Priceline.com Name your price misrepresentation, cheat, fraud Norwalk, Connecticut

I had used Priceline.com' name your price feature while I in New York city.  I had selected my neighborhood and price, $120/night for a 3 1/2 star facility.  The "offer" was accepted by Priceline.com and thought I received a great deal - WRONG!  As an avid business traveler I've made it practice to review each and every hotel that I book.  This is typically done before I make the reservation however in this instance I strayed from my usual practice.  After I was provided the name and address of the hotel I went onto the hotel's website, then Trip Advisor to ensure it was a safe, clean and habitable place to stay.

What I found on the hotel's website was a pristine facility - looked better than a 3 1/2 star - with great accommodation, etc.  What I found on Trip Advisor from people that have stayed, reviewed and posted pictures was much different.  There were numberous reports of filth, blood stains and bed bugs.  The pictures from the hotel website were obviously doctored and a clear and blatant misrepresentation intended to deceive consumers.  Make the judgement for yourself:

Hotel Website: http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/NYCCW/main.wnt
Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60763-d1027901-Reviews-Wyndham_Garden_Hotel_Manhattan_Chelsea_West-New_York_City_New_York.html#REVIEWS

After this discovery I contacted Priceline.com and spoke with a customer service representative by the "May" to express my dissatisfaction with hotel.  I requested that I be placed in another hotel and willing to pay more, or to refund my money as I will not be staying there - my personal health outweighs the cost.  She went through the usual motions, contacted the hotel and told me that the manager assured me that no one has ever reported bed bug issues (I expect that response from any hotel) therefore she cannot exchange or refund my reservation.  I continued to express my acute dissatisfaction as I felt I was cheated as the facility by any standard was not a 3 1/2 star and furthermore looked like a dorm room.  She asked me to hold while she reviews the hotel's website.  When she returned she said the hotel looks great, and that again they would not be able to exchange or refund my reservation.  I later asked her to look at Trip Advisor which she then said she did not have access to the internet and unable to do that.

At this point I caught her in 2 contradictory statement and pointed them out to her in which she went quiet (probably out of embarrassment) then proceeded to literally read me the Priceline.com no refunded or exchange policy.  The two contradictory statement (LIES) were:

1.  She stated that there are no refunds or exchange for ANY reason.  I asked her then why would she call the hotel regarding the bed bugs report if there was nothing she can do regards, sounds like a complete waste of my time.

2.  She stated that she was going to the hotel's website to view photos because of my comments of the hotel room resembling my dorm room when I was in college and by no standard a 3 1/2 star accommodation.  I requested that she check Trip Advisor as the pictures on the hotel website are photoshopped and misleading.  She then stated that she had no internet access... very odd...

Bottom line is that I would discourage any consumer in using the "Name Your Price" feature and booking with Priceline.com.  The company has obvious bad business practice with focus on the $$$ and no regards for the consumer.  You can get similar rates directly from the hotel (of your choice) AND the flexibility in the situation when your circumstance changes.  DOWN WITH PRICELINE.COM.