After canceling Priceline car, why don’t I get my refund?
Earlier this year, I logged on to AutoSlash.com to find a rental car. When AutoSlash accepts your reservation, the site tries to find a better rate. Then it cancels your first reservation and books the less expensive one.
I received my first reservation through Priceline. I assumed that AutoSlash had an agreement with Priceline, where the process would be the same — make a reservation, then cancel. So I thought I had signed up with AutoSlash for a temporary contract through Priceline. But I hadn’t.
When I called Priceline and asked to cancel the reservation, a representative refused. A representative said my reservation was “noncancellable and nonrefundable.” I then exchanged several emails with AutoSlash. The company agreed that it was not its usual procedure, but that Priceline was too big of a company for it to get any concession.
I filed a dispute with my credit card company. It refunded the charge and put it into a dispute resolution category, which meant that Priceline could get the charge reinstated up to six weeks after the rental was supposed to happen.
When I called Priceline, I learned that it had canceled my reservation. Now the car rental company has sent me a letter saying that I owe it $314, even though it provided no service. Can you help?
— Davy Bass, Green Valley, Ariz.
A look at your Priceline reservation shows that it was nonrefundable, nontransferable and nonchangeable, even if you didn’t use the car. From your perspective, AutoSlash didn’t do what you expected it to because of its Priceline rates. You initiated a credit card dispute. In response, Priceline canceled your reservation but fought the dispute.
You should have been able to call Priceline and let it know that you were giving up and would take the car, but that’s not how it works. Once a credit card dispute starts, it’s almost impossible to stop it. So Priceline tried to keep your money and give you nothing in return. Worse, you say you didn’t see the terms of your purchase until after you tried to cancel.
It sounds as if there was a lot of unnecessary confusion about
your rental. I list the Priceline executive contacts on my consumer-advocacy site: www.elliott.org/companycontacts/priceline.
You contacted AutoSlash for help, but by the time I arrived on the scene, everyone was already too confused. (I include myself in this group. After reviewing this case the first time, I wasn’t sure if I could help. But you furnished my advocacy team with details so I could advocate for you.)
I contacted Priceline on your behalf, and it refunded your $314.
Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and the author of “How to Be the World’s Smartest Traveler.” See travel tips on his blog, elliott.org, or email him at chris@elliott.org.