Hotwire.com – Prepare to be mislead and cheated if you are planning to do reservation through them

November 9th 2010

We live in some unfortunate times, where some companies think that misleading the customers and making a few quick bucks is the best way to go. Well I am here to tell you, as someone who runs a business which caters to consumers, and also as someone who does internet marketing and reputation management for other businesses, "Satisfy your customers within reason. Accept your mistake if you are wrong, and make an effort to rectify it".

If a business has done something wrong, by all means, acknowledge it. 9 out 10 times, customers will be flattered just because you admitted your mistake. The remaining 1 of 10 will be more than likely satisfied to a certain degree once you have made an effort to satisfy their needs. If you have to go an extra mile and possibly loose the sale, go for it! The reason is simple: An unsatisfied customer will leave bad review and you do not want something like that going around on the internet and search engines. It's bad for business and you will loose more potential customers!

Recently I encountered such a disaster myself. Before I continue, I want to make something very clear: I understand what "non-refundable" means.

You can book a reservation on HotWire.com They have some great deals. No question about it. The catch is that you do not see the names of the hotel until you have paid for it, and the payment is non-refundable. It has always worked for me in the past. I have referred several co-workers, family members and friends. I have even helped them narrow down the search so that they get the best deal within their desired travel distance.

Last night I booked my reservation for a Hotel. Everything looked great on the information page of the Hotel. I was satisfied with the price so I proceeded to checkout and made the payment. Lo and behold, the name finally popped up. Naturally as an internet marketing professional, the first thing I did is a search on Google for the Hotel's name. Read some reviews on TripAdvisor. The reviews were generally good, except that there was a key piece of information which was new to me.

A hefty parking surcharge. Now during my stays at several Hotels across several states, I understand that some Hotels charge parking fee. I am fine with that. The most I have paid is obviously in New York and Chicago. But this is for Anaheim, CA. Even then, I am fine with paying a reasonable fee which is the standard across Los Angeles area. But this was just an excessive amount I am talking about. I am staying for more than a week so the amount is going to stack up really good. The parking is going to be 1/4 of the price of my entire Hotel stay including the taxes! To me that's like paying for 2 extra nights.

Anyhow, I went ahead and emailed HotWire.com support. I explained to them in detail that a surcharge like that should be clearly indicated. I requested that a credit be given and I will be happy to do another purchase for a Hotel.

Their excuse? "We provide as much information about Hotwire's Hot Rates before booking as possible without revealing the exact name or location of the hotel."

So let me get this straight! In order to avoid giving hint about the Hotel's name, they are willing to hide the hefty surcharge? Anyhow, between myself and Hotwire, we exchanged a few emails back and forth and they simply refused to do anything about it. Here is where it gets even more interesting..

On the Hotel's website, there is a notification in "red" color warning the potential customers that there will be construction, followed by the dates. Unfortunately, the construction dates fall around the time when I will be staying.

So let's recap so far. No warning about the hefty parking surcharge? No warning about the fact that the Hotel will have construction going on? We just close our eyes and pay them.

Sounds like a great business to me for HotWire.com. Good thing they are not in Used Cars or Real Estate business, otherwise, chances are I would be pushing my car without an engine and living at a home without any electric wiring or water pipes.

To HotWire.com: Because of my profession (internet marketing) a lot of people ask me to help them with their research needs. One of them does happen to be Travel. Guess what? Whether someone mentions Hotwire or not, I will be sure to let them know why they should avoid HotWire.com at all cost.

"The average customer with an unresolved complaint will tell nine to 10 people; 13 percent tell more than 20 people." (source)

This is a guest post sent via email.