Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - hotwire cancels hotel reservation mid-trip due to "fraud"; leaves me without room

i've had it with hotwire. i don't know what their deal is, but this is the absolute last straw.

i'm on a business trip, and bought my hotel on hotwire. i'm on the third night of the trip, with two more to go.

today, upon returning to my room, i found that my keycard was locked. i thought my cell phone had deactivated it, which happens on occasion, so it wasn't anything new or unusual.

upon inquiring at the desk the informed me that hotwire had called and emailed, and informed them that they were refusing to pay the hotel on my behalf, and were immediately canceling my reservation. are you f'ing serious?

i was asked to immediately vacate the room, and i argued that it wasn't fair, especially since i've already paid. i agreed to pay the rack rate for one night in the room, since they had my credit card pre-authorized for incidentals in the amount of $150, $25 more than the room rate. i only allowed this as i've been up nearly 17 hours at this point and really needed to just rest. upon agreeing to this, they authorized the card for an additional *$250* without my permission to cover the nights already stayed, i'm assuming as they're scared that hotwire will take back all it's money.

according to the (very unpleasant and secretive) desk manager, they received an email from hotwire that stated that their "fraud" department had frozen my hotwire account. they would pay for the nights already stayed, but would not honor the rest of the reservation. this is despite charging my debit card the full amount of the hotel stay.

they said that they would not be willing to show me the emails, as it was a "confidentiality issue". they did say something which made absolutely no sense: "when the reservation first came in, it had someone else's name on it, but then was changed to yours." this in no way makes sense to me.

i also was "hinted" at that it was suspected credit card fraud.

that's fantastic because i used my debit card, which they could easily verify with my bank as being under my sole ownership. they could also easily verify my identity, as i was carrying both my driver's license and passport.

i was made to feel as if i was a criminal.

i called hotwire, and they told me that my account was closed by "fraud prevention", and that i would be receiving a refund of the days not used. i was not allowed to be privy to the information used to come to this decision.

they then told me that the only department was this "fraud prevention" department, and their number goes directly to a voicemail. i left messages for three hours, and nobody called me back.

it makes me really angry. i've been made to feel like a criminal at this hotel. the front desk staff has treated me as if they would prefer not to have me; as such, i'm moving on to another hotel.

so my concerns are this: 1) what's going on with hotwire, and how to find out what's wrong with my account? , 2) will i really receive my refund?

has anybody had any past experience, or contacts, i can use?

Strange! I dont know what to say!

What chain and star rating was this hotel? I would certainly complain to the hotel chain and file a BBB complaint against Hotwire.

Have you contacted the bank that issued your card to see if they are aware of any fraud alerts on it?

i've had it with hotwire. i don't know what their deal is, but this is the absolute last straw.

i'm on a business trip, and bought my hotel on hotwire. i'm on the third night of the trip, with two more to go.

today, upon returning to my room, i found that my keycard was locked. i thought my cell phone had deactivated it, which happens on occasion, so it wasn't anything new or unusual.

upon inquiring at the desk the informed me that hotwire had called and emailed, and informed them that they were refusing to pay the hotel on my behalf, and were immediately canceling my reservation. are you f'ing serious?

i was asked to immediately vacate the room, and i argued that it wasn't fair, especially since i've already paid. i agreed to pay the rack rate for one night in the room, since they had my credit card pre-authorized for incidentals in the amount of $150, $25 more than the room rate. i only allowed this as i've been up nearly 17 hours at this point and really needed to just rest. upon agreeing to this, they authorized the card for an additional *$250* without my permission to cover the nights already stayed, i'm assuming as they're scared that hotwire will take back all it's money.

according to the (very unpleasant and secretive) desk manager, they received an email from hotwire that stated that their "fraud" department had frozen my hotwire account. they would pay for the nights already stayed, but would not honor the rest of the reservation. this is despite charging my debit card the full amount of the hotel stay.

they said that they would not be willing to show me the emails, as it was a "confidentiality issue". they did say something which made absolutely no sense: "when the reservation first came in, it had someone else's name on it, but then was changed to yours." this in no way makes sense to me.

i also was "hinted" at that it was suspected credit card fraud.

that's fantastic because i used my debit card, which they could easily verify with my bank as being under my sole ownership. they could also easily verify my identity, as i was carrying both my driver's license and passport.

