I will never use Hotwire again and I have been a loyal customer the last 6 years. I have never had an issue booking through HW until my stay at the Comfort Inn in Grain Valley. I gave hotwire the chance to correct their mistake in the form of additional nights at the hotel, or credits on my Hotwire account. I reached out via chat in my app, and also called the customer service line to speak with a 2nd person regarding the same issue. I was told by both customer service representatives that there was "nothing they could do to make it right". I am a single mom with 3 kids 7 and under. These last few months have been really tough for my family going through a divorce, selling the only home we've ever known, and having to move in with my parents. I don't have the financial means for a vacation, but knew we needed an escape, so I booked local through HW with only one criteria: It had a POOL. I did a quick cost-benefit analysis based on price, location, and MOST IMPORTANTLY having a pool. All sales are final after you book so I was very meticulous in only considering options with a pool because it was the only reason we got a hotel 10 min from where we live. Once we had carried all our luggage inside, unpacked and settled in the room, we got our swim suits on and headed down to the pool only to find out that it's permanently closed. The hotels website states the pool is permanently closed (and has been for a while) but Hotwire failed to update their site with this information. When you books through Hotwire you do not get to see what hotel you are booking, the only information you are given to make your choice is the price, area, and amenities. My kids were heartbroken and disappointed and it completely ruined our attempt at a fun escape to temporarily forget the struggles of life. When I called Hotwire to express my dissatisfaction and address the deceit of them promising certain amenities and not fulfilling their word, I was told that they were "sorry" and even though I was mislead in my booking that they would not do anything to accommodate for their misconception. It was a huge disappointment for my family and a breach of trust as a loyal customer. As a business professional myself, I cannot fathom lying to someone to receive their business and further destroying the company's reputation by refusing to take responsibility and accommodate for the misconception. A business is destined to fail without its customer base, and one that chooses a foundation of moral deceit over time will loose it's customers and ultimately fail. Hotwire got the little money I had to try to treat my family and salvage this challenging year, and there is nothing I can do to get that back. But what I can do is enlighten other potential customers on their values and hopefully save the next family from the disappointment I have experienced. I pride myself on being a subjective and forgiving individual and I gave you 2 opportunities to own your mistake and make it right but you chose a path of greed. Karma is a real and you won this round Hotwire but your company's lack of moral compass will lead to your demise.

Hello everyone,

My name is Javier and I wanted to share one of the worst customer service experiences of this company. I booked a car on the web to pick up at the Amsterdam airport on July 15 and return it on the 16, I was arriving from Madrid on the 15 in the morning and I had to go to the Hertz desk. My surprise is that on Thursday the 14th I felt bad, and I took a covid test and the result was positive the next day, I called KLM and they changed my plane flight through the test as proof. Then I tried to contact Hertz and they told me that I should contact Hot Wire, I called twice and no one answered the phone, most likely because the time difference with Europe is wide, and I decided to send an email to the address HotwireBookingConfirmation@e.hotwire.com which is where I had my confirmation and that nowhere in the email notifies you that it is an automatic email or nowhere does it notify you that it cannot be replicated like other emails from other websites that put NOREPLY clearly says. Obviously, no one answered me and today I expected someone to do so and nothing. Finally, through the chat I was able to contact someone, and they told me that I had already lost my 175 euros for one day's rent for no show.

How is it possible that, having notified them by mail, sending the positive covid test and knowing that it is not my fault, they are not able to send me a voucher or rent the car again for next week, as KLM has shown me? They have excellent customer service by the way.

My confirmation number is Hotwire itinerary # *******591, above all to show that I'm not lying.

Please do not buy anything with this web page, which from what I am seeing on the internet has a very bad reputation for customer service, I will certainly never from Europe to buy anything with them. Please share it and thus we avoid more deceptions/frauds of this web. Right now that covid is still active, this type of problem will happen to more people and we need companies that, in addition to raising prices, care more about customers in this case than because of covid they are unable to fly or do other things.

I repeat, I did everything in my power and nothing, nobody from the company wants to help me.

