Priceline.com
reviews and complaints

I got a car rental for $12 a day through Priceline. The next page offered an "upgrade" from a subcompact to a compact for $12 a day. Sure, I though, compact for same price as a subcompact, why not?

It turns out that it wasn't the same $12 a day I was paying but was an additional $12 a day. I called up their "customer service" within 2 minutes. There is nothing they can do about it, according to them... according to Travis. Outrageous, and what is worse, they don't care. Priceline, not sure it is worth it. May be the last time I do business with them.

Called them within 4 minutes of purchasing the wrong date! In fact purchased for the day of at 10pm instead of the next day...

When I called they offered me a cancelation refund of 0.00. Then they explained that if I purchase another room from them fro the correct date that they would refund some of my purchase except for a $25.00 change fee. By the way Jimmy ? employee number 5260119 says there is not anyone else I could speak to! Hasn't he seen Star Trek?

Well I guess it was my fault for the wrong dates! But really 4 minutes... THIS WILL BE THE LAST OF MY $$$ THEY EVER SEE...

Purchased ticket online but site would not allow purchasing of baggage. Later purchased through Spirit Air at much higher price even though the flight was not for 3 months. Later was sent an email stating my paid for reservasion was changed. Instead of spending 2 hours on layover in FLL, I am not having to spend 10 hours. My flight starts at 2 AM, I have to be at airport 2 hours before, my new flight does not land until 6PM essentially 18 hours for a less than 2000 mile flight. Nothing was offered as alternative, so therefore shortening my trip by 1 day, forced to purchase unhealthy overpriced food and water in airport as this is an International flight on Spirit Air. I complained to the company about the baggage issue and flight change. They sent an email asking me to call an 800 number, after spending 2 days to find 800 phone to use, spending over 40 minutes at a DOLLAR a minute plus 2 taxis...another $50. the Priceline. service agents could not make any changes on flight or do anything regarding the baggage. So why send me an email if they cannot do anything. Cannot contact Spirit Air unless I use an 800 number, they do not have any button to click on to make any complaints. Cannot believe this world has come to such an unbelievably non-gun robbery stage. Why book a flight if they do not honour it, why book with a company like Priceline if they do not allow to purchase baggage and later have to spend another fortune because of their incompetant website. What is the answer? Who do you complain to? Starting with your site. thank you.

Our family has used Priceline for many of our trips... that will now cease.
Priceline does not appreciate it's customers nor do they care about delivering a high level of customer service.
We booked through Priceline for our last trip and things were going smoothly until we reached our second hotel in our stay. SURPRISE! I now have $60 to spend on parking for this hotel. There is absolutely no free parking. Nowhere did this disclaimer appear for this hotel on the itinerary or any way to de-select any hotels that do not offer free parking. For families who have planned out and budgeted their trips, this could be a big downer. If we would have stayed even longer, that price would be even more through the roof.
The hotel stated it's Priceline's problem, not theirs. They said we need to fight it with Priceline so that they give us this money back.
Priceline was called. First employee was unhelpful. Said that somewhere in the 100000 word hidden contract it says that incidentals is not covered. Incidentals is VERY understandable, but PARKING is not an incidental. PARKING is a necessity in order to stay somewhere. It should have given us an option to opt out of paid parking hotels if that's the case rather than hide a stipulation into their contract that parking is part of an incidental?
Since this was unacceptable for us that they did not want to reimburse us or offer us any type of incentive, we requested a supervisor.
Another employee was handed the phone. Under the impression we were speaking to a supervisor, we proceeded with explaining our situation again. Again, there was no desire to help us. They also said they weren't a supervisor and they have no supervisor to address our call. They told us we could write a letter via MAIL to the corporate office. When asked if they cared about our continued business, they basically beat around the bush and insinuated they didn't care and that it's our fault.
There were no kind words or incentives offered to make things right or to want us to stay a customer of Priceline. Everything that you will pay out of pocket that in real life are not incidentals, is your problem to deal with when you are already out of town. There's no management to oversee their employees on the phone or escalate an issue to. There's no customer service at all. In fact, they were pretty much outright rude on the phone and blamed us for everything. Aren't customers always right? Or at least they should be made to feel that way even if they are not. Not to basically make us feel like they are untrustworthy and we are stupid to fall for their tricks. Never again will we use Priceline. We rather use a service where everything is disclosed right up front without any surprises on our trips.

