No rooms available at the hotel, so why no refund?

Q: I’m a professional photographer, and I was working in New York City recently. I had a double shift and was scheduled to work again in New York the next morning.

Because I live a bit outside the city, I decided to book a hotel for the night. I did so through Priceline at a cost of $170. I went to check in at the Hotel Pennsylvania after my second shift was done, around 1:30 a.m.

When I arrived at the hotel, I found a line of people waiting to check in despite the late hour. As we waited, a hotel employee came from behind the desk and informed us that there were no rooms available. They were still being cleaned and would not be ready for another three hours. He said if we had booked a room through an agency such as Priceline, then we should call them and have them find us another room.

I called Priceline twice, but I was not able to get through to a real person. I tried using the chat function through their website but again was not able to message with a real person.

It was almost 2 a.m. at this point and I needed to sleep before going to work the next day. I was able to book a room through Hotel Tonight, but it cost me $365.

Priceline won’t refund the $170 I prepaid because they say I never checked in and was a “no show.” I talked to three different customer service people who all said the same thing. I’ve also emailed their Executive Services email and received the same response. Can you help me get a refund from Priceline?

— Liam Goodman, Beacon, N.Y.

A: The Hotel Pennsylvania should have found a room for you. In the hotel industry, there’s a standard rule that says if a hotel can’t accommodate you, it will “walk” you to a comparable property and cover your first night. If you’d asked a representative to “walk” you to another hotel, you might have been able to avoid paying an extra $365.

Priceline’s refusal to refund the money sounds absurd, but it makes sense. The online travel agency doesn’t know any more than what’s in your record. And your record says you didn’t check in (which is true, but not the entire truth).

Your experience is an important lesson for the rest of us. If you’ve prepaid for a room through Priceline or Hotwire, and the hotel can’t accommodate you, make sure you get a confirmation of your cancellation in writing.

In other words, get proof on hotel letterhead that the hotel turned you away or supply a cancellation number. Otherwise, you’ll be a “no show” and lose your money.

I’m unhappy that the Executive Services email offered the same canned response as everyone else. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of Priceline’s customer service executives on my nonprofit consumer-advocacy website. The company should have researched your claim, which would have proved you were correct.

I contacted Priceline on your behalf. It refunded the $170 you spent for the room you never got at the Hotel Pennsylvania.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine.