyway, that's my postive experiences with hotwire.
Negative? I don't like booking hotels sight-unseen. To me, comparitively-speaking, a car is a car, a flight is a flight, but a hotel is not a hotel. So I generally don't book hotels with Hotwire, rather I use Inter-state travel coupon booklets which are also available online, or go directly to the hotel site. That way I know what I'm paying for. And as far as flights are concerned, my experiences with other search-engines and companies, like Kayak.com, have proven better, and I prefer to book via kayak.com with the actual air carriers, which if necessary due to travel plan changes allows much better service, change-fees, flexibility at the counter (IF one is NICE, REASONABLE and [only where beneficial] just a little sweet-talkin').
To summarize, I have found Hotwire to be UNBEATABLE in getting great car-rental deals at airports, and their customer service excellent, staff willing to "break the rules" regarding "NO EXCEPTIONS" on refunds whenever I've been reasonable and the grounds are substantiative for refunds.
i've used hotwire heavily since their first month of inception ... so much so that they've included me both in a focus group they ran in the SF bay area and have included me in a new "super customer" (my phrase, not theirs) program ...
on the whole i've found them to be extremely good. out of about 50 plane tickets, a dozen rental cars and 75 hotel nights i've only ever had three problems.
one was a hotel that was listed as being three star partially because it had a restaurant as part of the hotel ... actually it was independent but on the same general plot of land ... a fine point to be sure and not really hotwire's fault since they had been mislead by the hotel.
another was a rental car agency that was closed when i arrived on a plane flight i had booked through hotwire as well. no big deal, really since i'd noticed they were an outfit i didn't recognize and i called them before the trip to make sure they were open ... when we realized there was a problem, they kept an agent for me when i got in.
the other was my fault. i made a reservation but had chosen the wrong weekend off the reservation calendar. i arrived at the hotel, they said they had no reservation. after discovering my mistake, and a LONG conversation with hotwire, they refunded my original purchase and made a new reservation. ACCORDING TO THEIR TERMS, THEY *CLEARLY* DID *NOT* HAVE TO DO THIS. superb customer service.
they are the ultimate company of "a deal is a deal." if you aren't certain you're going to make your trip, nor absolutely positive that you can accept not knowing *exact* details of a purchase before you buy, use someone else.
if you're looking for rock bottom pricing on well-represented travel goods and services, this is your company.
i like them better than priceline because you're not guessing you best price, you just know it.
the more you use hotwire, the more they are aware of you and will help you out if you find yourself getting stuck.
for last minute travel that isn't obscenely expensive, they're spectacular. like i've said, i've used them for well over a hundred transactions -- i hope to use them for thousands more.
use your own critical judgement when you think about the concerns other people show here.
thanks for reading.
I also had problems with Hotwire and I too should have done more homework before booking with Hotwire. I have learned my lesson and I do deeply appreciate the existance of this website.
Can someone provide me with Hotwire's corporate office address, phone number, fax number?
Thanks a million,
I was, up until last week, a long-term customer of Hotwire. However, last week I booked a 2 1/2 star hotel and was given a 2 star hotel (which was clearly stated as a 2 star hotel) on their advertising. I have complained to the customer service (no result), Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) and have even found a law firm in the process of filing a class-action suit against them. Everyone who has had this experience, please file with the Better Business Bureau. It doesn't take long and we might get them to change their policies if there are enough people complaining.
Do not use hotwire. You CANNOT cancel a reservation once you've paid for it. They are a total scam.
I've been using Hotwire for several years now for flights and hotels. Have never had any issues, although I have not had to cancel any of my reservations. I have saved thousands of dollars and have had no issues with the hotel rooms that I've been given. In fact, during my Vegas trip last year, they upgraded my room even though I booked through Hotwire. Again, just booked another trip trough Hotwire saving about 1/2 on my stay at the Wynn. I am sure that I would be upset if I had to cancel my trip, and love the full amount. However, I'm well aware of that possibility at the time of booking. Never been charged for anything additional through Hotwire but have had my credit card billed from the Hotels for things such as room service that was never ordered. Guess there will always be complaints about services, but I have nothing but positive feedback from my frequent experience with Hotwire.
Hotwire is the biggest scam on the Internet. I cannot believe they are in business. I tried to save business expenses by using them. I ended up having to buy everything anyway, after purchasing what I thought were the same travel plans. They totally misrepresent themselves. Their customer service representatives are the dumbest people I have ever spoken to...DON'T USE HOTWIRE!
Hotwire is the biggest scam on the Internet. I cannot believe they are in business. I tried to save business expenses by using them. I ended up having to buy everything anyway, after purchasing what I thought were the same travel plans. They totally misrepresent themselves. Their customer service representatives are the dumbest people I have ever spoken to...DON'T USE HOTWIRE!
i was trying to open all the e-mails that hotwire.com has sent me on hotels that were renning discounts I asked them if the hotel they said was 74 dollars was around a mall. they said they couldn't give me any ammenities that the hotel offered other than it had beds and high speed internet i said i need to go shoppping for my mother a present at a mall they said they couldn't give me the name of the hotel until i booked but once i booked i couldn't cancel. i said what if the hotel wasn't around the mall or a place to shop for my mom, we don't have a car and would only be in walking distance. they said they have no information about anything other than the beds and internet. why would i book and then be out in the boonies and not be able to shop, hot wire is a scam.
You get what you pay for. Hotwire books everyone into a room with one bed and tells them they can call the hotel for a free upgrade. I work in a hotel and we have constant battles with people who have been told a story by hotwire. People who book through any of these online services receive the least desirable rooms because the hotel gives preference to people who pay something near rack rate. Book through the hotels websire for good rates and service. We cannot give rooms away.
how about getting back at hotwire.com. put their name into a search engine and then click on the sponsored link 250 times and watch the dollars flow out of THEIR checking account.
Hotwire just pulled a "bait & switch" tactic with my hotel booking. I selected a hotel in Maple Grove, MN, paid for it, then the hotel was confirmed to be IN A DIFFERENT TOWN! Hotwire refused a refund claiming that I should have examined their little yellow map more closely as the hotel was within THEIR map boundary. This was true, I discovered after CLOSE inspection of their map BUT the "Hotwire" map boundaries of Maple Grove aren't the same as the actual city boundaries. I validated the boundaries with the City Government Office. I guess Hotwire makes up their own maps to include broader areas so as to make more money on hotels in less desirable locations. I will never use this travel company again. There should be legal action taken against this company in the form of a class action suit with the charge of misrepresentation of information.
I understand that many of you believe Hotwire screwed you over in one way or another. Keep in mind Hotwire has qon the JD Power and Associated Award for customer service for 3 years now and counting. Hotwire has the customers best interests in mind, but also keep in mind that the hotels, airlines, and car rental agencies are also "customers". When booking on Hotwire, please remember you are entering into a contract. All bookings are NONREFUNDABLE, and anything that Hotwire decides to do is an exception of that contract. Be smart when you book and know what you are doing before hand. If you have any questions call their customer service before booking. Thats what they are there for. If you are fully educated on Hotwire's policies you will be very satisfied,
Jason Indianapolis -- 2008-07-22
Seems to me most of the people with issues are the same ones that do not read the terms and conditions. I have been using Hotwire for about 6 years ago and have yet to have an issue. It amazes me that people are complaining about things such as parking. The last I checked, if you travel with a car and want to park it in a major city, that comes with a cost. When people visit me in Indianpolis, I can typically get 3.5 star downtown for less than $60. I know it will be either the Crown Plaza, Hilton, or Sheraton. All of these hotels are within 3 blocks of each other and typically command $129-$199 on hotels.com and the likes. Do your homework on the city you are visiting before you make the final click. Don't blame Hotwire for not being prepared or for how the hotel may "screw" you. Hotwire books rooms at a discount, they are not the hotel you are staying in.
Jason, do you work for Hotwire? Do you have a friend or relative working for Hotwire? That sounds like the only way you can get the deals you claim. Or you are a bald-faced liar. Just admit it and I'll forgive you.
I made reservations for a Hotel in Atlanta, but do to some problems i was not going to be capable of making the trip Hotwire would not refund, or even cooperate with me,with just moving the date of the Hotel stay.Even after contacting the Hotel and getting the managers approval. Hotwire still wouldn't cooperate.Telling me only and emergency with Doctors Giving me writin instructions to postpone my trip would get me my money back,or a change of date.
I received an email from Hotwire confirming an airline ticket that was not purchased by me. I live in Denver, Colorado. The ticket was a round trip ticket leaving from Philadelphia and coming to Denver on December 22nd. I called Hotwire and told them I did not purchase a ticket for anyonenor did I give anyone permission to book a ticket using my credit card. They told me that they could not cancel the ticket. Once a ticket is booked that is the end of the process. I then called my credit card company and reported fraud and ask them to discountue my credit card. I asked them to do an investigation to see if I could learn what happened. I also contacted United airlines and told them about the situation. United told me to contact Hotwire to cancel the ticket. I once again contacted Hotwire and they refussed to cancel the ticket. I feel so confussed and do not understand how Hotwire will not cancel a ticket that was not made by me, it was not in my name, it was not for the city I live in and my be used by someone has my credit card number and my work email address. I will never use Hotwire in the future and I will tell everyone that will listen to stay as far away from Hotwire as they can.
Do not support Hotwire! They do not support customers in Uniform. I purchased a rental car thru their website with my credit card.. I understood the reservation was non refundable. However to ensure that I was not wasting my money I put the car in my wifes name just in case I got deployed. When I showed up alone to pick up the car they wouldn't give it to me even though I paid for it and had my credit card.
I don't recall seeing that this would be an issue when I booked it. I called them and they didn't care when I told them the story.
Complete BS. This is a company that needs to be a casualty of the current economic crisis....
I think hotwire and expedia
I just got scammed by Hotwire & I leave for my trip tomorrow. I booked two nights at a 4-star ski in/out hotel in Vail. Well, well, well...the hotel is under construction and reviews are saying "disaster area", the ski lift is not open and the main pool and jacuzzi are not open. I'm furious. I can get the amenities I paid for 10$ more per night. I have the hotels agreement to release me, now I just have to get Hotwire's agreement. They are really a deceptive, aweful company
normally!windows fluffier casualness prancing Niamey!Gothicizing outcry
READ THE TERMS of use agreement before making the reservation you morons!! it was clearly stated on te website that all booking are FINAL.. no matter what happens it is technically final.. because that is the contract that you agreed to. it's your fault because u cannott comprehend!! i love hotwire! i'm happy with their service..
Well, here's another complaint about Hotwire. I bought a car rental planning on visiting family, then my husband's deployment got changed to an earlier date so I was unable to make this trip. I called Hotwire, and their policy is no refund, no change in dates. Since all I wanted to do was change the date, I called Enterprise, where the car rental was through. Enterprise was more than willing to change the date for me, but they couldn't because Hotwire put a freeze on my rental. All I wanted was for Hotwire to allow Enterprise to be allowed to change their dates, it's their company after all, and Hotwire wouldn't. I am very frustrated with Hotwire and am kicking myself for not just renting through Enterprise!!
Thank you for all the useful data. I will not use Hotwire.com ever. For the person who said their job is to book and that is what they do - yes I agree; however when they are to book a 3 or 4 star room that is what they should be doing. There are way too many instances where people have shown up to their reserved hotels (or car rental companies) and there is no record of them. I thought you said Hotwire's job was to book - where did they book this elusive reservation?
Nobody is perfect - I understand that; however when errors such as these are made why does the company have no responsibility for this error? Is that what the client has paid them to do?
I do hope that some sort of legal action is being taken against this company. Some comments in this site could be from people who want something for nothing but there are too many of them to dismiss. Many of them don't sound like they want something for nothing - they just want what they have been told they would get and what they did pay for.
I booked a flight last year for my son. I had used and at the time loved, hotwire. I paid 327.00 for this ticket. When my son went to the airport, hotwire and united said the ticket was booked for me, not by me. I had booked for him w/my credit card, as he's a college student. Could not get the mess cleared up, ended up buying another ticket thru the agent at the counter. I now had a ticket that hadn't been used. I explained this in detail to hotwire, who told me, sorry but I could use this ticket myself. I just called to use said ticket, found out I would need to pay the airlines an addtl 150.00 to use this ticket, and the flights aren't even 327.00 for the booking I wanted. This doesn't matter, they can't get me the flight I want, I might have to pay more, and even tho I went online, quoted the prices and the flights available to the representative, she told me, this was what they'd honor. So to incorporate this, I will end up paying again or losing the $327.00. I'm afraid I'll have to eat it, as priceline for car rental, motel, and flight I actually wanted, will book me for 275.00 at 3 star motel. I won't do business with hotwire and will tell all my business acquaintances to avoid them like the "plague".
I too was scamed by Hotmail. I ordered a car on line from them for Feb 2009, and they billed my credit card all ready. I wasn't happy. Called them and they would not let me cancel the reservation until I got the car. Not very happy. I will spread the word about them and I will not use them again. I will pay a higher price for an airline ticket before I use them again.
We attempted to book a travel package, and every time, got an error saying that the package was no longer available. Later that day, we found that they'd placed a hold on our credit card for every attempt; for about $8,000 of holds total. My first attempt to get the holds removed ended when they hung up on me while trying to call the credit card company. The second attempt ended when the incompetent customer service person didn't have their merchant account number, which the CC company needs. He said he'd get the info, and call it in within an hour. Three hours later, the holds had not been removed, so I spoke to my credit card's fraud department, and ended up cancelling the card so Hotwire couldn't charge me for something they hadn't delivered. I called Hotwire back to complain, and ask for compensation for my time and trouble, and among other things, the customer service agent said that the travel *had* been booked.
My wife hadn't received a confirmation email, and when she called them, they said that nothing had been booked. So at least one of their agents flat-out lied to us, and I'm glad that I cancelled my card to prevent Hotwire from defrauding me.
