Special Post - Be aware when you are Booking through Hotwire

I know this blog is to post freebies, but I decided to share this bad experience, so the same thing does not happen to you. I just had a terrible experience booking a hotel through Hotwire.

I have been booking through Hotwire for car rental for several years and never had a problem regarding the description of what I am paying for. That is, the bill you pay has everything spelled out.

It turns out that the same clear business does not happen when you are booking a hotel. I wanted to book a hotel close to the rest of my husband's family in Colorado. Well... got the daily rate, taxes information, and whatever fees. I liked the price, and decided to book. After confirming, one of the "info" things "tells" me that I will have to pay $20 more for every night I spend at the hotel. This is after you confirm and cannot cancel your reservation. Called customer support and it was worthless. (Only tells me that it part of the small print in the agreement.)

So, I hope this never happens to you. Be aware when you are booking through them, at least hotels.

About this Blog - For Blog/Site Owners

1. I want my site to be published here but I do not offer freebies

I am accepting ads on my blog. Please check this post. The rates are reasonable and your digiscraping business, photo printing, etc... gets a great exposure.

2. I want my site to be published here and I offer freebies

If you have a blog that offers Digital Scrapbooking freebies, and you do not see any of your freebies published here, and you want me to add to the blog list I search, please leave a comment, including your blog url (before sending the comment, please check that your feed is ok). I will add it to my blog list as soon as I can. If your feed is not ok, your site will not be added.
Please, read this whole post before/after requesting to be added. Please, make sure your satisfy satisfy the "rules" of my blog. Check section 5.

There is only one way to check that you were added:

• Check if your freebie has been published in my site around the date you posted

If you have a site and a feed, and I still did not publish your freebie, here are some reasons:

• I do not recognize the file server you are using. For instance, if the link to the freebie points to your store, I probably do not recognize it. Please add ?freebie at the end of the url. For instance, if the freebie link is http://foo.com?id=111 , the new link will be http://foo.com?id=111?freebie
• your site takes too long to get to.
• I might have not accepted your site.

To add your blog to my list is FREE. I am sorry, I do not have the time to help you to figure out why your site was not published.

If your site is not appropriate for this blog (G rated), please do not request to add it: you will be wasting your time, and my time (and your blog will get even faster to the list of blogs that I avoid) .
I only accept sites that publish freebies that are free; that is, the freebie is not attached to buy something.

Thanks.

3. To Remove a Blog

If I am publishing a freebie from your blog, and you want it removed, please leave a comment. Start the comment with something like "REMOVE THE BLOG", and let me know the url of your site/blog. I will remove your site/blog from the my search list as soon as I can. Once I remove your blog from my list per your request, please do not request to put it back, as I will not undo your request.

4. My Site was published before, but it was not published today (or has not been published lately?)

I receive several emails from designers that think their freebies were not published when the freebie was actually published. There are several reasons you might not see all the freebies you offer depicted here. Here are some possibilities:

• Your feed is not setup right
• I might have not "reach" your blog that day,
• I might have reach your blog, but there was a problem with your server,
• You changed your file server and I cannot recognize it,
• The search engine cannot recognize that your blog might has a freebie,
• You published something not appropriate for this blog. I removed your blog and I will not add it back.
• You misuse the "?...." flag when it was not a freebie. I removed your blog and I will not add it back.
• The engine keeps catching an ad, or totally a misleading non-freebie. If this happens very often, I remove your site and I might not add it back.
• The engine keeps catching the same image, and you only offer one small element from it. I might either remove your site (the engine is not working for your site), or remove the freebie.
• The engine catches a whole kit image, and you either provide a quick page from it (and do not provide a preview), or you provide a small sub-portion of it, and you do not provide a preview of what you are giving. The engine is not working for your site. I will either remove the "freebie" or your site.
• The engine caught the same freebie over and over again. In other words, you have a few freebies that you keep republishing them over and over again. I will either remove your site (the engine is not working for your site), or the freebie.
• your freebie is attached to something being that has to be bought in order to receive the freebie. If I catch your site, I remove it.
• Any other reason that I consider unfair, including, but not only, copyright issues, unfair propagation of competitors, you are a "competitor" (you publish a list of freebies offered in the net),  etc.

5. What is not appropriate for this blog?

• Too much "skin" showing, usually breast, but not limited to.
• misuse of the "?..." word
• Bad words, profane words, etc.
• Troublesome images
• Free ad without a freebie: if the engine gets the ad as the image, I usually do not publish your freebie that day. Sometimes, I remove your site.
• Images with copyright issues (eg. Disney, etc)

Thanks!  

Luiza  

In case you want to contact me, instead of sending a comment: