MICHELLE COUCH-FRIEDMAN - Page 26 of 27

Why did NCL cancel this cruise and refuse the passenger's refund?

Can the cruise line cancel my trip and keep my refund?!

December 7, 2024August 17, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

The pandemic hit the cruise industry hard — that’s for sure. But did that global event change the refund rules for the cruise lines? Can a cruise line really cancel your trip and also refuse your refund request?

Of course, the answer to that question is “no.” But Elizabeth Ramirez says that’s exactly what NCL did to her — canceled her cruise and kept all her money.

Now Ramirez is asking our advocacy team to investigate and retrieve $7,300 from Norwegian Cruise Line.

Consumer alert about the fake job scam on LinkedIn, Zelle job scam, scammers lurking on LinkedIn offering jobs that don't exist.

How a fake job scam on LinkedIn cost a college student $9,000

March 20, 2025August 9, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Could you fall for a fake job scam?

If you’re like Sam Erin, you probably answered “no!” She’s a college-educated young adult who was sure she knew how to spot a con game. That is until a phony employment crime ring preyed on her naivety and stole nearly $9,000 from her.

Now, after draining her bank account, the scammers have vanished, leaving Erin jobless and cashless. She’s hoping our advocacy team can help. But how?

If a stranger sends you money, should you keep it? This Zelle user wishes he had.

Surprise! A stranger just sent money to you through Zelle. Now what?

January 7, 2025August 9, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

If a stranger sends you money by mistake, do you have any obligation to give it back? If so, how do you do it without exposing yourself to a scam? And if you transfer money to the wrong person using Zelle, is there any possible way to fix your mistake?

These are not uncommon dilemmas faced by users of cash apps like Zelle and Venmo in 2022. Along with the increasing popularity and convenience of instant money transfer services came a dramatic rise in pricey user errors. Unfortunately, our attempts to investigate and resolve many of these cases have exposed some disturbing flaws in the programs.

Minh Tran is just one of the many desperate Zelle users who’ve recently asked our team for help. In his case, a stranger’s mistake set off a frustrating and confusing chain of events that almost cost him $360.

Zelle mistakes, Zelle errors. Sending money to the wrong person by mistake with the Zelle app. Fixing Zelle problems.

What can you do if you sent money to a stranger by mistake?

June 19, 2025August 8, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

What if you sent $500 to the wrong person by mistake and that person refused to give back your money? That’s the shocking situation in which Rossin Asilo recently found herself.

Using the money transfer app Zelle for the first time, Asilo made a simple typo entering her friend’s phone number. That error dropped the cash intended for a memorial donation into the wrong person’s bank account. Unfortunately, that stranger appears to view the transaction as a $500 windfall and will not return the money.

Now Asilo is hoping that our advocacy team can find a way to get her money back. But that request might just prove to be an impossible task.

Don't fall for this vacation rental scam -- never use Zelle to pay.

How to easily lose $500 to a vacation rental scam? Pay with Zelle

June 8, 2025July 29, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Falling for a vacation rental scam surely is not at the top of your list of things to do this summer. It certainly wasn’t in Don Boyk’s plans. But that’s exactly what happened when a thief disguised as a Vrbo host persuaded him to send a $500 deposit via Zelle.

His cash was soon in the hands of the scammer and Vrbo informed him the listing was fraudulent.

Now Don hopes we can find a way to save him from this vacation rental scam and retrieve his money.

But if a consumer uses Zelle to send cash to a stranger, is there any way to get it back?

Buyer's remorse is not a valid reason to report a credit card charge as fraudulent. This is why

This is why you should never dispute a valid credit card charge

May 31, 2025July 27, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Warning: Buyer’s remorse is never a valid reason to report a credit card charge as fraudulent. But that’s exactly what Philip Paul did when he came down with the post-purchase blues after he bought a vacation club membership. Now he wants to know if our advocacy team can help unravel this mess.

This is Consumer Rescue's guide to filing a credit card dispute -- the right way.

Credit card disputes: Everything you need to know before you file one

June 19, 2025July 25, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Many frustrated consumers file credit card disputes hoping to fast-track refunds from resistant companies. That’s often a mistake they end up regretting as it only digs them into a deeper problem.

Why Did Hertz put this customer on the Do Not Rent List?

How can I get off of the Do Not Rent list?! This isn’t my mistake

June 19, 2025July 22, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Heather Steele just landed on the Do Not Rent list of her favorite car rental company — Hertz. She says she’s been a great customer of Hertz for many years and the banishment has her flabbergasted. But a dispute over a prepaid car rental refund sent her account to collections and earned her a spot on the blacklist.

Now Steele is asking our advocacy team to step in and clear her name. She wants to be removed from the Do Not Rent list and have Hertz return her account to good standing.

Can we do it?

Can you get banned from Facebook permanently? The answer is yes and this article explains how it can happen.

You can get banned from Facebook — permanently. This is how

June 26, 2025July 21, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Can you get banned from Facebook forever? The answer is most certainly “yes.”

Jason Birch just found this out the hard way. The social media giant won’t tell him why he’s permanently banished, but Birch thinks he knows where he went wrong. He says he’s learned from his “little” mistake and would like Facebook to lift the ban and accept his apology. And he’s not prepared to take no for an answer.

But is there any way back into the Facebook community after you’ve been banned?

Why does this Airbnb host have so many problems with his shared space rental in London?

I didn’t want a shared space Airbnb rental! How did I get one?

August 21, 2024July 15, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

It’s easy to find a shared space Airbnb rental if that’s what you’re looking for. Each one is clearly labeled and it’s difficult to book a shared space property by mistake. So that’s what makes Maxim Belyayev’s recent Airbnb experience so unusual.

He used the listing giant to book a private condo in London for his upcoming vacation. But when the Airbnb host sent the house rules, it sounded more like a youth hostel than a $3,668 luxury apartment. A follow-up message made it clear that Maxim would be sharing the common space in the Airbnb rental with strangers.

Maxim immediately canceled the unwanted shared space rental, and the Airbnb host just as quickly rejected his refund request.

Now Maxim hopes that we can get his money back. He believes this Airbnb host is a scammer. And if you’re a regular reader of my column, I suspect you’ll soon agree with him.

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