In a harried moment, I double booked a car from Hotwire. I realized my error immediately and called Hotwire. I was basically told to "forget it, I had to pay for both reservations I
billed the 2nd reservation under their Bill Me Later policy so knew I would not be charged on my credit card for my inadvertent error. I immediately called Avis from whom I was to rent the 2nd car and told them to free up that car for rental. The gentleman at Avis assured me he would call LAX and have the car freed up for rental. Bill Me Later did just that. I wrote them two letters, filled out a dispute form. They connected with Hotwire and Hotwire denied my dispute. Thus I keep getting notices (with service charges added) from Bill Me Later. I called Bill Me Later once again. Remember--all of this has been going on since May. They told me to contact Howire once again.I did so today. The result was I got an agent who listened and checked with Avis to assure that the car was not picked up. She was able to remove the charge. Finally, success. Advice--BE CAREFUL if you use Hotwire.
Hotwire sucks! Don't use them. Took my money. Won't refund anything even if its the airlines fault!
For all of you people who do not understand Fraud - "Please Read"
I went to Hotwire.com to book a ticket. After putting all my credit card information in the system a screen page came up and said that the price quoted, $365 was not available - the new price was $1065.00. I declined! Well, I decided to be bold and i went back on to Hotwire and the same thing happened. I called and complained. The Hotwire Rep offered me 465.50 and I declined!
a coouple days later a withdrawl of 465.50 was from US Airways through Hotwire. I have reported and complained. The customer service agent decided my "no" meant "yea". I never authorized nor recieved confirmation. Is this in the policies?
I don't know what ya'll are doing, but hotwire has always worked great for me. Sure you can't pick the exact room in the hotel, but why complain when it's so much cheaper? I suggest going to betterbidding.com, and doing a little research. You can find out what hotel you're about to book!
Everone that is defending hotwire and going against these complaints seems to say generally the same things; "read the fine print";"no cancellations","no refunds" etc. But how do you defend somone getting charged three times and not getting the service that was paid for? How do you defend getting screwed on money when you weren't even able to complete your purchase because of the glitch or problem with Hotwire's site? How is that the customer's fault? How do you defend the obvious improffesionalism in Hotwire's company? If there is truly nothing horrible to say about Hotwire, then all the issues stated would be able to be addressed or defended clearly, instead of the few same statements being defended. There are sooooo many more complaints about Hotwire than those few that were defended. Obviously these complaints aren't without good reasoning!! The customer service and hospitality behind this business is also obvious when reading the defending statements.
I TOO WAS SCAMMED BY HOTWIRE.
AFTER BOOKING A HOTEL AT THE HILTON CLEARWATER BEACH FOR 164.00 A NIGHT, I WENT TO ORBITZ.COM AND FOUND THE SAME FOR 122.00 A NIGHT. AFTER CALLING HOTWIRE AND TALKING TO SOME STUPID "KID" ALL I WAS TOLD WAS TOO BAD. WHEN I TOLD THE KID ABOUT THEIR POLICY, HE TOLD ME AFTER 48 HOURS OF MAKING THE RESERVATION WITH THEM THAT IT IS TOO BAD AND THAT WAS IT. WHEN I MENTIONED THAT THEIR ADVERTISEMENTS SHOWED ALMOST 50% LESS THAN ANY OTHER SITE AND I WOULD CONTACT THE B.B.B. AND THE F.T.C. HE SNICKERED AND SAID SORR I FELT THAT WAY FOR ALL THE GOOD IT WILL DO ME. I HAVE ALWAYS USED ORBITZ OR THE DIRECT WEB SITES IN THE PAST AND GOY BURNED FOR NOT STAYING WITH WHAT WORKED
We booked a hotel in Lynnwood, WA the same day we were to check-in. We wanted a three-star rated or better. To our surprise we found one through Hotwire for $112, all in. When we checked into the so-called 3-star Best Western we were surprised to hear one of the two desk clerks on the phone giving a quote for that night of $105 plus tax. We then went to the room and couldn't believe that this was a 3-star. It was the kind of room that when you walked in, you had an immediate urge to pull down the bedding and check for cleanliness. Yes, the sheets appeared clean but you still couldn't tell if the sheets were fresh. We looked under the (aged) beds and found a cigarette butt. Every VISIBLE part of the room appeared wiped down but still questionably clean...I hope you get the picture. I called Hotwire and explained my two complaints, 1) this is NOT a three-star quality hotel. 2) There is only a $4 discount by booking through Hotwire. The clerk so desperately wanted to help us but kept sticking to company policy. Hotwire - "Is the room clean and comfortable?" Me - "That's subjective. Yes it appears functional and Motel 6 clean but no were close to any reasonable expectation of a 3-star." Hotwire -"You don't receive as big of savings booked on such short notice." Me- "I understand that but is Hotwire telling me that a $4 savings by booking through them meets the spirit and intent of what they're selling and building there business on?" Hotwire - "I'm sorry; the savings isn't as great when booked on short notice." Me - "I gave up my right to inspect the hotel for quality and cleanliness and cancel the reservation for any reason for a $4 savings?" Hotwire - "The best I can offer is a $25 credit for FUTURE bookings at Hotwire." Me - "If we can't find some resolution to the current booking, there will be no future bookings." You get the idea. 45 minutes of a good customer service representative wasting her talents with a company with poor customer friendly polices. Yes I've used Hotwire in the past with very mixed results but one was just too much - completely misleading quality rating on this hotel and effectively no discount/value by booking through Hotwire. It's a Friday night and the Embassy Suite just a few minutes away is packed...this hotel is nearly empty...and for good reason.
Hotwire ripped me off too! They booked me to stay at a hotel in fayetteville north carolina but when I got there the hotel was all booked. Hotwire said they would refund and they did but the next day they took the money back.
Seems to me most of the people with issues are the same ones that do not read the terms and conditions. I have been using Hotwire for about 6 years ago and have yet to have an issue. It amazes me that people are complaining about things such as parking. The last I checked, if you travel with a car and want to park it in a major city, that comes with a cost. When people visit me in Indianpolis, I can typically get 3.5 star downtown for less than $60. I know it will be either the Crown Plaza, Hilton, or Sheraton. All of these hotels are within 3 blocks of each other and typically command $129-$199 on hotels.com and the likes. Do your homework on the city you are visiting before you make the final click. Don't blame Hotwire for not being prepared or for how the hotel may "screw" you. Hotwire books rooms at a discount, they are not the hotel you are staying in.
Hotwire is a rip off. We made hotel reservations in Flagstaff Az for 7/11/08 thru 7/13/08 in what was rated a 2 star, family friendly hotel. We arrived at the hotel, and it was a DUMP. Our room had mold in the shower, around the base of the toilet, the bedding had holes in it, the curtains were stained and the chairs were so stained, I wouldn't sit on them if I had all my shots AND they were covered in plastic!
Mind you, this was a well known chain of hotels.... Anyway, I was freaking out so I got on the phone with Hotwire- I wanted my money refunded and to go to another hotel. After 45 min. on the phone, I was told by the rep I had to try another room in this hotel before they would consider a refund. In the meanime, my 11 yr old son found a suspicious looking "rock" -
in the bathroom safe. Seems someone forgot their stash of illegal substance. SO we go to the 3rd floor to check out the next room. This one was in the same condition-- big surprise there!! The only difference on this room was the ac was pulled apart and there was a group of young men in the room next door, partying and smoking something in a glass pipe with their door open. Back on the phone I get with Hotwire and speak with another rep. Now they are willing to book us another room on our credit card, but they have to have their research team decide if they will refund our money on the first hotel- and this could take 7 to 10 days. We ended up checking out of that hotel that night and finding our own hotel and paying for it out of pocket. To date, Hotwire has made not attempt to contact me, or to refund any of our money. I have made numerous calls to them and get the same run around ... waiting on the research team to decide. Now, I took digital photo's of both rooms and have asked them for an address and name to send them to, but none of the reps will provide me with either. I will never book with hotwire again, and I let everyone I know see the photo's I took and tell them this story. Thank God we had the money to go to another hotel or it may have ruined our trip. Hotwire is obviously all about making money and does not care about customer service and doing the right thing. SHAME ON THEM!
room - some
I paid for a friend to come to see the town and I put the ticket in her name. I lost a family member had to leave town. Even thou i paid for the ticket I couldn't have the ticket changed and put in my name. I don't understand this. I paid for the ticket so why can't I put it in my name. Now i have a 419.00 ticket i can't use. I had to purchase another ticket but I made sure to buy it directly from the airlines. Hotwire sucks!
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SHARE MY TRIP TO DAYTONA BEACH FOR THE COKE ZERO 400 NASCAR RACE.WE HAD BEEN SEARCHING ALL WINTER FOR A ROOM SOMEWHERE AROUND THE AREA WITH NO LUCK FINDING ANYTHING UNDER 200 A NIGHT.I WAS ABOUT TO GIVE UP AND STAY IN ORLANDO AND JUST MAKE THE DRIVE TO THE TRACK, WHEN HOTWIRE SENT AN EMAIL SUGGESTING I TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THEY HAD.BEING VERY SKEPICAL ABOUT USING HOTWIRE FROM READING ALL THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS, I CHECKED THEM OUT AND WE CAME OUT SMELLING LIKE A ROSE.I BOOKED A 2STAR HOTEL WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE TO THE TRACK.THE HOTEL ENDED UP BEING THE LA QUINTA INN, VERY NICE AND CLEAN,POOL,GREAT MAID SERVICE,FREINDLY MANAGEMENT, NO PROBLEMS CHECKING IN OR OUT,ON RACE DAY THEY THREW A FREE BBQ WITH FREE POP AND BEER, WE PAID LESS THAN 50 BUCKS A NIGHT FOR SEVEN NIGHTS,INCLUDING THE 4TH OF JULY NIGHT, OTHER GUESTS WE TALKED TO WERE PAYING 299 BUCKS A NIGHT FOR THE SAME STAY.SO I WOULD RECOMMEND HOTWIRE, WE WILL USE THEM AGAIN, JUST DO YOUR HOMEWORK, TAKE YOUR TIME WHEN INPUTING YOUR INFO, READ AND RE-READ ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS, AFTER YOU MAKE RESERVATIONS, CALL THE HOTEL TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE YOU IN THEIR SYSTEM.
I booked my honeymoon flights through Hotwire 6 months in advance, at the last minute they changed my flight even though the original flight is still available to other customers. They want me to pay $$$$ to be switched back to MY ORIGINALLY BOOKED FLIGHT. I cannot accept the flight change or I will miss 2 days of my honeymoon due to connecting flights. What a nightmare! I will make a point of letting the 200 guests attending my wedding know of hotwire's incompetence, by not properly reserving my flight months ago WHEN I PAID THEM IN FULL. In the future, I will deal only with legitimate travel agencies.
Just a reminder if you are unhappy with Hotwire you may want to avoid using or investing in brands owned by the same company Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Worldwide Travel Exchange (WWTE), Interactive Affiliate Network (IAN), Classic Vacations, Expedia Corporate Travel (ECT), eLong and TripAdvisor. Hopefully, a change in the white house will bring a crack down on some of the practices outlined here.
I had my first family vacation planned for July 7-9th of this year. I booked and confirmed everything on June 13th for these above dates. However when I received my confirmation it came back saying June 16-19 as my dates. I called hotwire and told them something got messed up after I realized it and they still charged me the 400.00 and told me I typed it in wrong. Bull....I have all my paperwork for them and yet they won't give me my money so I can still go on my vacation like I had originally planned. Not only am I contacting the BBB, I work in Law Enforcement and one of my detective buddies is going to pull up all my information off my computer to prove them wrong. Anyways I will never use them again! They ruined my vacation. And yes, I see there are no refunds but this wasn't my mistake...I'm just asking for them to give me the correct days since they already took my money!
once you book everything is final, it cannot be canceled, changed,exchanged or transfered,,.. learn how to read or listen morons...i LOve HOTWIRE,....
I learned a lesson about Hotwire during a recent trip to Charleston, SC. A friend and I had planned a four-day trip down there, but we didn't know if we were going to stay in Charleston the whole time (we had also thought about driving down to Savannah for part of the vacation). My friend used Hotwire to book us a two-night stay at a 3* hotel in downtown Charleston; it ended up being at a nice Best Western. We lucked out and wound up with a two-bed room, which was definitely ideal. Anyway, we chose to stay one more night in Charleston, but the Best Western had only a single-bed room available--not for us. It was my turn to book the next two nights (one in Charleston and the final night in Myrtle Beach). After doing so I checked the website for the Charleston hotel and found that we would be staying at a B&B with NO two-bed rooms. Upon checking in, the clerk informed us that he could provide a second room at a substantially lower rate (50% off!), so things could have been worse. The room at Myrtle turned out to be at the Sheraton, but we were booked for a single-bed room this time. Luckily, the hotel staffer accommodated us with a different room with two beds. The gamble was worth it because we saved around $300, but if things hadn't worked out the way they did we'd have been screwed.
In a nutshell, I booked a 3.5 to 4 star hotel, when I got to the site it was more like a 2 star. Hotwire said to go to another hotel and they would foot the bill for my new hotel. I have been back from vacation about 2weeks now and have yet to see my $500.00 dollars.I complied with all there request in a very timely manner and I'm still getting the run-a-round.....hotwire sucks when it comes to customer service and sticking to there word
From the sounds of it, most people don't read the terms of use. they just click the box that says "I have read and agree to the terms of use." Just a hint alot of time prior to completing the booking most hotels will adv of fees that might apply. It is the hotels decision where they will provide that info, some will some won't, it up to the hotel. People should really learn how to read websites before booking, or YES you might end throwing $$ away. I have used hotwire over the year and really like alot of the great deals that you can get. I have had problems w/ some hotels but hotwire has always understood and been will to help. People need to understand that you are staying at the hotel not at hotwire, someimes you need to address problems with the hotel or their corporation. Every website has their niches you just need to find one that works best. I personally think hotwire has best interest in mind for there customers, that why they have won JD power & associates award for the past 2 years!!
Sorry for trying to find a decent rate,(not a huge discount)on travel...Hotwire definitely is not worth the minimal savings and the false advert.It does worry me that they conduct business the way they do,treating customers as they do,and they are still around.I think we all work too hard for our money to support rip-offs like Hotwire--DON'T!!
