by Jennifer Eblin

Created on: June 12, 2009

Priceline introduced the Name Your Own Price option for travelers who wanted to save even more money on hotel rooms. It gave travelers the option of reserving a room using their already low prices, or choosing to set their own price. The way it works is fairly simple. When a user logs on, they select the date of their trip and the area where they're staying. Priceline then finds hotel rooms available for that trip.

Priceline lists the price of the room on the website and then places a button for the Name Your Own Price feature next to it. Users who click this can select a price that they want to pay and a star level. The system then attempts to find a hotel that matches the description willing to pay that amount. They also need the credit card number of the person, which is part of the problem.

When a shoppers decides to use the Name Your Own Price feature and enter their credit card number, there's no turning back. The system automatically charges the credit card if they find a room. There's no choosing of a specific hotel or brand, you're given what the system finds. Of course there's no guarantee that the website will find a room for that price though.

Another con associated with using this Priceline feature is trying to book a room after they've turned down one offer. Supposedly they offer rooms up to half off the regular price, but lots of users have tried this and been rejected. When they attempted to bid again, the site blocked their access. The second time they require that you select a different date, or up your bid by a significant amount.

When you bid, you'll also notice that they raise the price. On the previous page they list one-star hotels for $69 and up. Then when you try to name your own price, they'll say that the median price for a one-star hotel is actually $99 or more. They're hoping that you bid a higher amount and make them more money. Customers should also be aware of the fees Priceline charges, which causes the original price quoted to rise significantly.

Customers also complain that Priceline doesn't list its partner hotels. The reason you get a discount is because they agree to fill certain hotels for a discounted price. They frequently work with Extended Stay America and other long-term stay hotels. These hotels usually aren't listed on the main page where customers see hotels in their area. In fact they aren't even aware of them until they do the Name Your Own Price function and find that they're staying in that chain.

There are a lot of cons and disadvantages to using the Name Your Own Price feature from Priceline. Shoppers need to weigh the pros and cons carefully before deciding whether or not to use it.

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