Welcome to Consumer Rescue
Your Fiasco Fixer
Consumer Rescue’s tagline is Fiascos and Fixes, and that’s because we receive tons of requests for help solving mishaps that travelers have encountered during a vacation. These tales are the most dramatic of the bunch and contain tips and guidance so that you can avoid a similar vacation fiasco.
When Ebola broke out last May in Uganda, Isador Lieberman immediately canceled his upcoming KLM flight to Entebbe. He says a KLM agent assured him that, under the circumstances, the airline would refund his nonrefundable $9,188 ticket.
But two months later, KLM gave Lieberman a new assurance — it only owed him $146 for the flight he canceled.
As a consumer advocate who has reviewed, investigated and resolved thousands of problems during the past decade, I know there is a right way — and a wrong way — to write an effective complaint letter. The most effective way to get the outcome you’re hoping for is to keep your message cordial, concise and clear.
To help you do that on your next problem-solving mission, I’ve created a free letter-writing template for you — and some sample letters so you can see this methodology in action.
You’re welcome. 😉
A common travel insurance mistake caused a reader’s entire $19,000 claim to be rejected. Here’s what Consumer Rescue did to help and what you need to know to avoid making the same error.
There’s no doubt that getting denied boarding a cruise you’ve been eagerly anticipating for months — maybe even years — is traumatic.
My case files are filled with the distraught pleas for help from cruisers who’ve experienced it firsthand. In nearly all cases, the situation could have been avoided had the traveler done some basic research.
Here are the top ways cruise passengers get denied boarding and what you can do to avoid the same
Two days before Lance Sathoff’s family was scheduled to leave for their Mexican vacation, they received a disturbing email. The message from Hilton informed the Sathoffs that the rate of their prepaid, all-inclusive hotel room had increased by $1,800. According to Hilton, they would need to pay that upcharge at check-in.
A Canadian couple say Costco Travel told them that they did not need visas to take a cruise to Brazil. But when they arrived at the pier in Buenos Aires on embarkation day, Celebrity crew members said otherwise. As a result the stunned husband and wife were denied boarding the cruise and left stranded in Argentina.
These would-be passengers say the disastrous travel fiasco cost them over $13,000 — no cruise included.
If you accidentally put the wrong gas in a rental car, you’re most certainly headed for a giant repair bill. Mohit Govani recently discovered just how giant after Hertz accused him of destroying the engine of a Subaru Outback. The Vehicle Incident Report (VIR) says incorrect fuel caused an astounding $9,000 in damage to the rental car.
As devastating storms caused flooding and widespread damage in Maui last March, a Pennsylvania family canceled their beachfront Vrbo reservation. That was a logical decision they assumed would be covered by Vrbo’s extenuating circumstances policy. But the vacation rental’s third-party management company disagreed and refused to provide any refund.
Don’t let extreme buyer’s remorse ruin your next cruise. Impulsively spending money you don’t have on something you don’t want is a recipe for a vacation disaster. During a recent sailing, one Norwegian Cruise Line passenger learned this painful $3,100 lesson the hard way.
Here’s her cautionary tale and what cruise passengers should know about the unpleasant realities of overspending during port-stop shopping excursions.
Attention travelers: If your cruise ship is docking in Brazil, get a tourist visa or get denied boarding.
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© 2026 Consumer Rescue / Michelle Couch-Friedman