I booked a 3 star hotel on hotwire and when I got the name of the hotel (Holiday Inn) I looked it up on the internet and was disappointed with the price because I could have gotten a better price booking directly on their website. I thought the Holiday Inn was reputable, and the picture of the rooms on line looked okay. When I got there I found out they have some really awful (pay by the hour looking) rooms behind the main hotel. Those are for hotwire customers. If I had searched the reviews online I would have seen that many other hotwire customers have had this same horrible experience with Hotwire and that Holiday Inn. I ended up going to another Hotel. Hotwire's customer service is shockingly bad. They refused to refund my money. The Better Business Bureau basically says that customers know there are not refunds when they sign up so Hotwire is not a fault despite fraudulent advertising. Credit card companies can't help when you agreed to no refunds. I could have gotten a nice place for the same price, and wouldn't have had to pay for a room too awful to sleep in if I hadn't booked through Hotwire. What a truly awful experience.
It sounds like most of you don't understand how their site works. It's a little bit of a gamble, that's why they can offer discounts. I believe I've been using hotwire for about nine years (not sure if they've been operating that long) and sometimes it's awesome and other times not. That's the gamble you take when you're looking for the discounts. I would not recommend the site for a family planning a vacation, but I absolutely would for some buddies looking to crash on a trip. As for the customer service, I can't think of one travel website that has good customer service. They're not travel agents.
This is a good one: My brother used Hotwire to book his vacation to save a few bucks, stating there were three people, him, his wife, and their daughter. He just found out he's getting a room with ONE bed! He's furious, I'm grossed out, Hotwire is unapologetic, the hotel claims they cannot accommodate his need for two beds. Use the hotel's website, book what you need, and save yourself a lot of aggravation.
I wish I had researched on hotwire or run across this site before I booked with hotwire. It was such a horrible experience and totally ruined our upcoming vacation. We booked a 4 star hotel in San Diego (they list all the nice, truely 4-star hotels), which turned out to be a 3 star hotel by most other sites. There were lots of bad reviews on this hotel. Worse yet, we later found out this hotel allows dogs which my little one is extremely frightened of and allergic to. After countless phone calls, emails, faxes (to send supporting documents), hotwire wouldn't cancel or change our reservation. Obviously all they care about is making money. They don't care about customer service. As a warning, at the beginning, they always claim they would have a research team look into this matter and get back to you in certain days. Don't waste your time. It's totally useless. We're leaving for our vacation in two days. We are stuck with this undesirable hotel for 5 days if we don't want to waste the money. I'm not even looking forward to our vacation at this point. I will never ever use hotwire again, and I encourage all of you to take caution before using hotwire.
I DID NOT READ THIS SITE UNTIL IT WAS TO LATE.:0( WE WERE IN DC ON A FAMILY TRIP AND HEARD ABOUT HOTWIRE AND THOUGHT WE WOULD GIVE THEM A TRY. BAD CHOICE!! WE PURCHARED A 4* HOTEL AND WHEN WE GOT THE HOTEL INFO WE CALLED THEM TO COMFIRM THAT IS WHEN THE TOLD US THERE WOULD BE A $45 FEE TO PARK AT THE HOTEL. PARKING IS $45 NO WAY. WE CALLED HOTWIRE RIGHT AWAY AND THEY WERE LIKE YEA THAT IS A LOT FOR PARKING BUT OH WELL
YOU PAID FOR IT SO TO BAD. I CALLED AGAIN TO TRY TO HAVE OUR HOTEL CHANGED NO LUCK. WE ARE ON A TIGHT BUDGET AND PAYING $45 FOR PARKING WAS ALMOST ANOTHER NIGHTS STAY SOME WERE ELSE. DO NOT EVER EVER EVER US HOTWIRE UNLESS YOU DONT CARE ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE OR YOUR MONEY BEING THROWN AWAY. WE DID NOT STAY AT THAT HOTEL WE HAD TO STAY IN VIRGINIA. IT SURE MADE A DOWNER OF THAT NIGHT. BUT LESSON LEARNED WE WELL NEVER EVEN THINK OF USING HOTWIRE. I HOPE NONE OF YOU EVER TRY IT, IT IS NOT WORTH ANY SAVING YOU MIGHT GET. TO MANY HEADACHES. I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH THEM AGAIN AND NOW AM WAITING 24-48 HOURS FOR A MANAGER TO CALL ME BACK LIKE THAT WELL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IT WON'T THEY GOT OUR MONEY AND THAT IS ALL THEY CARE ABOUT. BEWARE OF HOTWIRE AND MAKE SURE TO TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW NEVER TO USE THEM.
I do shop around and checked out all the other sights plus the hotels' websites. I got a room at the Westin for $120.00 which usually goes for $190.00. When we wanted to stay an extra night, the best the hotel could do was $160.00. So far I've had no porblems with Hotwire. Also, if the hotel office is dirty of the linens don't fit, complain to the hotel! You can't blame Hotwire for everything!!
I had success making a reservation for a car through Hotwire.com. I reserved the car, received a confirmation from the site telling me I would receive an e-mail confirmation, which I did. The e-mail confirmation gave me both a hotwire reservation number AND a Hertz reservation number. I went to the Hertz site, plugged in my number and last name and saw the confirmation for the car. I hope the pick up of the car in Denver goes as smoothly.
I have been a hotwire customer since they opened for business. Up until this past weekend, I've had no problems with them. This past weekend, I attempted to check in and the hotel had no record of my reservation. They were completely booked and had no room to offer. It was NASCAR weekend, so the whole town was completely booked except for a couple of rooms at $279/night at a Best Western. The hotel said that several people had the same "no reservation" problem all weekend and hotwire had been paying for them to get a room in another hotel and eating the cost. I called Hotwire and told them everything and although they did refund my money for the reservation, they refused to do anything else for me as a result of their incompetence. I was stranded in a city without a place to stay by hotwire. I ended up having to drive 150 miles to find a more reasonably priced place to stay in. I then had to drive the 150 miles back to Dover the next morning. A waste of gas, my time and with much aggravation. I emailed hotwire and got the "sorry, but we cannot do anything else" email. I will never use hotwire again and I am on a crusade to tell everyone else to never use hotwire. Their customer service is non-existant.
Hotwire is the WORST online company I've ever attempted to do business with. Here's why:
Last Sunday, very early in the morning, I attempted to book a car rental through Hotwire from my hotel room in NC. At the end of the search, select, and provide credit card information sections, I pressed accept to complete the transaction and get my rental information. Instead, I received a notice informing me that the website was "unable to communicate" with their car-rental affiliates, was unable to process my request, and that I should start the process over in a few minutes. I did attempt several more times to book the car rental through them, and even switched computers once, thinking it might just be my mac laptop causing the problem, to no avail. No confirmation number page, or rental agreement confirmation, etc., was ever provided to me. Finally I gave up and booked the rental with another company.
Still, the next morning when I checked my bank account I found a charge pending for "Hotwire, Sales Final" in my bank account.. I called them, and talked to a very rude male customer "service" operator who basically said he'd never heard of such a thing occurring before, and that he'd also never heard of a charge not being refunded due to company error. He rudely assured me that the charge would disappear in a day or two. It's now been three days and the charge has not yet been rescinded. Of course, I am now gearing up for war, but I would like to take this opportunity, to tell all who stumble across this review, to NOT BOOK THROUGH HOTWIRE. They truly are thieves. And, I found a better deal through Enterprise directly anyway.
so I work for Hotwire.com and waht it sounds like is that all of you either made mistakes when booking or did not fully understand our website before booking. Dont believe what these people are saying.
Working at a call center that books for several hotel chains, I'm so sick of morons crying to me because they want me to magically cancel their hotwire and other internet reservations. I can't even change the room or bed types they get stuck in. If we could cancel those awful things, they wouldn't say "Non-Cancellable" on them! Not only that, but such calls ruin our stats, since we need around 30% of our calls to be bookings (which are usually cancellable AND non-prepaid) to keep our jobs! I say, you cheapskates get what you pay for!
Those people that claim to have gotten "deals" on Hotwire, obviously don't know how to comparison shop -- 99.99% of the time the hotel is cheaper directly through the hotel's own website. Trust me on this one. You only THINK you are getting a deal if you don't bother to look around for other options and just believe Hotwire's false advertising. They will show you a savings that is not true, but you only find out later that it was bait and switch. Plus, by booking directly with the hotel you can still cancel, upgrade, etc. -- all things you waive your right to once you buy the room through Hotwire. So why bother? Hotwire is truly a joke -- don't fall for their scam! Shop around!!
JIMBO - you must be paid by Priceline! The service sucks, don't ever think that you get any money back when you have to cancel, and don't believe for one second that there is any support.
After using them once and losing $185 - believe me, just the Name rubs me wrong!!
I realize that this site is a place vent about Hotwire, but I have to say that there is a lot of whining and moaning going on here. I have booked at least 50 hotel stays on Hotwire in the past 4 years and have had few problems and thouse that had happened were resolved by customer service. Several times I've received Hot.Dollars put into my account for future trips. Hotwire has a double the difference guarantee so if anyone is overcharged, this is another remedy. I have often saved 50% or more off conventional bookings and can stay at higher rated accomodations than I normally can afford. I will use the savings to splurge on dinner. You should check out betterbidding.com and the moderators there will assist with revealing the name of the hotel before you buy.
I agree that HotWire is a scam! I booked a 3-night stay in Savannah at what their website showed was a 3-star hotel. When I got the confirmation, it was a 2-star, without very good customer reviews. I could have made the same reservation myself at that location and paid only $10 more! I've asked them to change,gave them screen shots of better hotels, etc. and now they tell me that their "Research Team" is looking into it. Unfortunately, that will take 7-10 days to get a reply, which the 10th days is the day before I leave for my trip. And the longer they wait, the fewer good rooms are left. Anyway, I'm not holding out much hope. But be assured I will never use HotWire again and I will make sure all my family, friends, acquaintenances and anyone else I find will know what a rip off this company is!
Hotwire is a stick up. I have searched a fare 3 times within 30 minutes. All the dates were the same but everytime I got a different low rate but when I click proceed I get a message "Sorry this fare has changed" and I get a fare $75. to $175 dollars more. Beware!!!
Phil is wrong, when the rental agency will not provide survice hotwire 99.9% of the time refunds.
"Phil S San Diego -- 2008-02-21
I had to attend a funeral in NY, and found what I thought was a reasonable deal for a rental car at JFK with Budget, through Hotwire. So I booked the car.
However, when I showed up to pick up the car, Budget refused to rent it to me. I ended up walking across the way to the Dollar rent a car, and got a car from them - albeit at around twice the price I'd purchased via Hotwire for Budget.
Now, even though Budget refused to rent me a car, I can not get a refund from Hotwire.
Anyone know how I would go about suing them? "
Thank,, all of you, for your comments. I heard Hotwire.com advertised on TV and as I needed a room in a specific area I decided to check it out. I go by the very old adage "Don't buy a pig in a poke". I will not even buy packaged underwear, so I would definitely not purchase a hotel room without knowing where it was. I am sorry all of you got so scammed. I would hope that something like this could be shut down by some authority!
Hotwire IS a scam. They need to be closed down. Everyone should write to their Atty. Generals of their states to start proceeding against them.
I was ripped off with the recent airline "failures". HOTWIRE NEEDS TO BE SHUTDOWN.
Dear Attorney General-
I believe that www.Hotwire.com is guilty of Fraud and Deception and uses Bait and Switch tactics on its web site.
Attached is a screen print of a search I did on Hotwire for air travel- I wanted to fly from Florida to New England.
As you can see several of the ROUND TRIP itineraries are from $160 to $180 TAX INCLUDED.
NOT ONE OF THESE BOOKINGS WAS ACTUALLY AVAILABLE.!!!!!
I clicked on ALL of the low cost itineraries and they all led to a page that said "sorry, that fare is not available" - the then quoted fare was for $300 to $400!!
I then re-did my search assuming the correct fares would come up.
WRONG.
Same deception- same bait and switch.
I called Hotwire and their service person found the same "low" fares but when she tried to see if it was available, she too got fares in the $400 range.
In the age of high speed computers it is UNACCEPTABLE that Hotwire can't get their fares current.
May I suggest a $100 fine for each misstated fare times all the hits they got in the first 4 months of this year- should be in the tens of millions I hope.
Thank you so much for this site. I have always had good luck with expedia and travelocity, but I went to hotwire to look for flight tickets. found some listed for 309 round trip. went back 3 hours later - prices up to 349. Thank god i did not commit. Went back to google to look for other cheap fare sites and came across this website. Usually, I don't take these sites seriously until I read all of the horror stories. I will definitely warn others about hotwire.
i have been on the telephone ad nausem trying to get a hotel confirmation. Hotwire has my money and the hotel has no record of a reservation. This BS has been going on for two weeks....I can't get my money back and I can get confirmation of a reservation. Hotwire is incompetent. THEY ARE UNHELPFUL AND UNFRIENDLY. I RATE THEIR SERVICE AS 1/2 STAR.
I was able to book good priced flights to Hawaii, however I was very skeptical about their “4 star” hotels. When I tried to call their customer support line to ask a quick question, I was on hold for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Customer service representative sounded like a high school drop out was not helpful.
I booked a hotel that was considered to be in downtown San Jose for $79. It turned out to be the Super 8. The standard price of the room: $79. Had I used my AAA it would have been $74. It was near the airport, which according to Hotwire's definition is downtown, which is indeed only two miles from the convention center, but not anybody else's idea of downtown. I tried to get them to rescind the reservation, but no dice. Oh well!
I have used Hotwire for the last four years and I travel frequently. If you read and follow their rules there is not a problem. All I've ever received was rooms and rental cars way below market rate. I would highly recommend this service if you are somewhat flexibile with your travel and want to save a ton of money.
Thanks for the Warning...I thought it was strange not to give you the name of the place before you pay...what was I thinking of even looking at this site...it's also a good thing my thier site if EF'ed up and it keeps closing on me' it must be a sign...!:)
I just completed a transaction on Hotwire.com and was amazed that i paid for a crap shack of a hotel near disneyland, and noticed after that all sales are final. Hotwire.com should be investigated for better business practices. its unfair to consumers to get stuck with something that will be a bad experience. after booking the reservation, i found out that my family and i will have to stay at Little Boy Blue Motel. Reviews all over the internet indicate that this motel is the bed bug motel from hell. i see a lawsuit on both the motel and hotwire.com if my experience is like others, terrible...
ha Wow! I'm trying to plan a family vacation to Cabo San Lucas and came acrossed hotwire, I found a "4 star" hotel for 89$ a night and thought...what a deal. I googled hotwire feedback just to make sure it was legit before actually booking the trip, but don't worry, after reading this page there is no way I'm gonna be another person scammed by hotwire. Thanks guys.
