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Michelle Couch-Friedman

Michelle Couch-Friedman is the founder and CEO of Consumer Rescue. She is a consumer advocate, ombudsman columnist, mediator, writer, and licensed psychotherapist. Michelle is a public speaker, and her expert guidance has been cited in Consumer Reports, Travel & Leisure, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Popular Science, CNN, CNBC, National Geographic, Travel Weekly, Reader's Digest and more. You might even catch Michelle on tv helping fix a situation. :) Michelle is also the travel ombudsman columnist for The Points Guy and is the former executive director of the nonprofit Elliott Advocacy. During her six years in that position, she resolved thousands of cases for troubled travelers and other consumers. You can read hundreds of 5-star reviews Michelle earned during her service to the nonprofit since 2016 here on Great Nonprofits. Today, she continues to spend as much time as possible fiercely defending consumers and traveling the world with her family. Contact her at Michelle Couch-Friedman or on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook.
This is what American Airlines owes you if it cancels your flight.

What does American Airlines really owe you if it cancels your flight?

If American Airlines delays or cancels your flight home from vacation, what does it really owe you?

That’s what Mikayla Shade wants to know after finding herself in this unfortunate situation. She says an American Airlines agent told her that when the airline cancels a flight, the passenger will receive a full refund. Mikayla used that guidance to determine her budget for a new flight home. It wasn’t until American Airlines processed her “full refund” that she discovered she’d relied on incorrect guidance from the agent.

Now Mikayla wants our team to ask American Airlines to provide what its representative promised her.

MSC Divina left several passengers behind in Cozumel. Can they get a refund?

My MSC cruise ship left me behind in Mexico! Will I get a refund?

During her recent cruise, Natalie Durflinger got a terrible shock when the ship left her behind in Mexico. She says the MSC Divina weighed anchor nearly 5 hours ahead of schedule, stranding her in only a bathing suit and flip-flops. Now she’s asking the cruise line to explain how this happened and to refund the vacation she missed when the ship sailed away without her. 

But did MSC allow its cruise ship to sail away without warning leaving its passengers abandoned in a foreign country? That’s the question of the day.

7 Simple ways to get excellent customer service and fix your consumer problem.

7 simple ways to get excellent customer service and fix any problem!

It isn’t just wishful thinking to say that every consumer can get excellent customer service. But it does take some effort and strategy.

During my many years as a consumer advocate, I’ve tackled some of the most shocking customer service failures imaginable. I’ve retrieved hundreds of thousands of dollars from companies for consumers who were on the verge of giving up.

What does United Airlines owe you during a flight delay? This is everything you need to know.

What does United Airlines owe you during a flight delay? (Hint: not $10,000)

What does United Airlines owe you after an extended flight delay? Joseph Baloun took a wild guess during his recent experience. A really wild guess. He calculated that United Airlines owed him $10,000 in future travel credit for an unpleasant 16-hour delay.

But does United Airlines owe him anything at all?

If you’ve ever wondered what you can and can’t expect in compensation after an extended flight delay, then this article is for you. 

Did Royal Caribbean really let this passenger's enemy cancel her cruise?

Could Royal Caribbean really let your enemy cancel your cruise?

What if you had a newly minted enemy and Royal Caribbean allowed that person to cancel your cruise?

That’s what Rita Yates believes happened to her recently. When she called to make the final payment on her upcoming sailing, an RCCL agent explained that the cruise Rita intended to take to celebrate her 40th anniversary no longer existed. Assuming that the cancellation was another casualty of the pandemic, Rita asked why the cruise line hadn’t informed her sooner.

That’s when Royal Caribbean gave Rita an even bigger surprise: Explorer of the Seas would be sailing as scheduled. In fact, the RCCL representative explained, records showed Yates had canceled her own cruise – and forfeited her deposit.
Rita says she absolutely did not cancel her cruise, but she believes she knows the troublemaker who did. Now, with Royal Caribbean unwilling to refund her deposit or reinstate the voyage, she’s asking for help.

But with police reports, lawsuits, and other threats being tossed about, that might be a lofty request for a consumer advocate.

Why did PayPal let this hacker make a PayPal Key for this customer?

How did a hacker get into my PayPal account?

A few days before Christmas, Robin Shermon was shocked to learn about the PayPal Key in the most terrible way. That’s when she found that a hacker had created a PayPal Key for her and made a $2,000 purchase using her cash.

Now Shermon hopes that our advocacy team can get her hard-earned money back.