Travel Troubles

Here’s what happens when things go wrong for travelers on the road, in the air, at hotels, and in vacation rentals.

The Travel Troubles category at Consumer Rescue is a collection of real-life stories about travelers who’ve encountered unexpected issues during their adventures. Each tale is dramatic but is a cautionary example, offering valuable lessons and practical advice.

The Travel Troubles section is meant to educate and empower travelers, helping them avoid similar issues and know what to do when things go wrong.

Travelers who encounter a problem they can’t resolve on their own should ask for help from our advocacy team. Our direct mediation service is fast, friendly, and always free!

American Airlines aircraft, AA airplane parked at gate, American Airlines canceled flight, delayed flight at gate

Help! American Airlines gave me travel credit instead of $5,075 in cash

April 27, 2025February 16, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

American Airlines left Brooke Krukenberg and 24 family members stranded in North Carolina after canceling their flight home to Iowa. As the group scrambled to find alternative transportation, airline agents assured the displaced passengers their refunds were on the way.

Krukenberg calculated that American Airlines owed each family member $250 for the canceled flight – around $5,600. That refund factored into the group’s plans as they booked rental cars and hotels for the unexpected 18-hour road trip back home. Here’s what happened next.

Enterprise Rent a Car lot, rental cars in a row

Enterprise says Mickey Mouse damaged my rental car. Why should I pay?

June 26, 2025February 9, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Like every savvy traveler, Kathy Mason inspected her recent rental car very carefully before driving it off the lot. The vehicle had no visible damage, and she says she returned it in the same condition just two days later. So it was a surprise when Enterprise sent her a $775 repair bill – two months after the rental was over.

But even more surprising than the repair bill was who Enterprise believed was responsible for damaging “things” inside the rental car. In an official incident report, “Mickey Mouse” is named as the alleged suspect.

United Airlines aircraft, sunset with United Airlines

Help! Fake United Airlines customer service charged me a $1,750 service fee

June 19, 2025February 5, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Christian Forthomme made a critical, but common error while booking a round-trip business-class flight to Paris for his wife. After asking Google for United Airlines customer service, he called the first number that popped up in the search results. Instead of reaching the airline, he dialed right into a scam call center where a fake UA agent was waiting. That fraudster easily booked the ticket and charged the unaware Forthomme a whopping $1,750 service fee for her efforts.

Airbnb problems in tropical Mexico, surveillance cameras in my Airbnb help, vacation rental problems.

Help! My Airbnb vacation rental has a surveillance camera aimed at my bed

March 29, 2025January 21, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

What if you were gazing out the window of your Airbnb and found a surveillance camera “gazing” right back at you? That was the startling scene that confronted Susan Scott as she relaxed in bed at her recent Mexican vacation rental.

New Jersey Airbnb vacation rental, helping fix Airbnb problems

Can our Airbnb host really charge us to clean up his trash? Help!

January 21, 2025January 14, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

If you find a pile of trash and other debris at a vacation rental when you arrive, report it immediately. If you don’t, you could easily find yourself stuck with excessive cleaning fees, as Airbnb guest Daniel Altschuler recently did.

Skyline of Pittsburgh, Budget Rental Car billed customer two years later, renting a car to drive in Pittsburgh

Budget wants $2,324 for a rental car I drove two years ago. Help!

January 11, 2025January 7, 2025 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Could a rental car company charge you for damage two years after you last laid eyes on the vehicle? A Budget Rent a Car customer discovered the answer to that $2,324 question is, bizarrely, “Yes.”

Now, that broadsided rental car customer is asking Consumer Rescue for help. He hopes we can appeal to Avis (the parent company of Budget) and get this mysterious damage fee erased.

Hertz at DFW mistake, Hertz can't send a rental car repair bill 7 months later, Car rental scams

Help! Hertz billed me $1,050 to repair a rental car I drove 7 months ago

March 14, 2025December 16, 2024 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Lori Gallant agrees that if a Hertz rental car was damaged while in her possession, she should pay the repair bill. Or at least her insurance company should. But the last time she rented from Hertz was in January. That makes the Vehicle Incident Report detailing her responsibility for repairing that car peculiar since Hertz created it in August.

JetBlue aircraft, delayed flight, JFK International Airport, JetBlue flight on runway

A JetBlue flight delay made me miss my connection. Where’s my free hotel?

February 16, 2025December 9, 2024 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

An extended flight delay stranded JetBlue customer Ellen LaPaglia overnight at New York City’s JFK International Airport. Airline employees instructed all the displaced passengers to wait in a long line to receive a free hotel voucher.

However, by the time LaPaglia got to the front of that queue no hotel vouchers remained.

JetBlue, JetBlue passengers-of-size plan, overweight passengers, plus-size passengers guidance, JetBlue

Did JetBlue force a passenger to share his seat with a stranger?

January 10, 2025December 3, 2024 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

During a flight across the country, Jetblue forced Samuel Cristol to share his seat. That’s correct. Cristol had a partial seatmate on his flight — a man who did not quite fit in his own space. And, although the guy … Read More

Why did this Quality falsely accuse a customer of theft?

Help! Quality Inn falsely accused me of theft and now I’m banned forever

January 28, 2025November 30, 2024 by Michelle Couch-Friedman

Brak Moczygemba got the shock of her life after a recent one-night stay in a budget hotel. The manager of that Quality Inn accused her of pillow theft… remarkably pricey pillows for such an establishment. To make matters worse, that same manager then informed a stunned Moczygemba that she was permanently banned from the two-star hotel.

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