Expedia business ethics and scruples are not required to work here... Internet

On August 12, 2012, Expedia allowed me to reserve a hotel room on their website.  When I arrived at the hotel 15 minutes later, I was informed that the hotel was completely booked and there was not a single room to be had.  I immediately called Expedia and was told that there was not any record of my reservation, so I would not be charged anything.  I then made a reservation through Priceline's website, and drove 30 miles to the nearest hotel with availability.  When I arrived to the Econolodge in Salinas, I learned that Priceline (the low price guarantee?!?) had charged me $50.00 more than the hotel regularly charges per night.  What a joke...

When I returned from my trip, I was reviewing my credit card account and discovered that Expedia had charged me for the failed reservation at the overbooked hotel.  When I called Expedia, after a lengthy hold time, I was told that the hotel management stated that I never showed up to claim the reservation so it was cancelled and I was not entitled to a refund!!  I informed them that was a blatent lie, and demanded to speak with a manager.  The manager got on the phone and basically gave me the same song and dance.  I told him that I had called Expedia immediately upon the occurance, and he said that they had no record of my call, so basically I was lying.  In the end, Expedia stands by their charge of $140.00 to my credit card.

After speaking with other friends/aquaintances, I have learned that others have had the same, or very similar, experiences, so this is not a random occurance.   BEWARE!