Thank you and regards,

Javier

Une 8th, the day of my trip, I went to the Airport with my daughters, when we got to the Counter of Japan Airlines, they told us we couldn't take that flight because Japan was closed after 9 pm and it would be impossible for us to make this connection, they said this was a Government rule and we should know this! Only Japanese people or foreigners with visas could travel to Japan, even in transit. They told me I will have to contact our Agent. I told them we haven't received any communication about this, in fact I showed the email I got the day before from HOTWIRE confirming my trip. Japan Airlines kept their position that I have to contact my Agent because this was information I should have had previous to my trip.

I spent 3 hours talking to Hotwire and they didn't help me, at one point they said they will refund my 3 tickets, but it will take a while!
I was in total desperation, stuck at the airport with my kids and no tickets to go to my destination! I would never ever imagine an issue like this in a million years, because I never got any information about this new regulation in Japan! How could I know?!. I asked, I begged the customer service people from Hotwire to help me to solve this problem by booking with another company, I even asked to talk to the manager, none of them were helpful! They simply told me to get another tickets, that they couldn't help me!
They even promise I will have a call back, but I am still waiting until today June 21. Almost 2 weeks have passed and I haven't heard anything from Hotwire at all!

Short story, I had to get another 3 tickets with Emirates, full price to be able to travel. What a mess!

Now I am demanding answers from your company HOTWIRE and also a Refund and compensation for the new tickes I had to buy! This is a total amount of $us 5,500.00.
This is the minimum expense that I am asking just to cover my loss, regardless of the disturbing situation your company has caused to my family!

I am your client, you sold me this ticket, you are responsible to provide the correct information to your customers, I did nothing wrong! You sold me a wrong ticket and provided false information to me! You HOTWIRE must take accountability for your Services!

I will hire a lawyer if I have to, I want to prevent this from happening to other people by sharing my story and reviews about HOTWIRE.

HOTWIRE IS A SHAME. I booked this hotel, based on their listing it was close to the beach and in West Condado area, and I was desperate to find an affordable hotel at $184.41 a night. Not that cheap. Hotwire listed the hotel at 4 stars, is is 1-2 stars, at best. After further research, HOTWIRE is comparable to all third party sites like expedia, travelocity, etc. I thought they offered better discounts, next time I 'll earn my points, and book direct with the brand. There are barely any REAL discounts offered. The Ciqala is 2.0 stars at best. This place is overpriced and rated. I purchased for $200/night on Hotwire, when my flight was cancelled and needed to purchase an additional night in Puerto Rico. I stayed at La Concha for five "planned" nights. The description is deceiving it is NOT in walking distance to the beach. I walked for 40 minutes to get to the beach, because CIQALA is in a "sketchy" residential area, and I did not feel comfortable walking alone or at night alone. I had to take an uber for everything, food, entertainment, a leisure walk and run. I started running, but too many loose dogs and cats in the neighborhood. The people at the front desk was nice, and many people visited the Eter bar and lounge on the rooftop. I fell asleep around 11p, and was awakened to the fire alarms going off in the building. When I got to the lobby floor to check the status of the fire. I was told, that's what happens when people smoke. I tried to get cancel and get another room, but was told I would not be able to cancel. The location is not for people looking to vacation, only if you are stuck in PR an extra night. The room was spacious, but old and cheap looking. The hallway wreaked of bleach as if a huge amount had to be used to cover something up, not for normal cleaning purposes. I didn't want to sit on anything or lie in the bed. I slept atop of my suitcase and slept with the lights on. The place just didn't feel safe or clean. I fell misled by HOTWIRE, as I have gotten some great last minute hotels with them. Not this time. STAY AWAY from this place, unless you are on a serious budget. It was rated 4 stars... a serious joke. 2 stars at best. I level up from motel status. HOTWIRE need MAJOR OVERHAUL or can stop claiming "deep" discounts. The average discount is 10% to 15% at best. Copy of purchase below

CIQALA Luxury Suites
Jun 27–28
Check in
Mon, Jun 27,4:00 PM
Check out
Yesterday
Duration of stay
1 night
Address
752 Fernandez Juncos Ave, San Juan, PR *******, Puerto Rico

Price summary (USD)

Hot Rate Savings
28% off

Average room price per night
182.57

Your room price per night
131.00

1 room(s) x 1 night(s)
131.00

Taxes and fees
53.41

Hotel/Resort fee
0.00

Hotwire total (USD)
Charged to Visa XXXX on 6/27/22

184.41

Due at check‑in
0.00

**This hotel charges a resort fee which you pay at the hotel directly. It isn't included in the hotwire total

Trip total (USD)
184.41

Cancellation
Your booking is final and can't be refunded or changed. For details, Hotwire Travel Products Rules and Restrictions

Additional fees and incidentals
You'll pay the hotel directly for additional charges like room service and parking.

