I booked a hotel in the Los Angeles Airport area on Priceline tonight. Everything went fine, and I was quoted a rate of $50.00 a night for a 3.5 star hotel.
They had no box to check to exclude hotels which charged outrageous parking fees ($20.00/night) or charged outrageous rates ($20.00/night) for a medically necessary refrigerator in the room from the search.
After my price was accepted and I called the hotel (Hilton LAX), I discovered to my dismay that they charged just such amounts for those services that are necessary. One NEEDS a car in Los Angeles, and I NEED a refrigerator in my room for my medication. Those necessities effectively made my rate $90.00/night vs. The $50.00/night which I bid for.
When I called priceline asking to be moved to a hotel that did not charge for parking or refrigerators in the room I was politely told that I was SOL, and to "read the contract page" Speaking to a supervisor got me more apologies and more run-around, but pretty much the same result, that I was stuck with that hotel.
Now please correct me if I'm wrong, but has anyone who ever visited or lived in L.A., ever done so without renting or buying a car? Is that not a necessity in that city? I DO NOT have the CHOICE of not renting a car, therefeore it is NOT an incidental as mentioned in their shyster-lawyer-written contract.
I and I DO NOT have the choice of not having a refrigerator in my room for the preservation of my medication, so therefore it is NOT considered an incidental.
Other hotels do not charge for either of these services, and I simply asked that my reservation be moved to a hotel which offered these services for free, since I was NOT informed of these fees when I purchased the room. I told the priceline agent that I signed up for $50.00 / night, and NOT $90.00/night, and that the undisclosed fees constituted false advertising, basically bait-and-switch tactics.
But I guess if you get a shyster-bottom-feeder lawyer to write you a contract you can hide behind, you can get away with false advertising and bait-and-switch in this great country of ours.
You know what priceline? Shame on you, and Karma is a Beehatch my friends. I may not be able to do much to you except write this complaint, but somewhere out there there's a bigger dog than you, and I hope -I KNOW - there will come a day when you'll be his bitch, and I'll be there front and center to gloat!
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