Hotwire.com scam, deceitful Internet

I am planning a weekend trip to Charleston. As i was researching hotels on various websites, I had made a reservation that could be canceled at a local Marriott for $127/night. Though...I was drawn back to hotwire as they were advertising a hotel valued at $259/night for $148/night. After some thought and hesitation...I had used hotwire in the past and thought, this should be a good deal. They advertise 4-star hotels at 2-star prices.

I go ahead and book it, only to find it is the same Marriott I am already booked at, but for $148/night vs. the $127 my reservation is for...

Then I look at all of the other travel websites to compare their price of this hotel, only to find it is between $149-$169/night. Where is the great deal? The great price? It is the same price I would pay whether I knew the hotel or not. How does that make hotwire a great place to do business?!

When I contact them to discuss. I was put on hold several times only to be hung up on. Then via email, their customer service was poor and they won't even blink at the fact that I got scammed, a bad deal, they were deceitful.

They say they take the median price of the hotels in the area. Conveniently, this hotel is off by itself, so they lump it with more expensive hotels, including one for $359. A hotel at $359 and $149 are two very different hotels and even pricing it at a value $259, is deceitful. It makes it look like a better deal than what you end up with.

I've never been more frustrated with a travel site than I am with hotwire. Its a scam!