Hotwire Customer Service

Hotwire charges for services they do not render hiding behind samll fonts on their website even during the covid period. Do not ever give your cc numbers to them.

Hotwire has been the worst!!! We have had 3 bad experiences in a row. The only reason we continued to use them was because they gave us Hotwire dollars to drag us back into their horrible schemes. We just rented a standard car from them. When we went to pick up the car, it was compact. Hotwire said they could cancel my reservation that day but they couldn't guarantee we would be refunded. Once we returned the car, I contacted the horrible company Hotwire partnered with and they said Hotwire would have to refund us. Hotwire did confirm that we were downgraded and should be entitled to $134.04 but refused to give us money and only offered to yet give us another credit to use with them in the future! They are a fraud!

Hotwire AP service sucks. I went on the AP to book a hotel close to my friend I was going to visit in New York but I guess hotwire wasn't happy with me staying there. So I went to the hotel I had planned on staying at and they said I didn't have a reservation or paid for the room, so finally found out that I was charged and reserved for a different hotel that I didn't want. So they tell me that the $400 I didn't use can not be given back to me. I guess they weren't happy with the hotel I wanted so they booked me somewhere else. Even though I didn't stay the the hotel got money and hotwire got theirs. It's pretty much the way it is now days we make our money and screw the customer. I will never ever recommend hotwire to anybody ever again and I need to figure out how to get as many thousands of potential customers to understand it's all about the money and screw the customer. Oh and the even better fact is you can almost not get away from something that is totally electronic. Real people don't exist for these crappy companies anymore. I hope since they stole money from me I can cost them thousands if not millions of dollars because they don't give a crap about the customer.

I rent a car through your company on May
And received a long list of hidden charges.
I want you to look into it and protect customers from such scams.

Tried to book a hotel in Miami with HOTWIRE on March 15 and because I didn't receive a confirmation (Itinerary number) on my email address, I call on March 21 and the lady who answered my call said the reservation was not confirmed and the charges on my credit card would be canceled within 10 days or so. The charges were not canceled and when I called again today April 11, 2022, I was told a different story: my reservation would have been confirmed and I would have to pay for it regardless of not getting a confirmation whatsoever.

Booked a car. Received email confirmation. Showed up in time for rental: no car.

Had to book car for more than twice the price through Avis; lost over $1000.

Hotwire agent: "I can cancel your reservation and give you a 25 (twenty five!) dollar rebate on a future booking."

No attempt by Hotwire to make it right.

You CANNOT trust a CONFIRMATION if it comes from HOTWIRE. They will brake the contract whenever it is financially beneficial for them and let the customer stranded.

I had a horrible experience with a Hotwire car rental. The last time I used their service they assigned me a car company named Sixt. I had a problem with this car company overcharging me in the past, and I called Hotwire right after they assigned them to me, to ask to switch me to ANY other company. They refused. When I went to the Sixt counter on the exact day and time of my reservation, they refused to rent to me, because I had filed a previous complaint against them. I paid Sixt in full, through Hotwire, when I previously rented from them, but complained about receiving an additional charge on my credit card two weeks after I returned from my trip. They said it was for an upgrade that I never asked for. Even though they would not provide a rental car they refused to refund my money because the reservation and payment was made through Hotwire. I called Hotwire and they totally refused to help in any way. They refused to get me a car from another car company or refund my money. They left me high and dry at the airport. I have tried numerous times to reason with Hotwire but they have been rude and shown zero customer service. They hide behind their blanket statement of no refunds for any reason. That can't be allowed to stand when one of their vendors refuses service. They are not above the law, no matter what their mantra is. They call what they did theft in this country. They got paid, Sixt got paid and I was left with nothing to show for my money. I plan on contacting other agencies to see if we, the pubic, can stop these practices by companies that think they are too big to fail. Maybe a class action suit will bring them the publicity they deserve. I didn't cancel or change my reservation and didn't know that Sixt wouldn't rent to me because I used my God given American right to speak up when I was wronged. Hotwire is unwilling to listen and take each case on it's own merit. I will never use them again and hope that others who have seen them for who they are, do the same. I welcome Hotwire to contact me and resolve my complaint, if they have any integrity left.

