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The Priceline Group Inc.—owner of the popular travel booking website priceline.com— faces a potential class action lawsuit that alleges the company collects “taxes and fees” for reservations but does not return those fees to customers in the event that the reservations are not used.
Priceline customers can reserve hotel rooms, airfare, rental vehicles, vacation packages, and cruises. In particular, the Priceline unreturned fee class action lawsuit notes the “Name Your Own Price” feature of the website, which allows users to make an offer on a item, such as a hotel room, which Priceline then submits to various companies in the location chosen by the consumer. If accepted by one of those companies, Priceline charges the consumer that price, as well as “taxes and fees.”
“Priceline Group, in charging ‘taxes and fees’ for a rental or purchase transactions that did not complete, violated various local, state and federal laws regarding the charge and collection of taxes,” according to the Priceline class action lawsuit.
Plaintiff Richard Laquer asserts that he reserved a rental car in San Francisco through the Priceline “Name Your Own Price” feature. He named a price of $35, which was accepted, and he was charged an additional $19.05 for “taxes and fees” by Priceline. Laquer claims that he did not use that reservation, and the charges were not returned to him, even though the $19.05 was never used to pay taxes on the incomplete sale.
The Priceline class action lawsuit argues that when the company charges taxes and fees, Priceline is telling customers that those fees are necessary for the transaction to be completed.
However, “Priceline Group knew when these representations were made, or made them as a positive assertion recklessly, that it would not pay the ‘taxes and fees’ it collected from plaintiff and the putative class members to the various federal, state and local taxing authorities in the event the rental or purchase was not completed,” according to the unreturned fee class action.
This is not the only class action lawsuit Priceline faces regarding its “Name Your Own Price” feature. In July of 2015, a class action was filed alleging that Priceline intentionally hides fees from consumers, making the true price more than the consumer is willing to pay. The allegations of that class action lawsuit, specifically about hidden resort fees, are separate from this complaint.
The Priceline unreturned fees class action lawsuit seeks to represent a class of “thousands of customers of Priceline Group who reserved and paid for motor vehicles, hotels or air travel online through the Name Your Price option – and other nonrefundable reservation options – and did not use the reservation.”
Laquer asks for restitution “in an amount greater than $5 million” for all the taxes and fees collected by Priceline for unused reservations, as well as punitive damages in excess of $75,000.
The plaintiff is represented by Larry A. Tawwater and Darren M. Tawwater of the Tawwater Law Firm, PLLC.
The Priceline Unreturned Fees Class Action Lawsuit is Richard Laquer v. The Priceline Group, Inc., Case No. CIV-16-15-HE, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.
UPDATE: On Aug. 26, 2016, Priceline filed a motion to dismiss the class action lawsuit stating that the taxes and fees are clearly represented as nonrefundable to customers at the time they make the reservation.
UPDATE 2: On Sept. 19, 2016, Laquer argued that he should have standing in this class action lawsuit because he is not seeking to enforce the tax on Priceline, only to obtain a refund for taxes Priceline did not pay to the government.
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56 thoughts onPriceline Hit With Unreturned Fees Class Action Lawsuit
On July 2023 we bought a fly tickets and I have canceled the flies in less than 24 hours, but the Priceline never refund the complete amount, since today Im still calling them but NOT with good luck because everytime there is a new guy assistance and ever single one been asking me for any kind of information to maintain this refund total lost. $155.77 is the total amount I know those MF’s are just playing with us..
Priceline charge my fiancé, Lisha Tanner $154.98 for a hotel that we never stayed at. They’re not trying to release our money back and keep giving us the runaround my name is Christopher Browning and I am Lisha Tanner fiancé
I have been ripped off by Priceline multiple times just this month. As of right now they booked us a hotel that has a horrible bug problem. Call Priceline talk to them tell them my issue and they call the hotel just so the hotel could basically say fuck my family having to deal with this we can’t even get a different hotel. We asked not for a refund but for Priceline to just change the hotel even the supervisor thought calling the hotel greedy lying ass. Was gone help us. No customer satisfaction with Priceline. I want to Sue if anyone can give me info on how to join this lawsuit or anything I would appreciate it.