i was made to feel as if i was a criminal.

i called hotwire, and they told me that my account was closed by "fraud prevention", and that i would be receiving a refund of the days not used. i was not allowed to be privy to the information used to come to this decision.

they then told me that the only department was this "fraud prevention" department, and their number goes directly to a voicemail. i left messages for three hours, and nobody called me back.

it makes me really angry. i've been made to feel like a criminal at this hotel. the front desk staff has treated me as if they would prefer not to have me; as such, i'm moving on to another hotel.

so my concerns are this: 1) what's going on with hotwire, and how to find out what's wrong with my account? , 2) will i really receive my refund?

has anybody had any past experience, or contacts, i can use?


That's really chilling. I've only used Hotwire once, with no issues, but these blind bidding sites make me a bit nervous (though I've had plenty of Priceline stays).

It might be that your credit card put a hold on your account if you didn't notify them of your travel plans prior to departure.

And I think that YOUR credit card number won't appear on the Hotwire paperwork, because they use their credit account to buy the room -- you pay Hotwire, not the hotel. But you would think that any hotel that uses Hotwire is used to this.

Let us know how it turns out.

I would consider threatening Hotwire with a libel suit.* I am sure that the desk manager was secretive and unpleasant because he thought you might be a criminal. It might get Hotwire to escalate your problem to a level where it can be dealt with effectively.




*I am not a lawyer, and this should not be considered legal advice.

Assuming this is the whole story, then I'd start by filing a claim with the Better Business Bureau against Hotwire. Then, depending what happens, there's always small claims court. But I've had good results by filing complaints with the BBB. tls

They are accusing you of a crime for goodness sake!!! You had a photo ID and the card in question and they still had a problem?? That is false accusation and could be worth a big chunk of money in your neck of the woods if you choose to persue it legally.

I'll give the hotel a pass and blame Hotwire on this one. Hotwire contracts with the hotel to pay them to provide you a room. When HW tells the hotel that they will not pay, it's understandable that they will no longer provide you the room.

How far in advance did you book this trip? Since they charge at time of booking, the charges should have cleared before your stay, unless it was very last minute. I agree, I'd also contact your bank to see what they have to say.

Please follow in our on-line booking/bidding forum; and as we move it, let's avoid personalized arguments among members. Such threads have been deleted. Thanks! Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

They are accusing you of a crime for goodness sake!!! You had a photo ID and the card in question and they still had a problem?? That is false accusation and could be worth a big chunk of money in your neck of the woods if you choose to persue it legally.

This is not an accurate portrayal of the law.

I'll give the hotel a pass and blame Hotwire on this one. Hotwire contracts with the hotel to pay them to provide you a room. When HW tells the hotel that they will not pay, it's understandable that they will no longer provide you the room.

How far in advance did you book this trip? Since they charge at time of booking, the charges should have cleared before your stay, unless it was very last minute. I agree, I'd also contact your bank to see what they have to say.


the charges have indeed cleared.

I'll give the hotel a pass and blame Hotwire on this one. Hotwire contracts with the hotel to pay them to provide you a room. When HW tells the hotel that they will not pay, it's understandable that they will no longer provide you the room.

How far in advance did you book this trip? Since they charge at time of booking, the charges should have cleared before your stay, unless it was very last minute. I agree, I'd also contact your bank to see what they have to say.

that's why i didn't name the hotel. they didn't do anything wrong necessarily, it's hotwire's fault. whatever hotwire told them is obviously inaccurate and has caused them to act towards me in a way that i find inappropriate, given my story. the accusation that what i'm saying is not the full story (as someone said earlier) is saddening, because it IS the full story.

that's why i didn't name the hotel. they didn't do anything wrong necessarily, it's hotwire's fault. whatever hotwire told them is obviously inaccurate and has caused them to act towards me in a way that i find inappropriate, given my story. the accusation that what i'm saying is not the full story (as someone said earlier) is saddening, because it IS the full story.

I'm not an expert on debit cards but can't you dispute the charge for up to 60 days after you get your statement as with a credit card? You could dispute by asking for a chargeback on the extra amount you had to pay as a result of their mistake. Legally on credit cards the dispute letter must be in writing. Google it and find out.

