If United Airlines convinces you to cancel your flight, can it keep your money?
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.
MICHELLE COUCH-FRIEDMAN
Michelle Couch-Friedman is an author and consumer advocate. She is the founder of Consumer Rescue. Michelle has successfully mediated thousands of problems for troubled travelers and other consumers during her career as an advocate.
Why did United Airlines call me a no-show and cancel my return flight?
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?
My rental car was towed after an accident — now it’s missing!
Traveling through the mountains of Colorado at dusk during a snowstorm, Annoris Perez suddenly lost control of her rental car. She was shaken but unharmed. The vehicle? Not so lucky. The rental car was towed from the accident scene, and she assumed she was no longer responsible for it.
She was wrong.
Weeks later, when the rental company called asking for its missing vehicle, Annoris found out just how wrong. Now, she needs our team’s help to determine what happened to her rental car after the driver towed it away.
This hotel just hit me with $500 in fake charges. Help!
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.
Can Princess Cruises really limit me to 15 booze drinks per day? Help!
If you buy an unlimited alcoholic beverage package from your cruise line, can it change the terms later? That’s what Joan Barret wants to know.
My Las Vegas Airbnb rental was a gamble I lost. Can you help?
When Mary Scholtz planned a trip to Las Vegas, she was not anticipating that her biggest gamble would be on her Airbnb rental. Unfortunately, this thoroughly unsatisfactory illegal Airbnb rental was anything but a winner, and now Mary wants a complete refund. Can we help?
A thief stole my passport, and I missed my cruise! Will insurance cover this?
If a thief clobbers you and steals your passport, causing you to miss your cruise, shouldn’t insurance cover your loss?
An Airbnb hacker took a vacation using my money! Can you help me?
An Airbnb hacker spent a month in Malaysia using Laura Ward’s name, account, and stored credit card. Now, after a failed chargeback, Laura wants to know how this happened and why she’s being held responsible.
This is how an expired green card created her worst travel nightmare
What’s the worst nightmare that could happen if you land in Mexico with expired travel documents? Kush Kanna’s wife recently found out in a most unpleasant way. She thought she was heading for a relaxing tropical vacation in Costa Rica with her family. Instead, she ended up detained in Mexico after authorities rejected her expired green card and Indian passport.
Now Kush wants to know who will pay for this awful travel nightmare.
Hint: He isn’t going to like the answer.
If you’re about to travel internationally, take heed. Customs and immigration agents abroad will not overlook expiration dates on your travel documents, so you shouldn’t either.
This simple passport mistake ended in a $17,766 travel disaster. Here’s how
Ted Kelly says his wife made a simple passport mistake last year that snowballed into a $17,766 travel disaster.
The couple had never heard of the Schengen area or its passport requirements for U.S. citizens. However, when they attempted to check in for their business-class flight to Italy, a Lufthansa representative quickly explained the facts. Ted’s wife’s passport didn’t have the required 90-day validity from their return date, and the airline denied boarding to the couple.