Hotel nasty mold n bathroom pool is nasty hallway very nasty
Staff is very disrespectful
We are extremely unhappy with our experience at both the European hotel and with Priceline. The AC did not work in our room and it was over 84F at night! We went down to the front desk 3x that night. Their solution was to hand us a fan. In the morning when we checked out, the front desk daytime staff checked and we learned that the AC had not been turned on for our room! The front desk staff offered to give us a refund but because our room was booked through a 3rd party (Priceline) she stated that we would need to contact Priceline to get that refund. When we returned to the States we contacted Priceline and they contacted the hotel on our behalf. After MANY phone calls to Priceline we received an email stating “We appreciate your feedback, and we have contacted the appropriate people at the hotel to share your concerns; however, we were not able to obtain approval for a refund or compensation. Therefore, your reservation remains non-changeable and non-refundable.”
What is the point of using a travel agency like Priceline if they will not go to bat for their customers? We will be switching to another way to book travel in the future.
I booked hotel/car package through Priceline. The sales representative who took my information gave verbal confirmation for trip, hotel and car because he said he was experiencing internet problems and was unable to email itinerary to me at that time. Rep assured that they were working to get internet issue resolved and that he would call back in 10 minutes. He never called back and I never received itinerary. I called Priceline the next day to cancel and was told I could not cancel without booking number and pin code included in itinerary which I never received. I again provided email and phone for confirmation and was told Priceline Rep sent itinerary to unknown “wrong” email address. Without booking number and pin code number in itinerary (I never received) Priceline refuses to cancel.
I paid for a rental car and was given an itinerary to go pick my car up at the airport check out and that was good to go to get the keys I even double checked with them because I told them I was going to fix budget and I had no more money I was going to celebrate finishing up my chemo I want to have a good day with my kids and instead it was the most horrible day I’ve ever had and I’m still without my money back I was told that I couldn’t take the car I need another $300 credit card hold I didn’t have it but they would not make any exceptions even though Priceline said I was good to go while I was sitting there crying scared not knowing how I didn’t get home but I live quite a ways from the airport nobody asked if I was okay from the airline either Alamo and then end up costing me three times but I paid for the car just to get home which was the money that I had to use for the trip get some groceries for my dog and the kids have some fun get myself some food instead I had to go without a mill the first day home because I had no dog food and my dog needed to eat so I went without I’m literally that broke because of losing my job while I was going to the worst of my treatment I spoke to the multiple times in a couple day. And each time they made me think that they were on it they had submitted something for my refund yada yada and each time I would call another one there was never no notes in it that everybody had ever been started like none of them cared at all I still don’t have my money back and I still don’t have a rental car and I still don’t have any food and every time I have to talk to a manager who I know absolutely can do things like immediate refunds in a gift card for gas or something to make up for the extra money they don’t even call me back like they say they’re rude to me they should not be allowed to be a business I was a sick person and I’m a little I’m barely 100 pounds because of my illness and I was sitting here busy airport by myself crying not understanding how I was going to get home cuz I almost said I got to get in the car with a stranger because I couldn’t afford it but I chose not to because I didn’t want him to happen to me I’m to weak to fight anybody off. Please everybody for these guys out of there
Priceline charged me for two rooms and only scheduled one room with Baymont by Wyndham. I wanted a refund, Priceline says the hotel tells them I used both rooms. I did not. I have supporting documents. Priceline lies.
May I ask which Baymont by Wyndham?
I booked a flight through Priceline from Tennessee to London. I immediately realized I booked to the wrong airport in London. They refunded my ticket money but kept $591.50 that they said is non-refundable. How can they do this? Customer service just puts me on hold and won’t let me talk to their supervisors. That is not right. I canceled within 5 minutes after I pushed the button. I want to join a Class Action Lawsuit against Priceline please.
Run run run !!!!! This company owns me so much money it’s ridiculous!!!!! Never ever book through them, I have proof of videos of messed up hotels and they wouldn’t give me refund. Is it any class action lawsuit going on against them cause I would like to file one
Yes! worst company. Never book anything through priceline. Booked car, when I pick it up. No reservation fund. I called rep, talked to manager, he promised me book any company, keep the receipt and get the difference. More than 2 months email , phone call talked to many managers, last, email said. No refund. What a fuck!