You need to get ahold of your bank asap. It sounds like some sort of code may been put on your bank account in error. If there is no issue there and you have verified the amount to Hotwire has been paid, then you need to stay on the line with Hotwire until resolved. Get names and phone numbers/extension at your bank. If you have the information, contact personnel at your local branch that can personally step in and help get the situation resolved.

Between this thread and the American Express pulled my card in the middle of an International trip and wanted the balance paid down immediately thread, I almost afraid to go out of my apartment now.

that's fantastic because i used my debit card, which they could easily verify with my bank as being under my sole ownership. they could also easily verify my identity, as i was carrying both my driver's license and passport.


Why on earth are you using a debit card for travel related purchases? It basically gives you ZERO protection compared to credit cards.

Why on earth are you using a debit card for travel related purchases? It basically gives you ZERO protection compared to credit cards.

If he used his debit card to make the purchase on hotwire, that is more than reasonable, as the full amount of the hotel stay is deducted at the time of purchase. Some individuals don't have the luxury of a high credit limit (especially with the crap banks are pulling by lowering credit limits and raising interest rates), which can easily be rectified by paying in advance with a debit card.

As far as authorizing the incidental charges using the debit card, THAT is something I disagree with. Unless the credit limit would have been exceeded by the $150 authorization, I would always use a credit account.

All I'm saying is that paying for the hotwire purchase using a debit card is understandable. Authorizing the hotel room using a debit card should be avoided in the future.

It was a business trip though. Things must really be tight if a business credit card is up at the limits for a trip this short.

OP, maybe send an e-mail to elliott.org and see what he comes up with. Might get a better response from Hotwire that way.

i gave up trying to get anything fixed with hotwire directly, and filed a complaint with the BBB. here's the response i got today:

Dear jws026,

I am writing in response to your inquiry to Hotwire and the Better Business Bureau regarding a hotel reservation in Melbourne.

I understand you booked a hotel reservation on our Web site. During your stay, your key card was deactivated and the hotel advised you it was deactivated because Hotwire had canceled your reservation and would not disclose the reason for the cancellation. You were referred to a Risk Management department when speaking with Hotwire Customer Care and have not received a return call from the voicemail messages you have left for that department. You are demanding an explanation of the reason for the cancellation of your hotel booking and the deactivation of your account. Additionally, you would like compensation for your frustration.

According to our records, the unused nights of your hotel reservation have refunded to your MasterCard ending in ****.

User access to all or part of the Hotwire Web site may be terminated or suspended at any time, without notice and for any reason.

I am unable to disclose information regarding the deactivation of your account. I regret the frustration and inconvenience this has caused.

Regards,



(name removed)
Customer Care Relations
Hotwire Corporate Office



:mad::mad:

not sure what to do at this point.

You're using Hotwire for business stays. Do you have a pattern of making reservations for co-workers but using your credit card/debit card? It's plausible a customer that consistently uses one name for payment but consistently books a room in the name of another person gets flagged. It might almost look like an "internal TA". You might also get flagged if you consistently cancel a backup reservation at the same hotel.

I can understand Hotwire telling you to take your business somewhere else but I can't think any reason (based on the information you provided) for cancelling your reservation in the middle of the stay.

I'm assuming you don't "play games" to determine the name of the hotel prior to making a financial comittment.

Hotwire says:All bookings are final and cannot be changed, refunded, exchanged, cancelled, or transferred to another party;


They may be after you for transferring reservations to another party. I'd use this to say Hotwire doesn't have the right to cancel your reservation.

Hotwire says:
All bookings are final and cannot be changed, refunded, exchanged, cancelled, or transferred to another party;

They may be after you for transferring reservations to another party. I'd use this to say Hotwire doesn't have the right to cancel your reservation.

The above conditional statement from Hotwire is explicitly directed at the user. It does not restrict Hotwire from doing what is necessary to enforce and deter fraudulent bookings/reservations.

Under Section B of their ToU:
Hotel Booking Restrictions

.....

Upon check-in, guests must present a valid ID and credit card in their name (the amount of available credit required will vary by hotel). [I]Debit cards may not be accepted; and,
Hotwire rates do not include special fees charged by hotels upon check-out (e.g., energy charges, convention fees, resort fees, parking fees). Customers will be required to pay these fees directly to the hotels at check-out time.

Essentially, not only does the Terms of Use provide Hotwire the ability to restrict/refuse/cancel service at their discretion, but it further states that debit cards are not an acceptable form of payment when authorizing incidental hotel room charges. If you authorize your hotel room using a debit card, Hotwire reserves the right to view the transaction as fraudulent. THIS may be the fraudulent activity they are referring to...

