There are no cancellations and no refunds -- no kidding

In folksy TV commercials, William Shatner trades on his “Star Trek” fame to sell Earth-bound travelers on the 21st century concept of bidding for travel on Priceline.

What Capt. Kirk doesn’t mention is that Priceline, an “opaque” site on which travelers make offers for hotel rooms, rental cars and airline tickets, among other products, isn’t for everyone. Consumers assume more risk in return for getting rock-bottom deals for products whose names aren’t revealed until a “bid” is accepted, and dissatisfied consumers are confronted with a strict no cancellation/no refund policy.

“It’s for someone who is willing to take value over their preference” for a specific hotel or airline, said Steve Nassua, founder of Betterbidding.com, a website that offers counsel to potential Priceline customers. “My advice would be to get help before you bid, especially if you’ve never done it before.”

Once your bid is accepted, your credit card is charged in full for whatever travel you’ve bought. Any attempt to change or cancel means forfeiture of the whole payment.

Brian Latimer of Los Angeles recently ran afoul of this rule. In June he successfully bid on a room for him and his boss to share at the Royalton Hotel in New York for four nights at $189 a night. Priceline notes that bed requests cannot be guaranteed but also says that customers may call the hotel to request bed type. When Latimer tried, he was told bed arrangements could not be confirmed until arrival. Priceline tried to intervene with the hotel on his behalf, to no avail. He and his boss would have to take their chances.

“[One of the] most common questions that we get is the ability to get two beds,” said Sheryl Mexic, founder and administrator of Biddingfortravel.com, another website helping consumers bid on Priceline.

Unhappy with the hotel’s response, he asked a Priceline agent to cancel the transaction. Priceline refused.

Generally, hotels can’t guarantee a bed type. But on a conventional booking, if what you want is not available, you can walk away. You may have to pay for a night’s lodging, but you generally aren’t going to get stuck with the whole tab. With Priceline, you do.

Latimer booked another hotel, and he assumed that he could contest the Priceline charge of nearly $900 with Capital One, his credit card issuer.

Although sympathetic to his case, Capital One said its hands were tied. The no cancellation/no refund policy, which is clearly stated on Priceline’s website, essentially made it powerless. “Because the site is so clear, it’s difficult for us to dispute it with them,” said Diana Don, a Capital One spokeswoman.

Priceline concurred.

“Since the trade-offs required were explained upfront to Mr. Latimer (and not in fine print, either), I don’t see where a refund is warranted or fair,” Priceline spokesman Brian Ek said in an e-mail.

I contacted travel attorney Alexander Anolik of San Francisco to see whether Latimer had any recourse.

“Thou shalt pay whether you like it or not,” said Anolik, co-author of “Traveler’s Rights: Your Legal Guide to Fair Treatment and Full Value.” “Unless there was some error that Priceline did, he’s not going to get out of it unfortunately.”

Priceline says it can offer low rates only because of its strict adherence to its policies, including no refunds.

There are deals to be had at Priceline, but it’s buyer beware. If you misunderstand a rule, remember there is no safety net.

No matter how much trouble you get into, Capt. Kirk’s not coming to the rescue, and Scotty’s not beaming you up.

Contact James Gilden at www.theinternettraveler.com.