Well my grandma died. My dads mom. We knew my dad was strapped for the money so we bought him a ticket. He did not make the flight. He is wanting to go but Hotwire will not allow him to book onto another flight. I called cutomer service to find out if there is another way...there all money hungry minded. I called and spoke with a supervisor who was brain washed also. She to said the same thing over and over again. I asked if they could have a heart. He needs to get to his moms funeral which is on Friday 21 2008. I asked to speak to someone above her. I guess there is no one above her because I never could speak to anyone other then her. I am out 400.00 for the tickets and no one seems to care.
I hate HOTWIRE!!!!!!!!!!! Will never use or tell anyone about them.
I thought I was alone. I also have used hotwire plenty of times in the past and most of the time it was "good enough". However, I used it to book hotels internationally and it sucked. Like everyone knows, they won't tell you what you'll get until you pay for it. It was not worth it. I ended up paying tons for a four star hotel that was a piece of crap in a really crappy neighborhood (they lied about the neighborhood it was in). I really didn't find the need to do it this time, but I think that if I ever make another purchase through hotwire (which I doubt), I will use my platinum visa which insures me from these fraudulent charges. I have called my visa and cancelled purchases for other things, I think everyone should dispute hotwire charges with their visa and have your visa refund you the money hotwire stole.
Just returned from a FL "3star" 8 day condo experience from Hotwire:
1) Bed linens didn't fit
2) Floors were dirty (tile)
3) Carpet was dirty
4) AC didn't work
5) Noise outside room was a "siren" generated by the central cooling station - OSHA violation for sure!
6)Property was called a "resort" when all it had was a pool and a shuffleboard (old) court
7) We were on the third floor - No elevators!!
8) Front office was dirty, and littered with timeshare advertising
9) BEWARE of hot wire ratings! tHEY ARE FALSE ADVERTISING
My recent purchase through Hotwire was mixed. The car rental was excellent. However, the hotel did not fit the description for a 4-star hotel.
1. All public areas were under reconstruction.
2. No business center as promised.
3. A group of middleschool children on a field trip were running up and down our hallway until nearly 2AM.
4. When I turned the water on in the bathroom, it ran with rust for a few seconds.
5. The bathroom countertop was dirty.
6. The bedding did not fit the bed appropriately.
7. All luxuries came at additional exorbitant fees...internet, cable tv, wetbar. Why would I pay $3.00 for a can of Pepsi when the machine outside the door has 20 oz bottles for $1.50?
I'm not a seasoned 4-star traveler; but doesn't that rating usually imply that there are some luxuries included and that there will be some relative peace, quiet and cleanliness? This stay reminded me of the commercial where the guy is trying to ask his wife if she packed his flip flops.
On a positive note, the restaurant was awesome.
I think in the future, I will book the hotel on my own and use Hotwire for the car rental.
Hotwire is a rip-off. Dont waste your time. I purchased 4 tickets on line. I called within 2 hours of the purchase to change a name on one of the tickets. I had a 17 year old friend of my son who told me she asked her parents concerning the trip. Well she did not and her parents refuse to pay for the ticket. I know I should have called them first but. Now I am stuck with a 400. 00 ticket that I can not use. Hotwire said I could pay 100.00. to change the ticket but not the name. That really makes sense. I am already out $400.00 why would I pay $100.00 change fee so that young lady can use the ticket within a year??? Help. Her parents refuse to pay for the ticket. This was for a senior trip ticket. Never again, what a waste of time calling the customer service line. On hold for 30 minutes.
Hotwire is a rip-off. Dont waste your time. I purchased 4 tickets on line. I called within 2 hours of the purchase to change a name on one of the tickets. I had a 17 year old friend of my son who told me she asked her parents concerning the trip. Well she did not and her parents refuse to pay for the ticket. I know I should have called them first but. Now I am stuck with a 400. 00 ticket that I can not use. Hotwire said I could pay 100.00. to change the ticket but not the name. That really makes sense. I am already out $400.00 why would I pay $100.00 change fee so that young lady can use the ticket within a year??? Help. Her parents refuse to pay for the ticket. This was for a senior trip ticket. Never again, what a waste of time calling the customer service line. On hold for 30 minutes.
Well I was shopping a price as well and Hotwire was the best deal for what I was looking for. I tried to get back to their site and all I got was:
"Please check back soon!"
I guess that goes along with everything I have been reading.Its back to Frontier airlines as they were only .39c more in cost.
I am so thankful I found this site before I booked with Hotwire!!! I was sceptical anyway because their prices are not only NOT cheap, but one of the airlines actually has cheaper rates!!! Hotwire sucks!!!
Sure wish i had seen this web site before booking with hotwire . They are real scam artists . Take your money give you garbage then tell you tough luck. I will never book with them again and will tell everyone I know what crooks they are. As far as i am concerned they stole $212.00of my hard earned money and ruined my holiday.
STAY AWAY STAY AWAY. IT IS A SCAM. I wonder what they are collecting all of this money for..a good cause? Effin BULLSHIT..!
I wish I would have read this site before using HotWire. I always use Priceline but couldn't get a good deal in Lake Tahoe this time. So I figured I'd try HotWire. Same story.. you can get the hotel cheaper at it's own site. Now they're giving me hassle for their "guarantee" saying they can't verify the cheaper price. It's on their site. They want a screenshot faxed. I HATE HOTWIRE!! I'm posting this site on all the social media and blogs I can find. Everyone should do the same..Screw them back.
hotwire is BULLSHUT.i am planning to go to india.i booked a trip but at the time of booking instead of my date of return it shows another date .i called up the customer care people after 5 minutes my booking was made but now the started saying to pay $600 or $700 to make a change they are not helpful then i ask them that i want to talk to manager then they ask me that mananger will call u in 48 hours .they are ridiculous people
We are booking a trip to mexico,and went in to hotwire to check it out but had second thoughts because l could not get a hotel name till after l booked,so l checked out other sites(travelocity,expedia)l was watching the prices, so our group decided today was the day to book our vacation,l went into Hotwire and as it came up l bumped my mouse and this site came up, l started reading and after reading all of these there is NO WAY l would travel thru Hotwire and since l was the one in charge of making arangments l figured l would like to keep my friends and wife and book thru someone else.
Oh yea, They are in no way cheaper. They as a matter of fact were the MOST EXPENSIVE of anywhere I looked. They were almost $10 more expensive than booking straight through the hotel. **** you again Hotwire!!!!
I have had nothing but a bad time with Hotwire. I read the entire site. I fully understand the FAQS. My problem is the fact that I requested a 3+ star hotel w/ a golf course, free breakfast, tennis, and a pool. I also requested a room to sleep 2 adults and a 15 year old boy. Hotwire placed me in the Crown Plaza hotel which has no free breakfast, no golf, and no tennis. Not only that but, they placed us in a room with only 1 KING bed. Who puts a married couple in the same bed as a 15 year old. Then I understand the NO REFUND deal, so I called the hotel to see about an upgrade to two double beds or at least two beds, I didn't even mind paying more. They had absolutely NO more rooms availabe. **** you HOTWIRE!!!!!!!
I had to attend a funeral in NY, and found what I thought was a reasonable deal for a rental car at JFK with Budget, through Hotwire. So I booked the car.
However, when I showed up to pick up the car, Budget refused to rent it to me. I ended up walking across the way to the Dollar rent a car, and got a car from them - albeit at around twice the price I'd purchased via Hotwire for Budget.
Now, even though Budget refused to rent me a car, I can not get a refund from Hotwire.
Anyone know how I would go about suing them?
Hotwire always rates its hotels .5 star over priceline and all other sources. If you want a 3* hotel, look for 3.5* in hotwire. I base it on several hotels I purchased through hotwire.
I am very grateful for this site. I was ready to try Hotwire - but now I don't think it's worth the risk. I can't afford to have a vacation ruined.
I booked a supposed "3-star" hotel on Hotwire. ----Hotwire listed "retail" value of this "3-star" to be $243. I paid $116 + tax = $132 (which they noted to be a "52% savings"!). Guess what I got? A room at a Holiday Inn Express. Hotwire's own site lists Holiday Inn Express hotels to be 2.5 star, so passing this off after my purchase as a 3-star is misrepresentation #1. Was told by a "manager" that this particular property was reviewed by their own staff and by Hotwire customers and based on that, they had given this particular property a 3 star.
so, my PROBLEM #1 is---
**You can't state one thing on your site, and then make a special exception for one property AFTER the fact.** Even the hotel itself does not consider itself 3 star, because I called to ask. Bottom line= MISREPRESENTATION
Furthermore, the price on the HIE website worked out to be $1.88 cheaper than the Hotwire price, for total savings of... less than zero.
so, my Problem#2 is---
You can't tell me that I am getting a 52% savings, just to sucker me to buy, and then charge me a price that is 0% savings, because that is ...MISREPRESENTATION
Further, the "retail" rate for the room has never been, under any circumstance or any stretch of the imagination, $243 (which was confirmed to me by the Hotel staff, and on their website). Upon questioning this with Hotwire, I was told that the $243 rate is supposed to be a representation of what other 3 star hotels in the area might go for. But it doesn't explain this anywhere on the Hotwire site before you buy.
So, my PROBLEM #3 is---
Hotwire's website just flat out lies, lies, lies.
Hotwire completely misleads consumers with completely false information. "Manager" at call center no help - would not help even switch me to another hotel. My next step is to call corporate of both Hotwire and Holiday Inn Express (Intercontinental Hotels Group) AND most importantly, the BBB.
Any one ever, ever had any luck with a refund or switching of properties, due to the misleading practices?
So due to a medical emergency, I need to cancel my hotel reservation. The hotel said they would be happy to issue a refund. They just need Hotwire to fax over a cancellation form. So I called Hotwire back and told them the hotel will gladly issue a refund, if they'll fax over the cancellation form. First Hotwire lied and said they called the hotel, but the hotel would not issue a refund. I said, that's funny, I just spoke to them and they said they would. Can you call them back with me on the line, so we can ask them again? Then they said, well, the hotel may be willing to, but we can't fax over the form. So, not only are they difficult, and greedy, they are also deceitful. I'll never use them again. Never.
Be careful of Hotwire. Granted it is supposed to be nonrefundable, but they do tell you that in case of a medical emergency that they will just charge you $25 and refund the balance. This is hogwash. I have provided vast documentation showing the medical emergency of heart problems and even copies of my medical bills being reimbursed by Blue Cross for services rendered on the travel date. They still refuse to honor their own policy of refunding in case of a medical emergency. Use caution in using Hotwire. I don't plan on using them again.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>READ<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
I was searching for a flight from Dallas to orange county about a week ago so I called hotwire on Monday morning. I spoke with rep and he told me the had an offer for $345 but the hours of departure and arrival could be from either 6am to 10pm, I accepted it because I was flexible with my hours .I was happy because that was the lowest qoute I was offered all morning. When it was time to check out the rep told me that the flight had increase from $345 to$560. Rep advised me to call later. I did call back about a half hour later and the same deal was offered again, I agree to purchase and guess what, the rate when up again almost $300 more. Frustrated but faithful I called one more time and rep offered same deal of $345 then I told him why he was offering this deal if he is going to say that it increased to $560 by the time I'm ready to buy it, agent said "the price just went up". I told rep that i understand that airfare increases rapidly, I was aware given the fact that I travel a lot, but it was a coincidence that every time I called the price was at $345 then it rapidly rose to $560, then when I called again it decreased to $345, and when i was about to purchased it rose again. Pissed off, I felt like I was being played with, so I ask to speak to a supervisor. The rep placed me on hold and hung up. I called 7 more times to try to speak with a manager, no lie, and they all hung up on me. The eight time I was finally transfered to a manager who said the samething the reps told me. I told him to stop scamming people, he said it not thier fault airfare increases dramatically when ever I try to buy. I was so disgusted with thier "deals" and customer services that I will never use hotwire again. They should be report to the BBB. I almost forgot, after that ordeal, I called up priceline, they gave me the same deal for $345, cautiously I told him if he was serious, he said yes. Then I asked him if priceline was affiliated with hotwire, just to make sure, he said no so I continued with purchase. At then he charged me what he promised $345, which also included a hotel, that I didn't need but what a deal. Try priceline. Com
I saw their commercial on TV about their low prices on 4 stars hotels, and got interested in the website, thank god, I saw this website too, thank you for the warnings, I am not gonna use Hotwire for sure!!!!!
I have read your horror stories and although they are troublesome, they are also encouraging. I thought I was alone in being hosed by this site but am coming to find out that this is far from the case. I am contacting the FTC. These folks are con artists and I feel its time for them to face the music.
Whew! I am glad that I read the comments on Hotwire. No thanks, I will not use this company. Any one at DateLine or 60 Minutes care to take these jerks on.
I too was deceived by the location and quality of a hotel booked through Hotwire. I would advise against using Hotwire as their description of location, quality, and savings are exaggerated enough to be considered dishonest in my opinion, and at the very least dubious. Although I completely understand the concept of no refunds, and the concept of accepting some unknowns in exchange for a discount on the price of a hotel room, Hotwire does not offer a product within the parameters they establish for quality, location, and savings. While very many may have had acceptable experiences with Hotwire, there are many of us who have not. The fact that positve experiences have been had in noway refutes the existence of the negative ones. If you still choose to use Hotwire keep your fingers crossed and all may work out well. But I know what mine was, and I would recommend all who read this to NOT use Hotwire for their Hotel bookings.
Thank you for this site, I was getting ready to book a vacation with airfare, rental car, and hotel for me and my family for two weeks, Thanks for all the warnings.. Spending $3,000 is alot to risk, sounds like I would have better luck at blackjack. WHo is parterned with hotwire so I can stay away from them too...