Be careful booking on Hotwire they will not give you a refund no matter of the situation but I will make sure I get mine back. I cancel my rental and now I'm going back and forth about my refund.

I have an 8 year old daughter that has brain cancer Our 12-year-old daughtergot my wallet and went online and made reservations for a trip for her. We told the kids that we couldn't go because we just lost our jobs but the 12 year olds heart was broken for eight year old sister..I asked hot water to cancel it and they refused. So hot wire has stolen $1200 from my family and my child's with brain cancer and refuses to give it back. These people are thieves how can you charge someone for a rental car that they never used? How can you steal money from someone by refusing to give it back to them for a product or a service they never received? These people are dirty rotten scoundrel thieves. I asked hotwire to cancel it and they refused. So hot wire has stolen $1200 from my family and my child's with brain cancer and refuses to give it back. These people are thieves how can you charge someone for a rental car that they never used? How can you steal money from someone by refusing to give it back to them for a product or a service they never received? These people are dirty rotten scoundrel thieves

I Was Looking Forward To A Family Trip To Orlando Fl In May 2021, Booked And Paid For In Full My Rental Car Via Hotwire For 772.00 With A Bank Debit Car. As Of May 17th I Was A Victim Of Fraud. My Bank Closed My Checking Account. I Called Hotwire On The 18th To Cancel My Reservation. I Couldnt Be Issued A Refund Since My Bank Account Was Closed! So They Issued Me A Credit. I Had No Other Choice. Today On June10th I Call Hotwire Accounting And The Rep Herself Told Me That The Refund Could Of Been Issued To Your Bank And The Bank Would Of Handled It On Thier End. But Still They Wont Issue Me A Refund Because The Credit Has Been Issued In Hotwire Credits. You Have My Money. Paid With A Debit Card, Not A Credit Card. I Should Be Issued A Refund. I Will Report This To The Better Business Bureau.

On 5/28/21, I made reservations through Hotwire, confirmation # 1777204614 and was booked at Seaside All Suite, in Miami, FL. I called Seaside to check about parking for guests. I was told that there was no reservations under my name. I called Hotwire and informed them of the same. The reservation at Seaside was cancelled and agreed to take a hit of $60 cancellation which I still disagree with. The reservationist, Seth, said that I could use the $412.60 in "hot dollars" to be applied to the new reservation at Newport Beachside Resort, # 6765629663. For some unknown reason I was charged the full amount of $717.17 and the "hot dollars" was never applied. The difference I should have been charged is $305.17. So in essence, I have been doubled charged. I've had extensive conversations with Hotwire to resolve. I'm reaching out to you for assistance and for full refund. Thank you so much.

I eco the comments about their Greed, I booked a car and I wanted to extend the dates as my airlines cancelled the flight, they did not have cars on stock, they told me I could not get a refund but I was going to the "hotwire Credits", I was not happy and the operator disconnect me. When, I looked in my account I was never issued a credit. I have been trying find a resolution without success, It was over $600, for a first responder, after a year working with Covid patients, It was a slap in the face! We should start a class action suit

Hotwire should be posted on American Greed for all of the BS that their company creates. They leave you on hold for long periods of time, they lie and tell you that you will receive a refund and that doesn't happen, and they lie and say that they will call you back to resolve your issues and that doesn't happen either.

I was on a Delta airlines flight to Dtw Detroit metropolitan airport i booked a car from hot wire Hugh mistake when I landed and took the shuttle to the car rental company they informed me that I had to use a credit card in which I had left at home I had already paid for the car with my fidelity debit card I was stranded and didn't have a car to get to my destination l called Hotwire to find out if I could get a refund or go another rental car company in the area no one would help me I have the app I message customer service and talk to someone in customer service in which I explained to the customer service agent about my situation they will very rude and told in the message that would be my problem I ask the agent for a supervisor at that point he/ she disconnected the message

My mother was lying on her deathbed in the hospital, so I had to cancel my AirBnB, Airline tickets and Rental Car for Spring Break. I provided a letter from the Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital. The AirBnB refunded our money; the airline gave us a credit, but Hotwire went back-n-forth with us for hours about being unable to rotate the letter. Then, they claimed the letter was not valid. They requested a letter from my mother;s doctor, which we thought was absurd! My mother had passed and we still had not gotten a refund. To this day, the unscrupplous company has not refunded our money. My wife and I filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General's Office. As soon as I find the coporate CEO's home address, I will contact her or him immediately. Do not use this company. They are incompetent.

