When Sarah Paynter’s honeymoon flight is delayed by two days, she buys a ticket on another carrier with the promise of a refund from her first airline. But now that the honeymoon is over, there’s no sign of the money. What now?
From the category archives:
The Travel Troubleshooter
Terry Capps finds a $28 a night room rate at a Westin hotel in Orlando. Turns out the hotel made a mistake, and that the real price is $289 a night. What now? Should the resort honor the original price or can it change the rate and force Capps to pay?
Tracey Brown Osborne finds a mysterious charge on her American Express bill that turns out to be a repair bill for a rental car tire — a tire she says she never damaged. When her charge card sides with her in the dispute, her car rental company threatens to take her to court. What should she do?
When I think of great customer service, I remember Alamo.
Llouellynde Orahood’s flight from Los Angeles to Dallas has all the makings of a trip from hell, including weather delays, cancellations and almost-missed flights. What could be worse? Having to pay again for the same tickets. Now, neither the airlines nor her online travel agency is willing to help her recover the money she should have never had to spend. Is there any hope for a refund?
When Erin Hott checks into her hotel, she’s shown to a room with an unmade bed. When she asks for clean sheets, an employee tells her they can’t change her linen until the next day. And if she doesn’t like it, she can find another hotel, but she’ll still have to pay for her room. Whatever happened to customer service?
Diane Gandara cancels her vacation to New Delhi after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. But her insurance company won’t honor her claim because she wasn’t visiting Mumbai. Is the $7,300 she spent on her trip lost?
When Best Western bills Angela Williams-McGill twice for the same night, she incurs a bank overdraft fee and then waits months for a refund. But the hotel never pays her back, and all she has to show for her efforts is a claim number. Is there anything she could have done to prevent this? And what about the refund?
Alexandra Seldin prepays for a rental car through Alamo’s Web site. But when her flight is canceled, and she arrives a day late, the company charges her three times more than it originally said it would. Is it allowed to do that? And is there any hope for a refund?
Kristin Budden’s hotel promises her a refund for her nonrefundable hotel room after a hurricane strikes. But months later, there’s no sign of the money and the hotel has gone into radio silence. Should she kiss the money goodbye?
Ethel Schweitzer’s husband falls ill before a trip to Las Vegas, and the couple cancels their vacation. Now US Airways wants to keep their money. Why can’t it offer them a refund?
Mary McInnis-Efaw buys a package to Hawaii through United Vacations. But when the price of her ticket falls by $733, United refuses to offer her a voucher for the fare difference. Is it allowed to do that?
When Sue Koopman cancels her vacation, her friend is presented with a bill for a $375 single supplement. If she doesn’t pay it immediately, the tour operator threatens to cancel her vacation. Can it do that? And is there any hope for getting a refund of the $375 fee after it’s paid?
Virginia Pozo buys a first-class ticket to Peru on TACA. But it turns out the ticket is in economy class. When she tries to get a refund on the fare difference, her online agency offers her a $400 voucher. Is that enough? And is she entitled to more?
Nicholas Czapor books four Hilton hotel stays through a double points promotion. But the points never show up in his account, and now Hilton is offering him only a fraction of the promised award. Can it do that? And what recourse, if any, does Czapor have?
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