Charged $1,341 for damage I didn’t do
Theodore Mariano’s rental car has a scratch, and although his rental company promises it won’t charge him for the repair, it does. Did the scratch exist before he picked it up? Maybe.
The Travel Troubleshooter is a weekly consumer column that solves travel problems. Missing cruise refunds, lousy airline service, car rental surcharges — it’s all fair game for this feature. Each story presents a problem and fixes it in a quick Q&A format.
Theodore Mariano’s rental car has a scratch, and although his rental company promises it won’t charge him for the repair, it does. Did the scratch exist before he picked it up? Maybe.
Charles Stewart’s wife is hospitalized in England and misses her return flight. Thank goodness she has travel insurance, which covers the cost of her return flight. But what about the miles she spent? Are they lost?
Derek Ho’s Expedia booking goes sideways, and he needs help. Can this trip be saved?
When John King’s mother dies, he asks American Airlines to refund her ticket. Instead of sending the money, it emails him a series of form letters. What should he do?
Tyson Howard has to pay a $50 phone bill at his hotel. But wait — aren’t long-distance calls “free”? Well, kinda.
Ruth Hartmann has to cancel her yoga retreat to Costa Rica after she lands in the hospital. Why is her resort asking her to pay an extra $400 for a vacation she can’t take?
Haijun Shan’s camera is missing — forcibly gate-checked on a recent flight. The camera isn’t covered under the airline’s contract. Is Shan out of luck?
Danny Griffin just received a $93 bill from Hertz for refueling his rental car. But wait, didn’t the company give him a receipt that verified his tank was full when he returned the vehicle? Yes, but that doesn’t make any difference.
Christina Conte’s mother tries to cancel a voucher she bought through Travelzoo, but the company refunds all of them. Now it won’t reinstate them, despite repeated calls to the company. What can she do?
When Steve Broman tries to check in to his hotel, he finds that it’s closed for the season. Now Hotels.com won’t give him a refund until it can confirm the hotel is closed. How long should he have to wait?