I made a reservation for a rental car but was unable to travel due to medical reasons. Hotwire customer service required me to provide a doctor's note for the cancelation.

then I went ahead and provided the doctor's note but the representatives did not accept it and added a new requirement: the doctor's note language had to be in English.

The 300 customer service representatives I talked to when I requested the cancelation failed to make a language request and never said the doctor's note had to be in English, which is stupid because it is in Spanish and Spanish is one of the two most popular languages in the USA, which by the way has NO OFFICIAL LANGUAGE! English is not the official language therefore this is language discrimination from Hotwire, which happens to hire thousands of employees in Latin America due to high demand from Spanish-speaking customers like myself.

The doctor's note was sent to Hotwire customer service, have one of your customer service representatives translate it and issue me a refund of $241.92 back to my credit card.

For over four years now, I have been trying to get HOTWIRE to decouple my personal email address from another one of their clients. They constantly send me their other clients travel plans, car rental information, confirmations, and surveys. I have their other clients home address, phone number, etc. Isn't it illegal for them to share personal, confidential information with me for another client? I have spent hours on the phone with their customer service representatives whom always promise to fix the problem but never actually fix it. My name is in my email address which I have had for over 14 years.

I am totally disgusted with hotwire and their so called customer service. You would think, that during a pandemic they would have some sort of integrity or understanding for those who are effected. Just another big company that does'nt care about anything but collecting your money! Never Again!

I am hurt and disappointed in you all service I booked 2 rooms for Kansas MO in Febuary 2020 for June 2020 for 9 nights paid the total amount of $1,406.29 because of the Covid -19 all events were cancelled so I called March 31 2020 to asked for cancellation and refund instead of refund the credited my money to a Hotdollar account and not back to my credit cards the problem with that is that all the events that I booked the rooms for are still canceled ,I call and the people in customer service dept will not help and are being very unprofessional and today 12/8/2020 I called and the person that I spoke with were rude and hung up in me this happen at 11:14 am CST and the call ended 9 mins later by her hanging up on me the person had some type asscent

I am having the same experience as SoniaK. The law that changed now says the following, which means it literally became illegal for us to pick up the car, but hotwire doesn't care and is not actively communicating with their vendors to resolve it. Our reservaion is weeks away and we are not costing anyone any money, yet they refuse to cancel. They are heartless and greedy. Hotwire should be ashamed.

"Unless an exemption is granted, persons subject to self-quarantine
pursuant to Section IV of this Proclamation are prohibited from renting motor
vehicles in the State, whether through a rental car company, online service, or
through a peer-to-peer platform or car sharing service including but not limited to
Turo and Zipcar."

We rented a car for our trip to Kauai for two days when the COVID restrictions was to have a negative test 3 day prior to the flight. Just this weekend the restriction for Kauai have changed to a Mandatory 14 day quarantine upon arrival to Kauai. The airlines has provided a full refund since this is a state mandated policy. I contacted Hotwire with this new information and was basically informed that they don't care and won't refund my money. The manager Haizal H. Stated that quarantine doesn't mean we can't travel, I am not sure what manager course or customer relations course these manager go through but they have NO IDEA how to deal with people or even follow state mandated policies. I informed Haizal that I don't have vacation time to spend in quarantine and my trip to Kauai was only for 2 days and she stated that they don't give refunds, no matter the reason and I can contact the corporate office and they would say the same. The cooperate office is not even open. I was also informed that they are not concerned with BBB. When I came to the corporate website, I realized from the other comments that I am not the only one being screwed over. I have been a loyal customer for over 20 yrs. but I will NEVER use them again. I would recommend everyone to report them to BBB, that is the only way for change.

