MICHELLE COUCH-FRIEDMAN - Page 16 of 27

Baby was denied boarding international flight because the mom didn't know she needed a passport. This is a cautionary tale that babies need passports too.

Our baby was denied boarding our international flight. Whose fault is this?

June 12, 2024December 28, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Yes, your baby needs a passport to fly internationally, just like you do. Otherwise, your little tot will be denied boarding their flight just like any other passenger who doesn’t have the required documents for international travel.

Aly Meyer wishes someone had given her this critical information before her family arrived at the airport ready for their tropical vacation. That’s when an airline employee broke the bad news that without a passport, the baby was being denied boarding the international flight. As a result, instead of flying to Mexico, the family headed right back home.

What to do if American Airlines vouchers expired.

My $7,762 American Airlines flight credit expired! Can I get it back?

February 14, 2024December 26, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Tom Suminski intended to redeem his stockpile of $7,762 American Airlines flight credit for a Hawaiian vacation. But he says an airline representative gave him faulty redemption instructions that led the vouchers to expire right under his nose.

The entire $7,762.

That put the family’s tropical dreams in jeopardy. Tom hopes we can convince American Airlines to reinstate his flight credit. But is this just a lost cause?

Is Santa real? Macy's asked the question, and this consumer asked for the answer to be hidden.

Why is Santa Claus the target of this Macy’s customer’s anger?

April 15, 2023December 22, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Yes, Jeff, there is a Santa Claus.

And Macy’s can prove it.

Editor’s note: I wrote nearly 400 articles to promote and support the nonprofit Elliott Advocacy for over half a decade. This is the very first article I wrote and published there in December 2016.

Home Depot pre-lit Christmas tree replacement. Home Depot saves Christmas. Consumer Advocacy.

Will Home Depot save our family’s Christmas? This pre-lit tree is a dud

April 24, 2024December 21, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Home Depot sold Marcea Cazel a beautiful 7-foot pre-lit Christmas tree with an extended warranty two years ago. The family loved the tree’s realistic look and soft twinkling lights and hoped to enjoy it for years to come. Unfortunately, the tree turned out to be a dud.

Last year, the family spent hours placing sentimental ornaments on their tree and reminiscing about each one. After the decorating was complete, the family gathered around for the big reveal. To their great disappointment, when Marcea flipped the switch, the bottom of the pre-lit tree remained completely dark. Since that time, Marcea has repeatedly asked Home Depot to honor the warranty and replace the tree. But she still has a pre-lit tree that only lights up on top.

This article explains exactly why you shouldn't try to sell a flight voucher from American Airlines.

You should not try to sell your American Airlines vouchers. This is why

June 24, 2024December 19, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Attention all American Airlines passengers: If you have any flight vouchers stored away somewhere, don’t try to sell them. If you do, the airline might use high-tech security systems to catch you.

If you try it and American Airlines finds out, it will mark your vouchers stolen, leaving you with nothing.

This tale is a cautionary one for anyone considering skirting the terms of their American Airlines vouchers. There are many hacks out there advising travelers about how to make a profit on these bonuses. But much of that “guidance” overlooks an undeniable obstacle: almost every airline forbids this practice, and offering your vouchers for sale can cause them to become instantly worthless.

Airbnb host account hit by hackers. How did a hacker steal $34,250 from an Airbnb host ?

Hackers stole $34,250 from this Airbnb host. How did this happen?

March 15, 2023December 16, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Airbnb host Nancy Isa recently got a terrible shock when she discovered hackers had broken into her payout account. Unfortunately, by the time she noticed something was wrong, Airbnb had been making regular payments to the scammers – for five months.

In total, the hackers stole $34,250 from Nancy’s Airbnb host account.

Then things went from bad to worse. With all that money on the line, Nancy contacted the listing giant in a panic. She was hoping for some calming reassurance that all was not lost. Instead, Airbnb immediately locked the host out of her own account and then went radio silent.

That’s when Nancy reached out to the Consumer Rescue team. She’s hoping we can convince Airbnb to give back her access to her host account – and her $34,250.

But after six months, is that possible?

Can United Airlines give a voucher instead of a refund? United Airlines canceled the flight so where is this passenger's cash?

Can United Airlines really give me a voucher instead of a refund?!

September 14, 2024December 15, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

United Airlines canceled many flights early in the pandemic and routinely shoved vouchers instead of refunds at its disgruntled passengers. This unorthodox (and illegal) practice continued until the Department of Transportation put the brakes on it in April 2020.

Earlier that month, United Airlines canceled Michelle Noppenberger’s flight and automatically issued her a voucher instead of a refund. Over two years later, she’s still fuming about the situation and wants the airline to give her money back. And she’s asking our advocacy team to help her get it.

But after all this time, will United Airlines take back this unwanted voucher and refund her $1,764?

Let’s find out.

Here's why filing a sky-high damaged luggage claim will never work. Liability limitations via the Montreal Convention put a cap on what the airline will owe you if it ruins your bags.

You should not file a $16,000 damaged luggage claim. This is why

March 30, 2025December 13, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

After a flight from Mexico, Lynda Lebrock discovered that unidentified “goo” had damaged all three pieces of her luggage. She filed a claim and hoped the airline would quickly pay — all $16,000 of it.

As you probably guessed, things didn’t work out the way she hoped. The sky-high damaged luggage claim was swiftly rejected almost in its entirety. Now she’s asking our advocacy team for help. But can we?

Orbitz mistake, Orbitz canceled flight mistake, Orbitz mistake refund.

Orbitz canceled my flight by mistake. Am I stuck with the $3,400 bill?

February 21, 2023December 11, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

What if Orbitz made a mistake and canceled your return flight home from vacation, leaving you stranded abroad?

Lufthansa lost all of this passenger's luggage. Will Blue Ribbon Bags pay her claim? Lufthansa lost luggage problems, missing baggage sent abroad, WorldTracer locates lost bags, Blue Ribbon Bags lost luggage protection.

Lufthansa lost all my luggage! Will Blue Ribbon Bags help me?

March 6, 2024December 9, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Before her recent Lufthansa flight to Hamburg, Kate Griffin purchased a Platinum lost luggage protection plan from Blue Ribbon Bags. That plan provides a $1,500 lump payment if an insured bag goes missing and can’t be located within 96 hours.

So when she landed in Germany but her two suitcases didn’t, Kate figured she was covered. She quickly filed a lost luggage report with Lufthansa and Blue Ribbon Bags and then waited.

Those 96 hours came and went, but Lufthansa failed to locate her lost luggage. So why did Blue Ribbon reject her $3,000 claim for the two missing bags?

Subscribe For Latest Updates

Categories

Get Free Help

Legal