Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Is double the difference a scam?

Has anyone ever got a refund from Hotwire on their double the difference promotion? I was in a hotel over a month ago where the daily hotwire rate was $20 more than the cheapest rate on the hotel website. I have written 5 emails and got 5 replies that it is being dealt with and I will receive double the refund soon but to no avail. Maybe they never intend to pay out and hope I forget. Is double the difference all a scam? What should I do next?

I claimed it once last August and I received an acknowledgement email within 12 hours and refund to my credit card within 72 hours. Call their 1-800 number to see what they've to say.

We see quite a few Double the Difference claims and in my experience Hotwire has been very good with honoring their guarantee.

Did you contact Hotwire before your stay and within 48 hours of your Hotwire purchase, as those are just two of the requirements needed for a successful claim.

I've made two succesful claims in the past and they were processed within 48 hours or so.

Hotwire is OK for USA. Not good for Europe. I only got a very small double the difference claim because they claimed that the rate I submitted did not qualify for the claim. They used a much higher rate for qualification of the double the difference claim. :td:

After alot of phone calls, etc., I won't use hotwire again. I will stay with priceline. Much more satisfied with PL. HW has inflated hotel ratings, PL has much less inflated ratings and doing research with BFT & BB boards, I can usually secure very nice prices with PL.

Bottom line: I won't use HW again. One of my 3* hotels in Rome was the worse hotel I've stayed in. The other 3* hotel in Rome was decent. I could have booked this decent hotel direct for $25/night less. (and that I can get this hotel booking with them direct).

Bottom line: I won't use HW again. One of my 3* hotels in Rome was the worse hotel I've stayed in. The other 3* hotel in Rome was decent. I could have booked this decent hotel direct for $25/night less. (and that I can get this hotel booking with them direct).

What was the worst Rome hotel?

What was the worst Rome hotel?

Both hotels were rated 3*. Comparsions of the two are as follows:

Hotel des Artistes: (nice hotel). Solid 3*. Located in a decent area. Room had mini fridge, desk, nice paintings on the walls, flat screen TV on wall, telephone, 2 speed hair dryer, room safe, decent beds, & many more amenties. Hotel rate was 66 Euros. (about $80). Included a very nice breakfast in the rate. Hotwire was $99 plus $7.15 booking fee. Clue if you're getting this hotel, the hotwire bid will say "taxes included" in the bid price.

Hotel Tempio Di Pallade: Hotwire rated a 3*. I stayed in zero star rating hotels in Europe that were better. Hotel had tiny TV, telephone & one speed hair dryer that had no on/off switch. (my guess was why it got the 3* rating). Hotel may be acceptable if the walk from the train station to the hotel wasn't in a "rough" area. Hotel staff was helpful & friendly. Paid about $76 for the hotel. I should have paid almost double and won the bid for a 5* which most likely have been the Intercontinential. Lesson learned.

For my next trip to Rome, I will book the Hotel des Artistes direct if the two of us are staying. For myself, I will stay at the Beehive hostel as I have stayed there 3 times previously and was 100% satisfied!

Bottom line: In my experience, hotwire doesn't save any money for Europe. In my case, it would have cost me more. (I did take a $30 rebate for each night of the Des Artistes Hotel). Best to do plenty of research before accepting hotwire bid.

Has anyone ever got a refund from Hotwire on their double the difference promotion? I was in a hotel over a month ago where the daily hotwire rate was $20 more than the cheapest rate on the hotel website. I have written 5 emails and got 5 replies that it is being dealt with and I will receive double the refund soon but to no avail. Maybe they never intend to pay out and hope I forget. Is double the difference all a scam? What should I do next?

I've made 4-5 double-the-difference claims w/Hotwire and all were honored. No hassles and no problems......they delivered every time.