I was told I would get a refund being that I had to cancel my traveling arrangements due to Covid. I have to quarantine for 14 days and I also provided a letter from my doctor stating so. I had an agent and supervisor tell me that QUARANTINE doesn't mean I can't travel. This is the most disgusting and ignorant response I've ever heard. This company is insensitive and definitely needs to educate themselves on whats really going on in the world. If quarantine doesn't mean you can't travel, as per these agents, no wonder this pandemic is not getting better. People are losing their lives and their family due to this virus and it is not to be taken lightly. Shame on every person I've come in contact with who has shown a blatant disregard for human life in a time so critical.

I'm trying book a car going from Grand rapids Michigan to Toledo Ohio I have a $61 credit I have multiple people from your company tell me I have to do it a certain way and each one of them is a different way so I need to know how to do this so I can use my credit cuz I cannot afford to rent this car for two days without the credit but I cannot talk to a human being. Which has been impossible I've been trying for two days

They basically stole our money we never took the trip due to Covid and they will not credit back in any form I will never travel with them again lost my buisness

The level of service is horrible. I will never use or recommend anyone. The way I was treated was disgusting

We had to change flights and they went out of their ways to get it done and with a very helpful attitude. Have no complaints. Everything was also very clear. No missunderstandings possible.
Not sure what to say about the negative comments on here.

Hotwire is very helpful the customer service is very helpful and very nice!!!! I do not believe on the negative comments they are stating. For me, hotwire is the best among the rest! awoo! awoo! ;)

I have been a loyal user and advocate of Hotwire for many years. Tonight I encounter my first questionable hotel booking and Morjena in the Express Loyalty Department provided me the kind of outstanding customer service all companies should strive for. She is what I call "Disney" caliber and should be commended for treating this Hotwire customer like a member of her own family.

It is my sincere hope that she will be commended - if not promoted for her outstanding service to Hotwire customers and used as an example to train other service representatives. Because of her tact and patience I remain a sincerely loyal Hotwire customer.

i love hotwire i have been travelling the whole year and hotwire provides my hotel on my business trips. i am always satisfied with the rates and service they provide. this is my opinion. i have never experience what other is complaining about.

I have been using Hotwire for the last few months after a friend told me about it and have never had an issue until recently. My computer was having issues and so I called to make a booking with an agent over the phone. The agent didn't seem to speak English real well and ended up booking the wrong dates. I was then apologized to and sent over to another department (Service) where I believe they are actually in the United States. I explained what happened and they immediate resolved the issue quickly and efficiently. They refunded the reservation, rebooked one with correct dates and even gave me some Hot Money for the inconvenience which is basically a credit to use towards a future booking. I was very happy with the customer service I got. I think most of the bad reviews are just uptight greedy people that don't understand how discount travel websites work. I love Hotwire and Priceline!!!! (altho I wish they wouldn't outsource their booking agents to India!)

I have used Hotwire multiple times for car rentals and always gotten a MUCH better price than I could elsewhere and NEVER had any problems whatsoever.

Mrs. Terry ( Customer agent #1040) from Greenbay ( Wisconsin) has provided me the most outstandng customer service ever! While many of her previous colleagues failed to fulfill their promises, she took upon herself to correct th mistake done and requested an approval as soon as possible. As a result of her services, an email confirmation was sent within a few minutes minutes with the correct refunds. Thank you Terry from your help and patience.
Godelieve
Aruba

I love it when they call in and say, "Well I'll never use hw again, and I'm telling everybody not to use hw." I really can care less. Millions will still use hw. These people aren't even our valued express customers. They don't even know that exsists. It really fuels me when they say they are going to stop the charge w/there cc company or file a dispute. Go ahead you are bound by contract called TERMS OF USE.

I have used Hotwire many times over the last few years and feel I saved a small fortune with them and feel they are a great company to use once you understand the way they work.Even so I have had a few small issues over this time however I found their customer service with Hotwire Express excellent and many times received "hotdollars" from them for very small issues and always found them prompt in dealing with my querys (quite the opposite to their sister company expedia)
John
Dublin IRELAND

Hmmm... I can imagine that no one chose to read the TOU of the reservation they are booking. It is so small and hard to find. If only there were a box you check that states you agree to them. Also, if the airline changes a flt and HW does not know about it, of course we wouldn't tell you. They have to tell us before we would be able to. Hotwire isn't that bad if you are flexible in where you stay and you are able and willing to agree to the TOU that enables you to receive the low rates that are avail.