I have used hotwire Quite a few times and have been very happy. I think the person was right by saying that you should look on line and see if you can find out what hotel it might be and what area of town you are in. This summer we stayed in the out skirts of Washington D.C and for $45.00 a night. I think we got what we were promised! I think the disappointment is when you are convinced that your going to have a certain hotel and it falls through. I not saying that people don't have legitimate claims but mine was fine!
I just booked an Hotel through Hotwire.com, the hotel they gave me was a "Super 8", which I don't feel should even be in the caliber of hotels they list as possible options (Days Inn, Ramada Inn, La Quinta, etc.). Then on top of that, the location they selected is rated #197 out of 200 hotels in San Diego on Trip Advisor. On top of that, I could have went to the Super 8 website and using my AAA card, received a rate less than the one Hotwire gave me. I have used Hotwire many times in the past and it used to be a pretty good value. I tried getting a refund from Hotwire and received no Satisfaction. I think I am done using this website!!! NO MORE HOTWIRE, HOTWIRE SUCKS!!
No experience with Hotwire, but let me warn you about Hotels.com. When you book a room with them, they include some fine print that is literally so fine that you can't read it unless you select it with your cursor. It states "Bedding and smoking preferences are not guaranteed." They'll tell you that this is the hotel's policy, (Hilton in this case), but what they don't say is that the hotel gives preference to its direct customers. So, unless you prefer a room that smells and looks like it recently caught fire, avoid Hotels.com.
Hotwire,Washington 11/2007
The deals look pretty good, but after reading all the comments I decided not to use Hotwire. Thank you
i was jost going rent a car thru hot line but afer reading your comment i decided not to.
I booked a hotel on Hotwire tonight. The "3-star" hotel is really a 2-star with tons of complaints against it for being dirty, moldy and dangerous. And the bargain price is exactly $10 less than I could have booked it myself, if I had no taste and wanted to book a hotel in a dump. And their customer service email address bounces. This is my first Hotwire experience. It will be my last.
I recently attempted to use Hotwire to rent a car for a holiday trip to New Orleans with my family. I recieved an error message when I tried to complete the transaction online, so naturally I called into the 800 number for support. The representative that answered the phone attempted to run the transaction 2 more times while I was on the phone, but I was told my card was denied. I logged onto my online banking to confirm that I had the money for the transaction and noticed that my account had been debited 3 times for $250, leaving me with $18 to my name while on vacation with my family. I told the representative to cancel the transaction and that I would go elsewhere and she told me she couldn't do anything because risk management had blocked my account. I was given a number to call and left various messages but no one was ever returned my call. I was stuck with my family on vacation with $18 for 6 days before the transaction was reversed. Here is a clip of the emails that I recieved from Hotwire:
From: Phil Reynolds
Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007 1:28 PM
To: 'khalilthompson@gmail.com'
Subject: Access Termination
Importance: High
Sensitivity: Confidential
Unfortunately your transactions fall outside of our acceptable risk threshold and we are not willing to accept your bookings. Your account has been deactivated. This decision is final and we are neither at liberty nor obligated to provide any additional information.
The card used was not charged. Your bank is holding an authorization anticipating a sale we never transmitted. This authorization hold will fall off after a number of days set and decided by your bank and the funds your bank is holding will reintegrate to your available credit.
Hotwires terms of use, which you have acknowledged reading and agreed to be bound by, states:
"Termination of Usage. User access to all or part of this Site may be terminated or suspended at any time, without notice and for any reason."
We have decided to terminate your use of this website. This decision is final and no further review or communication is forthcoming.
From: Phil Reynolds
Sent: On Nov 20, 2007 2:23 PM
To: 'khalilthompson@gmail.com'
Subject: Access Termination
Importance: High
Sensitivity: Confidential
You can call and use foul lanquage and present an abusive deameanor all you want and it wont change the facts. We have directly tied your account to an account on our site where a stolen credit card was used. You can further threaten legal action as well. We have done nothing actionable. And even if we did, it would be entertaining to hear you explain to the court the correlation between you and the use of a stolen card on our site. I gaurantee you that any Judge would side with us in blocking your use of this site. We have every right to protect ourselves against fraud. No Judge will ever interfere with that right. Your threat is empty.
It is your bank holding your money not Hotwire. This has already been explained to you. Further, even if we wanted to request the release of the auths your bank is holding, it would be to no avail. Bank of America refuses to release auths even at the request of the merchant unless the card was issued in California. They make no exceptions. They do however promise that the auths fall of after three business days, which in this case is today. I would presume the auths will fall off today or tonight.
From: Khalil Thompson [mailto:khalilthompson@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 10:55 AM
To: Phil Reynolds
Subject: Re: FW: Access Termination
Phillip,
I find it very interesting that you say I was attempting to make a purchase on your website with a stolen credit card. It just seems so odd to me when I could walk into my bank on the same day with the same DEBIT card and have no problems at all. Furthermore, I could go and handle all of my holiday shopping with no problem whatsoever.
I cant even be upset with you anymore because it is apparently clear that you have no heart and you have no family. You know I thought I would surprise my kids this holiday season and take them and my wife on a trip to New Orleans for an early Thanksgiving, being that Im leaving for 6 months on Thanksgiving day to go work overseas. And thanks to you and HOTWIRE our trip was ruined. You know all 4 of us had to sleep in our rental car (that we got from AVIS not hotwire and accepted the same card you claim is stolen) last night because you illegally seized all of the money I had saved up for our trip.
Have you ever had to tell your child to go to sleep while you pointlessly drive around trying to find a place to park for the night? Have you ever had your child wake up in the middle of the night and ask you why cant we go inside? Have you ever stayed up all night just to make sure nothing would happen to the people you loved, praying that your own money that you worked so hard for would be placed back into your bank account so you could actually use it?
I hadn't experienced any of it until last night and I pray I never have to go through that again. How could you just hold almost $700 of someones money for 7 days, not let them rent the vehicle and never offer an explanation. Never pick up the phone and have the decency to return a phone call. Never call to see what could be done to expedite the process of canceling the order. Never do anything to help people out.
Maybe its just too much to ask for. Maybe us middle class Americans just aren't worthy of that little bit of customer service, that little bit of kindness. And since it is ever so apparent that you have taken such great pleasure in making our holiday's miserable, I can only assume that you really do not care. However, perhaps the media would be interested in taking a look at this. Im sure "7 On Your Side" would find your smug attitude and witty emails amusing. Im sure I can find plenty of media outlets that would be interested in what I have to say. I guess it does help some that I am a camera man for CNN, and it also doesnt hurt that my wife is a Lawyer. No those are just details we wont take into acount.
So Phillip to you and your company, I wish you a Happy Holiday. Hopefully you will be able to enjoy yours much more than we were able to enjoy ours.
On Nov 21, 2007 2:18 PM, Phil Reynolds wrote:
Save it
This is the rude response that I got from their customer support team after they held my money for 6 days
i would strongly advise not to book with hotwire. I booked a car for 3 weeks and the rates went down 250.00 for the same car and they would not consider any type of credit - rude customer service when i called - the supervisor stated I have the clearance to cancel this confirmation and let you re-book but im not going to. do not use hotwire - go to the avis budget enterprise etc and book yourself or call them directly..again, do not use hotwire.
Booked in Miami airport, supposedly .5 miles from the airport BUT the map they show is not even the airport. They give this blurry map and in small writing say the red dot is .5 miles from the center of the map, what kind of sales pitch is this? Our hotel is 3.5 miles from the airport. I wanted to be right next to the airport. Of course, they say it clearly states on their site where the hotel is......yeah, I can read, but did not know I'd have to give my lawyer a copy of their lowsy terms to interpret. I'll try and get a refund from my credit card company for misrepresentation of product.
Used them (Hotwire) made reservations had confirmation to find when I went to check in...Hotwire had cancelled my reservations without informing (via email or phone call)me prior to me going on my get away. I was stuck 3 hours from home without a room. They finally send me an email 3 days after my reservation date after I called for an explaination (which I never got), to inform me that my reservation had been cancelled.
I ALMOST USED HOTWIRE, THANK GOD I READ THE HORROR STORIES.....I DIDNT USE HOWIRE.
IS IT COMMON TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER I PAY FOR THE HOTEL TO WAIT TO SEE WHAT IT IS I BOOKED.
KINDA LIKE A SUPRISE....I DONT LIKE SURPRISES.!
NM
I'm furious with Hotwire. Attempted to book a hotel room in Brussels two weeks ago. Never received email confirmations after trying twice, so went back to their site to see that the rates were no longer available. Turns out they booked me in BOTH hotels. After some discussion, they refunded one, but swore that the other claimed I had in fact checked in. The hotel told me that i had been marked as a no show: not same thing. My requests that Hotwire substantiate their claim that emails were sent me to confirm have come to nothing so far.
i am not surprised at all the complaints i see listed. in june 2007 in anticipation of a rental car i used a new on line service for me to book celcar on a trip home for xmas. of course if i had just booked this car with avis direct they would have just held my reservation with a credit card but i thought i was going to save a few bucks. when our plans were changed by no choice of our own everyone allowed us to cancel even refunding all $ including delta airline, and orbitz except hotwire who absolutely refused any type of a refund with a two month notice. had i booked direct i may have been out a few more $'s but not the full payment. as far as knowing that there was no refund, i sugest that to have to use a magnigying glass or search out that info is purposefully done to take advantage of people. i will never use this service again, and i would sugest that those of my circle would not either. i doubt this will be sucessful with it's complete disregard for individual circumstances or any effort to retain customers by word of mouth. never again!!!!!!!!
Booked car rental on hotwire. Budget refused the rental at the desk with no explanation. When I called hotwire, they claimed they were trying to call budget and now one was answering and I should call back later. I called budget and they answered on the first ring. I tried hotwire three more times that day; each time they claimed budget wasn't answering. The next day hotwire tells me that because it's the next day: it now has to be sent to a researcher and they would email me in 10 business days. Hotwire is complete bullshit and I am a fool for using them.
This is to address the people who accused all of us with complaints of being illerate. I can read, and I do understand the meaning of nonrefundable.
Hotwire deceived me by charging me full price for hotel that I was suppose to receive a savings of 53%. I have used priceline and I have always been happy with the price, accomodations, and location.
Before booking with hotwire, I reviewed all the hotels in the area and their rates. I knew there were only three possible hotels with 4 stars, and had a rate of over $300.00 a night. They first tried to book me at a hotel in another town. I called and they said they would change it, but I had to pay for it again while they processed a refund. I am still waiting for my refund to come through. Beware that their maps are not to scale and may include other towns that are not listed.
I now have a room that I checked directly with the hotel and discovered that hotwire charged me the same price as the pusblished rate of the hotel. I didn't save anything.
Hotwire's deceit has nothing to do with the mentality of the customer. We are trusting that we will receive the services that hotwire has stated in writing, and nothing less.
Another unsatisfied customer who got screwed and ended up paying more than had I booked directly on the hotel's own web site. Zero customer service as usual manned by robots.
Don't use Hotwire unless you are absolutely positive that you don't care if the hotel you get isn't what you expect. Don't trust their star ratings because it is hit or miss. And don't expect them to do much after you've made your purchase. You are stuck with little no recourse. Just a warning. You may get a good deal and then you may be truly disappointed with your experience. If price is the end all and be all of your quest for rates then its worth a try but otherwise avoid if possible.
I booked a hotel in New York, it was supposed to be 3 star but was possibly 1.5. Within minutes of booking and finding out the hotel, I went on line to see what my savings were. Guess what, it was cheaper at the hotel! I immediately phoned Hotwire to complain and they said they would check. Did they tell me to print the computer screen to prove it? No! Did they ask ask me to print the computer screen the next day, when the price had increased - yes of course! Consequently, they told me they couldn't verify the cheaper price, even though I had printed it and faxed them a copy. So if you see the price cheaper after you book it - PRINT THE SCREEN. They'll have to find some other means of refusing you then. Once bitten, twice shy, I'll never use them again.
listen all you complainers read the terms of use know what your buying. All the information is there clear as a bell. Dont blame Hotwire when you can't read.
1st time user of Hotwire. Boy was I burned - my room ended up being 9 miles away from where I requested and at the same rate that the hotel offerred directly on their website. I called the hotel and Hotwire - neither will work with me. The hotel states since Hotwire made the reservation, they have to cancel it. The hotel is also not comparable to a Comfort Inn - it was a Econolodge! Hotwire is just robot people stating the TOS over and over and over. Got a couple of ideas from these posts will use them. DONT USE HOTWIRE!
Before purchasing hotels on Hotwire check the hotel lists for the area you want to stay in on Betterbidding.com. Many times you can find out exactly what hotels Hotwire has available from the amenity icons.
The botton line is that if you find an hotel on a non opaque site that is acceptable and in your price range don't use Hotwire.
As for cancellations, cruise lines, tour companies and airlines also do not let you cancel without penalties. If you book a $5000 cruise and your Mother dies two days before you are to leave you will most likely lose everything. That is what travel insurance is for.
Hotwire is great. I just booked a hotel in Miami for 65% off the lowest cost on the other websites.
Just know there are no changes and refunds and you do not know the name of the hotel until you pay. That is how they have such low prices.
They have been so awful!!! I didn't buy one of their super cheap airfares...I paid retail. According to their own terms of service, they never say that retail fares are non-refundable. But they absolutely refuse to let me cancel! I understand them not letting you cancel if they were giving me a special rate, but they were giving me the same rate as the airline company and the company would have let me cancel!
A few tips:
1. All bookings on Hotwire are non-refundable. Since it's ALL of their bookings, ALL of their bookings state this on their website.
2. You can challenge with your credit card. The credit card company will investigate if your claim of Hotwire being bad is legitimate. Sometimes it is, for most people making the claim it's not. Congratulations if you canceled your card to force the refund, you just committed fraud! Check your credit score...
3. Internet-based companies send lots and lots and lots and lots of emails. For this reason, many of them are blocked as spam at some point in their travel to your inbox. Most internet companies aren't ingoring you. YOU're ignoring THEM. Let them know you're not receiving a reply if you don't get one. Also, computers now-a-days can detect curse words and automaticly dump those emails into the trash, without a human being ever reading them.
4. To get business partners, Hotwire offers to do the customer service FOR the travel company. When the guy at the hotel, car rental, or airport counter brings up your reservation, he just sees a screen that says to refer all the customers questions to Hotwire.