Important reminders

Guest info
Primary guest must be 18 and bring ID.

Security deposit
This hotel requires a credit card for deposit at check-in. Debit cards are not accepted.

Health and safety measures
Information is provide directly by the hotel (Updated Jun 27,2022)
This hotel has implemented new health and safety measures due to COVID-19
Property is cleaned with disinfectant
Social distancing measures are in place
Gap period enforced between guest stays
More Info
Sometimes amenities may be closed for the season or for renovation, though we try to show what's currently available. For early or late check-in, please call your hotel directly.

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Hotwire's Travel Products Rules and Restrictions | Flexible Cancellation Policy

Need help?

Hotwire itinerary #
5835xxxx

Hotel confirmation #
1967xxxx

Hotel Phone #
*******176

I booked a rental car through Hotwire and had this horrible experience at the rental agency.

When I arrived to pick up the vehicle the attendant told me to email the declarations page from my insurance. She also told me that I must pay for the Toll system fee even though I had my own device to use.

Once she received the declarations page she indicated that I did not have enough insurance, my current coverage is $300,000/$500,000/$100,000 for Liability. $300,000 per person, $500,000 per occurrence, and $100,000 in Property Damage. This is the highest insurance coverage the carrier offers, there is no higher limit available. I also let her know that I had an umbrella policy, to which she said they did not accept umbrella policies.

I requested to see the policies where it indicated what the insurance requirements were. She provided a page that I have attached indicating that I needed to provide a $2,500 deposit if I was to decline the insurance and the Toll system fee. Mind you that the insurance that the rental company sells has a maximum liability of $75,000 and the one I provided is for $500,000.

I provided the credit card that I used to reserve the vehicle. The lady said that she attempted the charge and it was denied. I requested that she run it again and said she had to request permission to run it again. She said she ran it again and that it was denied.

I proceeded to call the card issuing company and was told that the charge had not been attempted. By this time the rental car attendant was helping another customer. Since I had the credit card company representative on the line, I tried to get her attention but she refused to even acknowledge me. I asked the person on the phone to please wait for a moment but the rental car agency lady simply refused to even look at me or help me in any way. I had to hang up with the credit card representative since I was getting nowhere with the rental car company and wait my turn.

Finally, it was my turn again and I requested that she run the card again, once again she said she had to ask for permission to run the charge again. She said she ran it and declined again. I requested a receipt of her running the card and she fumbled with the machine for a while and would not give me the receipt.

I then asked if she would run any one of my other credit cards to pay for the deposit, she said she had to call and get permission to do so. Out of frustration, I laughed, she kept saying she needed permission but she never requested permission from anyone. At that point she said I was laughing at her, I said I was not, I was just frustrated, but she was not going to have it, she told me to get out and that she was not going to rent to me because I was laughing at her.

I called and texted HotWire and they told me it was a non-refundable rate and I did not have the required insurance (which I have), so it was on me and there would be no refund processed.

Clearly the rental car company lowballs the rental rate and tried to upsell me services that I did not need and was not going to rent to me since I did not get any of their ridiculously overpriced items that I did not need.

