Caught between Priceline and the Airline

[LHKyle]

Hello! I posting this originally in the Troubleshooting board, but then found this board and thought it might be more applicable. Here's what I wrote:



Hoping to get advice on a problem my sister is having.



My sister is traveling to LA in August. She lives in Savannah, GA, but was going to leave her dog with my parents in Kentucky since it's an extended stay. Without thinking and out of habit, she purchased the tickets from Priceline originating from Savannah rather than local to my parents.



She's tried calling American Airlines and they said it's Priceline's problem and basically they said good luck getting anything from them (Priceline). She's looked through the Priceline site and it says, obviously, no refunds or reschedules. She also read to me from the site that basically they can't make changes because of the airlines. The finger pointing seems the easiest option for the two.



My sister still will need tickets, she just wants to change the itinerary. I suggested she call Priceline and assure them she'll still be making a purchase but would like for them to essentially "buy" this ticket back. After all, there's plenty of time for them to re-sell this ticket.



My questions are what's the best way to go about getting a refund or reschedule from Priceline? Is there another source she should pursue? We discussed the possibility of her advertising in the Savannah newspaper or maybe a local travel agent could sell it for her?



Any advice is appreciated!

[travelwhiz]

It really is not a matter of finger pointing. Priceline and American have their rules.



One of the main problems that your sister has is that Priceline sells cheap because of their restrictions.



Airline tickets are non transferable to another person, so she can not sell them or do a name change of any sort.

[Anonymous]

This recently happened to a customer of mine. She bought tickets for her son to fly this weekend from Wichita KS to Tucson, last minute. Problem is...he's in Wichita Falls TX. Priceline would not ammend or change and she lost the 517.00. He's now coming from OKC (about 2 hrs away) as WF had no availability left. Your sister will have to go back to Savannah for her flight or eat the loss. That 'I agree" button is pretty final.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info. According to my sister, they weren't necessarily cheap either. Chalk it up to a learning experience.



Thanks again for the replies.

[DCTravelAgent]

The lesson is that she should have used a TA instead of hoping to save a couple of dollars on Priceline. It's a shame really.

[jrmsp]

Well, IMHO the real lesson should be, when you purchase something like this, there are terms you should be reading and agreeing to. These are highly restrictive and that's all spelled out for you, so don't make a fuss when you think those rules should be bent for you.

[smwatk]

Don't expect Priceline or AA to give in. Their rules are clearly stated.

Interesting that you mention the Priceline price 'wasn't that low' anyway. I'd always recommend checking more than one site for sure. No one site is always going to have the best price every time, in my experience. And do remember that if you purchase through a travel agent, there is a fee but for that fee you get the agent as your advocate -- someone working on your behalf before, during and after the trip in case of glitches or changes.