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| Guest |
 Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 10:55 am |
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Not sure that Orbitz, Travelocity, Priceline etc. are scams, but they sure as hell don't get you the best price...nor do they lock in reservations that you couldn't get with a simple phone call to the hotel.
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| Guest |
| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 1:10 am |
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Have you ever tried to get a hotel in a market where your hotel of choice is not available? These sites are time savers and if you do a quick search on Expedia, hotel.com, etc you can find out what hotels are available in the area.
I never use the above companies unless my travel is for sure. On occasion, I will have a hotel booked directly to make sure I have a room, as their cancellation policy is typically 6:00 the night before. Then once my trip is viable I will search Travelocity and hotels.com and I will typically save between 10 and 2- percent on my stay.
That’s not chump change.
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| Guest |
| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 5:06 am |
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Quote: Originally Posted by jbradlong Have you ever tried to get a hotel in a market where your hotel of choice is not available? These sites are time savers and if you do a quick search on Expedia, hotel.com, etc you can find out what hotels are available in the area.
I never use the above companies unless my travel is for sure. On occasion, I will have a hotel booked directly to make sure I have a room, as their cancellation policy is typically 6:00 the night before. Then once my trip is viable I will search Travelocity and hotels.com and I will typically save between 10 and 2- percent on my stay.
That’s not chump change. 2 percent is!
You're right....they are time savers but I haven't really saved any money with them. I've always found rooms even without reservations.
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| Guest |
| Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2004 3:02 am |
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Marriott Hotels "Look No Further Best Rate Guarantee" is a scam. Basically the way their requirements are worded there is NO WAY you can ever get anything back. They claim to honor the rate you get plus another 25% off. It is, I suspect, a way to monitor other sites that are offering lower rates, and NEVER give anything to the consumer.
Here is my recent thread with them after I filed a request to match the rate of "precisionreservations.com" (which I think is a good site). I've XXX'ed out my name and phone number, but otherwise, this is the mail thread.
Dear Cimarron XXXXX,
Thank you for your additional inquiry regarding Marriott's Look No Further(SM)
Best Rate Guarantee. We apologize for any confusion that has occurred.
In our original response we provided the following web address from your
comparison site:
http://reservations.precisionreserv...m/condition.asp
Information found on this site in point number two states the following:
"Your credit card will be charged shortly before your arrival at the hotel
and ONLY IF AVAILABILITY HAS BEEN CONFIRMED. You will be issued a hotel voucher
via email with the confirmation which must be presented upon check-in at the
hotel. We assume no responsibility if you do not present the voucher upon
check-in. If you lose this voucher, please notify us and we will email or fax
you a replacement prior to check-in."
We believe in our original research it was the portion in capital letters above
that caused us to provide a response that the site was not fully transactional.
Upon further research, we have tested the complete reservations process and have
discovered that the site does provide true online reservations. However, your
claim is still invalid due to the indication that Precisionreservations.com
issues a voucher. As stated in the and conditions for Marriott's Look No
Further(SM) Best Rate Guarantee program found at:
http://marriott.com/look/default.mi...31304_MIHomeTxt
"The guarantee does not apply to pre-paid rates that involve a voucher
(including electronic vouchers) for a hotel stay"
We appreciate your additional inquiry and look forward to serving you in the
future.
Thank you for choosing Marriott.
Regards,
Ricky Sortino
Marriott Internet Customer Care
This communication contains information from Marriott International, Inc. that
may be confidential. Except for personal use by the intended recipient, or as
expressly authorized by the sender, any person who receives this information is
prohibited from disclosing, copying, distributing, and/or using it. If you have
received this communication in error, please immediately delete it and all
copies, and promptly notify the sender. Nothing in this communication is
intended to operate as an electronic signature under applicable law.