I am embarrassed to admit that I used Hotwire to book cars and hotels for a recent multi-city trip. I arrived at LAX Friday afternoon and looked for my Hotwire arranged car rental with NU Car Rentals- Nope, not to be found with all the other car companies. Had to take a Westin Hotel shuttle off premises to the nearby hotel. Arrived at the hotel and the NU Car Rentals counter was staffed by three youngsters who informed me that they had no cars..."maybe tomorrow, but most likely by Sunday. I called the Hotwire contact number and got a recording requesting to leave a message... seriously! That wouldn't work for my needs so I had to shuttle back to LAX and ended up contracting with an established company... and paid a premium for it, plus what I had already given to Hotwire, made it a VERY expensive rental... Oh by the way, AFTER you book with Hotwire, once the charge has gone through and they have your money, you will THEN get the "booking rules" informing you that all Hotwire bookings are final with no changes or feunds allowed. As I write this, 6 days later, Hotwire's virtual agent is unable or unwilling to reach NU Car Rentals to confirm my allegation and ended the chat by telling me to try again later. I then called the number for Hotwire listed on my credit card and reached someone in a call center perhaps in India? Pakistan?, not sure. He tried to reach NU Car to no avail and after 15 minutes, gave me a reference ticket number that I think may mean that a refund will be issued. Got to the hotel, a Ramada, 2 star would be a generous rating. Deferred maintenance and basic CLEANING deficiencies was evident everywhere. The phone to the front desk did not have a dial tone and it turned out that contacting them directly would have yielded a better rate than Hotwire's pitch to me (which I fell for) Me Bad the location was ideal for my needs. Left LAX got to LAS. This time is was ACE car rentals, again not with the others. A separate shuttle transported me 15 minutes south of Las Vegas where I was charged and additional $120 on top of Hotwire, made to buy all sorts of insurance that I didn't even understand AND, get this... a $300 deposit that will be refunded 3-7 business days after I return the car, a car with *******, that's THOUSAND, miles, been involved in a front end collision repaired with screws into the body of the car and NO PLATES, a temporary tag!. Care to guess where that car had been prior to joining their fleet? I couldn't begin... oh I also was made to pay a LUXURY CAR surcharge if I wanted the car, the option? Walk away and forfeit the Hotwire funds. I checked and with the Hotwire already paid rate (non-refundable) and ASSUMING that I get the $300 back, and with all the dubious additional "on site" charges that were REQUIRED in order to get the car, I ended up paying MORE than if I had rented a much newer car, in much better condition with no required insurances. I tried to return the car a day earlier because i was on a tight schedule and concerned that it would not be a smooth return and when I called, I got a voicemail that hung up after three messages. ACE Car Rentals, NU Car Rentals and Hotwire itself is a SCAM, a clip joint, preying on the unsuspecting victims through the internet. Why it is not under investigation by a government agency for deceptive and racketeering business practices is beyond me. I suspect that as I write this I am out over $400 dollars on top of the premium that I paid for a much more inferior product, and one that is not refundable

We had purchased a rental car through hotwire which was a non-refundable purchase during that time. Things have since changed with airlines requiring that a two year old must wear a facemask or we cannot fly on the plane. Our two year old will not wear a mask and we have recently saw on the news how humiliated a family became when they were removed from a plane for their two year old refusing to wear a mask. We have since had to cancel the plane because without a doubt our two year old will not wear the mask and we will not be allowed to fly.

I contacted hotwire and knew it would be an issue because of the non-refundable policy but figured I would try or even try to get them to transfer the money to a hotel. The initial customer service person stated she reviewed the notes and identified the non-refundable policy and stated she would get a supervisor after I explained the situation to her. The first thing the supervisor said to me was that I was trying to cancel rental car reservation because I was cancelling our flight due to me refusing to follow the airline COVID policy. This really ticked me off because no where did I say I refused to follow a policy just that the policy would not work for my two year old and I let her know that as it really made me angry they would equate my situation to this. This happened even before she stated they would not refund the money and there was no work around to even use the money through another reservation to a hotel. I contacted the rental car company and explained the situation who stated they have a contract with hotwire and they don't receive any money from hotwire until the vehicle is picked up and would not be able to assist with any potential refund and it would all have to be through hotwire. After finding out that the only company affected in this would be hotwire and they essentially have my $154 and change, I would contact and ask to speak to a higher supervisor to see again if it could be transferred to a hotel reservation. When I asked for a higher supervisor they gave me the same exact supervisor. That supervisor stated there was no escalation of supervisors in hotwire and there was no other person above her I could speak to and that their policies are clear and they would not be refunding nor transferring to a different reservation. I again stated how policy changes due to COVID wouldn't affect this to which she replied they have disclaimers on the purchases about COVID not affecting these purchases. I did show my dis-approval of the company their customer service and lack of understanding on situations like this. I then asked who I could talk to to make a complaint about the initial customer service provided by the supervisor when she stated the reason I wanted to cancel was my refusal to follow current COVID policies of the airline. She stated she made a note in my file and stated all calls are recorded. I stated great so who can I talk to about my complaint because you making notes in a file doesn't equate to a complaint by me and getting a response back with someone. She continued to say I have already explained this several times and hung up on me.

