My family has been using priceline.com for years. Yesterday, five days into a trip to move my Mom from a hospital to a rehab facility after she sustained a spinal cord injury earlier this summer, I was notified that our 10 year old, beloved rescued Greyhound "Teddy" had gone into renal failure. The vet was doing what she could to keep him comfortable, allowing me time to get back home as quickly as possible to say a final goodbye to my buddy.
I immediately called Priceline and was informed that because of their policies, they absolutely would not change my reservation, even though they had available seats on a flight that would have gotten me home right away.
After my futile conversation with Priceline, I immediately called United Airlines directly to see if there was anything that they could do. They were most understanding and compassionate and immediately attempted to change my flights. As much as United Airlines wanted to assist me however, they were unable to do so because according to them, Priceline placed a block on my reservation which prevented them from being able to make changes. I even purchased Trip insurance through Priceline but was told that this was a non-covered event!
Pet lovers and USA lovers (I was unable to speak with anyone in the US at Priceline), please reconsider who you book your travel plans with. When I asked the customer service rep at Priceline to transfer me to her boss or to someone in the US, she said that she could not do that. At least the airlines (for a fee) will allow you to make changes in the event of an emergency.
I sent Priceline an email expressing my disappointment in them. The next day, I received an email back asking me to call them to resolve this issue. For a foolish moment I was optimistic! When I called, they just wanted the name of the person at United Airlines that tried to help me. Needless to say, I refused. It was quite apparent to me that they were not happy that the airline had tried to help me and were just looking to get someone in trouble.
Yes, you might be able to get a cheaper flight and/or hotel/car once in a while through Priceline but the customer service and return loyalty to its customers is nonexistent. Call the airlines and hotels directly. They are oftentimes able to match the price and the customer service is far superior!
PS: I ended up booking another flight home directly through the airlines and just forfeited my ticket from Priceline. I made it home in time to be able to say a very heartbreaking goodbye to Teddy and spent the next two days taking care or him and loving him prior to having him euthanized at our home last night.
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