How to quickly lose $1,100 in a Walmart shopping scam

By Michelle Couch-Friedman |

If you receive an unsolicited job offer from Walmart that involves shopping and getting paid big bucks to do it, it’s certainly a scam. But when Michele Turner received such an invitation, she was sure she had found the perfect way to make some extra cash. Unfortunately for her, there was a thief on the other end of that email who was about to reel Turner into an expensive mystery shopper scam. And the only person about to make some extra cash was that predator.

Now Turner is hoping that the Elliott Advocacy team can help retrieve the over $1,100 she lost during this fiasco. But how? (Reprint)

Read more “How to quickly lose $1,100 in a Walmart shopping scam”

Can you fly without a mask if you have a doctor’s note?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman |

Can you fly without a mask at this stage of the pandemic if you have a doctor’s note? Since late summer, the blunt answer from most airlines is no. Katheryn Stueckle’s son can’t physically tolerate a face covering, but she has no problem with American Airlines’ updated mask requirements. However, she would like a refund for the flight she purchased before the airline changed the policy.

American Airlines says she purchased the flight after it eliminated medical exemptions to the mask requirement. As a result, it denied the refund.

Can we help? Read more “Can you fly without a mask if you have a doctor’s note?”

Looking for an Overseas Adventure Travel refund? Here is the good news!

By Michelle Couch-Friedman |

Did Overseas Adventure Travel or another tour company promise you a refund during the pandemic and then renege later? If so, you’re certainly not alone. One of the most frequent complaints we’re fielding involves tour operators changing contract terms after the coronavirus cancellation wave began.

The good news? One of the top tour operators has recently changed its stance once more — this time, in favor of its customers. If you’ve been battling for a refund from Overseas Adventure Travel or Grand Circle during the pandemic, you’re in luck.  Read more “Looking for an Overseas Adventure Travel refund? Here is the good news!”

This is how to deal with the Transportation Security Administration

By Christopher Elliott |

For many air travelers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening is the most dreaded part of the journey.

It’s not the full-body scanners or the threat of a pat-down. It’s the risk of a COVID-19 infection at the hands of a TSA employee. Thousands of TSA workers have contracted the virus and several have died, according to the agency. Read more “This is how to deal with the Transportation Security Administration”

I locked myself out of my Airbnb! I want a refund

By Michelle Couch-Friedman |

What happens if you lock yourself out of your Airbnb rental thousands of miles from home? Will your host or the caretaker immediately come and rescue you?

Xiamin Qi recently discovered the answer to both questions after she locked herself out of her Airbnb rental in Barcelona. Despite the host warning her about the self-locking feature of the front door, she says jet lag caused an oversight. That fatigue caused Qi to walk out of the building and leave the keys inside.

Now she is asking the host to refund $500 for her trouble. But is this a reasonable request? (Reprint) Read more “I locked myself out of my Airbnb! I want a refund”

Can my guide cancel my trip to Italy and keep my money too?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman |

When coronavirus started closing down Italy, Meryl Silver wondered if she would be forced to cancel her upcoming trip. She didn’t have to wait long for an answer. In early March, the private photographer who was hosting the workshop she was to attend, announced he was “rescheduling” the event. So why won’t he return her $1,200 deposit? (Reprint) Read more “Can my guide cancel my trip to Italy and keep my money too?”