Be weary of this company and ensure you read the fine print even during this pandemic and ensure if you go through this company the good prices could be to good to be true because of their refund policies. Always go with the option to refund because it doesn't matter to this company about any potential changes in COVID policies you have no control over. They will also not work with you whatsoever even when they aren't losing a dime. The rental car company doesn't make money if I don't pick up the car so hotwire keeps my money for nothing and refused to work with pushing that to a hotel or something else. This is by far one of the worst companies I have ever dealt with and their customer service sucks. Theft is what really happened. I have seen reviews of others making getting refunds with similar deals but not in my situation. I recommend not going with this company whatsoever. I will be using other companies and really reading fine print with COVID 19 now.

I have been a Hotwire customer for a long time now, and how they have recently treated me on my request for a refund due to Covid is disgusting. I did everything they needed me to do I submitted a cancellation 7 days prior to traveling I was never contacted back I had to continue to contact them regarding the status of my refund they continued to give me the "due to so many requests at this time its taking a little longer than usual"

Here's the history I had made a reservation a Non refundable reservation for March 20th 2020. But then Covid happened and they closed the borders to Canada the place my reservations were. I called as soon as I was aware of the boarder closing I obviously cant travel if the country wont let me and my family in. March 13th 2020- I called hot wire "due to high call volume please submit cancellations requests to *******@hotwire.com" and thats what I did right away I even called the hotel I had the reservation from and confirmed with them that I would qualify for a refund. I was told yes only because of covid I would qualify for a refund. March 21st 2020 I contacted them via the app as directed when I called the phone number customer service line. I asked if my reservation was cancelled and provide the itinerary number as requested the conversation was closed immediately but the Agent. Again May 6th 2020 I contact them using the app asking about the status of my refund? Agent John asks for my itinerary number he asks if i submitted a request online, he says that its taking up to 30 days to process requests from the time they receive the request. I'm told that i need to wait till they process my request. And that its taking quite a long time. That they are working on Thousands of requests at the moment. I tried contacting them again and now they say that they never received my cancellation request, but wait when i contacted them prior they said give it time never that they did not receive my request. Then they proceed to say that my reservation wasn't a refundable one which I understand but I wouldn't have been allowed into the country I'm traveling too. I followed all the steps never once after proving my reservation number did any one say that this is a non refundable I continued to hear please be patient while we process your request. So which was it? They never received my request or that they cant refund a non refundable reservation even through I was told by the hotels front desk that they would because of the situation... I finally found time to call I'm done with messaging the app, I'm speaking to a "supervisor" and she says the same contradicting crap oh we never received your cancellation email I tell her I can forward her the exact email as proof that I submitted it its and email time and date stamped. They well but this original reservation was a non refundable I understand that again but not once was I told before today, anything about not qualifying for a refund I told her I spoke with the hotel directly on March 13th. So here I am waiting on hold while she calls the hotel to confirm turns out that they cant refund something from 5 months ago because its been processed already. Really I've been waiting for some kind of response from Hotwire they have given me the run around and now all they can say is there is nothing we can do. Done Done Done... Hotwire you suck!

I am going on a trip from Texas to Minnesota to visit my ailing mother. I booked a flight through Hotwire for a Delta Flight and an Ace Car Rental to faciliate my trip. Everything was okay and I was pleased with the service. Then, due to COVID-19 "Precautions" I was notified that the Delta flight schedule was changing from 1.5 hours on the orignal flight and then 3.5 hours on the return flight. Sadly, these details are very important.

Let me explain: Delta's change of the flights shortened my trip 29 hours, through no fault of my own, due to COVID, also through no fault of my own. I had paid for a 5 day car rental, but now only needed a 4 day rental, and the cost was $100 refund I was seeking. Then it got worse.