BEWARE of taxes and fees that are charged by Priceline to rent a car! They were more then the rental of the car for 3 days. Car rental was bid for $14 for the day and came to 42. Paid for a mid size car and received a compact. The "taxes and fees" through Hertz/ Priceline were 42.59. Couldn't even give me a break down of the the taxes and fees when asked. No resolution through customer service. They've lost me as a customer.

Booked 2 rooms in the Charleston, SC area, using the “Name Your Own Price” feature, only to discover that we were charged the regular price of the rooms. There was NOT a 40 – 60% discount, as advertised. When calling to complain, we only received obviously pre-scripted answers and were rudely told that we should have researched the available rates, as shown on their site. Call us stupid, but how can one research available rates for a hotel/motel unless one knows in advance what Priceline will be offering? By then the transaction is completed, they have your credit card information and the cancellation policy is nil. Their website is misleading and tricks consumers into believing they are receiving a “deal” when, in fact, they are getting ripped off. DO NOT USE PRICELINE!

Reservation made through Priceline.com on Swiss Air. Somehow the last name was dropped from the record. When I contacted Priceline.com, I was told of fees of $30 to Priceline and $40 to Swiss Air in order to make the correction. I asked to speak with the manager and demanded an investigation. The manager called back in 3 hours and reportedly found a system bug. They were able to make the correction with no fee. Do not accept what they tell you!

It all started with this company CHEAP “O” AIR.com is the first time we have been ripped off with this company this time was August 15th 2010. We find out on our way to our family members funeral at the airport that our return date again was assigned wrong to us and we had 5 people we had paid tickets for already including the wife and son of the deceased. They tell us that the returning date was the next day so we end up paying at the counter for 5 more tickets because they were not changeable so please tell me WHERE is the DISCOUNT in purchasing 5 more tickets and loosing over a thousand dollars on the so called discounted saving because they change the returned date not us we were so devastated by this time not only dealing with the loss of of love one but the cost of having to purchase new tickets. Now as of the 21st of August 2012 again we plan for months to keep a watch on prices for a saving and again I go on and found a SO CALLED GREAT DEAL notified by email PRICELINE.com and they send me to the site saying they have the deal that I was looking for I go to purchase the tickets and they ask all information before showing any Itinerary for flight times but they do let me pick the dates, well flight times we can work with dates NO I was clear of the dates then it goes to the screen you won the bid for one I did not bid nothing I was agreed to what they had sent me a notification of a price that is what I agreed to. The dates was clearly 2 weeks OCTOBER 3rd through OCTOBER 17th they ask for all the information of flight passengers ages birthdays and credit card number for the flight on those dates and at that price. Then they send me a email of confirmation showing me the itinerary of the flights I immediately contact the airlines and tell them that PRICELINE made the mistake on my tickets from the email of confirmation I had received they tell me because I went through PRICELINE I had to contact them. In which case I did so I end up finally getting through to something other than automation BS and finally got a human being which could not speak clearly so asked for american speaking manager ending up with Micheal pronounced MI G ELL . So I clearly make this straight to him saying that they had made a mistake and they try to tell me that they at first could not change nothing then they say for a PRICE of $50.00 and $150.00 per ticket they would do the change I tell them I had already checked with the airlines and they said they had the same flights available that there should not be any problem with changes to the proper date that there was not any changes in prices or anything. NO these rip-offs are trying to get another 350.00 for what clicking a computer and especially when it was clearly there fault. So I contacted my credit card company and explained to them which by the way told me within 3 minutes time of on the phone with them that they tried to run through the charge for the tickets as I was speaking to my credit card company I could not believe these rip-offs they realized I was so upset with them over there mistake and I suppose they thought that I would just BEND OVER and take it again. Well my name and my life is not theirs and We work hard for our money. That is why we have the BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU because of the FRAUD that is done and the scams that we have going on all the time, to take these companies out of business.

