Travel Troubleshooter: No rental car, but they still have my money

By CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT

Q I'm having trouble with a car rental reservation that never went through. I thought I had secured a reservation through Hotwire.com for a car in St. Petersburg, Fla., using its "bill me later" option.

When I printed out the details, I noticed that there was a 19.99 percent interest rate if payments weren't made within 25 days. I waited for an invoice, and when I didn't get one, I mailed a personal check to Hotwire.

On the day of my trip, I called Hotwire to double-check my reservation. That's when I discovered there was none.

I checked to see if the check had been debited from my account, and sure enough, it had. I immediately called Bill Me Later and asked them to return my money. They asked me to fax all the pertinent information. A customer service representative said it would take five to seven business days to respond.

It's now been several weeks, and I haven't heard from Bill Me Later. I've contacted Hotwire and faxed them all the details. I've also been in contact with them by phone, but a manager said there was nothing they could do for me.

I don't think I should pay $387 for a car I never got. Can you help me?

KAY RIHN, LITITZ, PA.

A Hotwire should have refunded your purchase weeks ago. Bill Me Later is just another payment option, but the way you paid for the car shouldn't matter. You deserve your $387 -- now.

Cars booked through Hotwire are nonrefundable. And, unless you're paying through Bill Me Later, your credit card is charged for the rental immediately. Bill Me Later is a third-party site that allows you to postpone your payment, but you have to read the fine print carefully, which you did.

But maybe you should have kept reading. One of the frequently asked questions on the site addresses your situation. "If you are expecting a billing statement and have not received it, there could be a problem with the billing address we have on file," it says. "Please login to view or change your address."

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