You can pay using a debit card for airfare and/or car rental, but for some reason, Hotwire views the payment of a hotel room via debit card as a violation of their terms. THIS may be the fraudulent activity they are referring to...

Not sure that is what it says - it says at check-in debit cards may not be accepted (most likely says the same thing with rental cars).

They will take a debit card, but cannot guarentee that the hotel will for incidentals.

Not sure that is what it says - it says at check-in debit cards may not be accepted (most likely says the same thing with rental cars).

They will take a debit card, but cannot guarentee that the hotel will for incidentals.I picked up on my incorrect assumption and attempted to correct it. You beat me to it. :p

It says "may" as in "possibly" as in some hotels wont take debit cards upon check in.

I've never had a problem with it, i use a MasterCard debit card through my credit union for priceline/hotwire all the time. I don't think the debit card is the problem - usually when anything refers to a "debit card" not being accepted they mean a card without a visa/mc logo, which is not what the average consumer is carrying.

File in small claims court and see if they show up. It costs almost nothing to file in most places and can often be filed online. Just another option.

File in small claims court and see if they show up. It costs almost nothing to file in most places and can often be filed online. Just another option.

What exactly would he file for? He has received a refund for the unused nights, and it is clearly in Hotwire's ToU to reserve the right to cancel a reservation for "fraudulent" activities. He could claim he suffered emotional and financial distress due to being made out to be a thief at the hotel and his debit card being authorized for an additional $350 than initially planned, but I honestly don't see anything illegal on the part of Hotwire.

They were just doing their jobs in trying to protect Hotwire users from thieves or hackers.

Why on earth are you using a debit card for travel related purchases? It basically gives you ZERO protection compared to credit cards.

If he used his debit card to make the purchase on hotwire, that is more than reasonable, as the full amount of the hotel stay is deducted at the time of purchase. Some individuals don't have the luxury of a high credit limit (especially with the crap banks are pulling by lowering credit limits and raising interest rates), which can easily be rectified by paying in advance with a debit card.

All I'm saying is that paying for the hotwire purchase using a debit card is understandable. Authorizing the hotel room using a debit card should be avoided in the future.

High credit limit? You don't need a high credit limit to use a credit card for travel purchases like a hotwire hotel. I can't imagine he paid more than $75/night for the hotel.

I would never consider using a debit card for any transaction where something might go wrong. Maybe for groceries, yes. But anything bought online? Never.

You can set up credit cards to pay automatically from your account on a certain date every month.

I even heard of one person who gave a debit card for the deposit of incidentals, had some amount actually debited from their account and was told the hotel would mail her a check to reimburse her. Sorry, I would strongly advise against a debit card in such instances.

If the issue is availability of credit due to credit history, secured credit cards are easily available. Put $500 into a savings account and the bank will give you a credit card with a $500 credit limit.

John

What exactly would he file for? He has received a refund for the unused nights, and it is clearly in Hotwire's ToU to reserve the right to cancel a reservation for "fraudulent" activities. He could claim he suffered emotional and financial distress due to being made out to be a thief at the hotel and his debit card being authorized for an additional $350 than initially planned, but I honestly don't see anything illegal on the part of Hotwire.

They were just doing their jobs in trying to protect Hotwire users from thieves or hackers.

While they may have a right to terminate (although it is not clear from the quoted portion that they have the right to terminate in the middle of a stay), they do not have the right to effectively defame the OP by saying the reason for termination was suspected fraud. They did not have to supply a reason to the hotel, and could have simply informed the hotel to ask the OP to contact Hotwire to discuss the matter further. My guess, though, is that this is not a matter for small claims court.

What exactly would he file for? He has received a refund for the unused nights, and it is clearly in Hotwire's ToU to reserve the right to cancel a reservation for "fraudulent" activities. He could claim he suffered emotional and financial distress due to being made out to be a thief at the hotel and his debit card being authorized for an additional $350 than initially planned, but I honestly don't see anything illegal on the part of Hotwire.

They were just doing their jobs in trying to protect Hotwire users from thieves or hackers.

but Hotwire isn't claiming fraud, at least to the OP. Hotwire said:
User access to all or part of the Hotwire Web site may be terminated or suspended at any time, without notice and for any reason.
That certainly gives Hotwire the right to refuse to do future business with the OP. It doesn't give Hotwire the right to cancel an existing reservation.