Our trip to Boston this weekend has changed due to hurricane Irene and needed to try to change our hotel reservations and try to keep tonight's reservation but cancel Saturday's. After waiting on hold for 1 hour, the depressing hold music did its job to lull me into a zombie-like, non-combative state. The gentleman who finally answered, listened to me, said he was unable to change the reservation to just one night, but after I reiterated that I had seen on their website that they were assisting people with refunds/changes due to Irene, he was able to refund me the entire cost of the hotel room for the two nights.

During this rough pre-hurricane chaos, please be kind to each other and you're more likely to get help. Also, Hotwire puts everything in writing, so it's good to state that you read on their website that they are helping travelers due to the impending weather. Now I am off to find a place to stay tonight- wish me luck!

Fortunately I have never had to talk to any one in customer service because I have so far (knock on wood) never had to change my plans. I recently booked a trip to austin texas and my truck broke down like 10 minutes after we left the house. I knew I had to come or lose the money because the terms clearly state they will not change the bill. SO we drove back home hopped into my in laws truck and drove to austin arriving at 1:25 a.m. or so...but i knew i had to come so we did.

I have used Hotwire dozens of times the past three years and I have always been completely delighted by the service and the hotels I have received. Any reasonable person who reads the very clear terms posted very clearly by Hotwire won't have a problem.

Booked a Hotel through hotwire for $42 at LAX / supposedly a 2 1/2 star. Hotel reviews were horrible. When I called before my trip to ask about their policy on hotels upholding their star rating, they read the reviews and prompty switched my reservations at no cost to me. Couldn't ask for anything more.

Booked a hotel with Hotwire, and one of the specific reasons that I selected the particular one that I did was that it offered a complimentary breakfast. It was a town I had never been to before, I had early morning committments, I didn't know what morning traffic was like or where the restaurants were, so I specifically selected one that offered a complimentary breakfast. I figured at least a couple of donuts and cup of coffee would get me going and where I needed to be on time.
As it turned out, the hotel does NOT offer breakfast, the listing was an error. (The hotel blamed Hotwire for posting the incorrect information, Hotwire blamed the hotel for providing them with incorrect information, so I don't really know what happened.)
Anyway, the hotel refunded me for the breakfast I had to purchase that I thought was included in the room rate. Hotwire gave me a $50 credit for future use, so I am pleased with the serevice.
Mistakes can and do happen. How places handle the mistakes after they are made seperates good places from bad ones.
Reading through the negative comments about Hotwire, they sound totally baseless. Hotwire is very clear about no exchanges, no refunds. The negatives all seem to be people that wanted to change their plans after the fact. They are probably the same jerks than that have 23 items in the 10 items or less express lane, whip out their credit card where it says "Cash Only" or want extra cheese on their Whopper instead of fries, then complain when they can't. Rules are rules, folks.

Wow! First time ever using Hot Wire and the experience was MAGICAL!!!!! First, Hot wire helped me find an afforcable hotel and the people there were SOOOO wonderful I wanted to bring them home with me. I visited a casino where I lost my complete credit card holder, 1/2 hour later it was returned to me with a smile. I called all the cards in horror just knowing I was in store for the worst. Not a single card was used, and I went to EVERYONE who had been involved and gave out hugs and kisses, with tears! The whole town of Riodoso NM was wonderful. and I will return for sure. I even called hotwire upon getting there, because I was sort of lost, and the gentleman who spoke calmly got me in touch with the hotel and directions were explaned. Karen at Days Inn, was the best. Friendly, and when her shift gave out, Ramiren was the same. So the hotel was comfortable and the people there great. I was so taken by Riodoso, it felt like I was in Germany, the forest area is like a dream. The town very giving to their tourests. I am going back, thank you hotwire.com Agnes Romero

i'm a very happy customer, and am part of their preferred customers "express" program. i'd just like to say that i've always been pleased with their service, and 99% of the issues that customers have with them is because of their own lack of common sense. the terms of use for booking any reservation are in bold, and very easy to understand. NO CHANGES! it's designed for people like me, on a budget, and need a reliable, clean place to sleep on business trips. and i've always had friendly service whenever i had any concerns. they also have an A+ rating with the better business bureau.

