It may be asking too much for anyone in the mainstream news media to pay attention to a car rental company story, or even to spend a small amount of energy on critical analysis. Still, yesterday’s J.D. Power study on car rental customer satisfaction broadsided me like an 18-wheeler smacking a subcompact.
November 2006
Comfort is something I’ve been striving for all my life. That’s particularly true when I travel. I remember the first time I flew in my pajamas
Ira Goldman has done it again. The inventor of the Knee Defender, a clever device that prevents the passenger in front of you from leaning into your personal space, has just released a new product that promises to expedite your trip through a TSA checkpoint.
Before returning to our regularly scheduled programming, here’s one last update on Erysse, Mommy and the rest of the Elliott family. The two women in our lives came home from the hospital yesterday afternoon after a memorable delivery at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies in Orlando.
Since reporting on our photoblog yesterday that Kari suffered some painful complications during the birth of our daughter Erysse, I’ve been overwhelmed by your notes of concern and support. This is one of those rare and beautiful times when we have felt connected to friends and family, despite the geographic distance between all of us.
I’m thrilled to announce the latest addition to the Elliott family. And no, it isn’t a new Web site or column. Our daughter, Erysse Margaret Elliott was born at 6 a.m. today at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies in Orlando. She weighed 10 pounds and 6 ounces and measured 24 1/2 inches. Yes, this girl is probably gonna walk home from the hospital.
Elizabeth Logan hands the keys to her SUV to the valet service at the Hilton Austin when she checks in. It’s the last time she sees her car. The vehicle “goes missing” and the only thing Hilton will do is give her the number of its insurance company. Is that enough?
What is it about flying in an airplane that seems to remind some passengers of a church confessional?
Being a consumer advocate, I tend to focus on the misdeeds of the travel industry. I ought to look the other way occasionally. It turns out a lot of travelers are closeted kleptomaniacs.
Here’s a question that has troubled Canada’s highest court for several months: Which supreme court judge cruised in the buff? A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle travel section quoted a tour operator who offered clothing-optional cruises. The company’s customers included “actors, bus drivers, Fortune 500 CEOs, soccer moms, doctors, teachers, priests and at least one Canadian Supreme Court justice,” she claimed.
A month after Mary Ann Stewart rents a car from Advantage Rent-A-Car, she gets a surprise in the mail: a credit card charge for $75 — and a choice to either pay the charge or be reported to a collections agency. Seems Stewart got a parking ticket while she rented the car. But this is the first time she’s heard of it. What should she do?
Elliott is consumer advocate 
I'm on Facebook: Please "like" 
WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? If you're having trouble with a travel business - any business - and you've reached a dead end, maybe I can help. Send me an