Priceline.com review: Do not use this booking service

I booked two rooms at a La Quinta for a family weekend getaway through Priceline. By the time we arrived at the hotel it was around 8pm, and the front desk told me they couldn’t check us in because Priceline needed to “release the virtual card number.” They instructed me to call Priceline and have them contact the hotel.

I called Priceline and spent 45 minutes on hold just waiting to speak to someone. Once I finally got through, they placed me on hold again while they supposedly called the hotel. Priceline did call the front desk, but then told them they couldn’t provide the information and that they would call back.

They never called back.

Meanwhile, I was still sitting on hold with Priceline for another 45 minutes, with no one ever picking up the phone again. After waiting for nearly two hours total and still not being able to check in, we had no choice but to leave and find another hotel because my kids needed to get to bed.

So not only did this completely ruin the family vacation I had planned, but I also had to pay for another hotel out of pocket.

For the past week, I’ve been constantly calling Priceline trying to get my money refunded, and all I’ve gotten is the runaround. They claim they can’t do anything until they speak with the hotel manager—who apparently is impossible to reach.

What makes this even more frustrating is that Priceline never even paid the hotel, so I’m not sure why they need the hotel’s permission to refund money they never passed along in the first place.

As of now, I still don’t have a solution. In fact, one representative actually told me to “call Priceline back tomorrow to remind us to try and get in touch with the hotel.”

This entire situation has cost me extra money, hours of my time, and completely destroyed what was supposed to be a fun family trip.

I just want the money back that Priceline never should have taken from my account in the first place.