I called Expedia before a recent trip to Moscow to try and find a hotel there. After a few minutes of searching, the agent was able to book me 2 rooms at the Hotel Soivietsky in Moscow for 3 nights. The total price per room was confirmed to me at $839.06 (for the 3 nights). The agent took my Amex credit card and I immediately received an email confirmation from Expedia and the next day was on my merry way to Moscow, armed with my printed confirmations.

I arrived at the hotel at around 8pm on May 19th. The check-in clerk looked at my confirmation and said that it was a mistake, and that as a courtesy they would set my rate at $839 per night (!) per room, and that I would have to take it up with Expedia. I immediately called Expedia from the lobby. After spending 50 minutes on hold waiting for a live rep to answer the phone, she offered to call the front desk and talk to the desk manager. After an additional 15 minute hold time, she finally returned and said she was unable to reach anyone at the hotel. I told her that did not make sense, as I was sitting right in front of the front desk and watched as they picked up any incoming call. The Expedia rep then claimed she was getting a busy signal. I then asked my wife in the US to try and call the hotel, and the phone was picked up immediately by the front desk. I then offered the Expedia rep that I connect her to the front desk using my phone, but she refused and said she would have to call them directly. This was the first instance of an absurd situation that just kept getting stranger. The rep then told me that to go ahead and check-in, and she will see to it that someone at Expedia contact the hotel in the morning and straighten it out. She again confirmed the rate I was given initially and which was printed on my confirmation, $839.06 per room for the 3 nights.

The next day I called Expedia again from the hotel, and waited 65 minutes for a live person to answer the phone. After explaining my problem again, the rep offered to call the hotel and put me on hold. He returned several minutes later, only to tell me that he was told the hotel manager was not in and he would have to try back. This same scenario repeated itself 6 more times over the next 2 days, as I kept trying to call Expedia, spent a total of over 12 hours on hold, and got the same reply, that they are trying to contact the hotel and had not been able to talk to the manager. This, despite the fact that I personally went down to the front desk and confirmed a manager was on duty. I finally got hold of a supervisor at Expedia. She too confirmed the rate I had on my confirmation sheet. She assured me she would contact the hotel and resolve the issue, and that I would get an email from her once that happened. I asked her what I was supposed to do at check-out, and she said that once I had a final bill from the hotel it would be easier to contact the hotel with it and dispute it. I am still awaiting her email.

When it was time to check-out of the hotel, I was presented with a bill for $5200. I did not sign the credit card slip and instead wrote 'In Dispute' on it.

After arriving back home, I called Expedia again, and after a relatively short 30 minutes was connected to a live rep. I gave her my Expedia Case ID and she proceeded to read the notes. Once again, she offered to put me on hold while she contacted the hotel. To my absolute lack of surprise, she returned a few minutes later to say she could not get a hold of the manager and that I would have to call back at a later time. I asked to be connected to a supervisor, and after a few minutes was talking to Jennifer, who assured me she would contact the hotel and resolve the issue, once again confirming the rate that I was initially given. The next day I received a message from Jennifer, saying that she had an email in to the hotel and is awaiting a reply, and that she will call me back in a day or two once she heard from them. I saved the voicemail from Jennifer. A month has passed since that message from Jennifer, and I still await a call from her or anyone else at Expedia.

Just for fun and expecting absolutely no positive outcome, I called Expedia again 2 weeks ago, and after talking to a customer service agent, was connected to a supervisor, who gave me the same story about contacting the hotel. I then told him that they have been telling me that for 2 weeks, and he agreed it was sounding ridiculous and then connected me to a manager at the corporate office. I asked her what responsibility does Expedia have to honor the prices they quote their customers, as that is the basic premise of their business. To my amazement, she told me Expedia bears no responsibility and that they merely post info on their website that is given to them by the hotels, and they can not guarantee a customer's quote will be honored anywhere. She then suggested I take the issue with American Express and dispute the charge, and that was all she could tell me. I hung up the phone for the final time on Expedia, having spent over 14 hours on hold and waiting over the past 4 weeks. Needless to say, I will not be using them again. But more importantly, I hope this chain of events serves as a warning to anyone who thinks they can plan their trip with Expedia and expect their quotes to be honored. There is no justification whatsoever for these guys to remain in business, as they provide no value added service and flat out admit their confirmations are not even worth the paper they are printed on. Expedia's tag line is 'Go With Confidence'. My experience suggests otherwise. I am now stuck with a $3400 excess charge on my credit card thanks to Expedia.

Ilan
houston, Texas
U.S.A.