5. The guy at the counter doesn't care if your reservation is screwed up, it's not his problem, his computer screen says so.
6. Hotwire really will try to help you, so long as your request is more than "I want free money!".
7. Every airline and every hotel offered by Hotwire has a contract to get you a seat or a hotel room. Not so sure about the car rentals, though. Some big-wig made this agreement because having Hotwire help sell their stuff will make them more money, and they don't have to train their staff on any special Hotwire reservation procedures. The big-wig then issued the single piece of training about the Hotwire reservations to all their employees: refer all questions to Hotwire. See points 4, 5, and 6.
8. So by contract, the hotel or airline HAS to get you a room or seat if you're a Hotwire customer (sometimes that's better than they treat their own customers). Too bad nobody who will ever be helping you at the counter knows that.
9. No business can take responsibility for the actions or mistakes of another company. It's called liability. Any company that does is bankrupt the next day.
I purchased tickets on 9/16/07 and I was told I would receive confirmation by email.My friend told me that his order was confirmed in minutes. Should I worry?
I've used Hotwire three times for hotels in Toronto and I was pleased every time. Like someone said in an earlier comment don't book anything under 4star rating, make sure you are familiar with the area and print all your documents and have them with you upon check-in. Don't know if I'd book a holiday with hotwire but my weekend trips to Toronto have been great and the savings have been substantial.Plan to use them again.
I've used Hotwire three times for hotels in Toronto and I was pleased every time. Like someone said in an earlier comment don't book anything under 4star rating, make sure you are familiar with the area and print all your documents and have them with you upon check-in. Don't know if I'd book a holiday with hotwire but my weekend trips to Toronto have been great and the savings have been substantial.Plan to use them again.
Hotwire lies about its hotel rating. I booked supposedly a 3 star hotel that is rating a 1 star by Mobile and 2 stars by Tripadvisor (Hotwire's sister company). What a joke. Contesting the charge with AMEX. I had the card for over 10 years and AMEX has good customer service so I like my chances.
Thanks. I was just going to use Hotwire again. Now I know better and will not use it.
I have to totally agree with you when you speak of a problem with Hotwire.com. Recently, a friend and myself decided to take a vacation to Nassau, Bahamas. Hotwire.com had a great deal for 6 nights including hotel for $607 per person. Since the website doesn't allow payments with more than one credit card my friend offered to pay it in full and I gave her the physical money simultaneously. We went on our vacation and the moment we got to the hotel we each had to dish out $75 ($15 per day) to the hotel (Wyndaham)for room service, non-motorized sports, fitness room and the pool which the website didn't inform us about. For that payment, I used my debit card. The vacation was great until we got back to New York and I looked at my funds and there was an immediate hold of $238, which the hotel had no explanation for and was returned to my account within the day. Three days later another $476 was taken out of my account again from the hotel. I called the hotel and they explained to me that HOTWIRE.com did not see my credit card in the pre-payment for the vacation and since it was on record at the hotel, HOTWIRE.COM assumed that I didn't pay for my portion of the trip when I clearly did with physical money weeks before. The hotel was force to credit me back the $476 and had to conduct further investigation with the website since my name wasn't associated with the hotel room or the pre-payments via HOTWIRE.COM
Thank you all so much. I was going to use hotwire.com but I can see from all the comments that it is not worth the discount. No thank hotwire.com
I used hotwire for a hotel room and was told what hotels would be considered, ie: Comfort Inn, LaQuinta, etc.
What I got was Extended Stay America. I needed a handicap room and got one not fit for a handicap person. I complained to Hotwire and was told that it was comparable with the other hotels which it wasn't. I complained and asked for the CEO's name and address, no response.
Call the hotel or airline directly. If you can get them to refund hotwire you will get your money back. I called the hotel and requested a reciept for the room I never used and suggested I would legally persue this. They wanted nothing to do with that a refunded the charges back to hotwire without further questions. Hotwire did not automatically refund my credit card until I called them to follow up. Persistance and legal suggestions worked me.
The other way I did not use but thought of was to dispute the hotwire charges on your credit card, after the charges are removed from your card-cancel it. Then hotwire will have no card to charge again.(your credit card company will side with hotwire and charge your account again unless you close the account while the money is out). Its a little devious but screw hotwire.
Good Luck-David
It is a well known fact that Hotwire Accomodations are the back of the bus......stinky rooms, bad service, and bumped if no room in the Hotel apparently it is true to go to the Hotel Website and ask for the best deal. I have been in many bad situations with Hotwire, none of which I asked for a refund. All were the quality of the room and service. I have not booked in about 2 years but I know for sure I won't now. Thanks so such....
don't use hotwire.com. they screwed me.
Tried to use the coupon in the 2007 Entertainment Book for a Hotwire discount. The promo is very misleading. Hotwire denied the rebate, claiming I made my flight using retail fares. The promo reads: Flights $20 OFF under that it reads Discount Airfare. One would think they promote discount fares, not that you have to buy a discount fare in order to be eligible for the rebate. The wording is vague and misleading. Don't waste your time trying to use the coupon. You'll probably end up getting stiffed like I was. Hotwire refused to reconsider. I guess they don't care if they lost one customer who probably would have used their site again, and others who will hear and read about this experience.
What a lot of you people don't realize is that hotel rooms aren't going to be cheaper anywhere else other than that hotels website. The hotels have this guarenteed on most websites. Its not worth the risk to deal with a third party. Just deal with the hotel. Find a chain you like, get with the rewards program, and they probably will be better to deal with if you have issues.
Hotwire was unable to find a hotel in the town of Eden North Carolina.I know for a fict that there are 4Hotels in that town.They are unreliable in my book.
Thank you
WOW. After reading below and seeing your experiences... NO THANKS HOTWIRE!!! It's not worth the risk for my family.
We booked a room from Red Lion Inns in south Seattle through Hotwire. We paid for the room with a credit card, received a Hotwire itinerary#, hotel confirmation#, but when I arrived at the hotel at 9:30 PM I was told they were overbooked and Hotwire had been told not to issue any more reservations and I was out of luck, go down the road and find another hotel. Pretty hard at 9:30 PM near the Seattle airport! Red Lion said they were not responsible to place us in another hotel and to contact Hotwire. After holding over 30 minutes on the phone for a representive at Hotwire to help us, we gave up and went hotel searcing. Now we start the process of trying to receive a refund which may take 2-3 weeks. Who in responsible for our inconvience? We finally went to the Red Lion at Sea-Tac who helped us with a room.
I booked a car for 3 weeks of use in LA using Hotwire online, I booked the reservation 6 weeks in advance and with 4 weeks to the ticket the tripped canceled, I contacted Hotwire to get my refund and they were just completely awful to deal with, I would never use this company.
Hotwire is simply EVIL and the do not care about helping people. I have had my share of problems with them. Even if they do not loosemoney they still simply DO NOT CARE!!!.
Hotwire is the worse, when I tried to cancel reservations, they stonewalled me. Here's my complaint, when you make an agreement, you get something for something. In this case Hotwire too 4 nights hotel fees, and I got nothing when I canceled. They refer to their notice, I say that their notices are unfair and the consumer is stuck with paying something for nothing.
Hotwire's site is based on opacity,if you need to know where you will be staying then dont use their site,they will even give you the phone# to expedia and hotels.com.their site is clearly for bargin hunters and not for someone looking for the whole vacation experiance starting with the flight and hotel decor.the booking asst.see the same screen that you see at home on your personal computer and they too have no knowledge of where you will be staying until after its booked.myself,im a bargin hunter and so it dosent matter to me what the room looks like as long as i have someplace to sleep and a flight to get there,i'm not there for the room,i'm there to visit friends,go to the beach or whatever and if i can save $ for the real reason im there then thats fine with me. their terms of use CLEARLY state that its NONREFUNDABLE and that you cant cancel, you have to check a box that says you uderstand that before you can even book the product.Again,if being able to cancel or know where you'll be staying is important to you then choose another site.Yes everything is hidden about where you stay or when you fly but the terms are not hidden.I always read the terms of use for everything,unfortunatly most people just check the box and proceed and then wonder what the f*** they got into and thats their own fault.
Their search criteria is a bait and switch. I specifically put in the zip code for which I wanted a hotel (wanted to walk to the ballpark) and the hotel we chose was 3 miles from the park. Why do they have a specific search criteria when they don't use it . The customer doesn't know if the hotel location is anywhere near the area that was originally specified until it's too late. I 'm done with them.
I booked with hotwire for hotel and car rental. My trip turned to an emergency situation so I called to change my car rental pick-up time and was told the rules for changes or cancellation, which was you lose your money and are required to make a new reservations.I asked where these rules were posted and was told I needed to look under something called customer care. Won't be using them again
I booked a hotel a week in advance on Hotwire that they list as a three star hotel. That same day I visited the hotel and looked at one of the rooms. I travel for living and I can tell you it was at best at 1 1/2 star hotel. Tried to cancel reservation and you know the rest. I WILL NEVER USE HOTWIRE AGAIN!
Wow, that's like a really old school Hotwire page, like from when they first opened. Hotwire for Windows 95.
So have any of you figured out that you're not paying Hotwire for the hotel room, or car, or flight? You're paying $$$ for the booking service. Yeah, the plane could crash, the hotel could burn down, the car rental could be denied because you don't have a drivers license (who tries to rent a car without a drivers license, sheep?) -- but Hotwire provided the service you paid for. They BOOKED it. And then they're done, peace out, have a good trip, have a bad trip, skip it, it's all the same.
DO NOT BUY "TRIP CANCELLATION" WITH HOTWIRE THROUGH ACCESS AMERICA...READ THE FINE PRINT AND IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET YOUR REFUND UNLESS YOU ARE HOSPITALIZED AND THEN YOU EVEN HAVE TO SEND IN LETTERS FROM YOUR DOCTORS. THIS IS A SCAM AND VERY DISAPPOINTING THAT HOTWIRE WORKS WITH ACCESS AMERICA. I'LL THINK AGAIN WHEN TRYING TO USE HOTWIRE IN THE FUTURE.
I guess I have to join in here. We made a reservation in Indy at the Holiday Inn Beech Grove. That is what our reservations state. Now they tell us 3 weeks before our trip that it has changed hands and is no longer Holiday Inn. Never heard of who took it over. I use to work for Holiday Inn and if they pull their name from a francise then it isn't upto Holiday Inn standard. I called Hotwire and requested they change the reservation. I don't even mind paying more but they won't do it. I'm not sure how they can send me a reservation stating Holiday Inn and when that changes refuse to redo the reservation. Not sure what I am going to do but may have to see an attorney. I will never use them again.
This is my very first experience in using any of these sites for fares. When I tried Hotwire, after I had put in my info, the screen said they were searching for the best fares. That screen stayed on for three minutes, at which time, I closed. Thank you for the telling of the experience you had.
I will not use Hotwire.
I made a reservation on hotwire.com for a hotel in Pigeon Forge, TN. I paid $76.00 plus tax making the total $90.00. When I arrived at the hotel I saw the computer screen. Hotwire was only being charged $52.00 for the room. I already paid a $5.00 booking fee to hotwire and now they are getting $20.00 extra dollars?
Hotwire states they have "deeper" discounts because hotels sell them they unsold rooms. Yeah, hotels sell the rooms cheaper to hotwire but hotwire still charges the full price to customers. In fact, I could of saved close to $9.00 by just walking in or reserving on the DaysInn website. Their normal non-discounted rate was less than I paid.
When I called Hotwire.com's customer service and waited 20 minutes. I got this very rude redneck agent who stated, "we are a for-profit company and we can charge whatever we want for a room."
Well, since hotwire did not save me anything and just upset me. I will take my business elsewhere. Atleast then I won't get surprised with a "3 star" roach motel.
The reason hotwire.com doesn't tell you what hotel you will be staying at ahead of time..is just so that you can't check with the hotel to make sure you can't being charged MORE.
I tried to contact Hotwire ,com several times I purchases a airline ticket #NFWJOZ that flight was cancelled. United stated that
is was cancelled and that hot line had the money already taken the 323.00 out of my account I grab another flight out due to the emergency I had to get to MI That cost me another 324.00 They emailed me stating to call united I call united stated get with Hot wire
I am going to dipute this mater please some one from Hot Wire please advise.Iam not paying for aticket that I was not on
Thank you Jeannie ward
Thank you for the heads up.They have burned me too. They represented a 3Star Holiday Inn in Knoxville TN, which was the dirtiest fleabag I have ever stayed in. I commented that they misrepresented the hotel but never heard back. You're right. Hotwire SUCKS
Never use Hot Wire! I booked a hotel in Amarillo. It was absolutely the worst place I've ever stayed. One tiny bed for two adults, non smoking room that reeked with smoke, unsafe neighborhood, and cost more than walking in. This is my first and last time with Hotwire, and I'm responsibile for a look of travel with my company. You can be assured that I will spread the word. NEVER USE HOTWIRE!
HOTWIRE SUCKS!!! I will never use them again.
Hotwire misrepresents their hotels to get your money, then you are stuck.
I booked a 2-star hotel (Days Inn) in Key West that was absolutely disgusting with bugs, smells, and porn magazines stuck between the mattresses - totally gross!
I wanted beach front, but all they had was "very easy walking distance to the beach" (I called to confirm) - but it was really closer to 2 miles. I cannot walk far as I have a disability.
The HotWire rate was $20 higher than the walk in rate (I would have paid $75 a night more for another hotel).
HotWire customer service was abolutely no help when I called to tell them about the hotel and misrepresentations.
I booked a hotel through Hotwire recently. The rooms were filled with the smell of paint as the hotel was painting the hallways in all floors. Our children even complaint about the headaches caused by the fumes. Because of the non-refundable policy, I asked the hotwire's supervisor to at least find us another hotel. They did not even care. I agree that even in an emergency situation, they do not have any flexibility in their policies. I will not use Hotwire anymore!
Annandale... I disagree.
re-read my posting. I reserved through Hotwire... checked the rate with Venere.com once I found out the Hotel name... and *booked* Venere's lower rate (a Cancellable Reservation).
Hotwire would not do anything for me... especially live up to their Guarantee... even when I provided them with proof that their rate was higher. Hotwire SUCKS!