On October 22, 2004 at 3:14 PM, "Cimarron XXXXX" <cimarron@XXXXX.com>
wrote:
>Dear Angleique Elizondo:
>
>I don't understand your statement "reservations are not confirmed to
guests at the time of the initial transaction" with regards to the
website. They are indeed confirmed by this company. Please indicate where it
says on their site that the reservations are not confirmed. You may contact me
directly to clarify this at 508-000-0000.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Cimarron XXXXX
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Look@marriott.com
>To: CIMARRON@XXXXX.COM
>Subject: RE: CLAIM FORM: Look No Further (SM) Guarantee
[T2004102200THS010Z1900230]
>Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 14:38:19 -0500 (CDT)
>
>> Dear Cimarron XXXXX,
>>
>> Thank you for submitting a claim for Marriott's Look No Further(SM)
Best Rate Guarantee. We received a claim from you for the following
reservation:
>>
>> Hotel: Rihga Royal New York, A JW Marriott Hotel
>> Arrival Date: November 30, 2004
>> Reservation Confirmation Number: 87326752
>>
>> According to the Terms and Conditions of Marriott's Look No Further(SM)
Best Rate Guarantee, a comparison rate must be reservable by the general public
and be verifiable by Marriott. According to our review of the site with which
your comparison was made, reservations are not confirmed to guests at the time
of the initial transaction. We are unable to verify your comparison as
reservation requests made via this source are considered in the following
manner:
>>
>> http://reservations.precisionreserv...m/condition.asp
>>
>> For this reason, we must deny your claim under the of Marriott's
Look No Further(SM) Best Rate Guarantee program.
>>
>> Please be aware that many travel suppliers offering packaged vacation
experiences, similar to the offer with which your comparison was made, issue
travel vouchers to their customers. Due to pre-existing contractual
arrangements, pre-paid rates that involve a voucher (including electronic
vouchers) for a hotel stay are also excluded from Marriott's Look No Further(SM)
Best Rate Guarantee.
>>
>> Thank you for choosing Marriott.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Angleique Elizondo
>> Marriott Internet Customer Care
>>
>> This communication contains information from Marriott International,
Inc. that may be confidential. Except for personal use by the intended
recipient, or as expressly authorized by the sender, any person who receives
this information is prohibited from disclosing, copying, distributing, and/or
using it. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately
delete it and all copies, and promptly notify the sender. Nothing in this
communication is intended to operate as an electronic signature under applicable
law.
>>
>> On October 22, 2004 at 11:14 AM, CIMARRON@XXXXX.COM
wrote:
>>
>> >
>> >Originating Web Site Domain: Marriott.com
>> >
>> >GUEST INFORMATION
>> >Title: Mr.
>> >First name: CIMARRON
>> >M.I.:
>> >Last name: XXXXX
>> >Telephone number: 5080000000
>> >E-mail address: CIMARRON@XXXXX.COM
>> >Confirm e-mail address: CIMARRON@XXXXX.COM
>> >Marriott Rewards number: 287967202
>> >
>> >MARRIOTT RESERVATION INFORMATION
>> >Marriott confirmation number:
>> >Marriott hotel name: Rihga Royal New York, A JW Marri
>> >Check-in date: 11/30/2004
>> >Check-out date: 12/1/2004
>> >Marriott rate reserved: 525
>> >Currency: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DOLLAR (USD)
>> >
>> >COMPARISON RATE INFORMATION
>> >Lower rate found or reserved: 361
>> >Currency: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DOLLAR (USD)
>> >Where did you find the lower rate: Internet Web site other than an
Official Marriott Web site
>> >Web page address showing the lower rate: http://www.precisionreservations.co...se/PHCOther.htm
>> >Second confirmation number: null
>> >Phone number (for source of comparison rate if available): null
>> >Comments: Found on google search - appears legitimate. I could
select the Righa, the date, and it confirmed the lower price for my reservation
>>
>
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| Guest |
| Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 10:38 am |
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Ian - you are cancerous.
Nobody wants to read your thread muddying. Leave and don't come back.
