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Fiascos and Fixes
Consumer reporter and ombudsman columnist
Since January 8, 2025, United States citizens need an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to visit Great Britain. The ETA costs about $13, and the online application process is fairly simple. But like lightning, scammers have hit the internet, with official-looking websites aimed at victimizing unaware ETA-seekers.
Would Hertz accuse a customer of completely ruining a rental car even if it was returned in perfect condition? According to Darleen Brazoban, the answer is yes.
Brazoban says she drove a Hertz vehicle for four days last November without even the hint of a problem. When she returned the rental car to the Nashville Airport, an employee inspected it with her. He noted no damage, handed her a receipt, and Brazoban was on her way.
…On her way to big rental car problems, that is, but she didn’t know that yet.
After United Airlines canceled Tamra McIntyre’s flight home from Iceland, she requested EU 261 compensation – around $622. In response, the airline “awarded” her just 8,000 United Airlines Mileage Plus points, the equivalent of about $108.
Final answer, says United Airlines.
McIntyre, unwilling to accept that answer asked the Consumer Rescue advocacy team to investigate. United Airlines says her flight cancellation doesn’t qualify for EU 261 compensation. She says it does.
Who’s right? You’re about to find out.
If you hate your next shore excursion and the cruise line refuses your refund request, don’t expect a credit card dispute to save the day. It won’t. Joseph Campo can tell you.
After a salmon-fishing excursion in Alaska went all wrong, Campo asked Princess Cruises for his money back. When that didn’t happen, he filed a chargeback with his credit card company — and won. So he assumed that settled the matter.
It didn’t. Not even close.
There’s a new scam coming to your home phone. Aggressive, fake customer service agents are on duty, demanding payment for Keto supplements you didn’t order.
I learned about this bizarre scam firsthand when a pushy, fast-talking woman called me to deliver an ultimatum. She told me that her company, Keto Supplements, wanted me to pay for the diet pills they’d sent me. If I didn’t give her a valid credit card immediately, she said, I would regret it.
Don’t make the passport mistake these Princess cruise ship passengers made. You’re in the danger zone if your passport has less than six months left before it expires.
American Airlines left Brooke Krukenberg and 24 family members stranded in North Carolina after canceling their flight home to Iowa. As the group scrambled to find alternative transportation, airline agents assured the displaced passengers their refunds were on the way.
Krukenberg calculated that American Airlines owed each family member $250 for the canceled flight – around $5,600. That refund factored into the group’s plans as they booked rental cars and hotels for the unexpected 18-hour road trip back home. Here’s what happened next.
I love traditions. One of my favorite family traditions is the annual road trip I take with my two daughters and a couple of their friends every summer. That’s when I load up the minivan with these four teenagers and all their “necessities” to hit the open road looking for adventure (and plenty of Hampton Inn waffles and takeout pizza).
I call it the “Endless Road Trip.”
Like every savvy traveler, Kathy Mason inspected her recent rental car very carefully before driving it off the lot. The vehicle had no visible damage, and she says she returned it in the same condition just two days later. So it was a surprise when Enterprise sent her a $775 repair bill – two months after the rental was over.
But even more surprising than the repair bill was who Enterprise believed was responsible for damaging “things” inside the rental car. In an official incident report, “Mickey Mouse” is named as the alleged suspect.
Christian Forthomme made a critical, but common error while booking a round-trip business-class flight to Paris for his wife. After asking Google for United Airlines customer service, he called the first number that popped up in the search results. Instead of reaching the airline, he dialed right into a scam call center where a fake UA agent was waiting. That fraudster easily booked the ticket and charged the unaware Forthomme a whopping $1,750 service fee for her efforts.
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© 2025 Consumer Rescue / Michelle Couch-Friedman
