BUYERS REMORSE

Unfortunately, many travelers come down with buyer’s remorse after making large impulsive purchases while on vacation. Our advocacy team receives many complaints each year from troubled consumers who come down with post-vacation regret after buying a timeshare, jewelry, or other high-ticket items while on a cruise or land trip abroad.

The ultimate guide to planning a cruise, expert cruise guidance, what cruisers need to know about planning a cruise, taking a cruise guide, Michelle Couch-Friedman cruise fiasco expert

Planning a cruise in 2024? Here’s your guide to avoiding common mistakes

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Over the years, I’ve mediated hundreds of requests for help from distressed cruise line passengers. Many of these cruise fiascos were the result of passenger mistakes and could have been avoided by following some simple guidelines. With wave season just beginning, now is the perfect time to review Consumer Rescue’s ultimate guide to planning a cruise.

Here’s all the information you need to know about planning and taking a cruise.

Travel club in Mexico, blue ocean and green palm trees with boats on the water

Post-vacation regret: Here’s why you should never impulsively join a travel club

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By all accounts, Sabrina Cousins’ trip to Puerto Vallarta was amazing. She had such a wonderful time that she ended her stay by purchasing an expensive Palladium Travel Club membership. But back home, Cousins quickly came down with a terrible case of post-vacation regret. And she wants us to help pull her out of the travel club mess into which she and her husband find themselves.

But is that possible?

Cousins is just one of a long string of consumers who contact our advocacy team in a panic after returning from vacation with an unplanned timeshare or travel club contract in hand. She discovered, just like the others before her, that these agreements are easy to sign, but breaking them isn’t.

Cruise passenger says Diamonds International convinced her to buy an expensive diamond she doesn't want. Traveler has extreme buyer's remorse.

Could you be convinced to buy a $19,800 diamond on your Caribbean cruise?

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Kathy Hoffath says she was convinced to buy a $16,000 diamond at Diamonds International during her Royal Caribbean cruise. Unhappy with that diamond, she exchanged it for a larger, more expensive one in Cozumel. But when she got home, Kathy realized she didn’t want that bigger, more expensive diamond either.

In fact, she didn’t want any diamond at all.

No, United Airlines will not refund your business class upgrade after you take the trip. So why is this passenger asking?

This United Airlines business class upgrade wasn’t worth $999. I want my money back!

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It’s not likely that any airline would refund a business class upgrade after a passenger completes the trip. But that’s precisely what Juli Talec says an employee of United Airlines promised to do before her recent upgrade.

Juli insists that she never intended to pay to boost her seat into the elite section of the aircraft. So why did she sign a credit card receipt for the business class upgrade at the United Airlines check-in counter?

That’s the $999 question of the day.

This cruise ship passenger says he was forced to buy jewelry during his cruise. Here's a warning for consumers.

You should not buy jewelry during your cruise! This is why

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Should you ever buy jewelry on a cruise? Well, if you’re Charles Onufer, the answer is no. But he came home from his last Regent cruise with over $9,500 of unwanted gems from Diamonds International. He says that during a port stop in Mexico, salespeople intimidated him into buying all of that unwanted jewelry. The jeweler says no such hard sell occurred and that this is a simple case of buyer’s remorse.

Is there a way to fix this cruise fiasco?