Enjoy the government’s new airfare rule. It might not last.
PRICE
When Walter Nissen signed up for a British Airways Chase Visa card recently, he though he’d be jetting off to London after earning just 50,000 miles.
When the price of Steven Estrella’s Cancun vacation takes a nosedive after he’s already paid for it, he tries to make a claim under his online travel agency’s price guarantee. But for some reason, the company never processes his claim. What’s going on? And will he ever see a refund?
A majority of airline passengers want to see an all-inclusive price for their tickets up front, according to a new survey.
Here’s a story that might have a familiar ring: Sue Clark was planning a theme park vacation for her family in Orlando when she found an affordable rate at Disney’s upscale Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
When should an airline or travel agent show the “all-in” price, particularly when it comes to fees that used to be part of the ticket? Take the weekend survey and tell me.
Jim Stewart’s trip was a disaster before he even left for the airport. When he tried to reserve a package vacation through Expedia, the price mysteriously went up. He made another reservation, tried to cancel it, rebooked another one and — you guessed it — ended up with two reservations for the same trip.
Hilton offers Joy Valentine a $199 a night rate at its New York property, but it can’t find the price in its system, so it charges her $239 instead. The rate is nonrefundable, so when Valentine asks it to fix the mistake, Hilton refuses. Is there anything she can do to persuade the hotel to honor its original price?
Here’s a new government rule that might surprise you: It would prohibit post-purchase price increases in air transportation or air tours by carriers and ticket agents.
If you’ve ever been hit with a surprise fee when you rented a car or booked an airline ticket and found yourself saying, “There ought to be a law,” I have some good news for you: There is. Or at least, there could be.
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?
If this isn’t a bait-and-switch, I don’t know what is. Jonathan Yarmis thought he was getting a $375 a night room rate at the Hotel Bauer in Venice, marked down from $537.
When he calls the Residence Inn, Michael Tushan is offered a rate of $116 a night. Oops. Turns out the representative wasn’t “authorized” to negotiate — and now the price is $149 a night. Take it or leave it. What should Tushan do?
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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