Joe E.

Thinking I was calling Hampton Inns directly, I somehow reached getaroom.com (GAR). I asked for the manager of the hotel where I have stayed previously and was told "she is not in today." Knowing several of the front desk clerks, I asked, "Who is working the front desk today?" I was told "they are all busy, so we are taking their calls." I then booked 10 nights at the hotel in a city where my sister, who is having a serious health challenge lives. Two days later, I called to book room for another sister for six nights. (we were all going home to see our seriously ill sister.) I was told that I had booked my room with a "third party" so they were not sure I could add the second room to my account. What? I again asked for the manager of the hotel by name because I had struck up a friendship with them on previous stays.) I was asked to "hold for just a moment". The operator came back and told me they could go ahead and make the reservation for the second room. I told the operator that I would pay for three nights of my sister's room and she would pay the rest at the hotel. I then prepaid for each of the rooms and received an email confirmation with the logo and address of the Hampton Inn (city) on it. The URL printed at the top of the my confirmation simply was www.reservationcounter.com. I assumed it was Hampton Inn. I was never told there could not be a cancellation, nor adjustment of the room nights. I was told I was receiving the "best possible price" for the rooms. Upon arrival at my hotel, I discovered that I had booked the room with a "third party" (GAR) and that the rates were actually a little MORE than the usual rates of the hotel. They "third party" was actually GAR -- who had told me they couldn't help me because I had booked the first room "through a third party' (Them! What?) After all of the emotion and stress of dealing with our family issues, I needed to leave town one day. Earlier than planned. The hotel desk said I could not do that because the reservation was through GAR. I called GAR to get a refund on the one night and they told me they could not change the dates because I had PREPAID for the room. I objected, but the man told me "there is nothing I can do about it". So, I paid for a room that was left unoccupied the last night. The GAR operator filed an "Escalation" ticket so that my complaint would be reviewed. It was followed up by an email that explains I must sign-up for the GAR "Customer Care" program where I can make my claim BY EMAIL! STAY AWAY FROM THIS SCAM! THEY LIED TO ME, IMPLYING THEY WERE A PART OF HAMPTON INNS, THEY DID NOT PROVIDE A WARNING THAT I COULD NOT MAKE CHANGES TO THE ITINERARY, NEITHER BY WORD OR IN WRITING ON THE CONFIRMATION EMAIL. This is a definite example of how the innocent, unknowing public can be RIPPED OFF so quickly by by an unscrupulous online hoax! BUYER BEWARE!