Michelle Couch-Friedman

Chief Fiasco Fixer / Consumer reporter

Michelle Couch-Friedman is the Chief Fiasco Fixer and founder of Consumer Rescue. She is an award-winning journalist, consumer advocate, travel writer, mediator, and trained psychotherapist. Michelle is also the travel ombudsman columnist for The Points Guy, contributing author at Fodor's Travel and writes Tales from Consumer Advocacy Land, Consumer Rescue's newsletter read by thousands of subscribers each week. In 2026, NATJA awarded Michelle and Consumer Rescue the Silver Award in the Best Independent Travel Blog category in its annual competition celebrating excellence in journalism. Previously, she served as the executive director of the nonprofit Elliott Advocacy. During her six years managing all aspects of that organization from its inception until 2022, she resolved thousands of cases for troubled travelers and other consumers, earning hundreds of 5-star reviews on Great Nonprofits from those she helped. Michelle is a public speaker, and her expert guidance has been cited in the Washington Post, MarketWatch, Consumer Reports, Travel & Leisure, the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Popular Science, CNN, CNBC, Boston Globe, CBS News, National Geographic, Travel Weekly, Reader's Digest and more. You might even catch Michelle on TV reporting on a situation. :) Professionally, Michelle is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), and the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA). Today, she continues to spend as much time as possible fiercely defending consumers and traveling the world. Contact her at Michelle Couch-Friedman or on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook. You can also check out Consumer Rescue's "What's your Problem?" Facebook group to get quick answers to your consumer questions.

Azamara made a pricing mistake with this traveler's cruise-- a big one. Does it have to honor it? This passenger thinks so.

If a cruise line makes a big pricing mistake, should you book it?

May 11, 2026September 4, 2022

If a cruise line makes a huge pricing mistake, is it required to honor it?

Patrick Gendron thinks so. He recently found an incredible deal for a suite on a 10-night cruise through the Mediterranean on Azamara’s Pursuit. So he quickly booked and paid for not one, but two suites. But the cruise line soon slammed him back into reality — the deal was a $30,000 pricing mistake. And the erroneous rate would not be honored for this cruise. Now what?

This passenger made a big mistake bidding on a business class upgrade.

This business class upgrade was a big mistake. I want a refund!

May 11, 2026September 4, 2022

What if you snagged an international business class upgrade for just $400, but later found out that figure was a mistake? Steven Schmidt says that’s exactly what happened to him and his wife. She won a bid for a comfy business class upgrade on a flight from Chicago to Vienna. But once they returned from their trip, the couple suffered a severe case of sticker shock. The actual cost of the upgrade: $3,400.

Steven says the mistake over the cost of the business class upgrade originated with the airline. And he wants our advocacy team to join him in a crusade to obtain a refund. But is that something we can do?

This Airbnb guest just had the worst experience ever. This shared space rental was a true nightmare.

Is this the worst Airbnb stay ever?!

June 7, 2026September 3, 2022

Lee Smith believes she just had the worst Airbnb experience ever. And after you hear — and see — what she (and her cat) endured during the past month, I think you might agree.

Her tale is a harsh reminder of the risky nature of shared-space rentals. Smith assumed the Airbnb host had properly vetted the man with whom she would be sharing an apartment. Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

This is why you should never say you've been nearly killed in an inflight accident when you haven't.

Never claim to be nearly killed by an inflight injury if you weren’t. This is why

March 19, 2026September 3, 2022

Mai Le says that an in-flight injury on Hawaiian Airlines nearly put an end to her life. Now she’s asking our advocacy team to force the airline to pay her medical bills and other compensation. But the evidence of her near-fatal accident might just be the end of this complaint.

Mai’s tale is an example of what happens when a traveler overshoots the mark with a complaint. We know that often companies will go out of their way to respond to a customer’s valid problem. But the opposite is also true. When a passenger wildly exaggerates the details of an experience, their grievance might just get hit with the delete button.

This is everything you need to know about getting a refund from a bankrupt cruise line.

How to get a refund from a bankrupt cruise line

July 9, 2026September 2, 2022

If a cruise line goes bankrupt while holding a customer’s cash, does the money just go down with the ship?

This traveler made a passport mistake that ended with her in "jail." Here's how you can avoid this fait.

Welcome to Switzerland. Now you are going to jail!

September 11, 2026September 1, 2022

Elena Pavlova just made the worst travel mistake of her life. Before setting off for her dream vacation to Europe, she neglected to check the entry requirements for Switzerland. Then she managed to board her Swiss Air International flight (SWISS) to Zurich with an invalid passport for her itinerary to the Schengen area. Not surprisingly, her vacation plans came to a screeching halt when she landed. She was denied entry and border police took her into custody.

Now Pavlova is asking why SWISS allowed her to board the plane with an invalid passport in the first place. And she’s demanding that the airline share the $3,000 cost of this travel mistake.

It’s critical to know and possess the required entry documents for your intended destination. If you don’t, you too may take an unpleasant international round-trip odyssey — no vacation and no refund included.

It is not possible to use a library card to fly internationally. So why did this passenger think she could?

No, it is not possible to fly internationally with a library card!

March 14, 2026August 31, 2022

Elgy Gillespie was on her way to the airport for a trip to Ireland when she lost her passport. No problem, she thought. Having recently read an article that suggested she could fly with just a library card, she was confident that she could talk her way onboard her international flight.

But when a Norwegian Air Shuttle agent unequivocally denied her boarding without a passport, she was stunned by his lack of understanding.

Now she wants our advocacy team to intervene.

Elgy’s story serves as a warning not to believe everything you read online. It also is a reminder of the importance of ensuring that all of your required travel documents are firmly in hand before stepping up to the airport check-in counter.

If you lose your passport on your flight, you could end up in jail. This passenger found out the hard way.

I lost my passport on my flight and ended up in jail!

June 23, 2026August 31, 2022

At some point during her international flight from New York to Madrid, Alberta Chen lost her passport. As a result, she ended up at the immigration window in Spain with no passport to show to the officers. What happened next was a traveler’s worst nightmare. Chen was taken from the airport, placed in detention overnight and then deported back to the United States the following day.

Now she wants to know how she can get a $2,400 refund for this vacation fiasco.

Alberta’s distressing misadventure underscores the importance of safeguarding your passport and other travel documents at all times. If you don’t, you might find yourself in a similar predicament on an express round-trip international journey — no sightseeing included.

This couple's honeymoon ended in disaster at the airport. Whose fault is this and can we help?

My honeymoon ended in disaster at the airport! Who owes me $7,000?

July 24, 2026August 31, 2022

Daniela Jedlicki’s honeymoon recently ended in disaster before it even began. She says a series of mistakes caused the couple to be denied boarding their honeymoon flight to Turks and Caicos. Jedlicki blames both her booking agent and insurance company for those errors.

Now she’s asking our team to find out who owes her $7,000 for this honeymoon disaster.

Unfortunately, the culprit of this travel fiasco is someone she never suspected.

Why did Norwegian Cruise Line force this couple to stay in their cabin for the entire cruise?

Norwegian Cruise Line made us stay inside our cabin for four days! Is this legal?

August 3, 2026August 30, 2022

Norwegian Cruise Line forced a triple-vaccinated husband and wife to stay inside their cabin without reprieve for four days. And when the ship finally returned to New York, two burly NCL crew members inexplicably continued to prevent the couple’s escape. How is this possible? That’s what the bewildered COVID-negative duo wants to know.

Kelly Cotto and her husband had never taken a cruise before their bizarre experience. But after what they endured aboard Norwegian Gem, they likely never will again.

Michelle Couch-Friedman

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