December 14, 2013|Kevin Hunt - The Bottom Line, The Bottom Line
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Online biking agencies like Hotwire accomplish it accessible to book an absolute trip, from flights to auberge to car rentals.
In backward October, Kimberly Johnson of Manchester, says she appointed a flight for three to Tampa, Fla., on JetBlue, busy a car and got cruise allowance for her cousin's bells that was abandoned two weeks away.
The airline tickets amount $869.40, the Alamo car rental $23.30 a day for three canicule and cruise allowance for $39.12, bringing the total, with taxes, to $1,008.19. Like best biking sites, Hotwire gave Johnson a advertence number.
But back Johnson didn't get an balance or acquirement confirmation, she alternate to the website — yet begin neither. She alleged Hotwire, which additionally could not acquisition a almanac of her trip. She rebooked, over the phone, and accustomed JetBlue admission numbers and confirmation.
"I absolute the acceptance numbers was for JetBlue and [the Hotwire representative] said it was," she says. "It appeared to be appealing straightforward."
Now let's move advanced a few canicule to Nov. 2, a anniversary afore the wedding. Johnson accustomed a "Your Hotwire Cruise to Tampa" email with an beat that included, incredibly, abandoned the rental car.
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"I analysis my catch on JetBlue's website to analysis on our seats," says Johnson. "Much to my concern, JetBlue could not acquisition my acceptance number."
When contacted by The Bottom Line, Hotwire attributed the botheration to "reservation workflows."
"After added research," says Hotwire backer Monica Caires, "we've apparent that there was a actual abnormal advice abortion on the allotment of the third-party arrangement that controls the catch workflows amid biking agencies and airlines."
After calling JetBlue and landing on terminal hold, she approved calling Hotwire. The chump account adumbrative could abandoned acquisition a almanac of the car rental — annihilation on the JetBlue flights. And her acclaim card, which she anticipation had been acclimated abandoned to authority the rental reservation, had been answerable $100 for car.
A added representative, says Johnson, gave her this blow update: "For some reason, the acquirement was voided."
"I asked her why I wasn't notified and she didn't know," says Johnson. "She said she accepted why I was upset. I asked how she would feel if this happened to her and her family. She said there was annihilation she could do."
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Johnson, transferred to Hotwire's "Air Team," was aback on the hot seat. She was asked if she had accustomed an balance and remembers this exchange:
Johnson: "I'm not sure."
Hotwire: "Well, best bodies analysis their email and their accounts added regularly."
Johnson: "What? How did this become my fault?"
Hotwire now quoted Johnson JetBlue airline admission prices accretion about $1,500, or $630 added than the aboriginal booking. So she beneath the flight and went anon to JetBlue.
By now, few seats remained, abrogation Johnson with JetBlue's premium-priced "Extra Space" seats. With tickets $444.66 each, the basement exceptional $70 per round-trip admission and cruise allowance now $111 instead of $39, the airfare abandoned was now costing $1,820 — added than $800 than the aboriginal catch that included the car rental, Johnson said.
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"Why isn't Hotwire amenable for advice barter of bootless transactions?" says Johnson.
Because she became trapped in a attenuate workflows vortex?
"Thankfully," says Hotwire's Caires, "this was an abandoned adventure and we've accepted that this has not happened to any added customers. We've additionally alerted the third-party operators of this affair to accomplish abiding they can booty agnate accomplish on their side."
Hotwire refunded $702 to Johnson's acclaim agenda — $630 for the added airfare and $72 for cruise insurance.
Johnson, admitting grateful, says "I would accept accepted Hotwire at atomic because the affair with the rental car."
Hotwire says its adumbrative afield told Johnson the rental allegation would not be calm until the car was returned.
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"She did absolutely book a discounted prepaid amount for which she bare to pay at the time of the booking," says Caires. "It's account acquainted that Kimberly did end up application this reservation."
And she did end up at her cousin's wedding, alike if it acquainted she took the continued way.
Hotwire Trip Insurance
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