hotwire Gotcha Internet

HOTWIRE KEPT MY MONEY.  OF COURSE I UNDERSTOOD THAT IF I COMPLETED A TRANSACTION, I WOULD BE BOUND BY IT.  BUT THE INTERNET CAME BACK WITH AN ERROR MESSAGE SAYING THAT MY TRANSACTION HAD NOT GONE THROUGH.  SO I GOT MY HOTEL FROM ANOTHER INTERNET SITE.  THEN I WENT TO MY EMAILS AND DISCOVERED THAT HOTWIRE HAD RESERVED A HOTEL ROOM FOR ME.  NO PROBLEM.  I CALLED AND A GENTLEMAN SAID THEY WOULD CANCEL AS LONG AS THE HOTEL WAS IN AGREEMENT WITH IT.  THE HOTEL WAS IN AGREEMENT AND I THOUGHT THE MATTER WAS RESOLVED.  TILL I GOT A CHARGE ON MY CREDIT CARD FOR THE RESERVATION THAT I HAD CANCELED.  THEY WON'T REFUND IT.  I CALLED AND SPOKE WITH A VERY NASTY YOUNG WOMAN WHO APPEARED TO BE ITCHING FOR A FIGHT.  SO AT AGE 65 I'M STILL LEARNING LESSONS.  1.DON'T BELIEVE THAT AN ONLINE OUTFIT WILL OBEY ONE OF THE SIMPLEST BASICS OF LAW AND THAT IS THAT A CONTRACT HAS TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY BOTH PARTIES TO EACH OTHER BEFORE IT IS A CONTRACT. 2. DON'T BELIEVE AN ONLINE HELP DESK WHEN THEY TELL YOU THAT YOUR CANCELLATION HAS GONE THROUGH AND 3. EXPECT THAT ONCE HOTWIRE HAS GOT THEIR HANDS ON MY MONEY, NO MATTER HOW INEQUITABLE THEIR DEALING IS, THEY ARE GOING TO KEEP IT.