HotelsInCity (Alliance Reservations Network ) ripoff Does NOT Provide The Lowest Rates And Does Not Reply To Customer Emails. They Mislead Consumers. dishonest, fraud, ripoff, did not give lowest rate, charges credit card immediately Internet

I found HotelsInCity.com while searching for hotel rates using Google. Their promise was simple: "Low Rate Guarantee", and after comparing the rate with the Drury Hotel Chain site, the HotelsInCity.com $85.99 rate did "seem" to be lower, so I booked a night at the Pear Tree Inn in Fenton, MO. (I did get re-directed to https://www.reservetravel.com when I clicked the "Book It" button)

Imagine my surprise when the confirmation email arrived from support@lodging.com(yet another re-direct) saying, ** An amount in the sum of $102.95 USD has been charged to your credit card. ** They neglected to mention the service fee amount, taxes, etc.

NOTE: I just now re-visited HotelsInCity.com, and after doing a search for the Pear Tree Inn in Fenton, MO, it states, "Total Room Cost: $79.99 (paid to hotel upon check-out)". BUT, at the bottom of the page is a place for "Guest Billing Information" collecting credit card information.

I figured that this info was needed to guarantee the room (hold for late arrival), so I entered the information. Thus to my surprise (and dismay) I learned that my card was immediately charged for a higher than quoted amount.

The site gives this info:
The total room cost plus applicable taxes will be charged by the hotel at time of "check out."
This discount rate requires a $2.00 per room night non-refundable Internet access fee at time of reservation and will appear on your credit card under Alliance Reservations Network.

With your credit card information, the room(s) you book are guaranteed for late arrival.

Then there's the link to the terms and conditions which I neglected to CLICK on! In it, it states that, "Alliance Reservations Network must charge the entire amount for wholesale rates immediately upon making the reservation." And, "This Web site may contain hyperlinks to Web sites operated by parties other than ALLIANCE RESERVATIONS NETWORK."

Okay, that explains the re-directing and the immediate charge, but who knew this was a wholesale room reservation and what's up with the additional fees never mentioned, either?? But since I hadn't read the terms, I was worried that the hotel would re-charge my card. (They did ask for it to make a copy at arrival.) They reassured me that I wouldn't be charged again.

The night crew didn't communicate to the day crew, however, because the next morning there was a bill slipped under the door: $72 room rate with a total of $81 including tax. WHAT?? This was $21 less than I'd already been charged - supposedly the LOWEST GUARANTEED RATE!! The front desk apologized for their mistake of putting the invoice under the door... when they realized how I'd made the reservation they said they weren't supposed to have done that.

I IMMEDIATELY called the number printed on the confirmation email, and got passed to customer service, who at first didn't recognize HotelsInCity.com as being "one of theirs"... apparently there are tons of sites connected to ALLIANCE RESERVATIONS NETWORK. I explained the situation, but was denied any credit to my card. (It wasn't just the difference in the room rate, but the exorbitant fees tacked on that I objected to!)

So when I got home, I re-visited the HotelsInCity.com site and sent a letter of complaint from their customer service feedback form. GUESS WHAT? I received an email from customer_service@allresnet.com (surprise, another re-direct) stating, "We do not find that you made a reservation through our online service. We have checked under your name, the confirmation number you provided, and your email address. Please contact the service with whom you made the reservation. Thank you, Alliance Reservations"

WRONG!! I emailed back, and sent another feedback form with a copy of the original email, but have not heard back from them. I'm just waiting for my credit card bill to see the amount and name of the company and I'm going to call them again and complain. I don't like getting ripped off, and then getting the run-around!! I will stick to using hotel sites, 800 reservation numbers, or well-known travel sites in the future.

Janet
Davis, Illinois
U.S.A.