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| Guest |
| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2004 1:12 pm |
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I recently used Hotels.com and found them to be, if not a scam, at least more trouble than they are worth. The "discount price" they charged me was the exact price I could have gotten by phoning in the reservation. On top of this, they charged me a "convenience fee" which made it more than simply calling it in. When I got to the hotel, I found that they had not even reserved my room. The hotel was great, found me a room and did not charge me stating that Hotels.com does this quite often and they would get the money from them. When I complained to Hotels, they first blamed the hotel and then blamed me. They would not admit fault.Bottom line: Use Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc. I have used them all and been treated well. Hotels is third rate at best.
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| Guest |
| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 9:55 am |
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I travel in my job all the time and usually spend at least 2 nights a week in a hotel somewhere. I use these sites to find hotels in the area where I will be staying, get an idea of the accomodations, room rates, get a look at the hotel and room if they have pictures and then call the hotels directly for reservations. Works like a charm. I have yet to find a hotel that charged me more than the posted rates at sites like expedia, orbitz, etc.
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| Guest |
| Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 4:26 am |
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This Is Not A Scam Except For The First Three Is . Butnot The Last One
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| Guest |
| Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2005 7:35 am |
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Just wanted to reply that Orbits and Cheap fare are pretty much scams. I can vouch for that! I got smoked big time!
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 1:12 am |
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I have used Orbitz, travelocity, hotels.com, and even called the hotel. I get the same rates no matter which way I reserve the room and I have never had any trouble getting a room.
Scam they are not. Cheapest method of getting a room, possibly not. The sites make their money by charging a processing fee and rarely do I reserve a hotel room without also reserving a rental car and a flight. The time saved by letting the site to the research is well worth the service charge.
It is funny to hear the aboved named sites being called a scam on the same site that has people defending ponzi schemes. Just goes to show you the definition of a scam is definitely in the mind of the person making the claim.
I reserve my room on hotels.com, get to the hotel, check in, sleep, check out. No problem not a scam.
You see a site is offering a 25% price guarantee so you find a better price. The and conditions state how the original site with determine pricing. Your price is deemed to be outside the of the offer and the company won't beat the price....complain that the site is a scam. I just don't quite get that.
Just my 10 cents.
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| Guest |
| Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 3:29 am |
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Quote: Originally Posted by scambuster Not sure that Orbitz, Travelocity, Priceline etc. are scams, but they sure as hell don't get you the best price...nor do they lock in reservations that you couldn't get with a simple phone call to the hotel.
I never had good luck with these. I always do better just using a search engine for whatever place I'm going and then choose a chain I like. I save much more than what these online reservation makers have ever quoted me.
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| Guest |
| Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 1:43 am |
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Priceline is wonderful...I have traveled all over the world and have not once been disappointed. Once you reach your hotel you can always ask for an upgrade to your accomodations as well...never hurts to ask.
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| Guest |
| Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2005 3:11 am |
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Quote: Originally Posted by BULLogne Priceline is wonderful...I have traveled all over the world and have not once been disappointed. Once you reach your hotel you can always ask for an upgrade to your accomodations as well...never hurts to ask.
Hmmmm. Never hurts to ask. Though I usually get the top line to begin with. LOL.
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| Guest |
| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:24 am |
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I have heard people's vacations have been runied beacuse of priceline. Sometimes 3, 4, and 5 layovers! If you are flying from NY to Los Angeles, it should take between 5 and 7 hours. I have had some close relatives used Priceline and take them 15hrs. They were locked in too so they HAD to take the tickets.
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| Guest |
| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2005 4:33 am |
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Correction George, they did not HAVE to take the tickets because they didn't have to agree to the price they ask for. Priceline also provides you with prices you can pay and know what flight you are on, you just don't get to name your own price then.
If you want to pay enough money, you can get from NY to LA in 5 to 7 hours. If you are trying to save money you have to be willing to accept delays. The people you have heard of who had vacations ruined did it to themselves by being cheap. Priceline did not ruin anything.
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