MICHELLE COUCH-FRIEDMAN - Page 27 of 29

This passenger made a big mistake bidding on a business class upgrade.

This business class upgrade was a big mistake. I want a refund!

October 14, 2025September 4, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

What if you snagged an international business class upgrade for just $400, but later found out that figure was a mistake? Steven Schmidt says that’s exactly what happened to him and his wife. She won a bid for a comfy business class upgrade on a flight from Chicago to Vienna. But once they returned from their trip, the couple suffered a severe case of sticker shock. The actual cost of the upgrade: $3,400.

Steven says the mistake over the cost of the business class upgrade originated with the airline. And he wants our advocacy team to join him in a crusade to obtain a refund. But is that something we can do?

This Airbnb guest just had the worst experience ever. This shared space rental was a true nightmare.

Is this the worst Airbnb stay ever?!

August 27, 2025September 3, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Lee Smith believes she just had the worst Airbnb experience ever. And after you hear — and see — what she (and her cat) endured during the past month, I think you might agree.

Her tale is a harsh reminder of the risky nature of shared-space rentals. Smith assumed the Airbnb host had properly vetted the man with whom she would be sharing an apartment. Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

This is why you should never say you've been nearly killed in an inflight accident when you haven't.

Never claim to be nearly killed by an inflight injury if you weren’t. This is why

November 27, 2023September 3, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Mai Le says that an in-flight injury on Hawaiian Airlines nearly put an end to her life. Now she’s asking our advocacy team to force the airline to pay her medical bills and other compensation. But the evidence of her near-fatal accident might just be the end of this complaint.

Mai’s tale is an example of what happens when a traveler overshoots the mark with a complaint. We know that often companies will go out of their way to respond to a customer’s valid problem. But the opposite is also true. When a passenger wildly exaggerates the details of an experience, their grievance might just get hit with the delete button.

This is everything you need to know about getting a refund from a bankrupt cruise line.

How to get a refund from a bankrupt cruise line

October 13, 2024September 2, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

If a cruise line goes bankrupt while holding a customer’s cash, does the money just go down with the ship?

This traveler made a passport mistake that ended with her in "jail." Here's how you can avoid this fait.

Welcome to Switzerland. Now you are going to jail!

August 30, 2025September 1, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Elena Pavlova just made the worst travel mistake of her life. Before setting off for her dream vacation to Europe, she neglected to check the entry requirements for Switzerland. Then she managed to board her Swiss Air International flight (SWISS) to Zurich with an invalid passport for her itinerary to the Schengen area. Not surprisingly, her vacation plans came to a screeching halt when she landed. She was denied entry and border police took her into custody.

Now Pavlova is asking why SWISS allowed her to board the plane with an invalid passport in the first place. And she’s demanding that the airline share the $3,000 cost of this travel mistake.

It’s critical to know and possess the required entry documents for your intended destination. If you don’t, you too may take an unpleasant international round-trip odyssey — no vacation and no refund included.

It is not possible to use a library card to fly internationally. So why did this passenger think she could?

No, it is not possible to fly internationally with a library card!

January 25, 2024August 31, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Elgy Gillespie was on her way to the airport for a trip to Ireland when she lost her passport. No problem, she thought. Having recently read an article that suggested she could fly with just a library card, she was confident that she could talk her way onboard her international flight.

But when a Norwegian Air Shuttle agent unequivocally denied her boarding without a passport, she was stunned by his lack of understanding.

Now she wants our advocacy team to intervene.

Elgy’s story serves as a warning not to believe everything you read online. It also is a reminder of the importance of ensuring that all of your required travel documents are firmly in hand before stepping up to the airport check-in counter.

Why did Norwegian Cruise Line force this couple to stay in their cabin for the entire cruise?

Norwegian Cruise Line made us stay inside our cabin for four days! Is this legal?

December 8, 2024August 30, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Norwegian Cruise Line forced a triple-vaccinated husband and wife to stay inside their cabin without reprieve for four days. And when the ship finally returned to New York, two burly NCL crew members inexplicably continued to prevent the couple’s escape. How is this possible? That’s what the bewildered COVID-negative duo wants to know.

Kelly Cotto and her husband had never taken a cruise before their bizarre experience. But after what they endured aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Gem, they likely never will again.

This Royal Caribbean passenger bid on an upgrade so how did he end up with a $4,200 downgrade?

Royal Caribbean accepted my $4,200 upgrade bid for a downgraded cabin

May 31, 2023August 29, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Royal Caribbean offered Stan Fernald and his wife the opportunity to bid on an upgraded cabin for their upcoming cruise. So they did. Then just days before the Liberty of the Seas set sail, the cruise line accepted their $4,200 RoyalUp bid. But this wasn’t welcome news for the couple. Not at all. By that time, they had paid Royal Caribbean thousands of dollars to switch to one of the largest suites onboard the ship.

The cabin Royal Caribbean awarded the couple through RoyalUp was actually a RoyalDown.

These friends took a cruise without their luggage. How did this happen?

My luggage went missing on the way to the cruise. I want a full refund!

September 12, 2023August 28, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

If your luggage goes missing on the way to your cruise, should you get a full refund? Pamela Shane thinks so. She says her pre-cruise hotel failed to deliver her suitcase to the dock in time for the ship’s departure. Now she wants $7,000 in compensation for the mistake that left her without her own clothes for the entire cruise.

But wait! There’s a plot twist here. The hotel says it doesn’t even offer such a luggage delivery service.

Carnival denied boarding of the Mardi Gras cruise ship to this passenger by mistake.

My Carnival cruise ended at the pier! Why was I denied boarding?

February 17, 2024August 28, 2022 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Stephen Delisle is a seasoned traveler with a proven track record of successfully navigating the globe – even during the pandemic. But Carnival Cruise Line put an end to that success streak. His family planned to celebrate Thanksgiving aboard Carnival’s newest ship, the Mardi Gras. Unfortunately, they never made it past the pier on the day of embarkation. That’s where Delisle was summarily denied boarding the cruise by the boat’s medical personnel.

Delisle says the crew members made an awful mistake when they refused to let him board the Mardi Gras. That error caused his family to miss their much-anticipated Carnival cruise.

To add insult to injury, Carnival firmly rejected Delisle’s refund request for the missed cruise. Now he’s asking us for help. He wants our advocacy team to properly investigate and prove this was the cruise line’s mistake, not his.

Can we do it?

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