EXPEDIA.com runaround, on hold endlessly, person to person becomes machine answering service Internet

I booked flights with EXPEDIA.com in October 2008 for a trip in April 2009, four segments with total cost $2,150.80. I am currently contending with escalating changes to the original itinerary. I phoned the 3 airlines respectively and they have no records of these bookings other than the first of the 4 segments of the journey. Alarm bells began to ring in February 2008! Today, I requested by e-mail that locator numbers and ticket numbers for the 4 flights be forwarded to me. I had to do this by e-mail because when I phoned EXPEDIA.com (1-800-397-3342) I got a machine rehearsing the "BOOKED" itinerary, specifically my itinerary. The current situation is that I can not get EXPEDIA.com by telephone. And e-mail correspondence results in responses that are automated. I have spent hours upon hours on the phone waiting. Yesterday, four hours of time was consumed on behalf of this issue. This was a trip of a lifetime for my husband and I. We planned in major detail for this trip with tours, transportation and accomodation prepaid. Changes made by EXPEDIA.com have already affected our external plans that is, outside EXPEDIA's flight dealings. I am fearing that I am to learn some lessons the hard way. One of which is the necessity to research reviews before buying "online". The joy of our anticipated trip is seemingly to be crushed!

Grace
Darlings Island...CANADA, NorthWest Territories
U.S.A.