This company were the cheapest online for a car in Italy 22/07 - 06/08. I PAID in Full the amount for the hire prior to leaving. Car was lovely. Pick up and drop off smooth.
HOWEVER - we did have to leave our card details with the Italian end for 900Euros as a 'deposit' in case of an accident which was not made transparent at the time of booking.

MORE WORRYING on our return I checked our bank account and discovered that Rentalcars had deducted £91 for the above productDAMAGE EXCESS PRODUCT which I had not requested at any time during my initial booking.
You are guided to an email address to register a complaint. You receive an automated response informing you it will be up to 28days to resolve a complaint at the earliest. You are also guided to a separate email address to complian/discuss? the above product.
On sending an email to this particular address it bounced back twice. I then re wrote to the original to inform them of this and got no response.
I did manage to contact someone via a phone who politely informed me that unless I UNTICKED the box on the online booking form I would automatically pay for this product. I have no idea WHERE this box is hidden on their form, but I find this to be underhand and deceitful on the part of the company. People should not be expected to UNTICK a box when every other box requires you to TICK it should you wish something within your order. I was told I could not now claim the product and to complain via their website.
To date, I have had NO REPLY to my initial complaint

DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY UNLESS YOU CHECK YOUR FORM VERY VERY CAREFULLY ONLINE. I WILL NOT RE USE AND HAVE TOLD FRIENDS WHO WERE GOING TO USE THEM ON MY RECOMMENDATION TO GO ELSEWHERE

I was traveling back home this spring which is a 17 hour drive, half way there we were getting tired so I used my phone to search priceline for a hotel. My phone kept loosing signal so was unable to book a room so we just went to a place and checked in and out no problem paid with my debit card again no problem. Few weeks later I get a credit card bill (first red flag seeing it should have a balance of 0) there is a charge for a hotel reservation from priceline. first thought is someone has gotten ahold of my card and used it. Then realized it was the same day I did stay and the same hotel I looked into it further priceline had my card number on file from a previous purchase and charged my card. Called the Hotel because I thought I was double charge but they had no record of me ever having a reservation through priceline at the hotel nor that credit card number. So I called priceline twice and was told both times that a refund can not be made and there is nothing I can do. So now I have my credit card company investigating it. I did not authorize this charge or them to keep my card number on file. This was an illegal act if you ask me. People don't use this company.

I made resevation with Priceline for a rental car at Hilo Airport Hawaii. Requested that the reservation for the pick up be moved to Kona on the same island for the same date and time. National Car rental had no problems with change, but insisted that Priceline needed to change reservations. Priceline stated that they could not change the reservations and that the rental car company needed to change the pick up location. Priceline refused to change the pick up, give me a credit or cancel. BTW, I received a better rate going directly to another car rental website.

Now I know why Priceline will not change location pick up. National emailed me and told me that if I do not pick up car, they do not get any payment, which means Priceline keeps the entire amount !

Do not use if you travel for business... Getting an itemized receipt from these people not only takes an act of congress, but a celestial virgin and multiple magical unicorns as well. If you need itemized receipts for reimbursement like my company does, please save yourself time and issue, and continue to their nearest competitor.

Beware: Priceline is a ripoff scam. I bid on a 4 to 5 star hotel minimum as an anniversary treat for my wife. Priceline came back with a 3 star hotel and charged me the full bid price ($75 higher than the 3 star hotel going rate). All other travel review companies, including AAA, Hotels.com, TripAdvisor, etc. rate that hotel as 3 star. We didn't even stay there because we were looking for something nicer for our anniversary, but they charged us $152 anyway. I later found out that Priceline routinely, intentionally, and illegally overinflates their hotel ratings to sell inferior rooms at higher overinflated prices, ripping off their customers. Customer service was a joke - they are so rude, and they chuckled and practically agreed that they conduct this scam, but "it is their business". Beware: Priceline is a ripoff scam.

The Priceline.com ad featuring a Catholic Nun reclining poolside is extremely offensive to say the least. I am a Catholic and I have a very extensive Catholic education and I can tell you that this ad is most likely offending other Catholics in the United States or wherever this TV ad is shown. It is hard to imagine how advertisers would even want to show this type thing on TV when the largest religious organization in the United States at the time is the Catholic Church. This sort of thing makes no sense to me at all. Priceline.com must like losing money.