Hotwire is great if you know how it works. I view most of the complaints on this board to be silly. Follow their rules. Lower cost if you understand they pick the Hotel and you will get no refund if you do not like it or your plans change.
Hotwire is a horrible place. It has different terms and conditions on different pages. The website did not show any information that it does not specify that secondary drivers cannot be under 25 years. After paying the amount, the website shows up in bold letters that all drivers must be more than 25. I went through the terms and agreement before clicking yes, it did not say this beforehand
Hotwire is the worst customer service company I have ever had the MISERY of being involved with. Their "superviors" are rude and unprofessional. I caution ALL to not try and save a buck with them TOO MUCH heartache!
Oh and corporate # to call and complain with them is
920-433-4849
I to have been burnt by HOTWIRE. I paid over and above the walk-in price for a room in Destin,Fl on hotwire. I then felt I needed armored quards for protection. I too found the whole transaction process scary. I should have stopped while I was ahead. This was my first and last experience with HOTWIRE.
Hotwire let me down... but I'm lucky... as it was only in pricciple... and a few $$$.
I booked a hotel in Rome for 4 nights... and when I found out the Name of the hotel after my win... I checked Venere.com and found it to be slightly cheaper. I actually booked the cancellable reservation through Venere.com and contacted Hotwire about their lowest price guarentee. They told me that they checked, and that their price to me was lower than Venere's. Huh??? I hold a reservation from Venere.com that is less than Hotwire's, and they tell me that Hotwire's price is better?
I re-email them to reiterate that I hold a reservation for a lower amount, and they tell me that it has to do with a) Conversion rates, and b) Vener's total amounts include VAT and fees are not detailed for comparison.
Right.
I ask to have my Hotwire purchase cancelled, as I hold a reservation for less $$$ and Hotwire won't honor their price guarentee. No luck.
I had a great stay, it wasn't much money difference, but. HOTWIRE SUCKS.
Can anyone help with an e-mail address of someone at management level or higher at Hotwire? I am getting nowhere with customer service regarding a problem with a car rental (or should I say "lack of car rental") and I feel I need to go to someone at a higher level either in Public Relations or maybe VP status. I know customer service reps are only doing what they have the authority and ability to do; but when you get no results, you need to go to the top if necessary. Thanks for any information you can provide.
My wife and I recently booked a car rental through Hotwire. We are in a current legal situation that has been going on for many years but the other legal council needs to meet with us over the next couple of months for depositions and etc... We just found out we are going to have to cancel our trip for this after booking the car rental.
Hotwire said that we couldn't cancel, refund, or change our travels plans because the upcoming legal schedule is not ordered by a court so we should alter our legal plans around the car rental agreement!!
The supervisor I talked to today said that we are not going to get any of our money back. I guess we will get the rental car and let it sit in our driveway as we cancel our vacation plans for the summer. I would not recommend Hotwire because even in an emergency situation, they do not have any flexibility in their policies.
My boyfriend and I purchased a trip through hotwire a few months ago. Hotel, flight, and car. We had absolutely no problems with our trip or the customer service, they answered all of our questions and we actually quite nice.We have even recommended them to friends and family who have had no issues. The flight times were great. There is an option to choose your flight times, and our hotel was very nice. Over all I personally had a great experience with them and would definately book another vacation.
dearest michelle from michigan,
I'm VERY PLEASED that you are VERY PLEASED with Hotwire.com
However, there are a lot of people (myself included) that did not share in the joyous experience you had.
But I don't recall reading that a lot of people are suing. People seem to use this site to complain - not to encourage lawsuits.
I too work hard for the little money I get.So when a company like Hotwire leads me to believe I'm booking a decent 2 star room and I'm given a disgusting 1 star motel, I'm gonna be pissed.
Let's see how pleased you are the next time you use Hotwire and they screw something up.
Just try to speak to one of the flunkies in the customer service department and you'll see what I mean.
P.S. if you're gonnna use all caps - please check your spelling - it makes mistakes all the more obvious!!
VERY PLEASED with Hotwire.com I recently booked my whole vacation through Hotwire and I had no problems what so ever. The rooms we great in LA. Crowne Plaza and Westin. Even my round trip flight was great no problems there either.
At first I was a little leary about booking and not knowing the name of the hotel, but I checked out the hotels that they listed at each of the hotels own websites and I just stuck with a 3 star or higher rating. I also contacted the hotel itself a couple of time with requests and to make sure that I was actually booked.
as for the ZERO BILL from the hotel that someone mentioned, That is a hotel problem not a Hotwire problem. Hot wire does not control what the hotels and their employees do, so if you have an over charge then take that up with the hotel.
Like the sight says no changes, no refunds. I WILL DEFINATELY USE HOTWIRE.COM again.
This country has becomes such sue happy place, it is pathetic. Take blame for your own responsibilities in not know what you are doing and quite blaming others for your faults. I work hard for the little money that I get and I'll be darned IF I am going to keep paying for all these frivilous law suits....
yes i to have a big problem i lost $462.00 with hotwire they charged me for a car service in puerto rico without using it. then something came up i told them if they could change my date from one month to other and they said that the only way they could change is if is life or death. i will never deal with them again in my life. they are a bunch of rip off i want the people that has a computer never deal with hotwire the word of experience is speaking if you want to know anything else just e-mail mail i'll be more then glad to answer your questions bye.
Hotwire TV commercial is very appealing but I am glad I came here to read these comments. Happy I am that I did not even bookmark them. I did try to find a hotel in Sacramento and was not able to get anywhere on their site. That ought to be warning enough, huh? Just as well. The site problem outcome took me back to my search which brought me to this information. Thanks for the warning. I will stick with other more reliable sources. Some things indeed are shameful.
Same bad situation as others report on hotel booking. Booked a 3 star and was booked into a Holiday Inn Express which is used as an example of a 2.5 star hotel on the Hotwire site. Customer service at Hotwire was extremely unhelpful. I didn't stay at the hotel and paid full price of a room at Embassy Suites.
I RECENTLY TRIED TO RENT A CAR ON HOTWIRE. THEY FOUND ONE FOR ME FOR $22O FOR 1 WEEK. I PAID FOR IT ONLINE, AND FELT GOOD ABOUT THE DEAL. WHEN I ARRIVED AT MY DESTINATION TO PICK UP MY CAR, I WAS TOLD 1) I HAD A 15 MINUTE WAIT FOR A CAR, 2) THEY NEEDED MY CREDIT CARD FOR PAYMENT. I TOLD THEM IT WAS ALREADY TAKEN OUT OF MY ACCOUNT, AND I HAD MY BANK STATEMENT TO PROVE IT. THEY TOLD ME THAT WAS AN ERROR, AND THAT HOTWIRE ONLY HELD A CAR, THERE WAS NO GUARENTEE. THIS WAS AT HERTZ. THEY TOLD US TO GO STAND IN LINE, WHERE THERE WAS ABOUT 45-50 UNHAPPY PEOPLE ALREADY IN LINE, SITTING ON THIER SUITCASES, WAITING FOR AN AVAILABLE CAR. ONE MAN SAID HE HAD ALREADY BEEN THERE WELL OVER AN HOUR, AND HE WAS NEAR THE END OF THE LINE. WE CALLED HERTZ FROM OUR VACATION TO GET THE MONEY BANK THAT THEY HAD ALREADY TAKEN FROM MY ACCOUNT, AND THEY SAID IT WAS NON REFUNDABLE, AND THE REPRESENTATIVE SAID SHE WAS ON THE OTHER LINE WITH THE GUY I SPOKE TO AT THE RENTAL OFFICE. AND HE LIED TO HER AND SAID THEY HAD CALLED OUR NAME IN A HALF HOUR. AND I DIDNT GET MY MONEY BACK. I WILL NOW CONTACT MY BANK SINCE I AM BACK HOME. TAKE THIS STRONG ADVISE, AND LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR BETTER SERVICE. YOU SURE AS HELL WONT FIND IT WITH HOTWIRE OR HERTZ.
I am a very experienced traveler. Booked a 4 star hotel with hotwire in Jacksonville, fl. Upon arrival the hotel told me my reservation had been cancelled.???? When we visited with HotWire they insisted it was the hotel and not them. They hung up on the hotel. The hotel showed me a copy of their cancellation request. Yes, I had a copy of my confirmation and they had charged my account. When I returned the call to HotWire they insisted they could rebook me (for a much higher rate of course) and couldn't guarantee the location. I was not happy pointing out the fact. When asked to speak to a supervisor "Melissa" insisted she didn't have one available nor a phone number I could respond too. She hung up on me. I was not rude. POOR, POOR, POOR service and left me hanging. DO NOT use hotwire.
WELL I GOT TO SAY AFTER WRITING MY EXPERIENCE WITH HOTWIRE AND BEING UPSET. I GOT MY CREDIT CARD STATEMENT AND HOTWIRE DID REFUND THE UNUSED PORTION OF MY RENTAL CAR. SHOWING SOMEONE THERE HAS A HEART.AND NOT UNHUMAN AS I THOUGHT.I ALSO KNEW ABOUT THEIR NO REFUND POLICY, BUT THIS WAS THE DEATH OF MY MOTHER TWO THOUSANDS MILES BACK HOME.IN NO WAY SHOULD THIS BE COMPARED TO A MEETING.I STILL FEEL SORRY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HAD A BAD EXPERENCE.I DO WANT TO THANK HOTWIRE FOR MY REFUND, BUT IT TAUGHT ME A VALUABLE LESSON. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.GO STRAIGHT TO THE SOURSE. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL.
I have been using Hotwire for years. I have never had any problems with them. If you just follow the simple instructions that the website provides you, your are sure to have a simple, inexpensive flight. As for the individual who have had problems with them, that is expected. Every company has problems some time or another, and you can not please everybody. I feel bad for some of the advise that is being given out on this blog, because under certain cicumstances (ie following instructions), you are destined to save a lot of money. Hotwire clearly states the "time frame" that the flight will take place. You have a choice between a red eye flight or not. It also state no refunds. Just becuase you have a crisis an need to get home early, hot wire is not responsible for that. Thats like saying you go to a restraunt to eat and you recieve a phone call that you need to attend to right away that you can forget the tab becuase you did not finish your meal. No you pay the bill and you go. Same difference. I am not saying you should or should not use hotwire, however, I have had great experiences with them. It is you job to be sure that all of the information is accurate and read thrice. Also it needs to be your own responsibility as a reasonable responsible human being to make sure that hotel you are booking lies in a good niehborhood and will be accomadating for you.
I can't understand the people that are defending Hotwire. This country has consumer laws to protect CONSUMERS. Why do you think these laws exist? Because companies like Hotwire think that they can mislead customers and get away with it? You think a company can base a sale off of the star rating of a hotel and then point to their no-refund policy when they have misrepresented the material elements of their offer? No, they can't.
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
Just thought i'd let people who've had problems know that I filed a complaint with the BBB against Hotwire. So far, they refuse to take any reponsibility for misleading their customers about their star ratings. They also refuse to acknowledge that their customer service is beyond bad, with representatives that are both rude and condescending.
I know that chances are I'll get nothing out of it (even though I told them several times I would be happy with simply an upgrade and documentation of the alleged "reviews" they've done on the fleabag motel they stuck me with - I'll live without a refund).
I would advise anyone who's had trouble with Hotwire to file a complaint with the BBB.
If anything, enough complaints that aren't resolved will prevent them from continuing as a member of the BBB.
I just wanted to say,If you like getting ripped off use Hotwire.com.....when you spend two days at the airport,doing everything you can do to get where you are going and can not because there are no seats on any airline and want to pay for the days you missed and not the days you won't be there,and are told to bad so sad,we got your money,I wonder how they can continue to do buisness.this is a warning.....Don't use Hot wire...or you will be sorry if you do.
Well, I came to hear to post my follow up experience on Hotwire, and it appears that I've irritated a few people here. I re-read my post and realize it was a little harsh on those people who's vacations were runined, whatever the reason. So I thought I'd make this follow-up a little more constructive.
If your an inexperienced traveler, you shouldn't use Hotwire. If there is the possibilty of a change in plans, you shouldn't use Hotwire. Flexibility, quality customer service, refunds because you didn't like your flight time or hotel. Also reasonable requests. Direct booking, Travelocity, Expedia... they can do that. Doing those sorts of things cost money, be prepared to pay for it.
Hotels, you never know what you're going to get, there's no law that that dictates "4 stars", and good or bad, you're not likely to stay again, so no real incentive for the hotel to make any effort. So clearly, Hotwire is a bad idea for hotels, which I thought was a point in my previous post. As Hotwire's newest manager/CEO, I'm not sure that was a good career move to state that, but I have been accused of lacking intelligence, at least socially.
Airlines...laws keep then from cheating on safety, sanitary, and they do have to get you there. But your giving up flexibility. If your not willing to give that up... ya know, I still don't get the complaints on that.
Leti, your post leads me to believe you are the blog owner, and I still think your particular situation was crap. You did due dilligence, and they didn't follow through with what they stated they were willing to do. That might be more of my ignorance talking, but it's clear my ignorance is evident, the part that states you're only welcoming comments that agree with yours, has eluded me.
So, Hotwire & Hotels don't mix. No personal experience, but I'm convinced. As to my recent airline trip that I booked through Hotwire... well, my experience apparantly doesn't meet the content requirements of this blog.
HOTWIRE are liers- its that simple. Had a long run in with them over a difference in there star ratings to what I was given. Told that the quoted Regular retail price was a)the hotel regular rate advertised on other sites b) the average of hotels of that star rating in the area c) A PRICE YOU COULD EXPECT TO PAY. The last two were by supposed executive from customer service. The rate actually is that of the hotel and it fluctuated $40 down after my booking then $40 up after 24 hours. I wish I had more time but there is so many bad things going on...they lie!!!
I just booked a 3.5 star hotel in Milan through Hotwire only to find out that every review on tripadvisor.com states that the hotel is in a dangerous neighbor.
Haven't heard back. Not surprised.
