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Report: #1055245

Complaint Review: Hotwire.com - Internet

  • Submitted:
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  • Reported By: Charlie — Sun City Arizona
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  • Hotwire.com Internet USA

Hotwire.com HOTWIRE SCAM Deceptive Practices when Purchasing Hotel Rooms Internet

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I normally do not take time to complain on such a level but this complaint is worth writing about as many customers may get scammed by the same deceptive marketing practices.

I purchased a week stay using HOTWIRE.COM. When purchasing my stay, I noticed how they showed the "secret room rate". The "secret room rate" showed $129 rooms going for now $55.00. Fair enough, so I went to see on their own website what rooms where going for about $129 in the same area and they were nice hotels (holiday inn express - with 3 star rating). There were other rooms with 3 star ratings BUT the standard rate was $60.00 (AmericInn). So, right before I booked, I screen shotted the advertised rates as it showed the Holiday Inn normally priced at $133 and the AmericInn normally priced at $60 (a 50% difference) and they were the ONLY two hotels with 3 star ratings available in that area. So my guess was that I would get a room that normally goes for around $129.00 (Holiday Inn), since that is what they are advertising under their "secret room rate" - see the screen shots. This was a lie! They actually booked me in a hotel room (AmericInn) that EVEN in their standard rate listing goes for $60.00 and because it was "final" they were not changing anything. Clearly, they were using the normally $129.00 rate to lure me and others in to sell off inventory that wasn't selling.

So, when I tried to explain this to RANDY the customer service agent, he was pretty much clueless and only reverted to their policy that says, "you are locked in". So, I said, so you are literally saying to me that you can advertise what normal prices would be, show me the hotels going for that normal price, but when I purchase, you give me a room that normally is priced at half the advertised price and think you are doing your job?

So to be sure I wasn't fooling myself, I read their policy and here is what it says:

*Savings based on median published rate we've found on leading retail travel sites in the last 24-48 hours for the same neighborhood, star rating, and stay dates.

My guess is that if on THEIR OWN SITE, they show a room that normally sells for $60.00 then they wouldn't sell it to you if they are advertising the room normally sells for $129.00 (within that 24-48 hour period). The fact of the matter is that I booked this room and took the screen shots within 6 minutes! There only two choices in that area at the time of which they gave me the lowest room and not anything near what they were advertising.

The room BTW, was VERY musty in odor and had ants.  Do not trust hotwire.com when they show you what the prices are "normally" going for as even the customer service agent stated that it was "up to"... which means, its a lie, lure and trick to get you to buy inventory that has not moved but they have promised the hotel companies to sell.

 

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 05/31/2013 07:06 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/hotwirecom/internet/hotwirecom-hotwire-scam-deceptive-practices-when-purchasing-hotel-rooms-internet-1055245. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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