I, too, am having a very sour, unpleasant experience w/ Priceline.com!!
I went to use their site in July 2001, on recommendation by a family member.
I performed a couple of inquiries that were rejected, then placed a bid on a economy rental car for $36/day. It was accepted, but that's not what I wanted and had no way to cancel. I left the site and booked a vehicle reservation through another site.
One month later - I was billed for the priceline inquiry - even though I never rented the car. I'm still trying to dispute the transaction and get the $367 removed from my credit card, but priceline sent my credit card company a statement that states "customer agreed that the transaction is non-refundable/non-changable."
PRICELINE.COM operates on very unscrupulous business principles. I will NEVER use their "baitline.com" service again. And I want my money back for a product I NEVER USED !!!!!