As a Catholic, I was offended by a commercial on TVLand which aired during the am hour (ET) on March 15th, 2012. The ad depicts a "Catholic" nun dressed in full habit, lounging in what is presumably a resort (first offense). Conveniently, a scantily-clad woman slowly passes by the nun in the background as if to create a comic effect by showing the contrast between the two women (second offense). Priceline also has the nun character lament the death of the company's former hero who was portrayed in the past by actor William Shatner. Clearly, this company has chosen to join the ranks of entities who shamelessly use elements of Christianity and Catholicism in particular, as vulgar entertainment and for marketing tactics. I wrote to the only person listed as the "Media Relations" contact whose email address is Brian.[protected]@priceline.com and who is yet to reply to my letter of complaint. Keep in mind, that if anyone out there wishes to contact Priceline.com's cowardly Media Relations department, you will have to click the "Investor Relations" tab toward the bottom of the main site. This will lead you to a separate site for people who are apparently more important than you and me. Once on the Investor Relations site, click the "Contact Us" tab and you will be directed to the contact information for Management / Customer Service and Media Relations. I have contacted a number of organizations about this ad and will continue to do so.

I booked a hotel through priceline.com as soon as I received the email realized it was not what I had booked. I called them at their Priceline Customer Service Number: [protected] to let them know it was a mistake and they would not help me. I can't believe that because I made a mistake it is going to cost me $639.18. I called the hotel who was willing to work with me but needed Priceline to give them a call. They supposedly called them but needed to wait till Monday. In the mean time I had to book another hotel that had the right rooms I needed. I feel that Priceline is giving me the run around and not trying to assist me.

Booked airfare to Maui for 2 tickets. Put in the dates to be 10 days apart. Got the confirmation and they booked the tickets to arrive and leave Maui the same day. Ended up costing nearly $700 to change the tickets to the right day. They would not work with us, even though we're pretty sure it was their mistake. Don't bother using these guys. Customer service doesn't speak English well and they won't work with you on anything.

To collect on Priceline's Guaranteed Lowest Price, I phoned Priceline's website. The representative said she could not find a lower price at the hotel I booked. I told her "That's because it's a small hotel (Authors, in Key West, Fla.), and each room is a different rate." I specified the room I booked, and told her she wouldn't find it available because I had just booked it on Priceline! I printed the less expensive site's offering (EASYTOBOOK.COM) and said I could supply that as proof. She refused. So I sent my proof to Teddi Cremeans at Priceline's Executive Offices, also inviting her to call Authors of Key West to confirm what I said was true. She said she couldn't open my PDF attachment. I offered to FAX it to her. She did not address my offer. Three times I received the form/standard refusal e-mail. Heed the preponderance of negative reviews on Priceline. Priceline is a scam outfit that does not make good on their promises. Use other websites until Priceline is driven out of business.

I inquired a situation beforehand before purchasing any ticket. I emailed a customer service about the Name your Price 40% Bid asking if you can make a purchase on 2 different tickets round trip in 2 different ways. Meaning one person coming to a destination and picking up a guest person. Both will riding together going back to the place of origin. The guest person will be coming back to his original destination. Ofcourse this is a complicated situation that's why I emailed a CS if its possible.

They emailed me back and giving me a go signal to purchase those 2 tickets and they will search for my tickets in their file. I thought they will search my tickets and deal with it or I thought make adjustments. So I went ahead.

I emailed them back to say that I purchased and I just want to confirm my purchase and how they are going to adjust it. They ignored me and their email inquiry. I have to deal with it whether its their CS error or mine.

This is a big scam. They don't want their customer to be satisfied. They just want their money.

I book trough priceline for name yours own price, but at the end..end up the hotel was not in the area i want. Plus the price is more higher than their price stated on their website if you book trough regular way. The advertisement name of yours own price is a cheating advertisement, it is not give you good price but help you SHORT AND CHOOSE THE HOTEL WITH PRICE YOU WANT. Do not name on yours own price ! You will get very cheap hotel in their lowest start rate just because you follow "name yours own price program". And the customer service is only said..oh so sorry not as what you wish...