Damages would be the difference between the refund given by Hotwire and the rack rate the OP had to pay the hotel.

Paying for a business trip with a personal debit card doesn't make a lot of sense. We may be missing some details.

but Hotwire isn't claiming fraud, at least to the OP. Hotwire said: existing reservation.

Damages would be the difference between the refund give
That certainly gives Hotwire the right to refuse to do future business with the OP. It doesn't give Hotwire the right to cancel ann by Hotwire and the rack rate the OP had to pay the hotel.

Paying for a business trip with a personal debit card doesn't make a lot of sense. We may be missing some details.


the only missing detail i can provide is that i'm self-employed and work mainly as a contractor and consultant, and thus pay for my own travel when clients are reimbursing me at a later date. thus, i use hotwire and priceline for clients who have certain budgetary requirements. other than that, i'm booking directly with hilton.com (my preferred chain).

i use my debit card because, at the time, it's all i have available. i've had two business credit cards (one with $0 balance, one with a modest balance not over $500) rescinded due to banks losing money; i have one personal credit card with a fairly low limit, and due to past student loans and other long-past financial issues, i don't quality for much better at the moment. it takes time to rebuild credit, and i'm several years into the process. thus, i use a debit card.

What exactly would he file for? He has received a refund for the unused nights, and it is clearly in Hotwire's ToU to reserve the right to cancel a reservation for "fraudulent" activities. He could claim he suffered emotional and financial distress due to being made out to be a thief at the hotel and his debit card being authorized for an additional $350 than initially planned, but I honestly don't see anything illegal on the part of Hotwire.

They were just doing their jobs in trying to protect Hotwire users from thieves or hackers.

Wait, did OP stay those 2 last nights? How much more did he pay over the Hotwire rate? Cuz whatever extra he was forced to pay over the Hotwire amount is what he would file for. Whether that's financially worth it is another matter.

Or, just demand that amount from Hotwire. If they say you're just getting the refund amount, try advancing the issue through a travel ombudsman, local tv consumer rights reporter, or simply file a BBB complaint and refuse to say it's resolved until they send you that amount back.

File in small claims court and see if they show up. It costs almost nothing to file in most places and can often be filed online. Just another option.

It's not a small claims lawsuit. More like a $100K lawsuit for libel, slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, etc. IAAL, and I'd love to hear from the OP.

Wait, did OP stay those 2 last nights? How much more did he pay over the Hotwire rate? Cuz whatever extra he was forced to pay over the Hotwire amount is what he would file for. Whether that's financially worth it is another matter.

Or, just demand that amount from Hotwire. If they say you're just getting the refund amount, try advancing the issue through a travel ombudsman, local tv consumer rights reporter, or simply file a BBB complaint and refuse to say it's resolved until they send you that amount back.

i did not stay the last two nights. at first i was told to vacate the room immediately, which i tried to do, then was told i had no choice but to pay for the last night, whether i stayed or not. i was out of the room from 5:30 AM, working all day, and by the time i returned it was 5PM, before i had even been made aware of the problem. i had to pay the prevailing rate, which was indeed more than the hotwire special rate, obviously. i was made to feel so incredibly uncomfortable by the hotel's staff that i didn't even try to negotiate staying longer, and moved on to a hilton property where i just paid the difference out of my pocket between the cost and my client's limit.

the difference was negligible (just a little over $150) and i really doubt the costs of any kind of litigation would be worth it.

upon inquiring at the desk the informed me that hotwire had called and emailed, and informed them that they were refusing to pay the hotel on my behalf, and were immediately canceling my reservation.

according to the (very unpleasant and secretive) desk manager, they received an email from hotwire that stated that their "fraud" department had frozen my hotwire account. they would pay for the nights already stayed, but would not honor the rest of the reservation. this is despite charging my debit card the full amount of the hotel stay.

You're assuming that what the desk manager told you is true; that Hotwire contacted the hotel with a fraud concern and cancelled your reservation.

A more plausible explanation is that the hotel contacted Hotwire with the fraud concern and the hotel requested your reservation be cancelled. And the evening desk manager didn't want to tell you that, or didn't know the exact sequence of events himself, since the communications between Hotwire and the hotel probably happened during day shift, before he got to work.

