Athena Foley and her husband wish they’d never stayed at the Hotel Ändra. When they checked into the Seattle boutique hotel this summer, one of their bags was stolen after they surrendered it to the bellhop.
INSURANCE
One of the most common car rental complaints I get — no, the most common — involves travelers who declined the optional collision-damage waiver and ended up with what what they believe to be a fraudulent claim. But it rarely goes the other way — which is to say, having the insurance but then not [...]
When she books a rental car through Expedia in Tel Aviv, Israel, Marissa Barashi is led to believe her rate includes all mandatory charges. It doesn’t. She must buy insurance, too. Is Expedia responsible for the extra fee?
Marcel Meth’s wife and daughter had plans to visit his recently widowed sister-in-law in Minnesota. As a precaution, they bought a travel insurance policy through Access America.
As a frequent car rental customer, Parker Mann has endured countless sales pitches for optional insurance. But recently, the hard sell efforts have crossed a line, he says.
Ted Van Anne’s wife isn’t an experienced traveler, but she knows she declined the optional car rental insurance. So why is Dollar charging her an extra $20 a day for her car? And can the charge be reversed?
After the Middle East erupted in chaos earlier this year, Amber Ford decided to cancel her flight to Egypt. Good thing she’d bought insurance through Travel Guard, she thought. She’d be getting a full refund for the $2,500 she spent on her tickets.
John Frow pays for his airline tickets with $601 in credit. But then he has a bike accident and cancels his trip. When he makes an insurance claim, Access America turns him down, believing he didn’t suffer any financial loss. Now what?
Catherine Markland was looking forward to her Ecuador trip with Friendly Planet this month. She had a litte extra peace of mind because she’d purchased an insurance policy for her flights through Access America.
Gordon Houston is offered a $9.80-a-day rate for a rental car in Mexico. But an agent refuses to rent the car to him without insurance, which more than doubles the price of the vehicle. Now neither his agent, nor the rental company, will refund the difference. Is he stuck with the bill?
Carla Dorsey didn’t order the optional insurance on her Avis rental car in Tampa. But her car rental company charged her for it, anyway. Now it won’t refund the money, insisting she signed a contract. Is Avis right?
Mike and Mary Burchmore thought they’d dotted all of their “i”s and crossed all of their “t”s when they booked their South American cruise on the Norwegian Sun.
There’s a reason I advise customers to stay off the phone when they have a problem with a company: If someone says something to you on the line, how do you prove it?
Sue Burgess began to feel sick on a Southwest Airlines flight from Phoenix to Albuquerque earlier this year, and after a rough trip in which she filled several barf bags, she was sent to a hospital after the plane landed. She’s fine now — turns out she had the stomach flu — but there’s the small matter of a $9,000 hospital bill.
Seconds before Terri Widder booked a recent flight from Chicago to Tulsa, she hesitated. Something felt wrong.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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