A Great Way to Save - But Buy a Clue First.
Written: Jun 26 '07 (Updated Jun 26 '07)
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I have to say I am rather mystified with the negative reviews I read about Priceline.com. Time and time again I hear horror stories of people "ripped off" or given the "wrong hotel" or "paying too much" or being shocked to discover additional fees at their destination such as parking expenses. It's enough to make me want to weep for the unfortunate death of human comprehension.
For the three of you out there who don't know, Priceline.com is a web-based service used for picking up discounts on such things as accommodation, travel and rental cars. Businesses naturally have a fairly clear idea of the relative level of use of their facilities and products at a specific time of year and release a certain amount to be sold on Priceline at a minimum price dictated by the service provider. Better to get something for the stuff than have it unused.
The customer then makes an "offer" on the Priceline website, which is simple in design and easy to navigate. The offer is then either accepted by one of the services that matches your set criteria, or fails to meet any minimum price and is rejected. For this reason it's sometimes a good idea think about how low you want to bid. You only get one shot at a specific thing and if you bid too low you are out of luck for that day.
This is where we meet our first major bone of contention with Priceline naysayers. Once you enter your bid, complete with your credit card details, you agree that should your bid be accepted you take what you are given - no refunds. This is made abundantly clear in the terms of use and in numerous reminders as you go along. I am simply gobsmacked at the amount of people I am seeing shocked at what they receive from Priceline, because it is all there to look at when you select the category you want to bid on. You accept you could get any of those hotels, so what is with the stream of people outraged at what they end up with? I even saw a review the other day upset they didn't get a hotel on "[Name censored] Beach" in Florida, but some other hotel which they named in their Epinion. I did a quick Google search and lo and behold, the hotel in question was located in the very "[Name censored] Beach" the guy had wanted - he was just shocked it wasn't physically a beach-side property. Users need to realise what they are bidding on and take care, because if you are overly casual, lazy, or just (sorry, but it's true) plain silly, they are going to be burned and disappointed.
My own experiences with Priceline have, as I said, been excellent. My wife and I have Disneyland annual passports and thanks to Priceline we regularly stay in three star hotels in the usually very pricey Anaheim for $45 per night.
A word of advice for the novice, there are ways of working the Priceline system to your benefit. While you can only put forth one offer on a specific thing per day, the minute that offer changes in any way you can bid again.
Example:
The area you plan to stay in for your next trip has several areas listed on Priceline.
Area A
Area B
Area C
Area D
Area A is conveniently close to the place you actually want to visit, with B, C and D all being a bit of a drive, so these are undesirable, so you choose the option "Four star hotels in Area A" and bid say, $50.
Your offer is rejected.
You would think you have no hope now of getting a four star hotel room in Area A, but this is where the little trick comes in.
A quick look through the other categories shows that areas C and D do not actually have any four star hotels in them, so you can make a new search for "Four star hotels in area's A and C" and bid a little higher. If that fails, "Four star hotels in Areas A, C and D".
Even though areas C and D are too far away for you to stay there, they have no four star hotels so under your criteria it is impossible for you to be offered a room there. At the same time, your bid, as far as the website is concerned" has changed, so you can edge up your price in small increments to get the best deal. As you can see, if you know what you are doing, Priceline.com can work for you.
Overall Priceline.com is an excellent service and a great way to pick up some bargains. My only experience is with hotel accommodation, but if you know what you are getting into and are familiar with the rules you have absolutely nothing to lose by giving this a shot. I'll say it again - the only way you can possibly be burned by Priceline is if YOU screw up. Read the rules, make sure you know what you were bidding on, and have a good trip.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Hotel Rooms
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About the Author
Member: Mike Price
Location: Aussie in Las Vegas, Nevada
Reviews written: 434
Trusted by: 274 members
About Me: An Australian living in Vegas - Eating too much buffet and writing too many Epinions.
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