I just booked a "4 star" hotel in Dublin, Ireland, and thought I would be having another good Hotwire transaction. Once the hotel name was revealed however, my husband, who is from dublin, told me that this hotel was set to be demolished to make way for an office building one week after we stay. I called Hotwire customer service to inform them of this problem and was treated very rudely. I am aware of Hotwire rules, but feel that this hotel was misleading in what they could possibly offer in terms of service since a wrecking ball and bulldozer will be sitting close by. I am still waiting to hear back from Hotwire, and I hope that at the very least they will investigate hotels more closely to avoid such future problems.
hotwire is a joke. i booked a flight to las vegas nevada. there were connecting flight which were not realistic. if it were not for a delay i would have missed my flight.
Thank you all, you save my vacations.
Brian -- you sure seem educated for a lackey that works at hotwire.. You must be in upper management. Possibly CEO ??
I've used Hotwire 3 times, and have had great experiences all three. Once, we went to Disneyland, and got the Hyatt Regency Hotel - 4 Stars+. Amazing price. 2nd experience was a rental car - got a free upgrade from Hertz at time of pickup, and third was a one-night hotel in Ottawa for $90, and we stayed in a Westin - very, very nice. I've never had issues w/ Hotwire - sorry to see so many others with problems.
booked a 2 star hotel in atlantic city. given a 1 star
motel. reviews of this motel
are, in a word - frightening.
i am not an idiot. i understand the term NO REFUNDS. however - i would not have booked this room had i thought i'd be staying in a super 8 motel - which was referred to as "gross" on tripadvisor. (there's also mention of hookers in the lobby, and fear of personal saftey.)
hotwire told me they have recently reviewed the motel in question and upgraded to 2 stars -but did not feel it was necessary to change this on their website. i have requested a copy of this review 3 times and have been completely ignored.
hotwire is run by satan.
booked a room, had a confirmation number but there were no rooms once i arrived. hotwire did not help us find another place to stay
Misleading maps are a problem with hotwire and someone should do an investigative story on it. While I agree with Brian there are certain risks with this type of service, location shouldn't be one, and I agree the costumer service leaves a lot to be desired.
I find better deals on expedia.com and you can "see" what you are buying.
Dear Brian, I'm so sorry you wasted your time looking at people's opionion about hotwire, and that you are to ignorant to realize that we are just trying to warn others about a scam. I'm sorry if the hotel I booked claims it's a certain star and hotwire doesn't think enough about their customers to maybe investigate!! If this was my company I would want to make sure the hotels I delt with are reputable. So that it will not affect my reputation, and cause me to loose face with my customers. So yes, I think hotwire sucks, and yes I think your ignorant, and socially lacking intelligence. My blog is just an eye opening experience that I think others may want to know. So sorry you think it's appropriate to judge others and call them idiots.
This site is great. I was considering Hotwire for flights, but after reading this, I will DEFINITELY give them a shot. Because apparantly the only unhappy people on this site are, well, idiots. Non-Refundable, Got it. No Changes, Got it. Might be 6am or Midnight...yep, it says so there in black & white. I'm saving $200, hmmm, probably gonna be flightimes that suck.
In fact, only the orginal post here with the browser error seems to be the only gripe I could actually side with.
"Be careful you don't pick the wrong city or date before you click 'Buy'"? My god, do you people read that and think "Ooh, that's good advice"?
As for hotels, people.. Hotwire doesn't give them 3 stars, the hotels say what they are. Obviously booking a hotel that knows they can BS you, and not have to worry about offering a refund, well, what do you expect. Cheap Hotels don't expect repeat business, airlines do.
So if you're looking to see if Hotwire is for you, read on. If you think Hotwire screwed these people, then Stay Home! I feel better knowing people that dumb took another flight.
I was tricked by them I searched virginia beach , they have 2 the one they gave said i was the 7th tonight, that wanted down in civilization, I paid $8.00 more to be at actual va beach, not the one with just the address of va beach, they wont refund my money so I will save others some money ! If anyone knows any other sites to post this please let me know thanks naes281@aol.com
Booked a Hotwire 3-star (ha!) hotel in San Francisco. What a dump. The room is barely big enough to accommodate the queen-sized bed, the rooms have NO internet connectivity, either wired or wireless. The area around the hotel is saturated with street people and beggars, there are NO reputable places to eat (outside of Burger King and Subway) within (safe) walking distance. 3-Star Hotel? Maybe on an 8-Star system. I'd rather pay $50 more and be able to KNOW the quality of the hotel I'm booking, and still be able to cancel without penalty if something comes up.
Was planning on using hotwire for a family trip to san antonio. I think I will make other arrangements..Thanks for the heads up.
UPDATE: STILL WAITING FOR MY MONEY(3 weeks later). Spoke to the manager of Hotwire over refund. Told him that we had gone through a lot of stress. He stated that i"better not even dream about a compensation"
Just got back from my vacation and I totally got robbed. I knew it was going to be bad when I found out my hotel, two star with continental breakfast ended up at 58.00 a night a SUPER 8. Or what I know call it GETTO 8. I knew it was bad when we pulled up!! Checked in to a rude man in the lobby, and while telling my best friend just keep positive. We came out and found a pest van outside of our hotel parked next to our vehicles and found our family with their chin's on the floor. This van was quite hilarious it had antenna's on the roof and a large picture of a rat on the side of the van. I could not believe it my husband proceeded to tell me that he went to talk to the man and he said the problem in our hotwire motels was only a minor pest problem. Like I'm that gullable!! Then we went to go see our prize posession for the next two nights. After getting out the elevator to the fourth floor we noticed that the hand rails were wobbly and very hazerdous, and of course we were traveling with children in this simply wasn't the vacation we were spending in the emergency room! So we went back down stairs and asked to be closer to the ground, however I did let them know how unsafe the railing was. Our room stunk ungodly, it was not clean, we didn't put our luggage on the ground. We were afraid of creapy crawly creatures . Thanks Hotwire for ruining another vacation maybe you should partner up with better hotels after leaving San diego we went to Anaheim. There we stayed at the Crown Plaza which we booked through Priceline it was fabulous, clean and we pay less for that hotel nightly that the Getto 8. The first two nights in San diego were horrible it was all I could do to not cry!
Do NOT use Hotwire to book your stay unless you are willing to take a chance with an inferior hotel; I would gamble a night but not several nights- you can wind up with a "no-name" place trying to contend with a chain and be very, very disappointed. And Xavier! Customer service personel talk to you as if you are a moron if you are unhappy with the results of your reservation; why, I see I'm not the only one who had fun with "Xavier" whose condescending tone and ignorant remarks rank him as one of the most obnoxious and ridiculous customer service "supervisors" I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with.
We were just treated to a royal ripoff. Thanks Hotwire, you took our creditcard info and our money before giving us the itenerary. This turned out to be entirely unaccaptable, when we called back to get this resolved we were told TOUGH, NO REFUND - NO CHANGES! Never again, and we will tell everyone what kind of folks you really are.
HOTWIRE AND EXTENDED STAY IN ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA STOLE MY MONEY AND RUINED OUR FAMILY VACATION!!!!!
I had decided to take my family to Disneyland for the New Years countdown. Unfortunately, I had booked our trip with Hotwire. We made our reservations for two rooms a month earlier.Upon arriving to the Extended Stay in Anaheim California, a very rude woman in the front counter would not take my husbands credit card We told her that we will be back with the credit card since I had to look for it in my car. When we came back, another woman servicing the front desk stated that the hotel had rented both our rooms along with other rooms which were prepaid by other guests. This was not fair since we had already paid, for the rooms and had called to confirm our reservations the day before. We were offered one room for the night which was immediately taken away from us when the people under that reservation came (its not bad thing since the room smelled like urine). we were asked to come back in half an hour while they clean up a dirty room. After over a half hour the room was not ready. We could not wait any longer it was already 3:45 am. We headed home and called Hotwire. A very incompetent and rude woman answered. While I explained the situation, she asked me in a rude tone if I "was finished". I asked to speak with a supervisor which she was reluctant to provide for me. I took over 13minutes to get the supervisor. Hotwire was no help whatsoever. They called the hotel who claimed that they now have a room ready (this is at 4:30am and about over 25miles later).We called Hotwire one more time in which a Jackass told us that the Hotel could rent out our room since we "paid for the room for the day". Up until this point Hotwire has not offered a refund or send us any offer as a consolation. We have written document to prove that hotel did not have any room for us.
Yesterday I was booking a 4 star hotel in Vegas. Expedia gave me the Luxor for $109 a night, Tower Deluxe Room, PLUS $30 food credit. I got the pop up saying try Hotwire (their sister company). So I go there, get a 4 star room listed for $109 a night. Since it was the same price, I figured it wouldn't be the Luxor, and maybe would be MGM. So I book it. Turns out, that they sold me the Luxor, in a standard room (not the upgraded tower room, which is $10 dollars more than standard generally), and no food credit. So for the 2 nights, I was out $30 food credit, and $10 a night for the room...for a total of $50 on a $241 total invoice. So beware of Hotwire...there is a reason why the hotel is kept secret until they have your money! I could see using them for a rental car, but that is about it.
My wife and I recently booked a room with a 2.5 star rating through hotwire. Upon arrival we discovered a very poorly lighted parking lot. I was also solicited for cash before I got to the lobby. The guy had followed me in from the street. I felt that the hotel couldn't provide the proper security. I have made numerous requests for a refund from hotwire to no avail. I would not recommend them to anyone. I will not use their service again.
We arrived around 10pm November 3, 2006 in Alexandria Virgina to stay at a purported (by Hotwire) 3-
star Radisson we'd booked through HOTWIRE for $128.00 for two nights , were
given room keys, and unpacked. Around 10:30 we called to report
that two lamps were not working, a phone was not working, and there were
no ashtrays in this 'smoking' room. The desk clerk came up and
put us in another room, claiming that it was easier to move us than
the address the reported problems. We moved to another
room, quickly unpacked again, and left to eat, returning around 11:45
to notice that the room had not been vacuumed... there were cellophane
wrappers on the carpet, and ashes by the bedstand, .Then we walked
into the bathroom to notice pubic hair on toilet, and many puddled
urine stains on toilet rim, and on the floor.
We quickly packed again, checked out around
midnight, and spent the next hour securing a decent place in town to stay. We not only did not stay there because of sanitation
reasons, we were very much inconvenienced by the situation and wound
up paying over $200for Fri/Sat nights at another hotel.
Hotwire refused to refund the $128.68
charged, rather offered us an insulting $50.00 credit on our 'next booking', as if we would ever use them again!
Hotwire profited nicely (Raddison had paid them)on our extreme inconvenience. In reviewing many complaint sites about Hotwire, I've learned (too late) that they NEVER refund money for any cirumstances. BEWARE of these crooks.
nothing but lies from this group. There information is deceptive . do not use this service!! we have been cheated by Hotwire and "Partners" we had no recourse with credit card services, seems they are powerless with this company.
I just booked a 3,5 Star Hotel in Brussels with hotwire. The described the hotel as hotel within the Louise Area in the south of Brussels and showed also a map of this area. After doing the booking process the told me that the hotel is next to gare du nord, which is on the other side of the Louise Area in a pretty bad part of the city. I can say: Hotwire betrayed me...
I wish I would have found this website before I made my first purchase on Hotwire. Live and learn. Guess I'll be sleeping in the same bed with a friend while in NY and watch her go to the bathroom and take a shower too because of the room I was given (based on two person occupancy regardless of them being a couple or not) and the fact that there is glass separating the bathroom from the bed. I'm out
$ 922.00 and have to go against what I feel is decent because of the way Hotwire (isn't that what theives do when they steal a car?) runs their "business". DON'T USE HOTWIRE...and wish me luck on actually getting some sleep in my $ 300.00 per night hotel room.
yes, not only do they grab your money and run...and offer no refunds or changes...but their customer service is non existent. Having to put up with this kind of rudeness is just unbearable...i guess "X-zzzavier" was the cheapest phone jockey they could muster. His lack of luster was apparent...to say the least.
I booked a car rental and the date was off by 7 days. Yes, must've scrolled down. Anyways...long story short. NO REFUND.
They pocket the $30 dollars..
Hmmmm maybe i should start my own scam AHEM i mean BuSINESS!!!
Hotwire is very unreliable. After a couple successes with them I was burned by their very inaccuarete description regarding location. Customer service was no help. Later comparisons to other site found little to no savings at Hotwire.
The Hotwire Guarantee is a total SCAM - they keep changing the rules to make it impossible to collect. I met the "Thirty minute" requirement with full documentation. Then they came back with a "48 Hour" requirement, to fax them the documentation because they couldn't verify it. When I informed them I was out-of-town but would fax them the confirmation and rate information they said that would be too late. "Sorry, but thanks for the feedback." Bull Shit! Plus, they claim the room was 2 1/2 stars when it is barely a 2. I will never use Hotwire again and recommend the same for everyone else.
I agree. Hotwire only cares about making a quick buck by selling you a room that's not a great deal, then, as soon as they have your money, they don't give a shit about you.
The savings aren't as great as they lead you to believe. Their CUSTOMER SERVICE IS AWFUL. THEY'RE RUDE, AND UNCOMPASSIONATE.
Beware Hotwire's misleading maps. I have used Priceline in the past and was extremely satisfied with their maps, hotel locations and bargains -- so I am willing to gamble and take a risk, fully aware of the rules of the game . Previously, I looked at Hotwire for hotels in New York City and Fort Lauderdale Beach but found better values at Travel Zoo. This time, I decided to try Hotwire. What a mistake -- my hotel in Atlanta, Ga was 10 miles from the Buckhead area. The Hotwire Buckhead map covers an extremely large area - the map was very misleading. Unfortunately, I trusted Hotwire's expertise. Why does Hotwire even bother with maps in the various cities, if they really don't matter? I think it would make more sense to leave everything a big secret -- hotel and location. I will continue to look for travel bargains but not at Hotwire (or other Expedia outlets). By the way, I did not stay at the Hotwire choice the Wingate Inn Clairmont Road. I booked a different hotel when I arrived in Atlanta. When I asked the Wingate Inn Clairmont Road if they were located in Buckhead. The reply was no. I did not ask Hotwire for a refund but I did request a map clarification -- something like hotels may be ten miles (or more) from requested area. Does anyone know anything about the FCC rules for truth in advertising or the class action lawsuit against Hotwire? Thanks