Having called them 3 times, and hung up on 3 times each at 30 minutes, I tried one last time to get a refund, since most companies in this time of the COVID pandemic are being extra generous with cancellations and refunds because of changes happening to customers that are beyond their control.

Not so with Hotwire. I just spent 93 minutes calling them, reaching them, being put on hold for 30 minutes, and getting railroaded back and forth between operators. I explained my situation in a calm manner, and the bottom line was that due to the polilcy of Hotwire, I would not receive a refund because one of my changed flight times did not exceed 4 hours. Let me say that again: both my flights shorted my trip 29 hours, and of the flight changes, one flight was shortened 1.5 hours, the other 3.5 hours, thus being short 30 minutes to qualify for a refund.

I have read the other reviews here, especially Angella R.'s 5 star review (sounds like she is employed there). Her review is faulty, because no matter how long I waited (All my calls amounted to 3 hours, which I did wait), and no matter that it was a Hotwire HotDeal (it is), there was NO OPTION for a car refund or credit, no assurances were given. The fact that this site gives Hotwire less than an overall 2 stars doesn't surprise me now.

Please, do not patronize this company. Don't believe the guarantees. Don't be suckered in by their flashy television commercials. I was scammed. I didn't need to pay an extra $100 dollars to a company that shows an uncaring and uncompassionate response. My family isn't rich and during these UNPRECENDENTED TIMES, what's $100 to a company that probably makes over a million dollars a day? To me, $100 dollars is the price of loyalty that they squandered to tightly hold that money in their business account. No amount of calling, getting assurances or guarantees, or any amount of patience will get you anywhere with them. Having traveled to more than 50% of the USA, I could not recommend Hotwire any less than I just did. If you have been through my experience, I am sorry for you. If you considering Hotwire, please, for your own sake, go somewhere else.

I truly hope this post helps. Stay safe, stay healthy and God bless the USA!

BEWARE OF PREDATORY PRACTICES!

I have used Hotwire.com in the past to book hotel stays for me and my family in the past and have noticed a pattern that has increased over the years that only seems to be getting worst.

Hotwire.com has two types of offerings for hotel bookings on their website. One is the typical booking that one would expect from other online hotel booking brokers where one books the hotel knowing which hotel one is getting and another method where, for a slight savings, one can book a hotel without knowing which hotel one gets but know the general region one will be staying in. I have historically booked with only the later method.

In the past, when someone booked through the anonymous method one clearly knew what one could expect to pay as the price one paid was inclusive of the stay, apart from incidental fees like room service or additional services one could elect post arrival.

Lately, however, more and more of these bookings have fine print pricing details where they state that the hotel carries an additional "resort fee" that is charged by the hotel upon check-in. These fees began modestly and have escalated to the point where they are as expensive or even more expensive than the actual price paid to Hotwire.com.

Some would argue that this is far from predatory given the transparency, albeit small print, when one books through Hotewire.com, and I would agree. The fees are an outrage but are far from inexcusable given that one can elect or not elect to book with these hotels. However, the latest unscrupulous business practice that is clearly predatory is what is NOT stated when one books through Hotwire.com. Now one is also expected to pay exorbitant resort fees that often exceed the original price of the hotel AND be met with additional fees that are NOT stated when one agrees to book an anonymous hotel that carries the condition that the booking is non negotiable and can not be cancelled.

Personal example:

I recently booked three nights at the Grand Orlando Resort at Celebration 2900 Parkway Blvd, Kissimmee, FL *******

The advertised price for the anonymous method (I was not aware of the name of the hotel prior to my booking it) is: $39 a night

The small print "resort fee" price that was posted prior to booking is: $28.

In total my booking price inclusive of Hotewire.com's price as well as the resort fee for three nights is: $226.95 (a far cry from $117 would expect if they don't read the fine print).

When I called the hotel I was told that I would also be charged a $15 per night parking fee. That is $45 in addition to the $84 tact onto the price advertised.

This is a predatory practice that hid behind a complete lack of transparency through Hotwire.com.

When I called Hotwire.com to complain and state that the existence of this additional charge was not only predatory but also constituted a breach of contract, I was told that all sales are final and that there would be no cancellations.

I will NOT ever do business with Hotwire.com and I would advice anyone that values their money and believes that businesses should follow basic ethical practices to avoid this site at all cost.