In this issue …
» Worst practices
» Tariff trouble: 6 airline ticket rules you should know before your next flight
» Don’t touch that phone! A 13 minute call costs $58
» Traffic
» How to reach yours truly
» Support this site
» Change your subscription
This issue of Elliott’s E-Mail is underwritten by Priceline.com, the leading travel service for value-conscious leisure travelers. With both Name Your Own Price and everyday fixed low prices, no other travel service gives more ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises. No one does deals like Priceline.com!
FIRST | Random thoughts about the week in travel
Worst practices? If you’ve spend any time in the corporate world, you’ve probably heard a lot of talk about “best practices.” But there are, of course, worst practices as well. Leave it to the travel industry to write the book on those. Whether it’s questionable fees, customer-hostile policies, or just plain dumb rules, travel’s got it covered. And so do I, in this week’s newsletter. But travel doesn’t have a corner on worst practices. Check out the StumbleUpon stories in the blog. Happy reading!
Burning question … Tell me your worst traffic jam stories. The federal government has already weighed in with its list of cities with the worst traffic. Now it’s your turn. Which place has the worst traffic, and tell me your favorite story about being stuck in a bumper-to-bumper sea of motor vehicles. Send me a note or shoot me an IM (celliottlive on AIM).
SIGHTINGS | Noted Elliott appearances online and offline
Currency confusion with my car — Avis charges Laura Cattell $124 in currency exchange fees when she rents a car in England. Cattell insists the fees are excessive, because they convert pounds into dollars and then back into pounds. But the car rental company claims it had the right to make the exchange. Who’s right? (From The Troubleshooter)
Tariff trouble: 6 airline ticket rules you should know before your next flight — When it comes to airline ticket rules, the devil isn’t in the details. The devil is the details. You’ll find Old Nick in something called the ticket tariff, which is a massive, rambling and often incomprehensible document that passengers rarely see in its entirety. (From MSNBC.com)
Elliott’s E-Mail is also underwritten by Cheapflights.com, which lets you search and compare flights to find the lowest-priced airfare for your next trip. Get the details at Cheapflights.com.
BLOGGED | New posts on Elliott’s Blog
Don’t touch that phone! A 13 minute call costs $58 — Don’t pick up the phone in your hotel room. Don’t even look at the phone. Otherwise, you’ll pay the price. You’ve probably heard that advice before. It’s a tip I’ve given a time or two. But here’s a twist on an old problem: What if the company doing the overbilling isn’t a hotel, but your own phone company? (From Elliott Blog)
“I have asked the engineers to revisit this process” — Here’s an update on the StumbleUpon fiasco. You’ll recall that a few days ago, the social networking site invited all 9,000 people in my Gmail address book to join the site without my approval. Like any good consumer, I wrote to the company to report the problem. Now they’ve responded. (From Elliott Blog)
Will forced schedule reductions lead to higher air fares? — It’s something every traveler — or at least every leisure traveler — worries about. Will the air fare to my next destination be affordable? And the all-powerful airline lobby and the industry’s apologists know it, too. That’s why they’re raising the specter of higher fares, now that the government is threatening to force them to reduce flight schedules at airports where traffic is grinding to a halt. (From Elliott Blog)
Unethical pre-checking: How StumbleUpon hijacked my address book — In the travel industry, “pre-checking” is limited to a few ethically challenged companies. But outside travel, anything goes — particularly if you’re in the ultra-competitive Web 2.0 space. I discovered that when I signed up for StumbleUpon yesterday evening, to the detriment of many of my friends and professional contacts. First, an apology. If you received an e-mail from me that started, “Elliottdotorg wants to share sites with you… ” feel free to ignore it. It wasn’t me. (From Elliott Blog)
A downgrade without a refund? Here’s how to fight back — Here’s an all-too-familiar problem: You pay big bucks for a first-class airline ticket. But the day before your departure, the airline downgrades you because of an equipment change — it’s a smaller plane — and then offers credit vouchers to make up for having to endure a flight in economy class. How about a cash refund? No can do, says the airline. (From Elliott Blog)
Elliott’s E-Mail is also underwritten by FirstClassFlyer.com, the only tool you
need to fly first class for the price of coach — or close to it. Looking for free and purchased upgrades, two-for-ones and a fast-track to elite status strategies? Look no further than FirstClassFlyer.com
FLASHBACK | A retrospective from the Elliott archives
Traffic! It’s only getting worse …
9 cities with the worst traffic jams — Here’s an honor no American city wants: the place with the worst traffic congestion. Is there such an award? Well, not quite, but close. The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced nine semi-finalists for a federal program that will pour a total of $1.1 billion into a traffic jam-fighting program. (From Elliott Blog)
More taxi trouble — These are strange times to be a passenger in a taxi. During the last month, several reports of cab drivers refusing to transport passengers have made headlines. Among their reasons for turning down a fare: travelers were carrying alcohol, had a seeing-eye dog, or were transgendered (all of which apparently offended the religious sensibilities of the drivers). (From Elliott Blog)
Elliott’s E-Mail is also underwritten by the Alaska Travelgram, which gives you the
inside scoop on Alaska, with information on activities, accommodations, hot air fare deals and secret insider tips — from the folks who live there. Subscribe here. It’s free.
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Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.
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