You purchased your room with a debit card. Hotwire was 100% paid in full when you purchased. It doesn't make sense that Hotwire would contact the hotel in the middle of your stay to cancel and refund your remaining nights. Hotwire got paid.

Any of these scenarios might trigger a fraud alert on the hotel's end:

1) The debit card presented for incidentals has a different name than the reservation name. It gets past the clerk at checkin and is discovered later on audit.

2) The hotel doesn't accept debit cards for incidentals. The clerk at checkin thought the debit card was a credit card and the mistake was discovered later.

3) A guest uses up part or all of his deposit on room service, movies, parking etc, triggering an additional hold on his debit card. The card has gone over limit since the initial hold and the new request is denied.

I'm not suggesting any of these scenarios applies to your case. Of course I don't know. But if one of these or something else similar was in play then the hotel should have tried to contact you with their concern before contacting Hotwire. You said you were out of the hotel all day so maybe the hotel tried to reach you and was unable. Or they didn't have a contact number for you.

Again, I'm not saying one of these scenarios happened. It just sounds more plausible to me that the "fraud concern"---whatever it was---was more likely a concern of the hotel's, not Hotwire's, and that it had something to do with the debit card you presented as security.

i gave up trying to get anything fixed with hotwire directly, and filed a complaint with the BBB. here's the response i got today:





:mad::mad:

not sure what to do at this point.

File a complaint with your state's Attorney General's office, Consumer Protection Division. File one in the state you live and it probably wouldn't hurt to make a second complaint where Hotwire is based.

At the very least, I would demand your out of pocket cost for the difference between the hotwire prepaid room and what you paid for the rest of your stay.

You can also look at small claims court.

Funny enough I had a similar experience with Expedia UK in 2006. I had booked a trip to Berlin (originating LHR) for the next day and paid with my debit card. I got home later that same evening to find the trip had been cancelled with no explanation.

When I called Expedia I was directed to the fraud department and was treated with utter contempt. Again, hinted at credit card fraud. I even had my bank call Expedia but they would not budge.

Anyway Expedia refunded my charges a few days later; however, in the meantime I re-booked with another agent and then sued Expedia in the County Court for the difference between the cost of the trip booked with them and the cost I was now paying to another agent; as well as other out of pocket expenses.

Suffice to say Expedia settled the legal action very quickly indeed without even filing a Defence!

I guess some sort of automated fraud prevention system kicked in on the OP's account and Hotwire did not bother investigating and ascertaining the facts, but rather just jumped to conclusions and caused the OP all manner of problems.

My advice? Don't let this go, pursue this via legal action if need be.

Funny enough I had a similar experience with Expedia UK in 2006. I had booked a trip to Berlin (originating LHR) for the next day and paid with my debit card. I got home later that same evening to find the trip had been cancelled with no explanation.

When I called Expedia I was directed to the fraud department and was treated with utter contempt. Again, hinted at credit card fraud. I even had my bank call Expedia but they would not budge.

Anyway Expedia refunded my charges a few days later; however, in the meantime I re-booked with another agent and then sued Expedia in the County Court for the difference between the cost of the trip booked with them and the cost I was now paying to another agent; as well as other out of pocket expenses.

Suffice to say Expedia settled the legal action very quickly indeed without even filing a Defence!

I guess some sort of automated fraud prevention system kicked in on the OP's account and Hotwire did not bother investigating and ascertaining the facts, but rather just jumped to conclusions and caused the OP all manner of problems.

My advice? Don't let this go, pursue this via legal action if need be.

Good on you!

To the OP - Small Claims Court is rather simple and the filing fees are nominal.

Go for small claims - they may settle out of court or they may not even show up, allowing you to win by default if you have proper service.

If they refuse to pay/ignore the judgment, there are methods you can use via the court to collect.

The amount may be minimal, but corporations will continue to do such things until consumers take a stand.

There's also time. Btw expenses and what he was out, we're prolly just talking about $100-200 in damages he could "win". Not sure if that's worth OP's time in court.

If not, I'd just settle on filing as many complaints as possible. Those are free and can be done after work hours and enough of them might get Hotwire to refund the money you were forced to put out.

Also, e-mail all the execs you can find/figure out. Consumerist.com has advince on how to do an Executive Email Carpet Bomb.