Welcome to Consumer Rescue
Your Fiasco Fixer
The Consumer Rescue advocacy team resolves problems between consumers and the businesses that they patronize. We do this via direct mediation with companies — always free of charge.
These articles are the highlighted tales of our efforts to defend, protect, and educate consumers. Michelle Couch-Friedman is a consumer advocate, reporter and ombudsman columnist. She is also the founder of Consumer Rescue.
Whether a frequent or occasional traveler, you can benefit from expedited services that reduce your wait time at security or customs and immigration. There are three distinctly different programs that complement one another — Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, and CLEAR.
Here’s everything you need to know about these programs so you can decide which is right for you.
Elisa Boyd says her experience at a hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona, has been the most embarrassing of her life. This story begins with two friends on a relaxing desert getaway. But it ends with a mortifying accusation by W Hotel employees and a giant post-stay credit card charge.
Now Elisa wants her name cleared and her money returned.
Elisa’s experience is one more to add to the file of hotel guests blindsided by unexpected and dubious post-stay fees. And it serves as a reminder to make sure to leave your room in the same condition you found it. Otherwise, you might find yourself with hefty and embarrassing charges on your hotel bill — and no way to defend yourself.
Danger could be lurking at the pumps of your local gas station in the form of a tiny card skimmer. These small, almost invisible devices quickly retrieve and store all of your card’s information as you make your payment. Then the “owner” of this illegal apparatus uses that data to extract whatever funds he can from your account.
Sylvia Powers wishes someone had warned her about gas station skimmers before she swiped her prepaid American Express Bluebird debit card at the pumps. Unfortunately, her education on the topic came in the most unpleasant way – after a skimming device drained all her money from her Bluebird card. But she assumed that American Express would protect her against this fraud.
She assumed wrong.
SSSS — behold the four letters that you don’t ever want to see on your boarding pass. If you find the Secondary Security Screening Selection — SSSS stamp on your ticket, you should know that the TSA agents will be treating you to an extra-special and in-depth security screening.
Lucky you! But what does it mean and what can you do to avoid it?
Bonnie Orlin doesn’t know the two people who used her stolen American Airlines miles to travel around the world. But, she says, the airline promised to restore the hacked miles to her account. However, nearly a year later, her 120,000 miles are still missing.
Is this case hopeless?
Sara Hernadez recently found something critical missing from the all-inclusive resort she booked on Priceline: the inclusive part. After booking the Sheraton Buganvilias All-Inclusive Resort in Puerto Vallarta, she received a confirmation for the Sheraton Buganvilias Convention Center. Her rate included a room — but nothing more.
Now Sara wants Priceline to confirm her reservation for an all-inclusive vacation, as advertised. So why is the company blaming the problem on her?
If you get involuntarily removed from a cruise halfway around the world, does the cruise line owe you compensation?
William Coats believes so. Holland America booted him and his wife from the Westerdam in Korea just days into their 14-day cruise. As a result, they’re out thousands of dollars and he wants the cruise line to pay.
If an airline convinces you to cancel your flight during a pandemic, does it get to keep your money? That’s what Lon Allan wants to know.
Bernadine Fong has a strange story to tell. United Airlines called her a no-show for a flight to San Francisco that she flew. As a result, when she tried to fly back home, the airline informed a stunned Bernadine that it had canceled her return flight.
Can we figure out what’s going on here?
Could a hotel charge you for fake damage long after you’ve checked out? By the looks of our advocacy team’s files, it seems so.
Imagine this. You’re suffering from a terminal illness and hope to experience some adventures while you’re still able to enjoy them. But then, the COVID pandemic comes along and throws a wrench into your plans. After nearly a year of waiting, things seem to be subsiding, so you take off for a short vacation with your family. Unfortunately, an opportunistic hotel manager has been waiting, too — for unsuspecting guests to hit with hefty fake charges.
What would you do if it happened to you? Give up, or fight back?
If you’re Sherry LaSalle, you choose to fight back — with help from our consumer advocacy team.
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© 2026 Consumer Rescue / Michelle Couch-Friedman