To add something contrary to this, i had the opposite experience. I had to cancel a flight/hotel booking at short notice because I couldn't go. They said normally they charge for that but this time would let me do it free. Replies were fast and prompt at awkward times of day etc.
I have experienced pretty good customer experience with Expedia as well. However we're not talking about the end customers here but rather the suppliers (of services).
I wouldn't want to use a company (no matter how good they are) who have been known for crushing smaller players to maximize their bottom line.
