These tales are from our consumer advocacy files. If you’re a consumer with a problem with a company, you can contact us for help as well.
When Norwegian Cruise Line put Christopher Yanchak on its dreaded “Do Not Sail” list, he was shocked. There had been an incident on a cruise from New York to Bermuda last summer, but he thought he was in the clear.
The trouble didn’t start on their flight from Buffalo to Philadelphia, when their 50-seat regional jet got tossed around in the heavy turbulence. It was so violent that Christopher Prucha’s wife begged him not to continue their trip to Wilmington, N.C., and to drive instead.
Picture this: Something goes terribly wrong with your vacation rental, and instead of fixing the problem, the owner slaps you with a $1,000 bill. And when you complain to the rental platform, it tells you that you’re out of luck and then charges your credit card
Adrienne Gil paid StubHub $4,799 for tickets to a Taylor Swift concert. StubHub delivered the tickets — for the wrong date.Now Gil wants StubHub to cover the $6,784 she had to pay to get into the show.
William Farrer thought he’d booked two rooms at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans directly through the hotel’s website. Minutes later, he discovered he’d actually paid $3,228 to a third-party booking site — and the reservation was suddenly “nonrefundable.”
Cindy Bonde expected a peaceful getaway in the Vrbo rental she’d booked in Park Rapids, Minn. Instead, she and her family stepped into a conflict that featured rampant mold, an uncooperative host and a tone-deaf booking platform — and left them fighting for a $19,500 refund.
Victoria Broer has parked her family van at USAirport Parking near Denver International Airport for a decade. The company held her keys for her in its office, and she felt safe — so safe that she paid $1,825 every year for unlimited parking privileges.
Ellen Kwan-Portal just can’t let go of her Adele tickets.
Angela Reiffer and her husband thought they were getting a free couples massage after they checked into a Palladium resort in the Dominican Republic for their honeymoon.
When Tawnia Wise checked into her Airbnb rental in Austin recently, she was shocked by what she found: a bug-infested property that was far from the squeaky-clean apartment she thought she’d booked.