I recently had an issue and customer service could not have been nicer and handled my problem while I was on hold. The service person with Hotwire was polite and very effecient. Very satistified with their customer service.

Got right through by pressing # three times. Very friendly and helpful.

Very helpful on the phone. You need to understand thy policies, they will only repeat them. If you don't like them, book directly with out getting a discount.

I work at a hotel and Hotwire sends us numerous reservations daily. We, as a hotel, have had to call Hotwire about various things in which Hotwire had to fix. Needless to say numerous phone calls to them, being 'redirected' to some other department, only for them to transfer me to seemingly the un-english-speaking person sitting next to them.... grr.... We've been transferred numerous times, only to get hung up on. We, as a hotel, cannot stand Hotwire. Their customer service sucks.

Working for "Hotwire" would be better if they employed call centers that trained properly and had at least SOME intelligence.

Xerox employs agents for Hotwire Customer Service and they all have brains that are equivalent to a box of rocks. Half of them don't even realize they don't work directly for Hotwire and complain to Hotwire directly about issues in the call center, like their work stations or pay or name badges. Seriously??? How dense can a person be? On top of that they note customers accounts like they are 4th graders with a Kindergarten level of intelligence and vocabulary. They constantly tell a customer the wrong information and don't follow policies. They cause lots of $$$ loss from agent errors and yet for some reason Hotwire continues to employ that center. They notoriously cold transfer customer calls to Air Exchange Specialists and Supervisors. They submit useless workflows that are against procedures. They call Help Desk for the dumbest questions imaginable and then don't even follow what they are told. NO clue why Hotwire lets them handle Express calls, likely because the other center with real brains already handles EVERYthing else including taking all the useless workflows they submit.

When submitting Feedback to Hotwire about issues or concerns using VOA they never check to see they are posting in the right category, nor check to see if the suggestion was already posted and simply comment or vote, no instead they post a whole new idea making the same idea posted 4 times with only a few votes each.

Most of them can't even reach the weekly goals which is ridiculous, if you know how to do your job CORRECTLY, it's no problem.

THEN, there are the sales agents in Manila, Philippines. Most of them are so nice but will literally sell a glass of water to drowning man and promise him it will keep him living. Then when they are found to be lying, they cold transfer the customer to us and we have to fix the mistakes and irate customers. And they are constantly misrepresenting items and spelling things incorrectly even after being told several times how to do it. And if they can't answer a question they immediately just transfer the customer to service without calling help desk to ask or assist even though it is a sales call.

UGH. Sure we have our errors at my center, but not nearly this bad. We get stuck cleaning up after both other centers. We are the "hub" center for a reason and we should just expand and be the ONLY center.

Let me explain to you, from a hotel point of view. As a Hotwire guest, you did not pay the hotel, you paid Hotwire. We cannot and will not adjust your rate for any reason, due to contractual agreement with Hotwire. We will get paid the same amount, regardless of how much you complain. There is no such thing as getting a five star stay at a one star price...it will not ever happen. You'll get the least desireable room every time, I promise you. As a Hotwire guest, you will not get an upgrade, a free breakfast, rewards points, or any other nice things that a guest paying full rate -or any rate directly to the hotel-will receive. You didn't choose us out of loyalty, but rather by what hotel would take your low bid. We are well aware that the guests booking on Hotwire will be the ones that complain about anything possible and try everything in the book to get a refund, while the guest who is upstairs in bed and paying $269 a night will be nothing but nice to our entire staff, and in the event of something going wrong will allow us to fix the problem without asking for money back. I don't tell you this to be mean, and you can believe it or not as it doesn't make a hill of beans to us. I've worked in several chains and at any property it is always the same. Do yourself a huge favor and book directly through the hotel or it's website. You might be suprised at the deals that you'll find on the hotel's website. And you will definitely be suprised at the difference in service, upgrades, and accomodations that you receive when you arrive. Just saying....

