Complaint Review: HOTWIRE

I booked a rental car through Hotwire and used my Visa/Debit card to pay for the car rental. I live in Florida and had rented the car to drive to Birmingham,Al. When I got to Alamo to pick up the car I had not only reserved but also paid for in full, I was informed by the rental car agent that they do not accept payment with a debit card. They informed me that although Hotwire accepts debit cards that the rental car company would not.  The rental car company told me they could accept the card if I could show them my airline itinerary. I explained I would not be flying anywhere, that I was renting the car to drive to Birmingham. I called Hotwire and they explained that I could not cancel the reservation and my money could not be refunded. What a RIPOFF. If it had not been for the concerned car rental agent I would have simply been out of luck. The Alamo agent made a special exception due to my circumstances and worked things out so I could rent the car. I will never use Hotwire again. I booked a hotel reservations through them in October. My sister stayed in the same hotel on the same days and the hotel actually gave her a better rate than the "DEAL" we got through Hotwire. Basically HOTWIRE SUCKS!