We interrupt this consumer blog to bring you the following important message: If you’re ever in Northwest Florida, you must drive down to Apalachicola to try the oysters.
FLORIDA
When William Pou reserves a room at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort using his frequent-stayer points, he’s surprised by a $10-a-night resort fee, disclosed only after his room is confirmed. What’s more, he’s told the fee is required by state law. Is it — or is he owed a refund?
Club Med Sandpiper Bay is an all-inclusive resort near Port St. Lucie, Fla. — the perfect place to escape the cold December weather in Washington without having to spend hours on a plane. At least that’s what Jane Winfrey thought.
Our visit to Northwest Florida took us to Grayton Beach State Park near Seaside, Fla., a place known for its beautiful sand dunes and beaches.
Half the East Coast is stuck in a blizzard. We are not.
Seaside, Fla., may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of a holiday destination. Maybe it should be.
Remember Revelex, the Boca Raton, Fla.-based online booking company whose name came up a time or two during the Palm Coast Travel episode earlier this year? Palm Coast Travel, you’ll recall, was fined $2,500 for selling unlicensed travel insurance through a company called Prime Travel Protection. Some observers alleged a connection between Revelex, Palm Coast [...]
Chain hotels can be depressing places, because when you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all.
It all started a few weeks ago with a call from Hilton. Would I be interested in writing for a Web site run by Homewood Suites, they wondered.
Looks like Palm Coast Travel, the Boca Raton, Fla., agency accused by the state of Florida of selling unauthorized travel insurance, while at the same time trying to sue one of its own customers and me into silence, has quietly negotiated a settlement with insurance regulators.
A fresh round of public records released by the state of Florida’s Department of Financial Service this morning reveals a “medal count” of complaints against travel agencies alleged to have sold illegal travel insurance, as well as the number of claims and their estimated value.
Florida’s Department of Financial Services is in the early stages of a far-reaching investigation into the activities of Palm Coast Travel and its affiliated companies, according to documents released this week under the state’s Public Records Act. The documents also raise new questions about the relationship between Access America, the largest travel insurance company in [...]
When a young woman named Carissa knocked at my door on a recent Saturday evening and introduced herself as a process server, I knew things were about to get interesting. And when I read the civil action summons she handed me, I was intrigued.
So long, Planhandle. We’ll be making the tedious six-hour drive back to Orlando tomorrow morning, but already I’m thinking of an excuse to visit Northwest Florida again. My friends in Pensacola are interested in hosting a remote broadcast of the radio show, maybe this spring. That would be fun. In the meantime, you’re probably wondering [...]
It’s the sand. It’s white, like snow. Not quite a white Christmas — but close enough.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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