Amen. Everyday I have to listen to customers call in complaining and wanting a refund for a mistake that most the time they made. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but verbal abuse can be tough when it's day after day, call after call. Yes an agent can make an honest mistake. We are human. I do agree and sympathize w/alot of the customers at times but I have to follow company policy just as every agent at hotwire does. We do everything we can to help our customers. Hotwire wants to please the customer. I had a man tell me that I should reconsider working for a company like hw. Really! I wonder what you do for a living, and where you live in this world. Jobs are hard to come by these days. Come on, put yourselves in our shoes. Yes it can be inconsiderate to ask for proper medical or death documents, but we are a bussiness. Anyone can call in and say I broke my wrist and I need a refund b/c I can't travel. Look at it from a bussiness perspective. What if this was your bussiness? Would you refund everyone that called in and said my grandmother passed away, w/o asking for proper dox? Yes we understand the grieving process. Anyone who has lived has known death, so take your time. We don't place a limit on when we expect you to provide the proper dox, but we do have to verify. As it states in the TERMS OF USE upon every booking, THESE BOOKING ARE FINAL. Please if you are going to spend your money read the TERMS OF USE. I cannot stress this enough. Just remember how you treat people when you call as we do when you call. These are monitored calls that are graded and our jobs depend on good customer service. Don't forget, READ YOUR TERMS OF USE. Kisses!

First of all - the ONLY SCRIPT we have to read is the same paragraph that is shown to EVERY customer during the booking process on the last page of the booking process where you click book trip. We are required to read that verbatim. Hotwire does not give us scripts to read. We have verbiage we are required to use, but it's all from memory because as all of you so-called 'intelligent' people should know, we are NOT ALLOWED to be blunt and to the point because it would be considered being rude. Why don't you people get that? Why don't you just read the terms that we very easily display for you to read. I book on Hotwire all the time and have NEVER had a problem - and you know what.. if you do have a problem, don't sit there and steam over it for a month and then call to complain, because what are we supposed to do then? And if you aren't sure you're going to be happy with what you book using a HotRate - then don't book a flippin' HotRate. It's that simple. You would think that while booking the place you're going to be SLEEPING, or the plane you're going to be FLYING on you would pay more attention to what you are PAYING for then maybe you wouldn't have those problems. Also - HOTWIRE DOES NOT CHARGE THE CHANGE FEES FOR FLIGHTS. The airline does! The AIRLINE ALSO DETERMINES IF A FLIGHT IS NON-REFUNDABLE OR NOT. IF you had, AGAIN, READ THE TERMS, they state that you MAY be able to make a change for a FEE. It could be between $50 and $300 depending on where you're flying to, what airline you're flying on, and what the fare rules for THAT AIRLINE ARE. If you ever book a flight, and want to make a change, read the damn fare rules on the airlines website. They all have them available to the public. I am SO tired of seeing all of these HORRIBLE comments from customers who were probably just pissed off that they couldn't get a refund for a NON-REFUNDABLE reservation. Hotwire takes every situation into consideration, and by NO means do they tolerate agents treating customers badly - so if you're a customer, and have legitimately had a bad experience with an agent - I PROMISE you they have gotten disciplined for it up to and including termination. But really - we can't make exceptions for the policy that we very blatantly and openly put there for you to read. If you don't like it - then don't book with Hotwire. Read the mission statement. For FLEXIBLE travelers. You can't book a FLEXIBLE rate without being FLEXIBLE. You can't have a personal bias against a hotel chain and then get pissed off at Hotwire when you book a Hot Rate and get that hotel chain when we EVEN SAY ON THE SITE 'HEY YOU COULD GET THIS HOTEL CHAIN'. I mean - does this even make sense to me! I'm all for helping people out, but I think 'the customer is always right' only applies if you are actually right. You know? Don't blame us who have to sit there and take your abuse day after day, because you can't READ a SIMPLE PARAGRAPH.

READ THE DANG TERMS OF USE. DANGIT.

Half the people I talk to daily act like they have never read a legal binding contract in their life. if you click the check mark- THAT MEANS YOU READ, UNDERSTAND AND AGREE to all hotwires policies.
AND it's really SAD that you only have to read the first line, and it isn't even condsidered the sketchy "fine print" like in those car commercials that squeeze all their restrictions and rules into the last 15 seconds of the commericial.

It says in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS, NO REFUNDs/EXCHANGEs TRANSFERS OR CANCELLATIONS.
My favorite is when a customer calls in and they say "I know you don't allow refunds, BUT..can you just..."
OKAY SO YOU READ THE TERMS OF USE BUT YOU STILL WANT OFF THE HOOK??
It's not like when you're at the bar and play a lil titty with the bartender to get what you want. Although, I will say you get more flies with honey.
We are bound by contracts to uphold everything you agreed to, and to pay our vendors.You are bound by a legal binding online contract, whether you read it or not- you still took the time out to check the box and say you did. Now who's a liar?

OH AND REPS ARE NOT RUDE. They just have to deal with IGNORANT-demanding customers like you all day/Customer who are still in the mind set that they are always right; and if you've ever worked a day in your life you know 9 outta 10 customer doesn't even know what they are talking about- they just know what they want.
CUSTOMERS who don't know how to read simple instructions (which was drilled into our skulls in elementary school) talk respectfully to a complete stranger, or have to decency to admit when you made a mistake instead of trying to justify WHY YOU SHOULD BE AN EXCEPTION to the RULES YOU AGREED TO.

Despite how ignorant and RUDE customers can be, I actually love my job. even when my eardrums are bleeding from all the yelling- and I can literally hear the veins in ppls necks pulsating. It make me realize how childish people can be when they don't get their way. I know its much easier to put it off as the websites mistake, instead of taking responsibility.

Atleast this job has taught me to be more patient, and more contract savvy!! I always read my terms of use before I cyber-sign any documents. COS AT LEAST IF I READ IT BEFORE I SIGNED IT I WOULDN'T BE SO DANG SURPRISED WHEN SATAN ASKS FOR MY SOUL,
and I could only blame myself.
haha but not you the customer. you're going to blame me for your incompetence.

The site CLEARLY states that reservations are non-refundable, non-changeable, non-cancellable. It's the very first line in our terms of use in ALL CAPS!! Our system has no way of making changes to reservations. And, if you have to call into us, how about you don't start off being rude? There are some of us that will try to help, but if you're being rude right off, you're only going to be told what we're required to tell you according to company policy, which is NO CHANGES, NO REFUNDS, NO TRANSFERS, NO CANCELLATIONS!! Really people, READ!!

I just want to comment on the fact that all of you are obviously NOT reading the Terms Of Use before booking. It CLEARLY states Hotwire reservations are FINAL. No cancelations changes, exchanges or transfers can be made. Want to know why, guys? Hotwire promises the hotels and car vendors that the reservations will be booked as is. There is actually NO WAY in the system to change reservations. That's how Hotwire gets their rates so low. I save a lot of money booking through Hotwire. Hotwire IS for flexible users... if there is a possibility plans may change then booking through Expedia would probably be better. I always get great rooms through Hotwire and great car rental deals. Flights are average. And FYI- for the people commenting on exchanging a flight. If you need to make changes to a flight you ALWAYS have to pay an exchange fee (directly through the airlines) plus diff in fares. Even if you book directly through the airline... that is THEIR FARE RULES... not Hotwires. Do your research, people!

I think the biggest thing with our reservations is that people don't realize they're pre-negotiated under a contract. Why doesn't Hotwire give refunds? Because we're required, by contract, to pay for the reservation whether or not it's use.

We're also required, by law, to advise you prior to booking that the reservations are non-changeable and non-refundable. Why? Same as above. We guarantee our partners that each reservation will be used as originally booked.

This allows them to better manage their unsold inventory and continue to offer us great discounts. So, always be sure to read the fine print, which I might add has points of relevance bolded and made bigger.